We've all heard the horror stories of one lost laptop putting the personal information of thousands, even millions, at risk. For example, a Veterans Administration employee lost a laptop last year that had the personal information of more than 26 million vets. Yipes!

Bill Watkins, CEO of Seagate, has written a guest column on CNet today looking at legislative efforts and why they, so far, fall short. Watkins advocates hard drive full disc encryption claiming software encryption just doesn't cut it. It's worth a read!

But better yet, a modest proposal to companies who deal with large databases of personal information: How about this? Don't let it out of the house in the first place!!

I hear a story like the VA security lapse and I have to wonder what in the great wide world of sports was someone doing out and about with 26.5 million account records on a laptop in the first place?

Call me crazy, call me madcap, but....

Just because you can fit that much data on a single laptop, doesn't mean you should.

Does the average diamond dealer tool around town with his highly portable inventory in a little felt bag on the front seat of the car, while running errands? No! Just because diamonds are highly portable, we all know that stuff doesn't leave the building unless absolutely necessary and only then under armed escort in a Brinks truck. Organizations and businesses that traffic in personal information would do well to take their cues from the jewelry business.

I am all for IT professionals aggressively imposing strict security measures on mobile workers to protect data (especially if it happens to be my social security number). Encrypt the software, encrypt the hard drive, go for it, I say. However, the killer ap of security is common sense. If you don't bundle that one into your security suite, your company could have a starring role in the next horror story making headlines.