Networking giant Alcatel-Lucent has revamped its OmniAccess 3500 Nonstop Laptop Guardian (NLG) adding HSPA support to the laptop management device.

The NLG is a PCMCIA card with an embedded Linux operating system. It slots into a notebook and provides a range of features to help IT departments remotely secure, monitor, manage and locate mobile computers over 3G and protect the data if the device is lost or stolen.

Previously the NLG was available only on CDMA-based 3G networks, but it is now compatible with next-generation high-speed 3G GSM/HSPA networks, thereby expanding its coverage and capabilities.

In a recent study by Alcatel-Lucent, 76 per cent of respondents in the US and Germany said that it is necessary to protect a lost or stolen laptop with more than encryption, including the ability to locate the device using GPS and remotely revoke access to data.

Half of the executive IT decision makers surveyed said they would even switch service provider if one offered a security platform to remotely protect lost or stolen laptops, as well as providing auto VPN capabilities and allowing remote management of laptops even when they are turned off.

EU travellers lose 3,300 laptops a week in airports alone, and analyst firm the Ponemon Institute values the business cost of data breaches at £47 per record lost, so the need to make sure that data is secured and well managed has never been higher, according to Alcatel-Lucent.

"The security of data on company and government laptops is a genuine concern for executives and agency leaders around the globe," said Tom Burns, head of enterprise activities at Alcatel-Lucent.

"The recent study shows that nearly three out of four IT security managers have had to help their company deal with the consequences of a lost or stolen company laptop."