Network Personalizer Technology Overview

Network Personalizer lets you customize and remotely maintain any registered computer from a simple web page. Network Personalizer is the administration portal included for free with your DiscoverStation purchase or subscription.  By visiting a secure web page, Network Personalizer lets you:

• See and manage all the registered computers in their Wide Area Network around the world
• Manage applications and update software
• Monitor user behavior
• Customize the desktop's look and feel
• Centrally control and manage hundreds of attributes and features of your Public computing environment.

These tools are simple enough to eliminate the need for systems maintenance by professionals.

Userful's servers communicate with each subscribed computer over an encrypted connection to ensure Userful computers always have the latest software and security.  Updates and patches are automatically applied and maintained through the Internet.  This keeps all registered computers current and protected from the latest viruses and eliminates what is traditionally a cumbersome and expensive system administration task.

Web based Administration Service (Remote Computer Management)

Current Approaches to System Administration

Maintaining tens or even hundreds of computers involves:

• Installing, updating, or removing software applications
• Installing security patches in a timely manner
• Tailoring system and application settings to the unique needs of the organization
• Previewing changes on a handful of machines before widely deploying them
• Gathering data on hardware inventories, system performance, and user activity

In small networks these tasks are usually either repeated manually for each computer or neglected entirely. Larger networks leverage automated system management tools, but human error or omission is still costly. Typically these tools are either purchased or custom developed. Each tool has its own learning curve, most lack fine-grained control[1], typically tools from several vendors are required to achieve the goals above, however, most importantly, these tools often target a general audience, whereas public computing has unique needs and controls.

For both large and small networks, current approaches are time-consuming, error-prone, expensive, and leave systems, data, and users vulnerable.

Userful Remote Management

Network Personalizer automates both routine and complicated tasks that would ordinarily require a system administrator. It collects important information about you're an organization's computers into a simple web interface and provides fine-grained management and control whether they have one or thousands of computers to maintain.

Computers subscribed to Network Personalizer periodically use the Internet to check for tasks to perform. Tasks include updating or installing software packages, taking an inventory of hardware, retrieving status information. The system has been designed to securely pass through most corporate firewall systems, and be run across un-trusted networks, such as the Internet, without exposing managed computers to security risks.

How It Works

Your retain full control over your computers through interacting with a secure web portal (hosted by Userful) that presents a standard web interface. You create profiles which control the behaviour and appearance of machines. You can map different profiles to different machines or groups of machines. The interface also has the ability to narrow in on a single system and completely customize it.

Audience

Network Personalizer is useful whenever multiple public computers require software installed, updated, or configured in a reliable, repeatable process without manual labor. This process occurs on a continual basis within libraries, corporations, universities, public institutions, call centers, internet cafes.  It allows unskilled administrators fine grained control over the computing environment for example setting default web browser bookmarks, and choosing whether an office suite or other software is available. It completely hides the complexity of an operating system, and the application updates and bug fixes that automatically take place in the background.

Features

The principal features of Network Personalizer™ are that it:

• Distributes bug fixes, security fixes, enhancements, operating system updates and your customizations.
• Configures desktop applications (browser bookmarks and security settings, word processor templates, email settings, etc.)
• Works over the Internet service, not just within your LAN
• Works behind firewall (requires only port 80/443)
• Provides central control of clients through a web portal
• Can control multiple (thousands) of clients simultaneously
• Provides fine-grained control over your public computing environment

Security Measures

Network Personalizer incorporates the following security measures:

1. Access to your Network Personalizer Profile requires a verified username and password.
2. A Digital Certificate on each DiscoverStation is used to authenticate each transaction between the client and Network Personalizer. This certificate is not accessible (readable) by DiscoverStation users.
3. Each software update is signed by Userful with an electronic signature using GPG, and its authenticity is verified before the update is installed.
4. All transactions are encrypted using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection.
5. All packages are tested and verified by Userful's Quality Assurance Team prior to release and distribution.