Hello,

I was wondering if i could get a few suggestions.... I'm trying to make a
complex spreadsheet secure.

It is a rating spreadsheet - i.e you put in answers to questions it has on
it - which in turn generates a price depending on what answers you have put
in.

Also, i will need store what has been put in the sheet each time so i can
look back and analyse it at a later date...

What i want to keep secure is:
The rating (from V look up tables) - i was thinking of hiding these sheets
Prevention of copying the whole sheet so they can't steal it only use it.


It will have a small amount of users (say 3-5)...
I was thinking of providing each individual with a front end - which stores
what they put in it each day/week and then writing a macro in another sheet
which gathers all of what they have put in

Also - if i set up the "rating sheet" with everything on it as V look ups
(even description fields) to another workbook (which the users didn't know
about) - if they tried to copy the first sheet without the second - would it
make the first useless?

Would welcome some suggestions/validation of ideas....

Thank you
--
kelly m johnson
London

Firstly, there is no such thing as 100% security. What can be coded can be
decoded. Remember, during WW2, the Germans thought their codes could not be
cracked and, to make matters worse, couldn't accept evidence that their
codes were being cracked.

The first level of security is to password protect your spreadsheet. This
would, at least ensure that a casual browser could not open your
spreadsheet. However, it doesn't prevent a casual browser looking at the
spreadsheet over your shoulder or whilst available on an unattended monitor.
This doesn't have to be a physical (personal) browse. With unsecured
wireless networking the browse could be from outside the building. To
someone interested enough in the information password protection can be
cracked within minutes so don't rely on it.

Another way of securing information is to use a password manager. A1
Roboform Pro and Keepass Password Safe received a good rating from PCPro
recently. Even with these you have to be careful to not 'leave the key in
the front door'.

On another level.it is very important to make sure that Windows and threat
prevention software (?Norton) is kept up to date on a daily basis in order
to maximise your protection from attack over the Internet.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

"Kelly 1st" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I was wondering if i could get a few suggestions.... I'm trying to make a
complex spreadsheet secure.

It is a rating spreadsheet - i.e you put in answers to questions it has on
it - which in turn generates a price depending on what answers you have
put
in.

Also, i will need store what has been put in the sheet each time so i can
look back and analyse it at a later date...

What i want to keep secure is:
The rating (from V look up tables) - i was thinking of hiding these
sheets
Prevention of copying the whole sheet so they can't steal it only use it.


It will have a small amount of users (say 3-5)...
I was thinking of providing each individual with a front end - which
stores
what they put in it each day/week and then writing a macro in another
sheet
which gathers all of what they have put in

Also - if i set up the "rating sheet" with everything on it as V look ups
(even description fields) to another workbook (which the users didn't know
about) - if they tried to copy the first sheet without the second - would
it
make the first useless?

Would welcome some suggestions/validation of ideas....

Thank you
--
kelly m johnson
London

Thanks bill...

Are there any other methods relating to things i can do with the workbook
that won't make it 100% secure - but as secure as one could possibly make it?
--
kelly m johnson
Great Britain


"Bill Ridgeway" wrote:

Firstly, there is no such thing as 100% security. What can be coded can be
decoded. Remember, during WW2, the Germans thought their codes could not be
cracked and, to make matters worse, couldn't accept evidence that their
codes were being cracked.

The first level of security is to password protect your spreadsheet. This
would, at least ensure that a casual browser could not open your
spreadsheet. However, it doesn't prevent a casual browser looking at the
spreadsheet over your shoulder or whilst available on an unattended monitor.
This doesn't have to be a physical (personal) browse. With unsecured
wireless networking the browse could be from outside the building. To
someone interested enough in the information password protection can be
cracked within minutes so don't rely on it.

Another way of securing information is to use a password manager. A1
Roboform Pro and Keepass Password Safe received a good rating from PCPro
recently. Even with these you have to be careful to not 'leave the key in
the front door'.

On another level.it is very important to make sure that Windows and threat
prevention software (?Norton) is kept up to date on a daily basis in order
to maximise your protection from attack over the Internet.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

"Kelly 1st" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I was wondering if i could get a few suggestions.... I'm trying to make a
complex spreadsheet secure.

It is a rating spreadsheet - i.e you put in answers to questions it has on
it - which in turn generates a price depending on what answers you have
put
in.

Also, i will need store what has been put in the sheet each time so i can
look back and analyse it at a later date...

What i want to keep secure is:
The rating (from V look up tables) - i was thinking of hiding these
sheets
Prevention of copying the whole sheet so they can't steal it only use it.


It will have a small amount of users (say 3-5)...
I was thinking of providing each individual with a front end - which
stores
what they put in it each day/week and then writing a macro in another
sheet
which gathers all of what they have put in

Also - if i set up the "rating sheet" with everything on it as V look ups
(even description fields) to another workbook (which the users didn't know
about) - if they tried to copy the first sheet without the second - would
it
make the first useless?

Would welcome some suggestions/validation of ideas....

Thank you
--
kelly m johnson
London

Have a look at my information sheet at
http://www.1001solutions.co.uk/desig...preadsheet.pdf

Separating input, calculation and output into three separate worksheets
within the same workbook steers users to the input area and sets aside other
areas which they should not touch. Hiding the calculation area may put off
casual browsers. The ratings sheet will still be accessible. If this is
commercially sensitive information then you either have to trust people or
encrypt data. The problem is that even if you encrypt data you will still
have to give people access to the encrypted data. I don't thing there's any
way to enable access to some data and prevent access to other data within or
between spreadsheets.

It could be argued that there should be trust between colleagues
(co-workers) but that is outside the present discussion. At the other end
of this argument it is illegal to mess around with computers and that should
be emphasised in employment contracts. The truth is that it is practically
impossible to implement.

I would seriously suggest you keep a copy of the spreadsheet under your
personal control (CD or flash drive). That way if anyone does mess around
with the structure of the spread sheet it could be restored easily.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

"Kelly 1st" wrote in message
...
Thanks bill...

Are there any other methods relating to things i can do with the workbook
that won't make it 100% secure - but as secure as one could possibly make
it?
--
kelly m johnson
Great Britain


"Bill Ridgeway" wrote:

Firstly, there is no such thing as 100% security. What can be coded can
be
decoded. Remember, during WW2, the Germans thought their codes could not
be
cracked and, to make matters worse, couldn't accept evidence that their
codes were being cracked.

The first level of security is to password protect your spreadsheet.
This
would, at least ensure that a casual browser could not open your
spreadsheet. However, it doesn't prevent a casual browser looking at the
spreadsheet over your shoulder or whilst available on an unattended
monitor.
This doesn't have to be a physical (personal) browse. With unsecured
wireless networking the browse could be from outside the building. To
someone interested enough in the information password protection can be
cracked within minutes so don't rely on it.

Another way of securing information is to use a password manager. A1
Roboform Pro and Keepass Password Safe received a good rating from PCPro
recently. Even with these you have to be careful to not 'leave the key
in
the front door'.

On another level.it is very important to make sure that Windows and
threat
prevention software (?Norton) is kept up to date on a daily basis in
order
to maximise your protection from attack over the Internet.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

"Kelly 1st" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I was wondering if i could get a few suggestions.... I'm trying to make
a
complex spreadsheet secure.

It is a rating spreadsheet - i.e you put in answers to questions it has
on
it - which in turn generates a price depending on what answers you have
put
in.

Also, i will need store what has been put in the sheet each time so i
can
look back and analyse it at a later date...

What i want to keep secure is:
The rating (from V look up tables) - i was thinking of hiding these
sheets
Prevention of copying the whole sheet so they can't steal it only use
it.


It will have a small amount of users (say 3-5)...
I was thinking of providing each individual with a front end - which
stores
what they put in it each day/week and then writing a macro in another
sheet
which gathers all of what they have put in

Also - if i set up the "rating sheet" with everything on it as V look
ups
(even description fields) to another workbook (which the users didn't
know
about) - if they tried to copy the first sheet without the second -
would
it
make the first useless?

Would welcome some suggestions/validation of ideas....

Thank you
--
kelly m johnson
London