[PLUG] Winders Security Software Recommendations

[Daggett, Steve]

Zot O'Connor added:
<<SNIP>>
> I am assuming this is a rollout to many people.  A added box has a
> number of new points of failure:
> 
> 1)  The hardware (Chips, memory, etc.).
> 2)  The floppy.
> 3)  Its network card.
> 4)  The network card in the windows box.
> 5)  The cable (assuming a crossover).
> 6)  The power supply to the box.
> 7)  People believing that the "box" is broken.
> 
> 1-6 are huge when everything is remote.  
> 
> 7 is enormous.  People see this "other" box, and it does black magic,
> and therefore it is the evil thing.  I am not exaggerating.  I had a
> tech savvy client call me 6 or 7 times because the proxies I 
<<SNIP>>

  These can also be good things.

  We also have a problem with my wireless broadband business with a clueless
customers and old Win machines.  Our basic premise is that we *do not want*
to open the customers case or install software.  We're trying to avoid
playing the blame game over sudden failures on or around the installation
time.  The techs doing the installs carry hardware firewalls (and USB NIC's)
in their trucks.  

  The customer is notified when we schedule the installation to have a NIC
card and firewall installed.  If they fail to do that, we *highly* recommend
that the purchase a hardware firewall from us.  (At a tasty little markup.)
If the case needs to be opened, or software installed, we point them to
local PC service providers.  

  Our service agreement also includes a clause that strongly states that we
*will* disconnect their machine from the network if it becomes a problem.  

Steve D...