[SOLVED] Windows 10 - in the classroom/office

[Bettercallsol]

Hey Guys,

Thanks in advance for any helpful info!

I'm fairly new to IT and even more so with windows pc's, if any of this seems like stuff I should just go and learn I completely understand but thought I would see if you knowledgeable people could throw your 2cts in.

So I have the task of preparing about 10 pcs for use in a VFX course that is being implemented this coming year and normally I work with macs. due to the amount of work stations I'm not too worried about deploying or anything but have some (maybe silly) questions about using pcs in a classroom environment: With the way macs are built using SIP and app sandboxing there's not too much to worry about in terms of security - when they are being used by less than responsible students however, from my fairly limited knowledge of pc's it seems it might be more of an issue and want to know the best way to make these PCs internet ready but also safe from the dangers that can face windows PCs without child-lock account types. Is it a simply case of good quality anti-virus and using Standard accounts for student users or is it one of those things that unless you restrict access to the internet or turn it off completely then its just a matter of time before these machines get the cyber aids. They will be very high-spec machines with a lot of dedicated programs and don't want to have to spend my time troubleshooting them due to students using them for dodgy downloads etc. My intention is to put them on a sub-network so that the rest of the macOS comps are separated network-wise but in terms of maintaining a secure network and individual workstations I just am a little unsure. Ultimately, I have to do some serious research to get up to scratch with managing windows computers but anything you think could be worth noting down or looking into would be a great help. Thank you

 

[Math Geek]

the classrooms at the college i go to have the right idea.

the pc's are locked down tight with needed software installed and no permissions to change anything. i don't know which software they use, but each reboot defaults the pc back to a baseline that's set so anything minor a student managed to do is undone at every reboot.

if the classes taught happen to need the ability to configure settings or install/uninstall stuff, such as for an IT class where you have to lean to play with the settings, then have VMmware or other VM software installed, so they can set-up and run a nice safe VM and play all they want.

the VM is also nice cause the semester does not last long enough to worry about needing keys for those OS's. you can reset the win 10 "need to activate countdown" every 30 days i think it is as many as 6 times before needing to reinstall it. that's 6 months of time where they can run it without worry. each semester, a student should start new personal vm's so they start fresh. this also means they can use any number of windows versions, linux and so on without having to install anything to the pc itself.

it is a good idea to have user accounts for each class so the next class coming in does not mess with someone else's VM but that's pretty easy to do with a batch file.

the right idea is to child proof them cause even adult students are dumb as dirt and will install every virus on the planet in a single day if you let them. trust none of them to do the right thing.