MDM or Mobile Device Management has become increasingly popular over the last few years. I was surprised to find, that when we implemented it in the company I work for we discovered that there actually was a few users without a pin or password on their mobile device (to be expected out of a few thousand users I guess, but still – NO PIN on your phone, REALLY!!!)!?
Anyhow, there are several reasons to dive into this area – AND the good news is that (depending on the size of your setup) you can actually do much for ZERO $ (Free).
Create Policies;
Require that users (or family) have a PIN
Deploy APPS to phones or tablets
Keep track of installed APPS
Create geo-fencing – be warned if the device leave a defined area (sadly this does not work well in Denmark as the matching of IP’s to addresses is very limited due to privacy legislation)
You can even choose to implement it in your household to keep track of what apps etc are installed be the kids etc.
So are there great skills required? no not really, perhaps a little in setting it up initially – and there are some minor challenges, especially with the certificate part (which need to maintained/updated yearly), but in general – if you have experience with IT operations it’s more or less a breeze.
To get started here are a few links.
Several free or cheap services exist, to name a few;
The first one “Meraki” I actually tried and is still using (free for up to 100 devices as I recall)
https://account.meraki.com/login/new_account
You can even get a free cloud managed WiFi Access Point if you attend one of their online seminars.
Additionally you can install Windows Clients on Windows PC’s and thus now also have free inventory of your Windows PC’s.
You can see a demo of a related Meraki mobile management pack, it’s not quite the same as the free MDM solution – but it can give you some idea of what is possible.
https://youtu.be/fa95GJZQ0fQ
Another one is Spiceworks, I have not tried their MDM solution – but the “Spiceworks framework” (free IT operations software) in general is quite good and capable.
https://www.spiceworks.com/free-mobile-device-management-mdm-software/
Let’s imagine you need to turn over your old computer to friends or family, you for some reason do not wish to re-install Windows all over – well there is a middelground that I imagine could be used in case it’s close friends or relatives. Remove all your personal stuff, documents, mails etc. from the computer, remember to empty the recycle bin, clear all browser caches and clear restore points – if possible create a new user and from this delete your old user profile. Final step is to run the command below, this will wipe all free space on the disk – the command is a buildin Windows command that was introduced back in WinXP, so no need for additional software etc. Is it safe enough? Well as I say, if it is close relatives or friends it may be ok as long as you are sure that all sensetive data is removed, but I would likely not advice this for a computer you sell etc. Again, it all depends.
Command to issue;
Cipher /w:c:
(for the C: drive, replace C: with other drivelettes as you need).
https://readmydamnblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/toplogo4.png00Mikehttps://readmydamnblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/toplogo4.pngMike2015-09-08 14:55:192020-07-16 21:39:28Wipe free space
As many of you may have experienced the Internet is not just filled with wonderful “things” and cute kittens, its equally filled with malware as well. Just over the past 6 months, I in my professional capacity, have experienced Cryptolocker like malware more than 5 times, in the professional scene this was mainly a nuisance as we could “just” revert to backups – however in many private homes this could often mean “pay up” or loose your family photos etc. – seeing that many home users do not have a good backup strategy.
Sure antivirus may detect and protect against many of these things, however why rely solely on that – why not add an extra and free layer of protection to the internet of your friends/family and kids? A protection that is not only free but also auto-updating thus maintenance free.
It is actually REALLY simple, all you do is to configure your DNS to use the DNS servers of Norton (and yes, it is totally free for home use). Instructions for configuration is on their site https://connectsafe.norton.com/configurePC.html – on the top right you can even select the level of protection – three levels are available, may I suggest level 3 for Aunt Mathilda.
“Advanced” use
if you administer your own network and or router (or that of family and friends), then you can setup the DHCP to hand out these Norton DNS addresses and protect each and every device in the network (even that Internet of things ;-))..
Word of caution..
If you configure this setting manually (like shown below) and have a laptop you carry with you, then you MAY run into problems at schools/workplaces – in my company we ONLY allow our own DNS servers access to the internet and subsequently if you set your own DNS addresses these requests are blocked in the firewall. This is not a problem for Aunt Mathilda or the toddlers using the home desktop computer, but keep it in mind if using laptops – the VERY best solution is to setup your DHCP to hand out the Norton DNS addresses..
How good is it?
That is a difficult question to answer, as you get no statistics it would be pure guesswork – but seeing it is free and MIGHT protect you and your loved ones, why not just go with it.
Alternatives
This sounds really cool, but are there no alternatives?
Well sure there are alternatives, not sure if they are better but to mention a few;
https://www.opendns.com/enterprise-security/threat-enforcement/packages/ – OpenDNS is a great and old player in this field, you can customize things and it even works in corporate environments – however it’s not free, you will need the “Umbrella Prosumer uses” license which is a bit hard to find on their site, however it will give you 3 devices for 20US$.
http://www.securly.com/parent-signup – This one I just read about, it sounds cool though even though the purpose seem more parental control than security – by using Google accounts you keep track of your loved ones internet use and you get to see cool graphs etc. But this one is equally not free.
https://readmydamnblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/toplogo4.png00Mikehttps://readmydamnblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/toplogo4.pngMike2015-07-23 15:16:042020-07-16 21:39:28Free security for Aunt Mathilda or other family members
FREE – Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Deployment, Mobile Phone, Security- Require that users (or family) have a PIN
- Deploy APPS to phones or tablets
- Keep track of installed APPS
- Create geo-fencing – be warned if the device leave a defined area (sadly this does not work well in Denmark as the matching of IP’s to addresses is very limited due to privacy legislation)
You can even choose to implement it in your household to keep track of what apps etc are installed be the kids etc. So are there great skills required? no not really, perhaps a little in setting it up initially – and there are some minor challenges, especially with the certificate part (which need to maintained/updated yearly), but in general – if you have experience with IT operations it’s more or less a breeze. To get started here are a few links. Several free or cheap services exist, to name a few; The first one “Meraki” I actually tried and is still using (free for up to 100 devices as I recall) https://account.meraki.com/login/new_account You can even get a free cloud managed WiFi Access Point if you attend one of their online seminars. Additionally you can install Windows Clients on Windows PC’s and thus now also have free inventory of your Windows PC’s. You can see a demo of a related Meraki mobile management pack, it’s not quite the same as the free MDM solution – but it can give you some idea of what is possible. https://youtu.be/fa95GJZQ0fQ Another one is Spiceworks, I have not tried their MDM solution – but the “Spiceworks framework” (free IT operations software) in general is quite good and capable. https://www.spiceworks.com/free-mobile-device-management-mdm-software/Wipe free space
OS, Security, UtilityLet’s imagine you need to turn over your old computer to friends or family, you for some reason do not wish to re-install Windows all over – well there is a middelground that I imagine could be used in case it’s close friends or relatives. Remove all your personal stuff, documents, mails etc. from the computer, remember to empty the recycle bin, clear all browser caches and clear restore points – if possible create a new user and from this delete your old user profile. Final step is to run the command below, this will wipe all free space on the disk – the command is a buildin Windows command that was introduced back in WinXP, so no need for additional software etc. Is it safe enough? Well as I say, if it is close relatives or friends it may be ok as long as you are sure that all sensetive data is removed, but I would likely not advice this for a computer you sell etc. Again, it all depends.
Command to issue;
(for the C: drive, replace C: with other drivelettes as you need).
Free security for Aunt Mathilda or other family members
Antivirus, Security, WebSure antivirus may detect and protect against many of these things, however why rely solely on that – why not add an extra and free layer of protection to the internet of your friends/family and kids? A protection that is not only free but also auto-updating thus maintenance free.
It is actually REALLY simple, all you do is to configure your DNS to use the DNS servers of Norton (and yes, it is totally free for home use). Instructions for configuration is on their site https://connectsafe.norton.com/configurePC.html – on the top right you can even select the level of protection – three levels are available, may I suggest level 3 for Aunt Mathilda.
“Advanced” use
if you administer your own network and or router (or that of family and friends), then you can setup the DHCP to hand out these Norton DNS addresses and protect each and every device in the network (even that Internet of things ;-))..
Word of caution..
If you configure this setting manually (like shown below) and have a laptop you carry with you, then you MAY run into problems at schools/workplaces – in my company we ONLY allow our own DNS servers access to the internet and subsequently if you set your own DNS addresses these requests are blocked in the firewall. This is not a problem for Aunt Mathilda or the toddlers using the home desktop computer, but keep it in mind if using laptops – the VERY best solution is to setup your DHCP to hand out the Norton DNS addresses..
How good is it?
That is a difficult question to answer, as you get no statistics it would be pure guesswork – but seeing it is free and MIGHT protect you and your loved ones, why not just go with it.
Alternatives
This sounds really cool, but are there no alternatives?
Well sure there are alternatives, not sure if they are better but to mention a few;
https://www.comodo.com/secure-dns/ – Equally free, but give you adds for non-existing domains.
https://www.opendns.com/enterprise-security/threat-enforcement/packages/ – OpenDNS is a great and old player in this field, you can customize things and it even works in corporate environments – however it’s not free, you will need the “Umbrella Prosumer uses” license which is a bit hard to find on their site, however it will give you 3 devices for 20US$.
http://www.securly.com/parent-signup – This one I just read about, it sounds cool though even though the purpose seem more parental control than security – by using Google accounts you keep track of your loved ones internet use and you get to see cool graphs etc. But this one is equally not free.