Janam Technologies LLC today announced that it will integrate a Sensormatic electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag from ADT within the body of its XG100 Series, a gun-shaped rugged mobile computer that scans barcodes and communicates wirelessly to the enterprise network. Janam is the first mobile computer company in the world to meet loss prevention challenges with an integrated EAS tag solution. ADT is the industry leading provider of retail loss prevention technologies.

The new approach will enable retailers and other businesses to utilize a Sensormatic detection system to proactively protect against theft or accidental removal of Janam’s mobile computing devices. If someone attempts to exit a store or warehouse by walking through a Sensormatic detection system while carrying Janam’s XG100 device, the integrated EAS tag will trigger the system’s alarm.

“We are excited about working with ADT to extend the benefits of item-level visibility from the goods that retailers carry on their shelves to the mission-critical tools that they use to scan and manage those goods,” said Harry B. Lerner, CEO of Janam. “Now retailers can invest in the IT infrastructure they need to run their businesses, including Janam’s state-of-the-art rugged mobile computers with embedded EAS tags, with less reason to worry about prematurely losing the value of that investment when it walks out the door.”

According to a survey conducted last year by the University of Florida, retailers in 2007 lost almost $12 billion to approximately 27 million shoplifters. As retailers concentrate their efforts on protecting their goods on the shelf or in the warehouse, shoplifters are turning their attention increasingly to removable assets in the enterprise that are not as well protected and not as closely watched. The proliferation of anonymous-seller Internet websites, companies that specialize in “refurbishing” used equipment and online fencing operations makes it even easier for thieves to find buyers for these non-traditional items. Rugged mobile computers used by retailers to execute their store operations are valuable enough that they are increasingly becoming targets for theft.

“Our solutions are designed to help retailers protect their profits and reduce shoplifting and internal theft,” said Jeff Bean, vice president, Retail Sales and Operations, ADT. “Integrating our tag technology inside Janam’s high-value rugged mobile computers is the next logical step in extending the protection we offer our retail customers.”

The cost to the retailer of a stolen rugged mobile computer is not only the hardware replacement cost, but also the related “costs” of user downtime while awaiting new equipment, shipping the replacement unit to the facility, reloading software applications, training associates to handle these logistics and replacing or recovering lost data contained in the missing unit. It is becoming increasingly important for companies that deploy rugged mobile computers to think through not only how to deploy and manage these valuable assets, but also how to protect them.

Until now, the protection of mobile computing assets in the enterprise has largely been addressed with software-based solutions. Mobile device management software, for example, can alert store associates when a particular unit is missing or off the network. This solution is reactive, however, not proactive; in many cases, the mobile computer in question is no longer on the network because it has been stolen.

Another theft-prevention technique for rugged mobile computers in retail environments is to store critical applications and data on a remote server while stripping the “smarts” from the handheld device, encouraging users to believe that without the store network, the unit is worthless. The problem with this approach is that with a simple hardware reset or reloading of the operating system using commonly available tools, the device can be restored to factory condition – making it once again valuable to those who would acquire it illegally.

The hardware-based proactive asset protection solution developed by Janam and ADT is a welcome addition to these existing defense methodologies. While no defense system is effective enough to thwart every potential theft, a combination of different protection systems is the best approach.

Beyond the retail selling floor, today’s business environments are equipped with more assets than ever before. Companies spend a lot of money providing employees with the proper tools to do their jobs, including PCs, laptops, computer accessories, printers, copiers, fax machines, desk/conference phones, cell phones/accessories, PDAs, digital cameras/camcorders, building/office/garage access cards, etc. The integrated asset protection solution developed by Janam and ADT can be a vital tool for protecting those valuable assets.

The XG100 Series will ship to customers this month.