Password protect folders on work shared drive

[phil79]

We currently have 5 computers in our network which are connected to one windows desktop which acts like the service. We don’t have Microsoft exchange.

We have a shared drive where we store all information and everyone can access this. However, is there software or someway whereby we can password protect some folder so then only some of us are able to access some folders? For instance, I don’t want all employees having access to confidential financial information.

Many hanks for your help…..

 

[mpbtech]

Your best bet is to purchase a server. You can then have full control of all folder access via NTFS (user permissions). Your also find it easier to manage everything and backup all your companies data which is currently shared more than likely on a single disk.

Five computers networked in this way can become hard to manage and in the long run will cost more in lost productivity then it would to lay out and set thing ups right..

 

[phil79]

I've have looked into getting a server in the past and the costs are too much for a small business like ourselves. In any case, everything is moving to the cloud and we might go this way as well in a year or two ourselves.

I'm really looking for a solution which suits our current set up - and is affordable.

Any other ideas? There must be software available - i.e. you right click on a folder and hit 'password protect' then when someone tries to access the folder it asks for a password and you simply enter the password. Surely there should be software like this? I've done a quick search on google but all the software I've looked it seems to be for home computers.

Thanks

 

[Rebecca May]

No, Windows does not allow you to set passwords that limit access to shared folders.

You have other options though - you could set up Google Docs (free for small businesses) which is password protected, OR add restricted access, password protected folders/pages to your website... OR even set up an e-mail account with folders that only selected people can access.

 

[phil79]

Thanks,

What do you mean by email account with access to only selected folders?

I have looked at google docs but the problem is our hard drive storage is about between 300gb - 350gb which is too much for google docs I think?? May be others can advise here?

Thanks again

 

[Rebecca May]

Google Docs are hosted in the cloud, no need for a bigger hard drive.

E-mail... now that would a real quick and dirty ... set up an additional e-mail address where you send your docs you don't want to share with all, set up the usual filing/folders on the e-mail account and give the password to this e-mail account to the selected people only...

 

[KM-Tiger]

If it's just file sharing with access control, then look at NAS devices, which are like a server, but a lot cheaper.

If this is business critical data, what backup arrangements do you have in place?

 

[phil79]

Hi,

I understand that google docs are hosted in the cloud but they only offer you limited storage - that's the problem.

Not sure the email account setup is the solution too be honest. At the momemt we have a nice folder structure for all the jobs we work on and it would be great to keep that structure with all revelant files saves in there.

Cheers,

 

[phil79]

Ref. backup - We backup all our data every evening automatically to an external harddrive connected to the desktop server.

 

[mpbtech]

I am not aware of any third party software that would allow this.

Depends on the file system of your network share but you could set this up with local user accounts then hard coding the file mappings on the client machines to different areas in the file structure for different users then setting the permissions on these folders with local accounts. This would be a bit tricky to do and would end up causing you headaches if your new to folder permissions. Your share would need to be NTFS file system. Generally you would set this kind of access up on a server it can be done on the desktop level but is pain to administer as your being using local user accounts.

This kind of setup can cause problems but it can be setup as an interim if your unable to use the cloud for your file size or afford a server.

 

[BoxLimited]

What you need to do:

Create a user for each person in the office on all 5 machines
Each user will log in to the computer as their user name
Create a share on the main PC limiting the access to the users you want to allow access
Edit the NTFS permissions on each folder allowing access (write/read/modify)
Use deny to block users completely from a folder or file

 

[BoxLimited]

Sorry, MPBtech, was writing the reply, didnt see you post!

 

[mpbtech]

Its fine your answers a little clearer . The file share must be NTFS to allow this setup.

 

[seoadorn]

Great suggestion post by authors

 

[phil79]

Cheers, thanks very much for that. I will try and get that set up then.

All our users currently log on with their own username/password anyhow so at least that part of it is set up.

The added complication is that we use different versions of windows. I'm using windows 7 pro while others are using windows xp.

Thanks again,

 

[computer storm]

The added complication is that we use different versions of windows. I'm using windows 7 pro while others are using windows xp.

,

It doesnt matter what windows you are using so long as you set the permissions on the folder correctly that has all the information in it.

 

[securegroup]

I would highly advise purchasing a Netgear Readynas Pro for Business
Lets you control all files like a server but at fraction of cost plus you can use it for much much more like acess files from online.

 

[kerrylinux]

I would recommend a NAS solution, too. Many of these boxes are essentially a Linux server with the SAMBA software that can be administated via a web interface from a browser. In some cases the box offers a RAID-1 data mirror, which stores every file on two separate disks. That is certainly much better than relying on your single disk in your desktop computer.

The SAMBA software looks like a Microsoft file server (from the outside). Read access and write access can be set for every user separately through the web interface.

 

[phil79]

Thanks. What sort of costs are involved?

Cheers,

 

[bediwin]

How long is a piece of string?

A number of options are on the market - myself I'm a big fan of Synology NAS products, but they are quite expensive and the NAS unit itself is sold separately to the hard disk(s), you have to buy and fit these yourself.

Expect to pay anything from £60-100 upwards for a basic unit with a single hard disk (you won't a Synology for that kind of money but for what you need I don't think you need one).

Fancier units have two or more disks and spread the data so that if a disk fails you don't lose everything, generally costing from around £120-150 upwards. Note, however, that if your building burns to the ground, two disks fail at the same time or someone accidentally deletes the wrong file you are out of luck.

Beyond that, the sky's the limit - you can get units with capacity for many disks and you can spend many hundreds of pounds.

 

[kerrylinux]

Costs are about £ 300 for 1000GB and RAID-1

Let's have a quick round-up:

What is the best Small Office NAS with RAID-1 ?

spec:
1000 GB RAID-1 storage
gigabit LAN
SMB filesystem
web interface
low noise

What are your favorites? Why?

 

[bediwin]

Replying to myself, but the absolute cheapest option would be if that Windows XP PC that's holding all your files right now isn't being used by anyone else you could put something like FreeNAS or OpenFiler on there which would cost you precisely zero.

Pros:

1. Zero cost

Cons:

1. If you do this, the existing data will be wiped. You would need to copy it off the PC and copy it back again once finished. If you do not do this, you will lose everything.
2. It's a slightly unusual solution, so you may have difficulty finding someone in your local area who can help you if everything goes horribly wrong, either now or in the future.