Manchester (UK) and Boston (MA): Crutchfield Corporation, a leading consumer electronics retailer, last week announced it is using Avecto Privilege Guard to enhance its users’ productivity, reduce the time IT spends on troubleshooting and malware-related issues, as well as protect its customer’s credit card information. A key component of Crutchfield’s Windows 7 migration strategy, Privilege Guard allows employees to run critical applications that require admin rights without having full privileges—and importantly without IT intervention.
Jon Bain, Technical Lead, Client Support Group, for Crutchfield Corporation, explains why this is critical, “A managed environment helps prevent installation of unauthorised and potentially malicious software, such as applications that could gain access to our network and harvest data like credit card information.”
Speaking about the introduction of Privilege Guard, Bain adds, “It enables us to maintain a standard desktop and reduce the variables that our support team deals with when troubleshooting—and that helps save time and money. Privilege Guard was clearly designed to make user rights management as simple as possible. The fact that it eliminates a lot of overheads, saves time and is affordably priced, makes the ROI easy to demonstrate.”
Several of Crutchfield’s key applications require admin privileges, such as a UPS application that the returns department uses to send defective products back to vendors. When it is launched, the application automatically checks for updates and will not start until they are applied. However, without admin rights, users were previously not able to install updates. Whenever admin rights were required, users had to call the helpdesk and wait for an available staff member to remotely log into their desktop and supply the needed credentials.
In addition to its UPS application, Crutchfield plans to use Privilege Guard to help call centre representatives run a training program that requires Windows Media Player to run with admin rights.
Moving forwards, it is also exploring using Privilege Guard to whitelist applications that are allowed to run on kiosk computers in warehouse break rooms and on shared, appliance-like computers that are used for timekeeping applications.
Bain concludes, “Avecto makes privilege management exceedingly easy and allows me to grant user rights at a very granular level. Its support is outstanding and that’s important to Crutchfield, as we’re also relentless about excellent customer service.”