I really don’t know where to start looking for answers.
I really don’t know where to start looking for answers.
Hello! It seems I’m stuck on what to search for to resolve this issue. During a time when I felt really unmotivated, I realized a special group might assist. Recently, I started working as an eSports coach in a very small school district. Our school is so compact that we rely on outsourcing IT support, with just three people handling the technology across about eleven schools. Obviously, they’re stretched thin, which makes sense. I asked for network access for our computers, but it was denied due to security concerns and fears of compromising our system. That’s something for another time. For now, we won’t be using public Wi-Fi hotspots for competitive play in Rocket League next year. I received around a dozen MSI GF65 9SD 025 Thin - 15.6" laptops with Core i5 9300H and 16 GB RAM, plus a 256 GB SSD—intended for esports use and to provide disadvantaged students with practice opportunities on weekends. They told me I needed to secure these devices tightly. Even though I have a budget, as a school we can’t afford to cut corners. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Sounds like Windows parental controls could fix some (but maybe not all) of your problems. How are your students currently signed into the laptops? If they're through school-provided Microsoft accounts, you can set yourself up as the 'Organizer' and your students up as the 'Members'. Here's a good article showing how to do that. From that same article, here's some uses of the Windows parental controls that might fit the bill for you:
It’s about running Fortnite, Rocket League, Minecraft, and League of Legends regularly. Eventually, I hope to purchase all 11 of them as Steam games. For now, it’s enough if they only do that. We’re a Google School, so everything runs through their systems and the chromebooks. Someone told me I won’t get any assistance with school software or IT support from the company we pay them. They won’t allow me to use their tools at all.
I believe your institution is being overly strict if this involves school-provided tools. In reality, anyone with the right access can reset everything on the machine unless BitLocker is enabled. That system has its own challenges, but if you aim to restrict certain operations, ensure users lack admin privileges—this stops new software from installing but won’t block existing ones. Programs like Microsoft Teams don’t need admin rights and can be added to user profiles instead. Most applications support “install only for the profile,” requiring admin access just for network features. Generally, without enterprise-level or a premium Windows version, applying group policies becomes difficult, making system restrictions more complex than necessary. If you manage group policy as an administrator, you can set rules for all users and individual accounts. Still, consult the official documentation for these configurations, as current settings offer limited control. If you limit access to just a few programs, you’ll need to hide everything on the start menu, allow only desktop applications, and disable features like Run or Explorer. You might also need to set BIOS passwords and disable recovery options to prevent full OS reinstallation.
I'm planning to set up a VPN and place several hardlines, completely disregarding their instructions. They seem unwilling to address network security or provide access to the school's internet. I have a regional quiz bowl event in about an hour that I can't attend because the school Wi-Fi isn't available. We're limited to using a mobile hotspot for everything. Thanks for helping me navigate the Group Policy settings. All Windows Pro versions are fine since they mentioned we might get access only with Pro installed, so no restrictions there. Any other software you suggest purchasing licenses for?
Win 10 Pro and Win 10 Enterprise offer similar functionality. The Pro edition includes the Group Policy Editor, and selected settings will function properly. The Home version lacks this, but registry keys can enable comparable features. For stricter control, consider a third-party enterprise firewall to selectively restrict internet access, such as allowing Zoom while blocking unrestricted browsing.