However Mobisure DataProtect lets you
remotely prevent unauthorised access to your key data and may also help you get
back your phone.
DataProtect runs on devices with the
popular Symbian S60 2nd and 3rd edition, Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC and
Smartphone, Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 operating systems.
“If the device is lost or stolen, the user
can send it an SMS to lock it, rendering it useless to whoever has it and the
device will sound an alarm and display a standard or personalized message
indicating that its lost and to call the owner at the number provided,” said
TecProtec managing director Mark Simmons.
Should the SIM be changed, DataProtect will
send an SMS with the new number to up to nine pre-configured numbers of friends
and family members indicating that it’s lost or stolen and DataProtect can also
be configured to automatically lock the phone.
The user can also send the phone and SMS to
get DataProtect to erase all personal data on the phone.
To obtain DataProtect, users need only buy
a scratch card with the serial key from TecProtec retailers for RM88 for the
life of their phone, then download and install DataProtect, and activate it
through its website at http://dataprotect.tecprotec.com.my
or via SMS. TecProtect is in the process of rolling out DataProtect among its
network of 500 retailers nationwide.
Simmons assured us that DataProtect will
not be erased from the phone or de-activated by a software upgrade performed by
service persons in phone shops.
“We hope to add an additional feature to
DataProtect in the first quarter of 2009, which will backup all data
over-the-air on an ongoing basis and to roll out a version of DataProtect for
BlackBerry in the second quarters,” Simmons added. The cost of these have yet
to be announced.
The application underlying DataProtect was
originally developed overseas for Singapore’s Ministry of Defense,
Police, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and Certis Cisco.
The technology is also used commercially by
Telenor in Pakistan, Nokia in India, Tata Communications, Mobilink, Zong, Mobix
and Singtel over the past three years and it’s won several awards such as Red
Herring Asia 100, the Wall Street Journal Asia Innovation Award, from Frost
& Sullivan and others and it’s marketed in Malaysia by TecProtec Sdn Bhd,
which soft-launched DataProtect in Malaysia last month under its Mobisure brandname.
TecProtect specialises in the design,
implementation and management of handset protection programmes provided in
through technical partners and mobile operators. About two years ago, it
launched a range of Mobisure mobile handset insurance packages against damage
and/or theft, and underwritten by AIG General Insurance, with coverage while
worldwide for up to 60 days.
“If the phone is stolen, it will be
replaced with a brand new one and if it’s accidentally damaged, it will be
repaired for free and replaced if necessary,” said Simmons.
It also provides Mobisure extended warranty
programmes which provide up to two years protection beyond the manufacturer’s
standard warranty, inclusive of parts, with the warranty amount up to the
purchase price of the phone.
“This helps operators retain customers and
reduce churn, especially now with mobile number portability,” said Simmons. “It
also helps operators differentiate themselves from their competition and also
provides them with an additional revenue stream.”
Altogether, TecProtec has around 12,000
insurance and extended warranty customers today.
Loss or theft of your mobile phone is
painful enough, given its price but no amount of money can replace the loss of
your valuable data, such as your contacts, messages, your treasured pictures
and videos, confidential documents and information on your device.
