Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat are the key components to the Snap solution?
1. “The Platform” and “The “Content Manager”
2. “The Client”
3. The “Content” Snap Client FAQ'sWhere is the Snap Client stored?The Snap Client is stored in the program files directory as is standard for all programs installed on a computer. Where is Content stored?Compressed, encrypted Content is stored in the Snap Client directory. Content that has already been displayed but is still current (unexpired and not disabled by the administrator) can be viewed again by the user via the “Message History” window which is displayed when the user clicks on the Content Manager icon. The user can click on any item in the list to view the Content again. How big is the Snap Client / will it slow my machine down?The Snap Client is approx 1.6M and only displays locally stored compressed Content located in the Snap Client directory - it does not slow the users machine down in any way. What happens if multiple users use the same machine?Content for each user that uses a machine is stored within that user’s local profile and is not shared in any way between multiple users. When a user logs on, they only see the currently active Content targeted specifically to them which is stored within their local user profile. As the Content is encrypted (using the RSA suite of algorithms), it is not possible for users to view or copy Content that is not targeted to them even if they search the hard drive to find it. How is the Snap Client typically deployed to users?The Snap Client is packaged as an MSI file and is easily able to be deployed onto user's computers using standard deployment tools such as GPO's, SMS. Radia, Altiris etc. Typically the company's IT department will test the Snap Client within a test environment before mass deployment to all employees. For deployment to smaller groups of people, individual users can click on a link to download and run the client installer. Which operating system does the Snap Client run on?The client requires a Windows environment on the desktop – Win2000 SP3 and above. The version of Internet Explorer on the machine must be IE 6 or above. How often does the user’s Snap Client communicate with the Snap Platform?
This can be configured on a per customer basis. The standard default is every 3 minutes however, if
you would like this changed, please contact the Snap team who will change this setting for you. The Snap Client has been comprehensibly and painstakingly optimized using compression and binary encoding techniques to reduce the amount of network bandwidth used during its communications with the Snap Platform. Can users delete the Snap Client?Users with admin rights to their computer can delete the Snap Client from their program files directory via Add/Remove Programs accessible from the Control Panel. The Snap Client can however be configured to hide the remove option from Add/Remove Programs which will limit the user's ability to uninstall the Snap Client Standard Snap reporting shows how many active clients are operating at any time, hence, should it be suspected that some users have deleted their clients, a simple health check (is the client present? If not reinstall) can be run via the user logon script from time to time.
Ideally a better way to mitigate this issue is to ensure that Content is targeted and of value to the
user ensuing they view Snap as an invaluable communications tool. The Snap Platform and Content ManagerHow secure is the Snap Hosted platform?The Snap platform is housed within a telco grade, secure, managed data center. It meets all industry standard specifications for a hosted solution. What technologies does the Snap Platform run on?The Snap Platform runs on Windows Server and utilizes Microsoft SQL Server, Internet Information Services (IIS) and the .NET Framework. Is my data secure from other customers?
The (Snap Hosted) Content Manager uses the same level of security as internet banking for encrypting traffic and authenticating.
Users have to authenticate with a user name and password. All traffic is encrypted via HTTPS / SSL. General FAQ'sMy company runs Linux/UNIX servers / firewalls is this OK?This is fine as long as Windows is running on the user’s desktop What is the ‘IT risk’ to my organization?Content is delivered as internet traffic (HTTP and HTTPS). Hence the risk of Content transmitting a virus or other internet nasty is very low. Content is created by administrator(s) within their own network (presumed to be safe and secure). Content is sent via a secure and encrypted connection (HTTPS) to the Snap Platform (located within an industrial datacentre), and relayed back to target users using the same secure and encrypted connection. The Snap Client, located on the users computer within the organizations own environment, initiates communication with the Snap Server located with the Snap datacentre – the return communication back to the Snap Client (on the users computer) has therefore originated from a ‘trusted source’ – this gets around standard firewall policies blocking communications that have originated from outside the organization. The only firewall ports needed to be opened to allow Snap Content to pass through are ports 80 (for HTTP) and 443 (for HTTPS). It is commonplace for these ports to be already open on the vast majority of corporate firewalls in order to provide general internet access to users so there is generally no requirement for firewall rules to be altered. A big advantage of the Snap Solution is that the IT risk is extremely low due to the fact the main ‘engine’ of the solution is hosted externally and only web traffic is delivered to the organization. Which ports are required to be open on the company firewall?Port 80 (HTTP Internet traffic) and port 443 (HTTPS secure internet traffic) must be open for connections initiated from within the company network to the Internet. My company has a policy to block internet trafficCompanies generally block certain websites or only allow certain websites. Simply ensure that the Snap website (*.snapcomms.com and *.174einfonet.com) is set up as a permitted website. How is user group targeting established?Organizations running Windows 2000 and above have an Active Directory server which details the user groups within that organization. The Snap Client queries the server upon installation and thereafter every 6 hours to obtain the latest information regarding user groups. This enables hands free management of user group targeting. My company uses pop-up blocking software, will this prevent Snap messages from appearing?No, the Snap solution is not restricted in anyway by pop-up blocking software - this is because the Snap Client initiates the communication from within the organizations own environment and is therefore not subject to suppression – pop-up blocking software only inhibits communication from outside the organization i.e. websites. Is my data secure from other customers?Each instance of the Content Manager is segmented from every other instance and uses the same level of security as is used in internet banking for encrypting traffic and authenticating. Administrators have to authenticate with a user name and password. All traffic is encrypted via HTTPS / SSL. Content FAQ'sHow is Content delivered to the Snap Client?The Snap Client initiates communication with the Snap Platform and will download new Content as soon as it becomes available. The communication occurs as standard web traffic using HTTP and HTTPS protocols. Can Content be viewed offline?All available new Content (targeted to the user) is downloaded by the Snap Client when it communicates with the Snap Platform (even if the specified start times have not yet been reached). Hence when a user is offline, any relevant Content (screen savers, alerts, etc) that is active or becomes active (by reaching its pre-specified start time) will still be available for display to the user because it is stored locally in the user’s profile. Can users view Content once it has expired or been disabled?No – Content is automatically deleted from the user’s local profile on their computer when it expires or is disabled. It will only be viewable again if the administrator(s) re-publishes the “Content” (via the “Content” manager) Can “Content” contain links to further information e.g. intranet pages or files located on a shared network directory?Yes – All “Content” can contain links to other information sources. This is one of the most powerful aspects of the Snap tools. Standard URL links are supported for linking to files and resources by the http:// https:// or file:// URL types. A link can direct the user to any web page on the Internet or your intranet or to any file on a shared directory in your network. What impact will Snap Content have on my network traffic?
Snap Content is compressed for delivery to the user and is a similar size to standard emails. Size varies
dependant on graphics, flash animations etc but typically is as follows: It is fair to say that the impact of Snap traffic on the network is minimal compared to standard web browsing and email traffic What is the optimum image size when setting up a Snap Shots screensaver?1024 x 768 pixels. This is the most common screen resolution used on the desktop and images in this size will scale correctly to other sized screens. If I am running a power point presentation, will I be interrupted by an alert (or other Snap tool?)No – The Snap Client detects when any application is running in a full screen format (e.g. power point presentation, Adobe or photo package slide show etc) and delays displaying Content until the full screen format has been ended. If a user is away from their desk, can they miss viewing Content?The only Content a user can miss would be the screen saver. The Snap Client detects if the screensaver is active and delays Content display until the screensaver is no longer active (i.e. normal use is resumed). If a user is away on holiday / or sick will they miss Content?Assuming the Content has not been deleted or disabled by the administrator or expired (as specified by the administrator when setting up each Content item) when the user logs on, they will receive all still-current Content that has been targeted to them. What happens when a screensaver is activated when the user is not sitting at their computer – how does the user receive the message?Snapshots, the screensaver tool is generally used to deliver less overt, more subliminal types of message. All users will be at or near their workstation when their screen saver is active at some stage during the day. Furthermore, in an open plan office, a significant number of screensavers are typically being displayed at any one time during the day and act as bill board advertising to anyone in the near vicinity. These factors make the Snapshots screensaver a very powerful and cost effective communications tool. What happens when Content expires or is disabled?When Content expires or is disabled by the administrator the client automatically deletes the Content from the users PC – this ensures computer hard drive space is not unnecessarily being used. To put it in perspective, all web browsers typically use up to several hundred megabytes of hard drive space as an offline cache of web pages visited by users. The amount of space taken up by Snap Content on the computer hard drive will typically be less than 5 megabytes per user. What happens is a user is at their desk but doesn’t read the Content immediately (e.g. Ticker) but wants to review it at a later date?Compressed, encrypted Content is stored in the Snap Client directory. Content that has already been displayed but is still current (unexpired and not disabled by the administrator) can be viewed again by the user via the “Message History” window which is displayed when the user clicks on the Snap Client icon. The user can click on any item in the list to view the Content again. I would like to display a power point slide show with animation as a screen saver, is this possible?
It is possible to upload power point presentations complete with animation via the Snap Shots asset
using the flash animated template. To do this you need to purchase a plug in to power point which converts
a presentation to a swf file. A number of packages are available. One such package is available from Presentation Pro who offer a free trial. |
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