Articles

Why is it important to have a Public Computer Management Software for Kiosks

by Ryan W. Network Security Admin
Unlike a few years back, Kiosks are no longer an uncommon sight and are widely used in education institutes, transport terminals, libraries, hospitals and retail stores. Advantages provided by kiosks are manifold, for administrators and end-users alike. Naturally, this has led to a steady rise in the popularity of public kiosks. At the administrative front, public computers no doubt enhances operational efficiency. Load on admin staff reduces significantly as kiosks enable end users carry out a lot of the functions on the own. For example, check-in at an airport can be done by travellers themselves rather than waiting in queue near the counter. On the other hand, end-users save time and are relieved of the frustration around standing in long queues or being entirely dependent on airport authorities. 

While these advantages offered by public-access computers have been making lives easy, the challenges pertaining to their maintenance and management are also growing. Constant system uptime is necessary to utilise the complete potential of these systems. Also, since these computers are usually dispersed across multiple locations, troubleshooting an affected device takes considerably long time. The IT technician first needs to identify the end-point and then resolve the issue manually. A crashed or a malfunctioning system drastically affects regular operations and user experiences alike. Keeping configuration integrity intact is therefore, critical for optimal functioning of the public access computers.

Deploying an apt technology that addresses the critical IT concerns is imperative to meet customer expectations within the shrinking IT budget. Like in other domains, technology vendors have come up with well-thought-out and purpose-built software for kiosk computer management, ensuring 100% uptime of the kiosks. 

Importance of Public Computer Management Software

Public computer management is a broad term. It encompasses both controlling device functionality and user activity. The kind of accessibility you provide to end-users depends upon the place where the system is installed and the purpose it is intended to serve. Complete access to computers and the internet is not the standard practice in most cases, especially when it comes to public kiosks. 

To make things easy, organizations deploy kiosk management software that facilitate extensive customization of user interface to deliver a controlled public computing environment. A kiosk computer management software enables you to implement a wide range of restrictions and controls per the requirement. Such software primarily has features including the following: 

  • Kiosk Mode Enablement: A public computer management software enables you to transform any computer into a kiosk. It allows only specific applications and menu functions to be accessible to users, and supports the desired hot-key combinations. You can also predetermine which applications or browsers should launch when the device starts up. This capability is especially preferred in cases where users are expected to perform only specific activities, such as checking in or out at an airport. A user would not need access to the different browsers, nor to the control panel to install or uninstall an application, in such a scenario. 

  • Disable Hardware: Having control over certain hardware terminals such as USB ports is critical to maintain the health of public access systems. External storage drives are known to be one of the perilous means of malware infiltration. Hence, disabling the ports is crucial to prevent computers from getting infected with viruses and malicious programs that bring down system performance significantly, even leads to a system crash many a time. On the whole, prevention from privacy breach and data theft is another major advantage of kiosk management software.

  • Network and Internet Control: It also allows you to define which web domains and IP addresses can users have access to. For instance, schools and colleges can ensure that students access only educative websites and resources. A good kiosk management software will allow the desired websites to load and block the unwanted ones.

  • Browser Restriction: In most of the multi-user environments, the administrators resort to the web browser tools to impose restrictions on online activities. But tech-savvy users who know how to alter the browser settings can modify it to suit their requirement. Even if they do not do it with a malicious intention, it does make the systems and the network vulnerable to potential cyber threats. That is why it is critical to restrict access to the browser tools and functions using a robust kiosk computer software. 

  • Blocking/Restricting Applications: Some kiosk management software even enable you to restrict access to specific applications and specific functions within an application. For example, a kiosk is installed in an MNC lobby to let employees check their roster, register for transport, and so on. It should provide access to only the relevant enterprise applications. The rest, whether owned by the organization or a third-party, need not be running. In such environments, you either block an entire application or its specific functions per the requirement.

  • System/Desktop Restrictions: A comprehensive software allows only authorised users to access the OS control panel applets and make changes to the system. In fact, some software even hide the Start button and desktop icons, as well as disable right-click on them. The options in the Start Menu can also be customized so that users cannot alter the configuration even by mistake. In addition to these, a kiosk software supports restricting drag and drop, renaming or deleting of files, creating or moving folders, and so on. 

  • Blocking Specific File Types: An advanced public computer management software enables you to block files with specific extensions. Similarly, such software also prevent saving of files in specific partitions that you do not want to be accessible to end-users.

  • Centralized Control: Central management capability is by far the most valuable feature that a kiosk management software offers. As stated in the beginning, manual intervention is not an efficient method anymore for managing public computers. The software you choose should facilitate remote management through a centralized control panel for all systems in the premises. It should also leverage cloud to facilitate support across multiple geographies.

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About Ryan W. Freshman   Network Security Admin

6 connections, 0 recommendations, 20 honor points.
Joined APSense since, January 30th, 2018, From Vancouver, Canada.

Created on Mar 1st 2018 01:51. Viewed 366 times.

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