Jesus Geek

How To Survive IT Lockdown

As a systems administrator IT lockdown is very important to me. Why? Providing a stable, reliable platform for people to perform their job makes everyone’s life easier. Technology should be transparent, an enabler, not something that a user dreads. IT lockdown helps with that goal. It’s understandable that users want more freedom with their computers. They want to be able to install “fun stuff” on their computers.

Let’s face it: you’re at work to do work not chat with your buddies, get a higher score in Bejeweled or maintain your blog. Instant messengers, browser tool bars and games make for an unstable system and when a technician needs to fix a problem it can add a level of frustration that would make a nun cuss.

So it’s with great trepidation and a word of caution that I recommend the following:

Make Windows More Productive Without Installing a Thing over at Lifehacker has a number of great tips for optimizing Windows without having to install a bunch of applications and utilities. Here’s a sample:

Keyboard shortcuts

Driving your computer using a mouse pointer may be easiest, but it’s also the slowest way to get things done. Take the time to learn Windows’ built-in keyboard shortcuts for tasks you perform often, and assign your own to shortcuts you always launch.

Global Windows shortcuts: Windows comes with dozens of keyboard combinations built in. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Control+Esc opens the Start Menu. Update: So does one tap of the Windows key.
• F3 starts a file search
• Alt+Tab cycles through open programs
• First letter of a Desktop shortcut name places the focus on that shortcut, Enter to launch.
• Win+D toggles Show Desktop
• Win+E starts Windows Explorer
• Win+L locks computer (XP only)

Other tips include using a USB disk to add memory to your computer (Vista only) and using Portable Apps.

Personally, I don’t recommend the Portable Apps route because it makes it appear like you have something to hide. If an IT administrator suspects you’re hiding something, they’ll lock your system down even tighter by disabling the USB ports or only permitting certain applications to run on your computer. Again, you’re at work. You’re expected to work, not check your personal email or chat with friends. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not draconian about this, I understand that people take a little personal time at work and a little is not a problem. If you’re spending all day trying to figure out how to circumvent security so that you can install a game then perhaps there’s another problem that needs to be addressed. I’ll get off that soapbox now.

Check out the article. I think you’ll find that there are several ways to optimize your experience at work even though the IT lords have decreed that “none shall pass”.