Microsoft Gold Certified Partner enhances geolocation capabilities with Microsoft
Vancouver, Canada: July 7, 2009 – Absolute® Software Corporation (“Absolute” or the “Company”) (TSX: ABT), the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, computer theft recovery, data protection and secure IT asset management solutions announces support for Windows 7 and its Sensor and Location platform, which facilitates access to geolocation devices installed on a computer.
“We’re thrilled that Absolute Software has chosen to build their computer tracking and recovery application on our platform," said Bill Mitchell, corporate vice president at Microsoft Corp. “By providing a consistent framework API for any GPS or location device that works with Windows 7, the Location platform in Windows 7 simplifies the process and speeds time to market for software developers.”
Absolute’s flagship IT asset management and computer security solution Computrace® utilizes several location determination methodologies including GPS and Wi-Fi triangulation to give customers unprecedented capabilities for tracking and managing their mobile computers. With geolocation capability, customers can see both the current and historical locations of their computers or handsets plotted on a map within the Absolute Customer Center. This functionality is particularly useful in locating computers that are missing but are not believed to have been stolen. It is also used by the Absolute Theft Recovery Team to aid in stolen computer investigations.
As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Absolute’s development team worked with the Windows 7 team to take advantage of the Windows 7 Sensor and Location application programming interface (API). Customers will be able use any Windows Sensor and Location API-compliant device, such as GPS, or technology, once appropriate location provider is installed, to track their computers within the Absolute Customer Center.
According to Tim Parker, Vice President of Research and Development at Absolute Software, “Our long-standing partnership with Microsoft provides us with the advanced knowledge of Windows 7 and its Sensor and Location API, which delivers enhanced geolocation capabilities to our customers. It also allows our development team to speed the development time required to bring new, innovative computer tracking solutions to the market.”
How Computrace Works
The Computrace Software Agent that powers Absolute’s solutions is embedded in the firmware of computers from the world’s leading computer manufacturers right at the factory or it can be installed by the customer.* The Agent can be activated by customers when they purchase a subscription with terms ranging from one to four years.
The Agent regularly contacts the Absolute Monitoring Center – sending location and IT asset management information to the Absolute Customer Center portal. Customers log in to the Absolute Customer Center to access that information, manage their IT asset population, run reports, remotely delete data and plot the location of their computers and mobile devices on a map.
If a computer is stolen, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team can use information sent by the computer and forensically mine it using a variety of procedures including key captures, registry scanning, file scanning, geolocation, and other investigative techniques to determine who has the computer and how it is being used. Absolute then works with local law enforcement to help recover the computer. Embedded in the firmware of a computer, the stealthy Computrace Agent is capable of surviving operating system re-installations, as well as hard-drive reformats, replacements and re-imaging.
To learn more about Absolute’s ongoing partnership with Microsoft, please visit absolute.com/microsoft.
For more information on Absolute and its range of computer theft recovery, data protection and IT asset management solutions, please visit absolute.com/products.
* For a complete list of firmware-supported computers visit absolute.com/bios.