Knowledge Base

Installing SimplySecure on a Windows or Mac computer

SimplySecure is a cloud-based software solution, provided by Beachhead Solutions through Cloud Direct, which helps manage security for a variety of devices, minimizing the risk of intellectual-property and identity theft. The SimplySecure web-based interface enables you to deploy and manage security on both organisation-owned and employee-owned devices.

Agent devices communicate with the SimplySecure server at regular intervals. If a device fails to check in with the server for an extended period of time, then SimplySecure assumes the device may have been lost or stolen, triggers actions that warn of possible security breaches, and enables you to take security precautions to protect information stored on devices.

SimplySecure adds additional layers of security, to supplement the normal password access, by encrypting data stored on the disk. If an unauthorised user gains access to the device, the encrypted data can't be accessed or shared. Protected laptop computers, smart phones, tablets, and even USB drives are monitored from a single web-based SimplySecure console.

Note:
Information in this article applies to SimplySecure for Windows, version 5.3, and SimplySecure for Macs, versions 4.4.2, and 5.0.1. There is no version 5.3 available for the Mac.

This article shows how to install the SimplySecure agent software on a Windows or Mac computer. It contains the following sections:

Note:
To install the SimplySecure app on a mobile device, please refer to knowledge article, KB0011073, Installing SimplySecure on a mobile device.

Prerequisites

Before beginning this task, the user must have access to the SimplySecure Administration Console.

 

Installing SimplySecure on a Windows computer

System requirements for a Windows computer

SimplySecure agent version 5.3 has the following Windows system requirements:

  • Microsoft Windows 10 Education (EFS and BitLocker support; 32 and 64 bit support) or
  • Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise (EFS and BitLocker support; 32 and 64 bit support) or
  • Microsoft Windows 10 Professional (EFS and BitLocker support; 32 and 64 bit support) or
  • Microsoft Windows 8.1 Enterprise (EFS and BitLocker support; 32 and 64 bit support) or
  • Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (EFS and BitLocker support; 32 and 64 bit support) or
  • Microsoft Windows 8 Enterprise (EFS and BitLocker support; 32 and 64 bit support) or
  • Microsoft Windows 8 Professional (EFS and BitLocker support; 32 and 64 bit support) or
  • Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (EFS and BitLocker support; 32 and 64 bit support) or
  • Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise (EFS and BitLocker support; 32 and 64 bit support) or
  • Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (EFS support only; 32 and 64 bit support)

Note:
Agent languages supported are US English, UK English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish (Latin American), Korean, Chinese (Simplified), and Portuguese (Brazilian).

  • Microsoft .NET Framework v3.5
    • The v3.5 Framework is included and installed in the Windows 7 operating systems.
    • The v3.5 Framework is included in Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 operating systems, but in some cases, it must be installed via Programs and Features.
  • Unique machine name
  • 10MB disk space
  • Periodic communication with the server (The agent communicates using HTTPS).

Note:
If need be, upgrade the operating system to meet the above requirements by visiting http://www.windowsupdate.com.

Microsoft Encrypting File System

The Microsoft Encrypting File System (EFS) has the following system requirements:

  • The domain policy must be set to allow for files to be encrypted using EFS.
  • All protected drives should be NTFS-formatted drives.
  • Free space on the hard disk must be greater in size than the largest file on the drive.
  • Server share settings must be checked before agent installations occur to insure the encryption behaviour desired is achieved. Administrators must decide if files copied to shares should retain encryption settings or not and then verify that the proper settings have been made at the server. The following Microsoft articles will help a server administrator make the proper modifications:

BitLocker

BitLocker is Microsoft's volume encryption technology. Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and 10 offer this encryption scheme and Beachhead Solutions leverages the technology. In order for the SimplySecure agent to turn on BitLocker automatically, the hardware must have the following qualities:

  • The drive needs to be set up as two NTFS disk partitions.

For Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and 10 deployments using BitLocker as part of the encryption scheme, we recommend that drive partitioning be done in advance, but the SimplySecure agent is capable of completing the work if needed. Note, a machine reboot will be required.

  • The device must have a Trusted Platform Module v1.2 or v2.0 (TPM) chip installed and enabled. For machines that do not have active TPM chips installed and enabled, a person needs to be physically at the machine to plug in a USB drive to turn on BitLocker.

To set up and use BitLocker Drive Encryption, see the following link:

Installing SimplySecure on a Windows computer

Before attempting to install a SimplySecure agent, please see, System requirements for a Windows computer, above.

The Windows agent installer is available to download from within your account. To retrieve the agent software, proceed as follows.

  1. Login to the SimplySecure Administration Console at https://console.beachheadsolutions.net/Administration/Logon.aspx.

From the Administration Console home page, perform the following steps,

  1. Click on the Installers tab.
  2. Click on the Download Installer button near the top of the page.
  3. In the File Download dialog box, click Save and provide the location where you would like the MSI file written to.
  4. Run the MSI file to install the SimplySecure PC agent.

Note:
You can use Active Directory or your favourite software deployment tool to do silent mass device installations of the SimplySecure product. Include the following command line to launch silently: msiexec /i <path to msi file> /quiet.

PC upgrade process

The SimplySecure PC Agent can be upgraded via the Auto-Update feature of SimplySecure. By default, the Auto- Update mode is enabled within your account. This means that as soon as the new release is posted to the SimplySecure server, any client devices that check-in will be patched with the new software.

If you wish to test the update before deploying to all of your PC devices, navigate to the Computers >> Settings page, and set the Auto-Update Mode to "Off". When you wish to deploy the SimplySecure PC Agent to the rest of your PC devices, set the Auto-Update Mode to "On".

 

Installing SimplySecure on a Mac computer

System requirements for a Mac computer

The Mac agent has the following system requirements:

  • OS X 10.7 (Lion), 10.8 (Mountain Lion), and 10.9 (Mavericks) should install SimplySecure for Macs, version 4.4.2.
  • OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) and 10.11 (El Capitan) should install SimplySecure for Macs, version 5.0.1.
  • Unique machine name.
  • 10 MB disk space.
  • Periodic communication with the SimplySecure server. (The agent communicates using HTTPS).

Installing SimplySecure on a Mac computer

Before attempting to install a SimplySecure agent, please read, System requirements for a Mac computer, above.

The Mac agent installer is available to download from within your account. To retrieve the agent software, proceed as follows.

  1. Login to the Administration Console at https://console.beachheadsolutions.net/Administration/Logon.aspx.
  1. From the home page, click on the Computers tab.
  2. Click on the Settings tab underneath the Computers tab
  3. Scroll to the Mac Settings section and click on the Download button.

The "SimplySecure Mac installer.zip" file downloads to your Downloads folder.

  1. Double-click the ZIP file to extract the installer.
  2. Run the extracted PKG file to install the SimplySecure Mac agent.