by Dave Moore, CISSP
06/18/2023
Could you live without your computers?
Most individuals could live without their computers, but life would be difficult, at best. Remember, your cell phone is a computer, too, so you’d have to live without it or any of the phone numbers it contains. That would mean no texting or “tweeting,” either. You’d also have to do without your big-screen TV (a computer), your cable or satellite TV boxes (computers) and your car (which runs on a computer). You would most likely survive, though.
For the vast majority of businesses, however, the answer to, “can you live without your computer” is an emphatic “no.” Whether large or small, most businesses could not survive without their computers. Businesses have become so dependent on electronic bookkeeping, point-of-sale computers (formerly known as “cash registers”) and inventory databases that, without them, survival would be impossible. If their computers die, they are out of business, period.
This was demonstrated quite plainly to me once when I was trying to buy something to drink at a local convenience store. As I approached the check-out counter, the point-of-sale computer (cash register) started crashing. The hapless check-out clerk could not make any transactions, or even open the cash drawer. A line of people formed behind me as the clerk valiantly, but futilely, punched buttons on the unresponsive machine.
As the line of folks behind me grew impatient, I said, “How about this: I will pay with cash. No computer-dependent credit cards need be involved. I can calculate the tax on this purchase in my head and I will give you the exact amount of cash to cover my purchase. I will leave with my soft drink and when you get your computer fixed, you can enter the purchase and put my money in the cash drawer.”
From the look on the clerk’s face, you would have thought I had suggested paying with Russian rubles. “Gee, I don’t know if I can do that,” he replied. “All sales have to be entered into the computer.”
“But, your computer is broken,” I said, “and there’s no telling how long it will take for it to be fixed. In the mean time, I could still pay you for my drink and be on my way. You could write the purchase down on a piece of paper and then, later, enter it into the computer when it gets fixed.”
“Well, I guess maybe I could do that,” the clerk said. “That might be OK.” I handed the clerk cash for my purchase, even including a few more cents than I knew the total would be. He looked at me and then looked around as if we had both just done something illegal. “Thanks, man,” I said. “Have a great day.” I don’t know what the customers behind me did, but those who had planned on using credit or debit cards were most likely disappointed.
Even though the owners may know better, studies show that most Small to Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs, those with fewer than 500 employees) still don’t take proper steps to insure business continuity in the event of a computer meltdown. The most obvious, simple and inexpensive solution to catastrophic computer failure is to have identical computers standing by that can be used when needed, yet most businesses do not have this capability.
Most SMBs also fail to properly protect their computerized business information. They do not back up their files or take cyber-threats seriously. They do nothing to secure computers that are used for online banking and seem to think that antivirus protection is optional. When things go wrong and they are attacked by the Internet bad guys, they are shocked to learn there is no such thing as a magical computer fix-it wand that can be waved to make everything better.
Can you live without your computer? Don’t be like someone who dies without a will or any insurance. Answer the question today and prepare while it’s still easy to do so.
Dave Moore, CISSP, has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd, he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or www.internetsafetygroup.org