Eliminating the Internet for a tiny business

[Metanis]

I service a small agricultural business with minimal requirement for Internet connectivity. However, the constant barrage of Quickbooks, Windows, Java, and Adobe updates drives them crazy. They rarely use the Internet except to research parts required for the grain-handling machines they sell.

I talked with the owner and he is more than willing to eliminate the Internet for his 3 Win10Home64 Quickbooks stations. They do not do on-line payment processing, have no web presence, and do not perform any Internet financial transactions. They currently have a residential-class DSL Modem w/ wireless router and 4 ethernet ports supplied by Frontier.

They monitor a single Outlook.com e-mail account which they could do from the owner's smartphone. His occasional research could also be performed on the phone.

Their previous IT consultant sold them 3 small form factor HP towers with AMD E-1 processors. They are painfully slow and all the Internet-related updating could be eliminated (including the Norton AV) if the machines were permanently disconnected. (I recently doubled their RAM to 8GB but you can't put lipstick on these pigs!)

The conversation actually started when I advised them to budget for 3 more powerful computers for the coming year. The owner responded that he wouldn't need more powerful computers if it weren't for the Internet and I could not really fault his reasoning.

By eliminating the Internet connection to these machines it would stop the regular updates, it would allow me to uninstall their Norton Security and their 3rd-party Web Filtering software, and it would totally eliminate the web drive-by installations and pop-ups. Perhaps best of all it would stop the constant nags from Quickbooks to purchase updates. (They do not do payroll on Quickbooks which is the main driver for yearly updates.)

I explained that the machines could get connected during my semi-annual cleaning and physical inspection and get mass updates all at once and then disconnected again.

Am I missing any compelling reason to leave them connected to the Internet at all times?

 

[altrenda]

Unplug it for a month and see how they like it.
If it works for them, great. My guess is they use it more than they think they do.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

. The owner responded that he wouldn't need more powerful computers if it weren't for the Internet and I could not really fault his reasoning.

You mention Quickbooks. You mention these budget HP desktops with the little AMD CPU. You mention upgrading to 8 gigs of RAM, which tells me they are under 8 gigs of RAM...probably 4 gigs.

If I had to be put in front of a computer with less than an Intel I series CPU, and just 4 gigs.....there would be a bloodbath, the police, swat team, fire department, and national guard would have to be called to manage the destruction I would cause.

And this guy pays several employees to suffer though this slow motion? He should be familiar with the concept of "Time is money".and "employee morale".

Disconnecting from the internet because updates slow it down...sounds like someone is desperately trying to deflect blame for the horrid decision of buying these lightweight computers for accounting software.

Norton AV combined with 3rd party web filtering ...there's a major performance hit. I'd recommend a good AV. And setup their router with OpenDNS for some safe DNS services...no performance hit there. I bet that move alone would improve performance. Adding more RAM to bring them to 8 gigs is a smart move for ANY computer running accounting software. Totally irrelevant of the question of internet or no internet.

Remember...on a network, if 1x computer is exposed to the internet and catches malware, the rest of the computers on the network are exposed to being infected right across the LAN. So...if 1 of computers needs to be on the internet...this entire "those other computers don't need an AV or any security applied" should be tossed right out the window. Much of todays malware is network aware...and will hop across a network within milliseconds.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Cheap clients are bad clients. Don't get rid of the internet. Get rid of the client. It's 2015. Asking to not use the internet is like asking for a car with no wheels.

 

[Diggs]

Intel I series CPU, and just 4 gigs.....

I actually don't mind a 4 GB machine as most customers are only doing one thing at a time and they are happy. But, I still run into quite a few 2 GB machines as 2GB was Microsoft's minimum recommendation for Win7. (Pffft.....)

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

But, I still run into quite a few 2 GB machines as 2GB was Microsoft's minimum recommendation for Win7. (Pffft.....)

yeah..good old "minimum requirements"....
most of us charge hourly. Spend 200 bucks on a proper biz grade machine...and when stuff like Windows updates happens...or the computer guy comes to clean up things, work on it, tuneup, etc...things go quickly. And the resulting repair bill is minimal.
OR...go cheap on the computer (wow..I saved 200 bucks by getting a wimpy CPU and barely enough RAM to run CALC)...and pay the computer guy for 2 days straight to get things done that should normally take <1 hour. Resulting in a bill that is like buying 3 new computers. Where's the savings?

Even 1 thing at a time...unless you're running Notepad and Calc...there's a big performance difference in 4 gigs vs 8 gigs. Especially with business apps. X2 with accounting apps.

Would you rather paint your house with the wifes mascara brush? Or professional paint sprayers, brushes, and rollers?
Would you rather mow the lawn with a pair of scissors? Or a lawn mower...or tractor?
Would you rather go cross country on a little moped like in the movie Dumb 'n Dumber? Or on a motorcycle or car?

 

[Digital Micro]

Can you upgrade the cpu's on these systems or are they the series that the cpu is permanently attached to the board?

 

[nlinecomputers]

8 GB really isn't going to help much with those crappy processors. An i3 can run rings around them. They probably have 5400 RPM laptop drives in them too. Really low, bottom of the barrel, systems.

 

[kwest]

I agree with unplugging them for a month and see how it goes.

Also turn off the updates in startup. If they are not using the Internet then you don't need Adobe update reminders.

Or if they need to be networked set them to static ip addresses that are outside of the routers scope.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

8 GB really isn't going to help much with those crappy processors. An i3 can run rings around them. They probably have 5400 RPM laptop drives in them too. Really low, bottom of the barrel, systems.

The 2.5" drives are more expensive..they'd have 3.5" 5400rpm drives..LOL.

8 gigs will help...but yeah..only so much with that wanna-be-CPU.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I

Or if they need to be networked set them to static ip addresses that are outside of the routers scope.

Since they all run Quickbooks..assuming they share a company file, they have to remain on the same network with that computer that does get internet access. The easy way to do that is just setup static IPs on those "non-internet" PCs...but you leave the gateway empty/blank. So same IP range...same subnet, same router IP for DNS...just...no gateway.

 

[cypress]

I would say pitch them the idea of upgrading the hard drives to SSD, but even that CPU will still limit some things. I don't agree with getting rid of the internet, I just think he is trying to justify buying the crap computers like previously mentioned. If you want to tell the client to disconnect the internet for a month and see how it goes, by all means do so. I just doubt that it would last that long before he wants to be connected to the internet again. I would remove the Norton and web filtering and install what properly works.

If the client is trying to take the cheap route and wants shortcuts, might be better off getting rid of them. This would only cost you more headaches in the end.

 

[Metanis]

Just wanted to update that this has been working great for this small company for 9 months now. They bought 1 new machine for Internet access and I modified their 3 existing Quickbooks machines to static 172.16.0.0 addresses on a 5-port switch with no patch cable to the router. I then uninstalled the AV and web filtering products and disabled Windows updates. They compliment me every time I see them for their workstations running so much faster.

 

[Metanis]

Going on 3 years with these machines still disconnected from the Internet. I had to come back and hook them to the Internet once in all this time to perform a mandatory Quickbooks update. (Quickbooks sucks but that's a whole new thread!).

I still service the machines by cleaning them at least once a year since they live in a dusty environment. But the customer is very happy they went this way.

I updated this post because the continued litany of Windows Updates woes I see on here and the continued depth of interference that Microsoft keeps injecting into the process. Disconnecting from the Internet allowed the network of 3 super low-end machines to remain viable for their single task of doing Quickbooks.

 

[DataMedics]

Next year you can throw some cheap SSDs in those pigs and buy them another 5 years of happy usage out of those computers. haha.