Flint Catchers come from a bygone era of English cycling when an afternoon sporting ride would take one along the dirt paths and gravel roads of the UK. Flint Catchers or Tyre Savers as they were called, came in all shapes and sizes, but they were all designed to remove rock chips, "flints", glass, nails and other road debris from the expensive flat prone bicycle tyres of the day. The more expensive Flint Catchers were hand crafted alloy or chromed steel.
Flint Catchers attached to the front and rear brake center bolts and would glide across the rotating tyre, removing their charges before subsequent revolutions of the tire embedded the debris into the tyre, flatting it. Less expensive Flint Catchers were made of stainless steel wire and rubber tubing. But, they all provided a basic level of protection for those expensive tubular tyres.
Today, a good set of road racing tubular tyres will set one back a couple of hundred dollars.
So, what do flint catchers have to do with business computers? It’s quite simple really. Think of your company’s network of computers, network printers/scanners and tablets/smart phones as those expensive tubular tyres that keep your business rolling along. And, think of proactive monitoring and security as your Flint Catchers, protecting every revolution of your expensive computer resources. Desktop and laptop security software, unified threat management at the Internet gateway and device monitoring comprise the three pillars of maintaining robust local network computing. Your business would be at risk to try to roll along without any one of these three pillars.
During your first quarter planning, consider addressing desktop and laptop security software, unified threat management at the Internet gateway and device monitoring. If you need assistance, contact me and come along for the ride.
If you’re interested in protecting your expensive bike “tyres”, search eBay for Flint Catchers.