Get fat savings with thin and zero clients

When you have several cost-effective options like cloud computing and managed services providers, IT spending should never get out of control. And if you want to cut back even further, trade in your expensive desktops for thin and zero clients.

What are thin and zero clients? Thin clients are stripped-down computers with minimum processing power and memory. They rely on a basic operating system and a network connection to access a more powerful system where almost all computing processes take place.

Zero clients work the same way. The only difference is that there’s no local storage or operating system installed on the device; all the software, storage, and processing power sits on a server until you need it. This setup makes it ideal for cutting costs, and here’s why.

Reduced hardware costs When it comes to upfront costs, thin and zero clients are the obvious choice. Conventional desktops start at $300 per user, while thin clients can go for as low as $90 per user. And since they have no hard drive or other moving parts, lean devices tend to be more durable and have a longer lifespan than their traditional counterparts.

Simplified IT management Another benefit of thin clients is that they can be managed from a server. Suppose a new software update was released. Instead of manually downloading the patch on each computer, you can simply install the update on your server and roll it out to all thin clients. Apart from upgrades, you can make backups, security configurations, and application deployments in the data center. This quickens setup, reduces downtime, and increases employee productivity.

Minimized security risks Thin clients also help you avoid costly malware attacks and data breach incidents. Your employees and poorly managed endpoints are the biggest vulnerabilities with traditional desktops. Thin and zero clients reduce these problems by limiting direct access to the operating system. This prevents employees from copying sensitive data to removable media and installing software, malicious or otherwise.

If your thin client is damaged or corrupted, you don’t have to worry about your data, as it’s originally stored in an impenetrable server.

Decreased energy consumption Because processing is done locally, traditional desktops generate a lot of heat and require more power, which results in huge power and cooling bills at the end of the month. By contrast, thin and zero clients consume only 4-6.5 watts of power, almost 1/50th of thick client requirements. What’s more, they require little to no cooling, allowing you to enjoy significant cost savings.

When looking for cost-cutting solutions, thin and zero clients should never be overlooked. The reduced hardware costs, power bills, and security risks are just too good to pass up. But if you’re still unsure about this technology, give us a call. We’ll assess your tech needs and determine whether or not thin or zero clients can help you succeed.

Beware the Mac malware stealing bank info

With a name like OSX.Dok, it’s hard to feel confident about staying ahead of the recent MacOS malware. The cryptic letters foreshadow countless pages of complicated code that most computer users don’t understand at all. Fortunately, avoiding this cyberattack doesn’t require any programming know-how whatsoever.

OSX.Dok isn’t new, but it has been improved

Originally, this Mac-based malware looked very different. When OSX.Dok was first reported several months ago, it could infect only older versions of the Apple operating system. Besides being relegated to OS X, it didn’t do much more than simply spy on the internet history of its victims. More recently, however, OSX.Dok was updated to target the newer macOS and to steal banking information.

How does it work?

Like so many malware programs today, this particular threat is distributed via phishing emails. Because the end goal is to acquire private financial information, these emails pretend to have pressing information about taxes or bank statements stored in attachments that actually contain malicious software.

Once any of these attachments are opened, OSX.Dok secretly broadcasts information about the computer and its location to the malware’s authors. Based on that information, hackers can redirect victims that visit banking websites to copycat URLs tailored to their language and location. Almost everything on the copycat sites looks exactly the same, but when you submit your user ID and password, they go straight to hackers.

Worst of all, the latest version of this malware seems to be incredibly advanced. It actively changes the way it hides itself and even modifies system settings to keep the computer from checking for operating system and security updates.

What can I do?

Security experts are still working on a way to combat OSX.Dok, but believe that it will remain a problem for some time to come. For now there are a few things you can do:

Never open attachments from people you don’t know personally, and even then be wary of anything you weren’t expecting. Pay attention to little details. For example, copyright dates at the bottom of fake banking sites only went to 2013. Look closely at the lock to the left of URLs in your address bar. Fake websites may have security certificates with names slightly different from those of the sites they mimic.

The best way to stay ahead of threats like OSX.Dok is by partnering with a capable IT provider. That way you can be sure that you have all the latest software and hardware to keep you safe. Even if something managed to slip through, regular audits are sure to find infections sooner than an overburdened in-house team would. Call us today to find out how we can protect you!

Productivity tip: email automation

If you have ever received what looked like a personalized email from a huge corporation, there’s a good chance it was actually written with the help of an email automation platform. Email automation saves time and money while strengthening customer relationships, and contrary to popular belief, it is well within most SMB budgets.

What is email automation?

Usually included in customer relationship management (CRM) software, email automation centers around the idea of combining your business data into emails to customers and prospects. This allows you to draft templates with placeholders for names, addresses, and other variables that the platform will match with individuals from your email list.

Even better however, is personalizing how and when your emails go out to clients. Automatically inserting customer data into an email is great, but it still requires that you draft the content that surrounds it and hit Send. Email automation grants you the ability to create templated emails that are automatically merged with client data and sent when certain conditions are met.

Examples of email automation

To really get an idea of how valuable this solution is, it’s important to see what it looks like in action. Say you own an eCommerce site that sells complementary goods, like golf clubs and golf balls. You could create a campaign wherein anytime someone buys a set of clubs, pre-written emails automatically go out one month later on how high-quality golf balls improve your handicap.

You’re not limited to two-step workflows either. Take a look at this example:

• Step 1: Send a personalized email with a special offer on golf balls for existing customers.
• Step 2: Send a follow-up based on how customers interacted with the offer email:
  • If a customer cashed in the offer, send a thank you email.
• Step 3: Follow it up with a similar offer three months later.
  • If a customer visited the promo page but didn’t convert, send a promo email for another type of product, like golf bags.
• Step 4: Follow it up with either a thank you email or another promo for golf clothes.
  • If a customer didn’t even open the email, send a survey email asking about their interests.
• Step 5: Follow it up with email campaigns based on what they selected.

Email automation means there’s no need to micromanage your customer relationships. As long as you define the path to purchase for high-volume products, you can program workflows to nurture customers and prospects automatically.

For as little as a couple hundred bucks a month, your customer outreach campaigns can compete on the same level as your corporate counterparts with little effort from your team. Add in an expert IT provider and you have the ability to blow the competition out of the water. To learn more, contact us today!