Protection Now, More than Ever
It's in our nature to help, to respond when others are in need. Now is no different, but yet it is. In times like these, when there is no damage to see, no location to mobilize around and no donations to be collected, we feel powerless. Not only powerless in our own scope of control, but powerless when we think of helping others. In those moments, however, we are finding new ways to reach out to each other. Using our passions to guide others through these trying times.
Social distancing and isolation is the new norm around the world. Entire cities, states and countries are in lockdown to protect those most vulnerable; putting individuals and families in situations they may have never been in before. Out of work, out of school, separated from others, and finding ways to keep in touch.
Offices are closed, schools are closed, events are cancelled, and while expectations have shifted, daily life trudges forward - albeit more difficult than before. Schools are sending assignments home, asking kids to take assignments over the internet or on paper for those without computers. Companies across the globe are trying remote work for the first time at this scale and all of these worlds are colliding at home.
Kids are on the internet even more now (if that's possible) as they try and stay in touch with friends and get their school work done. Parents are on their computers trying to work while they take care of the kids all while companies try to maintain an operating model that protects us and our data. There is a lot of "trying" going on. Many families will have to share computers, some kids may have to go to a local library to download assignments. Companies may not be able to provide secure remote work endpoints to all their employees and rely on personal devices and in this time of disruption, it is hard to swallow the thought of a risk analysis, but it's there.
How do we ensure personal computers are safe for accessing corporate systems? What if there is only one computer in the house? What if the only computer in the house is the one sent home by the child's school? What if a family must borrow computers or use public computers - how can the employee, the company AND the kids stay safe online?
There are so many questions. So many concerns. And like so many others, I want to use my passion to help you through this.
You need protection now more than ever. While you are focusing on employment, food, health and entertaining a household, you do not have time to look over your kids shoulder while they are on the Internet. You do not need to worry about your kids messing up your work computer to do their assignments. And you definitely don't need to worry about if the computer everyone in the house has shared all day is protected when you get online to pay bills tonight.
These are just a few of the reasons why I created SAEOS live desktop images AND why I'm providing them for free! These desktops can run on low-cost (as small as 4GB) USB drives and can be used to boot computers to a secure and private desktop, completely separate from the computer it's running on. If you are sharing a computer, evryone can have their own drive and have their own private space. If you need to borrow or use a public computer, plug this thumb drive in and feel safe knowing you are not using the same operating system that everyone else on the computer is using.
I'm hosting these images directly on this website with instructions on how to create the disk yourself. For those without access to computers, I have partnered with a global technology company to help distribute thumb drives and that company is reaching out to their customers asking them to donate old laptops. Through local partnerships, I am also distributing donated laptops and thumb drives to those in need. If you are a technology professional, or know of one, with access to donated equipment, please reach out to me via Linked In or Twitter and we'll work together on getting these to the public.
I'm also calling on my larger tech family to help everyone in need by downloading and flashing the image for them. I have just finished a Healthcare version that has potential for great impact, reach out to me directly and we'll get this distributed!
Corporate customers are not left out. I have also created custom remote access images for companies to distribute to employees. There is even a version that meets certain regulatory requirements if needed. Ideally, corporations would be able to distribute laptops to everyone, but supply chain disruptions have made that close to impossible and SAEOS can be a more secure and reliable option than relying on personal computers.
Click the links below for more information on the different images, including download and help pages.
Images for Families