Standardised user environments are critical for organizations that want to reduce IT support costs and workload. Faronics WINSelect provides a quick, flexible, and scalable way to configure the functionality and feature set of any Windows computer to conform to an organization's requirements. WINSelect also complements, manages, extends, and often replaces Group Policy Objects (GPO). It works alongside existing policies and delivers features and capabilities not offered by GPOs.

WINSelect is also an easy to use GPO alternative for those that want to customise or lockdown computers, but do not have the time and training to use Group Policies or lack an Active Directory structure.  

Replace GPOs

WINSelect is an easy to use alternative to Group Policy Objects. Instead of investing the time and training required to understand and manage GPOs, organisations can use WINSelect to customise or lockdown computers through an intuitive and non-technical interface. Many of the common customisations that Group Policy Objects are traditionally used for are also found in WINSelect, such as modifying Start button functionality, enforcing Windows Explorer restrictions, and limiting right-click functionality. By using WINSelect, you can create the same tailored computing environment as a Group Policy Guru, but in a fraction of the time and effort.

Many organisations rely exclusively on Group Policy objects to customise or lockdown their computing environments, but there are limitations to this model. GPOs lack the flexibility to allow for differing levels of security and permissions within multiple areas of an organisation. Network environments that are decentralised or lack an Active Directory environment make managing and enforcing Group Policies especially troublesome.

Not only is WINSelect easy to manage, flexible, and scalable, it also works alongside Group Policy Objects to extend customisation capabilities beyond the level achievable by each method individually. In fact, WINSelect provides the ability to import, edit, and manage Group Policy settings through the use of ADM templates. In this way, WINSelect can employ GPOs in areas where they work well and pickup where GPOs fall short. 

WINSelect takes system and application customisation to the next level by providing capabilities that are not possible via Group Policy Objects. Selective desktop icon hiding, drive hiding, file extension blocking, and disabling of folder manipulation, drag and drop, and right clicks on the Start menu are just some examples of the desktop customisation features exclusive to WINSelect. Network restrictions include the ability to create a website white list or black list, while printer controls can block access to all or select printers and enforce print quotas.

In fact, WINSelect can customise more than just the system settings and functions; it can even remove menu items and prevent right clicks within Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Office, as well as third-party Windows applications. By scanning the menu options of a selected application, WINSelect enables the removal of nearly every menu item.

Whether you are a novice user or a Group Policy Guru, WINSelect will heighten your system control options above and beyond what you have today.

Kiosk Options - Automatically launch predetermined applications upon startup - Block access to specific menu items and hot-key combinations - Restrict access to any application on the workstation Microsoft Office Application Functionality - Prevent the use of Visual Basic for Applications and prevent access to VBA through Microsoft Office - Prevent macro shortcuts within Microsoft Office programs - Disable tools/add-in menu items to prevent users from enabling/disabling Microsoft Office add-in programs - Disable the Web toolbar within Microsoft Office - Disable the Detect and Repair option from the Help menu   Session Timer Settings - Create time-limited user session - Decide whether users have the option to extend session limits - Create multiple time segments that reference codes for users to input Regulate Start Button Functionality - Hide the Start Button - Disable Start Button right-click functionality - Customise which options are available via the Start Menu - Force the Classic style Start Menu to remove the Control Panel, Printer, and Network Settings from the menu option Control Panel and Desktop Restrictions - Restrict access to user accounts - Hide any desktop icon - Prevent right-clicks on desktop icons Windows Explorer Restrictions - Prevent drag and drop functionality - Prevent delete, rename, and folder creation - Restrict access to UNC path Internet Explorer Restrictions - Control which features and options are available within Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 & 7 and Mozilla Firefox 1.5 and 2 - Prevent right-clicks within the browser - Prevent users from changing the default homepage - Prevent Microsoft Office from being launched via the execution of Office application files - Provide all KIOSK mode options - Create a list of allowed or restricted web sites by domain name, IP address, or range of IP addresses and domain names - Prevent users from using the address bar to access files Open, Save, and Print Options - Control read access with the option to block saving data to the Hard Drive, Floppy Drive, CD, DVD and USB devices - Control or block network and web-based data storage - Restrict the opening and saving of files with specific file extensions - Restrict user access to specific printers - Restrict the number of pages a user can print - Display the number of pages a user can print Active Directory Template Integration - Import ADM templates for Active Directory to control any Microsoft product - Import Microsoft Vista GPO’s to control workstation functions WINSelect Templates - Export all configurations into a secure file - Use template files to easily deploy standard settings to multiple workstations Enterprise Control - Deploy and manage WINSelect directly from Faronics Core Console  - Schedule WINSelect restriction times and levels - Command Line Interface support for WINSelect workstation management - Schedule, execute, and configure tasks and settings via groups - Apply configuration changes without workstation logoff - Remotely scan a machine and select the programs which are allowed and not allowed to run

Faronics Core Console

Faronics Core Console provides enterprise deployment and management capabilities for Faronics' Anti-Executable, Power Save, and WINSelect software solutions. The Console Tree and Workstation List make it easy to view and take action on individual or groups of workstations. The Actions Pane displays capabilities specific to each product.

User Session

The User Session node provides the option to create user sessions that are limited in duration. This allows the administrator to specify the amount of time a user can spend logged into a workstation.






Drives and File Extensions

The Drives and File Extensions node provides options for restricting access to drives and specified file extensions for each application installed on the workstation. Choose the available drives and file extensions to be disabled by selecting the check box next to each one. Use the Select All or Deselect All options if required.




Start Menu

The Start Menu node provides options for restricting access to the workstation Start menu. Customise access to the Start menu by selecting one or more options.



Printers

The Printers node provides options for restricting access to any available printers connected to the workstation. Use this feature to restrict printers entirely, or to permit users to print a specific amount of material on one or more selected printers.

WINSelect has enabled me to eliminate any icons that are not appropriate for certain settings within my school buildings. It has also allowed me to set up kiosk machines in the lab that will allow certain applications to print without having a negative effect on the users’ print quota.       - Dan Olsen, Teacher, Newburgh Enlarged City School District

WINSelect has empowered our Instructional Technology teachers at each site with centralized control of the computer lab and classroom computer functions. Since WINSelect does not require the administrator to have a high level of technical knowledge, it has also reduced our technical support workload in the instructional environment. Due to the simplicity of WINSelect, our technology teachers can quickly and intuitively create a custom environment for their buildings through Faronics Core Console without any help.      - Matt Quick, Network Engineer, Newburgh Enlarged City School District

As the Educational Technology Liaison, I look forward to finding different ways of utilizing WINSelect in our various computer labs. Every school building in our district has such varied needs that require a lot of time and effort. This application provides us with a powerful yet easy to use tool to better manage our workstations. It allows the technology teachers and me to focus on our core responsibility -- providing instruction, instead of having to resolve complex security issues and getting swamped by desktop troubleshooting. I really didn't see any other product out there that was as powerful as WINSelect, yet simple to learn and use. It was also reassuring that Faronics, a name that we were already familiar with, was behind the product.      - Nelson Colon, Educational Technology Liaison, Newburgh Enlarged City School District