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WinGuard
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WinGuard
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Contact
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Program evaluation Simon says: Security solutions to "student-proof" school computer systems are often expensive and may take funds which could be better spent on providing more hardware to give as many students access to a computer as possible. Looking for affordable security software two difficulties often appear: firstly, software may be priced exorbitantly - at least for schools. To meet the needs of a 300-station network prices may be around £5000 to £8000 and installation and configuration may be difficult and / or time-consuming. WinGuard Pro is a system which provides a very cost-effective solution. There are two versions: a free and a premium edition. The premium edition, which met our needs, costs just over GBP 200 for an unlimited site licence! Compare this with the figures quoted above. Also, for many people the free version would be adequate. How does it work? Basically, the program allows you to lock windows and programs. In the free version there are 25 built-in programs, in the premium edition, 50. These allow you to control access to things like Control Panel, Display Properties, Windows Explorer, Internet downloads, program installation and many more. In the Premium Edition we were able to define our own windows for locking. With just one very simple 30 second addition to the standard locking items we were able to lock out students from access to our workstations' Drive Cs. It was this glaring security hole which previously had allowed students to delete essential files and clutter the system with illegally installed software. This easy customisability makes WinGuard Pro so powerful. Essentially, the program works by looking at the titles of windows and denying access to those you wish to keep students away from. When an attempt is made to access these windows (for example the Program Files folder window) a password box pops up. If no password is keyed in, or an incorrect one, then the window is closed. It is not possible to move outside of the password box until a password is entered or until the user is timed out - a time which can be specified. It is also possible to bypass this password access and display an Access Denied message instead or just have the window closed immediately . File downloads from the internet and program installations can also be locked out. An icon sits in the system tray showing that WinGuard Pro is active. Clicking on this brings up the configuration window - but only after the administrator's password is entered. And to make the system even more secure this system tray icon can be removed so that there is no evidence that the software is running - until access is denied! It is really simple to configure - and if there are any difficulties there is email support, usually (in our experience) within 24 hours - but it really shouldn't be necessary. There is a 30-day evaluation period on the Premium Edition to see if it meets your needs - we decided after 30 seconds! Whether it does meet your needs will depend on many factors - but if there are unaddressed security issues on your systems and money is an issue (and in UK education how could this be otherwise?) then WinGuard Pro may offer a very cost-effective and easy to use solution. |
Program Details The WinGuard Pro team say: Will
WinGuard Pro 2003 Work on My Computer? How easy is WinGuard Pro 2003 to use? It's so simple that if you can click a mouse, you can use WinGuard Pro 2003. It is easy to use for beginners and will automatically configure your computer for optimal security. WinGuard Pro 2003 also has features for expert users to custom tune their computer. Whether you are new to a computer or an expert user, WinGuard Pro 2003 has been designed to meet the needs for both. Why
is it Free? 1 user from GBP 10.99 Prices current at: 10/7/03. Check website for current prices. |
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