A burgeoning microdot business might seem like plenty for Certified Secure Identification Corp. to digest.
But the Red Deer company has several other theft-deterrent technologies on its plate.
It has the Canadian distribution rights for PC PhoneHome and MacPhoneHome, software that prompts a stolen computer to send out an email identifying its location.
“Ninety-eight per cent of the time computers end up back online, and usually within 48 hours,” said CSI president Louis Bouchard, whose company is aggressively marketing PC PhoneHome and MacPhoneHome to colleges, universities and other educational institutions, as well as to individuals.
BioBoss is another computer application that CSI has obtained the licence for — in this case from Certified Secure Identification, an Australian company controlled by Bouchard’s brother and CSI partner Denis Bouchard.
BioBoss creates a separate system through which online transactions like banking, share trading and tax filing can be processed. That prevents hackers and viruses from accessing a computer’s hard drive.
CSI is also marketing Laptop Cop, which allows the owner of a stolen computer to access the device when it goes online, and retrieve and delete files. The owner can even view current activity like email traffic, said Bouchard.
“You can wipe out that whole computer so that it becomes useless,” he said, suggesting that Laptop Cop is particularly suitable for people with sensitive information on their computers.
Another product CSI carries, WebWatcher, lets the user monitor another computer from a separate location. Parents, for instance, can check to see if their children are accessing inappropriate sites or communicating with suspicious people, said Bouchard.
“You can access that computer in real time and see where they’re at and what they’re doing,” he said, adding that online communication and website histories are also available using WebWatcher.
CSI sells a similar system called Sonar for monitoring computer misuse in workplace settings.
Bouchard said his company combines its various security systems into packages suitable for specific user groups. For instance, a special RV pack might include one of CSI’s I-DOT microdot kits for the vehicle, another for the RV’s contents, PC PhoneHome or MacPhoneHome software and a BioBoss system.
“We wanted to be a company that offered solutions for the industry and the end user in general,” said Bouchard. “When you just focus in on one product, you’re not able to offer the complete solution to the end user.”
CSI continues to search for other high-tech products.
It’s working with an American partner to develop a radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for fleet tire maintenance in the trucking industry, said Bouchard. Drivers would use a device with Bluetooth connectivity to check tire wear and pressure — generating tire-specific data that would be maintained and monitored in a central location.
Other RFID applications that CSI might promote include systems for inventory control and for use in the agricultural sector, he said.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com