Many security experts agree that application control is the only reliable way to block all malicious software. Application control ensures that users can only start approved programs, anything else is blocked before it can cause any damage.

Using anti-virus software and installing security patches is not enough to protect against malicious software. Virus signatures become outdated. The most diligent patching efforts don't protect against zero-day exploits, attacks against which no fix has been released  by software vendors. Application control can help protect against such threats. When you control which programs users can run, malicious software and any modified programs are blocked before they ever have a chance to do any damage.

Easy Management

DriveLock's application control goes far beyond the rudimentary protection included with Windows 7, which can quickly become unmanageable in all but the smallest networks.

DriveLock ensures that only applications that are included in your whitelist rules can be started on any protected computer. Most application control solutions require extensive configuration, but with DriveLock you don't have to inventory all programs and create a separate rule for each of them. Instead, a single rule that allows all programs that were installed by an authorized administrator to run may be all you need. For more fine-grained control you can create rules that allow all programs from a trusted software vendor. You also need only a single rule to enable all Windows components. Many application rules are designed to work without any updating once you have created your initial configuration. Yet, if you do need intricate application rules, DriveLock gives you the ability to do so. If you looked at application control before but concluded that it's too difficult to implement, you'll change your mind once you see how easy DriveLock can make the job for you.

To avoid impacting user productivity while you implement application control, you can initially run application control in simulation mode. This lets you confirm that application control works as intended before DriveLock actually blocks any program. And, of course, you can use the DriveLock Control Center to audit attempted and actual use of all applications across your network.