I’ve mentioned ScripLogic’s Security Explorer a couple of times over the past few years but almost always as an aside, or an “also mentioned” product without ever going into what it can do to you. The company has just released Version 6, so maybe now is a good time to tell you more.

In a nutshell, Security Explorer offers interactive management of access controls and security on Windows file servers. To expand the product reach beyond servers, Security Explorer 6.0 also features centralized management of file security on workstations as well. Other enhancements in the new release include more extensive security controls and Windows Vista support.

This latest version also contains all of the features of Service Explorer, another of ScriptLogic's server solutions. The functionality in Service Explorer is being integrated into Security Explorer 6.0, according to ScriptLogic, to consolidate and simplify the company’s offerings. So in addition to centralizing management of security controls and settings, you can now use Security Explorer to manage services and tasks on multiple servers and desktops, possibly reducing administration costs.

As we all know, management of security on Windows workstations and servers is complex and time-consuming - especially when handling permissions for the file system (NTFS), printers, the registry, file shares, services and scheduled tasks. Security Explorer gives you the power to manage, search, duplicate, backup and recover permissions and security for all these items, across the network from a centralized point-and-click interface. Security Explorer also simplifies management to ensure that access to privileged information is restricted on Windows servers and workstations, playing a key role in standardizing security management across the entire Windows network.

Enhancements to Security Explorer 6.0 include:

* Centralized management of file and other security settings - Security Explorer 6.0 consolidates more Windows network security functions into one console, adding management of services and scheduled tasks, giving you an enhanced view of the full security posture of remote computers.

* Improved productivity - Version 6.0 offers caching and interactive enhancements to give you faster results.