Security Marking

[plexer]

£100 + vat per year.

 

Ben

[john]

Oh how exciting, I can hardly wait for the message to come through from my schools to me about smart watering the IT kit. It does look good but I think I need to read more on it.

[GrumbleDook]

One method to stop yourself getting covered in it is to paint the bottom of the unit ... people will still grab hold of it.

 

We looked at this for our fire alarms ... we have lift up coveres to prevent 'accidental damage' setting off the alarms ... but th life expectancy (2 months we ere told by the supplier we contacted) would mean it would be a pain in the backside to keep fresh.

[Gatt]

We're going through a spate of kit theft here at Moorside, our Education Resource (Office/Manager/whatever) is in charge of asset tagging at the moment, but she is useless - has tagged IWB's and projectors so far but no kit - cos "they are on the network" - apparently she has taken something I said the wrong way (ie - "i can get a limited amount of info from the network" translated into "I dont need to tag these at all")

 

SHe did however - asset tag a Desk! not any desk but one that would take a thief about half an hour to clear, then a furhter half hour to dismantle - and would then need to carry it all out in bits!

[woody]

I'm glad I check if there was already a thread on security marking. Was about to start one myself. We have used Selecta Mark but the person before me bought loads of the compound, about 30 tubes or something like that. Well, after two years of being here, I had got through maybe 4 or 5 tubes. The rest seemed to have dried up, or the compound seems to have 'melted' through the tubes and evaporated. Or maybe that is because some compund has got onto the tubes from an open one in the bag, but whatever the case, most of the tubes are totally wasted.

 

I'm interested in branding. Has anyone done it? I noticed John has. Is it neat or does it melt theplastic too much and ends up being messy?

 

Where would I buy a branding iron?

[drjturner]

Did you know that Sanyo projectors for the last 2-3 years have given you the option to record a static logo when the projector is switched on, IE "Projector stolen from such and such school"

 

Shame you can't do monitors and bioses as well.

[Ric_]

Some people I know use a 'magic water' thing that you paint on the case of something and it covers it in something that the police can use if it is found. Can't remember the name though.

[drjturner]

We once received a projector back and it had been painted flourescent pink, they had put a bag round the front and back while they did it but it was a strange thing to see.

 

Aparently they where getting thefts every weekend.

 

 

Best Regards

 

Dan

[acb_]

We have smartwater and selectamark.

 

I always wondered how effective selectamark was; we had a test of it at the end of last term when a herbert stuck one of our science laptops under his jumper and walked off with it. Unfortunately for him he was seen and squealed on, and the machine was returned to us a few days later. He'd managed to remove the selectamark labels but it had left a sticky mess on the case of the machine, and he'd tried to get rid of the etched blobs but they were still happily readable.

 

I wonder if he thinks it was worth it?

[Ric_]

Smartwater would be what I was babbling on about

[plexer]

The smartwater is a forensic fluid that has a "DNA" signature specific to your school it floureses under ultra violet light so the police can see where it is marked then they would have CSI take a sample which would be analysed in the forensics lab and a match produced.

 

Apparently criminals hate it but you have to make sure you put the warning signs up I guess. We had a police security officer thingy come round and he moaned that the kit wasn't marked. I wasn't there to inform them that it was just with SM.

 

Apparently brasso can remove the selectamark compounds completely so I am told.

 

Ben

[Sylv3r]

We use Smartwater on all our ICT equipment here also.

[sidewinder]

Selectamark and Smartwater are what we use

 

Have to honest though, as tough as the selectamark stuff is, it *can* be sanded off if you're dedicated enough

 

The smartwater would be very hard to remove though, however I notice some of the older kit marked before I arrived has no smartwater and now and again stuff has no marking at all!

 

We dont mark everything, just laptops, TFT's and PC's

 

Yet we've had 2 projectors nicked in the holidays....

[woody]

Well, I don't know what to use. We have NEVER had a projector stolen, NEVER had a PC or TFT stolen. We have had Laptops stolen and also Cameras, but to be fair these where down to teacher error. Teachers leaving them out in unlocked rooms!

 

I have a quote for a branding iron of £464 but I don't know how well this will work or how clean it will be. I have images of melting plastic all over the place. But these things must work if the manufacturer is making them for that purpose. Any comments from experience?

[john]

I have a melting iron with the school name and postcode. My advice, old keysboards are an excellent way of practicing. But I am finding more and more warranty issues that firms will not fix goods as they have been modified or "damaged" in there view. It is a very permanent way of marking goods so has its benifitits, but also PCs seem to be getting less and less plastic to brand on so its not as easy as it would be. Also with warranties, on site swap-outs become collect and return in 3 years type service as you wouldnt want a screen with my details on it and visa versa etc....

[CyberNerd]

Some kids were escorted off site this afternoon, later I found they tried to kick in the technicians office door, they didn't get through it but its in pretty bad shape now. Last year we had a few projectors stolen, the caretaker chased them off site - police made an arrest but didn't charge them . Somehow I don't think security marking is gonna help to much here - a pick axe handle might be more appropriate - strange though because the school is in a pretty decent area.