Computer Sercurity - PC in Safe

[rossilinni]

I had a post a few months back where I received some excellent advice on PC sercurity. My company runs courses where clients do tests and training courses on PCs , just Powerpoint files ,normally around one hundred slides per test or course. Have about fifty different courses at the moment.

Based on previous advice received I have decided to no longer use a laptop and adopt a " dumb terminal" set up. Where the client only has access to the monitor. I will be storing the PC in a secure cabinet /lightweight safe type thing.

Due to size limitations of the cabinet I am leaning towards a Dell Optimax ultra small or Acer Aspire PC. Am a fan of Dell.

The courses are developed on another computer where we have licensed copies of MS office in power point. Will I need MS office on the PC I plan on keeping in the locked cabinet - the function of this PC is just to read PP files not to create them or modify them?

Also can I run two monitors simultaneously from this PC ? If so can they both access the one PP file at the same time?

Any advice about the specs of a PC to perform this task also appreciated.
(RAM , processor etc)

Thanks for any tips

Rosso

[rob-d]

There is a free powerpoint viewer available from Microsoft.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=428D5727-43AB-4F24-90B7-A94784AF71A4&displaylang=en

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You could put dual video cards in the pc for multiple monitors, or get a splitter for your video card output.

http://www.daxten.com/ie/monitor-splitter.html

[Slopey]

You won't be able to access one powerpoint file a the same time though - unless you want the same thing shown on each monitor and duplicating the screen onto both monitors.

You can run 2 instances of power point on separate monitors (with different copies of the file, and by launching and dragging over) - but if you want to view the presentation in full screen - it'll consume the primary monitor - so you'll only see one running (i.e. you can't run 2 presentations full screen on the same PC in separate monitors - they both appear on monitor 1, so the last launched is the one you see).

Also - if you're putting a PC inside an enclosed space - pay attention to ventilation. Otherwise, the PC will get very very warm and either blow the power pack or burn the motherboard/processor out.

If you don't want people accessing the desktop proper - you could always run a modified XP with Internet Explorer running in Kiosk mode and show the presentation from inside IE.

Either that or have a totally locked down laptop, or depending on numbers, use a Thin Client device and use remote desktop/IE to deliver the training from a server.

[rossilinni]

Well thanks guys some excellent replies as always.

We run different training programs so we really need to be able to view different files - the plan at the moment is to run two or possibly three clients at once in our training rooms.

Slopey how would you suggest that this be done? - the preference is really to keep the system "sterile" and not connect it to internet explorer. So it would seem a thin client device could be the answer as otherwise with a PC based solution we would need at least two PCs(and safes).

Clients are keen on getting the data/materials then we have the "after hours" team who like coming into our office block thru windows. They love your laptops but will take a PC - so that is why we are thinking of using a safe. Not the full shooting match - but one with say 5mm steel - drill plenty of holes in it I guess for ventillation.

Thanks for the tips would appreciate anymore regarding how to setup a thin client device.

Cheers

Rosso

[Saab Dastard]

regarding how to setup a thin client device

Citrix and Microsoft are worth investigating for Thin Client terminal computing. There are also VMs (virtual machines) to consider - this gives you the opportunity of hosting multiple virtual instances of an entire OS on a single host PC / Server, which can then be accessed remotely.

There are costs involved in licensing (although probably not for VMs), and it might be necessary to hire an expert to set it up, unless you can afford the time to learn how to implement it yourself.

SD

[rotorcraig]

I'm sorry but having read this a couple of times I don't understand what you're trying to do:

Also can I run two monitors simultaneously from this PC ? If so can they both access the one PP file at the same time?
Yes you can drive two monitors from a PC with the right splitter box, and yes you can show a Powerpoint presentation on both at the same time. So as a course tutor you can show the same Powerpoint presentation to multiple students on more than one screen from the same PC. But if they are doing a test they can't use more than one keyboard and mouse on the same PC ... what exactly are you trying to achieve?

Any advice about the specs of a PC to perform this task also appreciated. (RAM , processor etc)
I bought my daughter a bog standard Dell PC for £300 recently, it's more than powerful enough to display some Powerpoint slides.

the "after hours" team who like coming into our office block thru windows. They love your laptops but will take a PC - so that is why we are thinking of using a safe.
You could always plug a laptop into the screens / remote keyboard / etc and have it physically located away from the users during the day, then unplug it and take it with you (or lock it away) when you leave?

RC

[Mac the Knife]

Microsoft's "Thin Client" concepts (Eiger and Mönch) were last heard of in 2005 and seem to have sunk without trace.

Linux of course has a whole variety of free thin-client offerings that could handle Powerpoint presentations.

What with people pinching your gear and clients pinching your presentations you seem to have a lot of security worries... Do you frisk them for cellphone cameras?

Powerpoint Viewer will run on 98SE/XP and anything from a P3 on up. A few junkers behind a stout partition will do it for you.

Alternatively, your local welding shop could build you half-a-dozen cheap bolt-to-the-floor cages for the PCs.

Mac

[rossilinni]

I have to be able to show the clients different PP files as we run different programs and some clients progress faster than others if they were doing the same course. Can I still do this of the one PC - sounds like this maybe a problem.

I know it probably all sounds a bit OTT - but I think I am nearing the type of solution I want. The burglars were sliding a tool under our doors and opening a snib - I designed a cover for the snib to stop this and have sold them around my office block - sold about twenty so far. So I guess the upside of the burgs is that at least I made a dollar out of it. ( If anyone is interested I will put a photo of the device up here - $129 fully installed).

I can't frisk them as they are paying money - just create the environment where they hopefully wouldn't do those things.

Thanks for the ideas.

Rosso