Cybersecurity


Computer system security must be a consideration of everyone who deploys any computer control or monitoring system. Nowhere should it be taken more seriously than in manufacturing, defense, energy or any of the many other mission critical applications that trust ThinManager for their day to day operations.

My favorite story about the security consultant who hacked into a system that the owners thought was impenetrable? His approach was pure genius. He simply put a virus on a bunch of USB keys and dropped them in the parking lot one evening. Employees found them the next morning, took them inside and plugged them into their desktop computers.

How many stories have you heard about a missing laptop with sensitive data? Voter registration lists, health records, TSA and military data, even FBI records have all been exposed simply because the data resided on a local machine. These incidents represent literally millions of records. The only way to avoid this with traditional PCs is to do like one of our customers does and literally drill holes in the hard drives whenever a PC or laptop leaves the facility.

ThinManager Ready Thin Clients provide a much less drastic solution. With Thin Client technology ALL of the data resides on central servers. To completely secure the systems add TermSecure and eliminate just about every security hole. With TermSecure, operators run their standard Windows applications but do not use a Windows PC. Instead they use a locked down terminal that does not even allow them on the Microsoft network until they pass the first level of security.

The big difference between ThinManager and traditional Thin Client technology is that the software on a ThinManager client does not interact with the application. Operators frequently have idle time around the operator interface stations, and this unrestricted physical access gives them a great deal of opportunity to tamper with the device. With ThinManager Ready Thin Clients he may be able to physically destroy the client but he cannot affect application integrity. This is extremely valuable to a company or defense contractor who needs any type of audit assurance or operating security to protect against unauthorized use, deliberate sabotage, or information manipulation.

If security is important to your company, don't you think it is time to look at Thin Clients? Well, don't you?

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