Insuring Your Laptop against Theft & Damage

Laptop theft is a considerable problem, one that taunts both the police force and laptop owners. The same things that attract us to our laptops, also make them extremely desirable with thieves. Unfortunately, despite advances in laptop security and an a greater understanding of how laptop thieves operate, laptop theft is still a problem. The British police has realized figures regarding the number of laptops stolen each year. In the UK, around 34,000 are reported stolen every year, which works out to be almost 100 per day. Of course this figure only related to the laptops which are actually reported stolen. It is estimated that considerably more are stolen and are not reported on each year. A recent study by The Ponemon Institute showed that a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds and around 6 of all over stolen laptops go unclaimed. Over the course of a year, this figure can add up quite considerably. The report also highlighted that close to 3,500 laptops go missing at the eighth largest airports in EMEA each week. So laptop theft is a problem. Accidental damage is no different, although most people tend to focus on theft as being a priority for insuring a laptop as opposed to the possibility of it getting damaged. So if you are thinking about getting your laptop insured, what should you look for in a policy? Laptop insurance is available from a growing number of computer and gadget insurance companies. Typically cover is provided for theft, damage and international cover. The latter is particularly handy for those who plan on taking their laptop abroad either for business or pleasure. Most laptop insurance policies will only  provide insurance abroad for a specific number of days, so it's important to check to make sure this matches up with the average amount of time you spend travelling. So how do you find a great laptop insurance policy? The best place to start is with family and friends. If you have family and friends who have had their laptops or computers insured, then be sure to ask them about the company they're with. Even friends who have had a gadget such as an iPad or camera insurance can be a great source of information as they will typically have had these insured through a gadget insurance company who may also provide insurance for laptops and computers. If you don't have friends and family who've had their laptop insured, then it's worth going online and visiting a few review and comparison sites for inspiration. Many of these sites will allow you to compare insurers as well as leave reviews if you are a customer of the company. These can be great for getting quality feedback on which companies to go with and - more importantly - which companies not to go with.