Hotels.com data theft

I just read today that the laptop that was stolen from an Ernst and Young employee a while back, contained nearly a quarter of a million names, addresses and credit card numbers of customers of Hotels.com.  The laptop was stolen out of a locked car (oh OK, I guess that means it was not their fault, not!).  Hotels.com is sending out letters to those whose data was stolen.  Again I ask, what is that data doing on a laptop?  Why can't that data be accessed via a secure network connection from a server kept in a safe, secure location?

E&Y who is really the culprit here, now says this won't happen again, as they are encrypting all data stored on their laptops.  Great, some data at rest encryption company just closed a nice sale.  But that does not go to the heart of the issue, that kind of data does not belong on a laptop.  When I give my data to a supposedly secure web site vendor or any vendor for that matter, I do not expect that data to ever be put on some laptop and moved around in a car, briefcase, taken home or anywhere else for that matter.  I just don't see a good reason for it.  We have enough network access to make this a fact.  I am tired of reading about these kinds of data losses.