When you give a user a workstation, often the user views it as personal property and begins loading it down with stuff that can threaten the security of your organization. This TechProGuide shows you how to regain security over the desktop. [ Available in PDF Format for $9.95 / Download ]

Do end users in your company call the help
desk looking for assistance with applications
unsupported by the company? Or
worse, when your tech support analysts visit user
workstations to troubleshoot, do they find problems
are the result of the installation of unauthorized
hardware?

If so, you’ve got trouble. When anybody in the
company can install applications or add new hardware,
the results include an undue burden on tech
support, security breaches, loss or compromise of
data, proliferation of viruses, and increased use
(waste) of precious network bandwidth.

So what can you do to prevent end users from
installing software or hardware? I can answer that
question in just two words: policies and procedures.
Specifically, I recommend you establish written
policies that define who can install what on company
computers and what they can do on their
workstations. Then, wherever possible, put in place
operating procedures that prevent users from
breaching your written policies. These can include
things like monitoring software, group policies, or
even making changes to the workstation’s registry to
prevent users from doing things they shouldn’t.