Stopping Games in Excel

Is there a way to keep people from playing games in Excel?

What games are they playing in Excel? Excel is part of MS Office which is a
spreadsheet (numerical graphing) program. Didn't know there were any games
for the software, oops, with a Google search found plenty. Live and Learn.

Yes & No. Sounds like a company issue. A company policy needs to be set, by
someone who has the authority, that anyone found with game software on their
computer or playing a game on company time will be dismissed as they are
modifying a fixed restricted system or stealing money (pay). If software is
found or the person is found playing a game, follow up on the threat and you
won't have many others playing on company time. An easy way to prevent some
of it is, after the policy is set, to have a rumor leaked out that the IT
guys are now snooping with network software to see what is being run on the
workstations in the office (and there is software that can do just what the
rumor says they are doing.)

There may be a way with Policy Editor but since the software must be run in
the course of business a policy restricting the program Excel wouldn't be
too good.

"Brian" <Brian@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8AB80217-448D-4BB8-85AD-A20BBC9320A4@microsoft.com...
> Is there a way to keep people from playing games in Excel?

I agree with you, that business policy should be enough, and we have that.
The problem is no one really wants to have to fire someone. They want the
temptation to be taken away using technology. Same old story find a
technology solution to solve a management problem.

I can probably find a technical way to stop these games if they had
something unique about them that I could distinguish a game from a valid
macro or VBA function.

"LVTravel" wrote:

> What games are they playing in Excel? Excel is part of MS Office which is a
> spreadsheet (numerical graphing) program. Didn't know there were any games
> for the software, oops, with a Google search found plenty. Live and Learn.
>
> Yes & No. Sounds like a company issue. A company policy needs to be set, by
> someone who has the authority, that anyone found with game software on their
> computer or playing a game on company time will be dismissed as they are
> modifying a fixed restricted system or stealing money (pay). If software is
> found or the person is found playing a game, follow up on the threat and you
> won't have many others playing on company time. An easy way to prevent some
> of it is, after the policy is set, to have a rumor leaked out that the IT
> guys are now snooping with network software to see what is being run on the
> workstations in the office (and there is software that can do just what the
> rumor says they are doing.)
>
> There may be a way with Policy Editor but since the software must be run in
> the course of business a policy restricting the program Excel wouldn't be
> too good.
>
> "Brian" <Brian@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:8AB80217-448D-4BB8-85AD-A20BBC9320A4@microsoft.com...
> > Is there a way to keep people from playing games in Excel?
>
>
>

"Brian" <Brian@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:BF705FDC-97FF-495B-9D03-8E2A693944CA@microsoft.com...
>I agree with you, that business policy should be enough, and we have that.
> The problem is no one really wants to have to fire someone. They want the
> temptation to be taken away using technology. Same old story find a
> technology solution to solve a management problem.
>
> I can probably find a technical way to stop these games if they had
> something unique about them that I could distinguish a game from a valid
> macro or VBA function.
>
> "LVTravel" wrote:
>
>> What games are they playing in Excel? Excel is part of MS Office which
>> is a
>> spreadsheet (numerical graphing) program. Didn't know there were any
>> games
>> for the software, oops, with a Google search found plenty. Live and
>> Learn.
>>
>> Yes & No. Sounds like a company issue. A company policy needs to be set,
>> by
>> someone who has the authority, that anyone found with game software on
>> their
>> computer or playing a game on company time will be dismissed as they are
>> modifying a fixed restricted system or stealing money (pay). If software
>> is
>> found or the person is found playing a game, follow up on the threat and
>> you
>> won't have many others playing on company time. An easy way to prevent
>> some
>> of it is, after the policy is set, to have a rumor leaked out that the IT
>> guys are now snooping with network software to see what is being run on
>> the
>> workstations in the office (and there is software that can do just what
>> the
>> rumor says they are doing.)
>>
>> There may be a way with Policy Editor but since the software must be run
>> in
>> the course of business a policy restricting the program Excel wouldn't be
>> too good.
>>
>> "Brian" <Brian@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:8AB80217-448D-4BB8-85AD-A20BBC9320A4@microsoft.com...
>> > Is there a way to keep people from playing games in Excel?
>>
>>
>


There is software that will monitor and take screen shots of whatever the
person is doing (have to be careful since some of the software only takes
those screenshots of internet use.) One I found with quick search was
http://www.resourcemonitor.com/ and there are many more products out there.
This is the type of product that I said to get the rumor out about.

"LVTravel" <noone@nothere.com> wrote in message
news:uRnaaPQaIHA.4880@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>
> There is software that will monitor and take screen shots of whatever the
> person is doing (have to be careful since some of the software only takes
> those screenshots of internet use.) One I found with quick search was
> http://www.resourcemonitor.com/ and there are many more products out
> there. This is the type of product that I said to get the rumor out about.
>

And then you have to be careful that you are not breaching Human Rights
legislation by spying unnecessarily on your employees....

"Gordon" <gbplinux@gmail.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:fodi87$v4r$1@news.mixmin.net...
> "LVTravel" <noone@nothere.com> wrote in message
> news:uRnaaPQaIHA.4880@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>
>> There is software that will monitor and take screen shots of whatever the
>> person is doing (have to be careful since some of the software only takes
>> those screenshots of internet use.) One I found with quick search was
>> http://www.resourcemonitor.com/ and there are many more products out
>> there. This is the type of product that I said to get the rumor out
>> about.
>>
>
> And then you have to be careful that you are not breaching Human Rights
> legislation by spying unnecessarily on your employees....
>
>
>
And that's a job for the company's attorney to decide what is necessary and
what is not.