With the growth of public networked and internet-ready computer systems available to multiple users, the need for heightened security is vital. One such arena is the k-12 school system. School systems across the nation and the world offer computer access to all their faculty and students. With so many users, the risk of illegal downloading, data theft, alteration of data, intentional viruses and a host of other problems may await. Many teachers and school administrators joke that the students know more about the schools’ computer systems than they do. They are right. While businesses hesitate to restrict the freedoms of their employees, schools never claim to offer such freedom to students or even faculty.
Two possible solutions to this growing concern are computer lockdown and computer restore solutions. Lockdown software controls the public access computer system at what is known as the application or operating system level. Some features and menu options are disabled by this third party software which keeps users from using certain functions which are determined to create possible complications for the computer or network. For example, a program like Desktop Security Rx, disables commands which might allow a student to download programs or software onto school computers using IE. This keeps the computers safe from possible viruses, spyware and adware. Other similar programs of this type are Fortres 101 and SecurePC.
A option similar to lockdown software is that of menu replacement software. This type of program replaces the usual menus available to users with buttons that allow users to access only the specific programs that the school wants to be made available to the students. Popular in libraries of universities, some programs are WinU, CARL and CybraryN.
The second solution to the problem of would-be student hackers may be Roll back software. reboot-restore was the primitive form of todays Roll-back software. Restoring on restart; returns the computer to its originally programmed state whenever the computer is rebooted. Thus, no matter what the user actually accomplishes with regard to prohibited computer use, the results are erased every time the computer reboots, usually once a day.
However, this type software has its limitations - average users who require the ability to use thier computers to store files and data are limited to only a few folders or virtual drives. Furthermore, they only protect the single computer the user is operating. Some reboot-restore program software titles include Drive Vaccine, Recovery Genius and CleanSlate. - primarily for public access computing.
RollBack Rx software by Horizon DataSys is the next generation of desktop protection - in that it expands the options of restoring possibilities. Instead of only restoring to the last restart; you can roll back and roll forward to various system configurations -without the restart dependency. Other products that are similar in nature are GoBack and RestoreIT.
Most computer security research suggests that schools utilize a combination of lockdown and roll back software on the school computers. Some types of similar software programs include limiting the time a user can spend at one workstation.
Computer education is growing faster than many people can keep up with. Therefore, schools need to protect their public access computers and entire networks from those individuals who would misuse them for frivolous or malicious reasons. Therefore, Lockdown and roll back software are viable solutions for the 21st century technological school.
Written: August 15, 2006
By Andy B. Griswald e-mail: media(at)horizon-datasys.com
