Security Interference: Installing a client-server on customers' computers
Experts -
My company sells a client (written in VB) that communicates with a server instance ( SQL 2005). Our techs usually install the client, Miscrosoft SQL, and a server instance that houses the databases that the client talks to.
As of late, we are having more and more issues with customers' security policies; inability to register the software, incorrect functionality within the software, or incomplete lists of items within the software. All, to my knowledge, happen as a result of incomplete access rights for users.
What we have been doing is asking to customer to grant us local admin rights to install the software, and upon completion, we ask that they create a group in Windows for the users of the software, in which, they have Power User privilege.
Now, every customer environment is different. I am thinking that there has to be a better way for the software to coexist within a customer's security system. I thought about using "dependency walker", but that, to my knowledge, only works with an already installed software (or would it work here?)
I am thinking that I might create a tool that examines whether a user has the needed rights to run the client properly, but for that, I would need to know what the software needs.
Any ideas? Apologies about the long-winded diatribe.
Tairo
My company sells a client (written in VB) that communicates with a server instance ( SQL 2005). Our techs usually install the client, Miscrosoft SQL, and a server instance that houses the databases that the client talks to.
As of late, we are having more and more issues with customers' security policies; inability to register the software, incorrect functionality within the software, or incomplete lists of items within the software. All, to my knowledge, happen as a result of incomplete access rights for users.
What we have been doing is asking to customer to grant us local admin rights to install the software, and upon completion, we ask that they create a group in Windows for the users of the software, in which, they have Power User privilege.
Now, every customer environment is different. I am thinking that there has to be a better way for the software to coexist within a customer's security system. I thought about using "dependency walker", but that, to my knowledge, only works with an already installed software (or would it work here?)
I am thinking that I might create a tool that examines whether a user has the needed rights to run the client properly, but for that, I would need to know what the software needs.
Any ideas? Apologies about the long-winded diatribe.
Tairo
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Thank you, Experts!
You are also (currently) using sql 2005 which is 2 major versions behind current (sql 2012); this situation won't hold forever in the marketplace either. I'd suggest that while addressing your client install might be a worthwhile tactical move, you also need to consider your "next generation" of product - and in that generation try to avoid client installs.
Cheers & good luck with the client installs :)