Desktop Management

Now just a think a minute how many times you’ve encountered a virus or spyware program. How many times have you downloaded something on your personal computer and all of sudden you see the blue screen of death, or endless pop ups, or any other abnormal activity. Imagine and remember how frustrated you were. Now take that on a 1000’s computer level and you’ll see why an IT department is needed, why some companies forbid you to check your email, or go on certain websites, because if they don’t, you could put their entire business on hold for hours even days costing them thousands, even millions. Not to mention time wasted on the internet by employees is reported to be nearly 2.09 hours a day, wasting over $5,720 per employee per year, at a total cost of nearly 760 billion dollars a year for all companies, and that doesn’t include the costs of repairing a network if a virus it set loose and wreaks havoc.

Desktop Management Entails the following…

• Setup of system software (the OS and any updates)
• Virus, Spyware and Malicious attacks Prevention
• Security and Encryption, Password protection
• Group Policies, Individual Policies
• Firewall, or IP protection
• Privileges such as what a certain person or group
  can see, download, install, or change.
• Setup of Instant Messaging between employees
• Task Management
• Time Conservation
• And so much more from one centralized location.

They can do this all from one IT department, one computer if need be. And it’s a must. But lets take it one step further so you completely understand by using your family.

Desktop Management is not just about businesses, it’s also about controlling your computer systems at home, and even more so, it’s not only just your computers anymore, with new technology you can run and setup nearly anything electrical in your house from one computer, iphone, blackberry, etc. But lets take it small and say you have 3 computers in your home.

Here’s where desktop management comes in.

• First setup all computers (OS, etc…)
• Second make sure your computers can all talk to each other, and your computer is the master.
• Third, secure your internet connection with encryption technology and password. Usually this comes with your broadband modem. But if using wireless to connect, make sure you password protect it. If you don’t anyone can use it that is close enough, and from there they are on your network and can cause havoc.
• Set up accounts for each person.
• Set up permissions. Whether you Windows or a Mac, you can set up permissions for what each individual user can do. Making sure that guests accounts have no privileges at all.
• The list goes on and on depending on your needs

If your family shares one computer, what then?

Desktop Management still involves account setup, permissions, what each can download, whether anyone but the admin (you) can install (look inside your control panel for windows and system preferences for the mac for account management). Security is taken very seriously in the computer world, so windows and apple have make it so painstakingly easy to run desktop management and control all that happens on your computers that any parent (such as myself) can make sure they know everything that is happening on their computer, they can make sure no viruses are downloaded, they can make sure no predators are talking to their kids, make sure only approved applications are installed. They can limit how often and how much a user can use the computer (great for when one of your kids are grounded from the computer), the possibilities are endless, and all in your control.