Securing Shared Lab Workstations

Lab computers break the standard endpoint security playbook. A corporate laptop belongs to one person who locks it when they walk away. A lab workstation is shared by a rotating cast of scientists, drives an instrument that must not be interrupted, and often runs an operating system build chosen by the instrument vendor, not by IT. Prevvi’s job in this engagement was to bring a biotech’s office and lab endpoints under standard management while respecting everything that makes lab machines different. It is a problem we meet constantly in our life sciences IT work, and the controls belong to the same toolbox as our broader cybersecurity services.

The challenge

The client ran a mixed fleet: Windows and macOS machines in the office, plus shared workstations attached to laboratory instruments. Two problems needed solving at once.

First, endpoint management was inconsistent. Devices needed to be enrolled, registered, compliant, and receiving applications through a managed pipeline rather than hand installs.

Second, the shared lab machines were effectively unlocked. Multiple scientists used the same sessions, screens stayed open all day, and conventional lock policies could not simply be forced on, because a locked screen mid-run or an interrupted instrument session can cost an experiment.

What we delivered

Standardized endpoint management

• Microsoft Intune enrollment across the Windows fleet, with Entra ID device registration tying every machine to a managed identity
• Company Portal deployment so users could install approved applications themselves
• Windows 10 LTSC troubleshooting and enrollment restriction remediation for the instrument-attached machines that resist standard enrollment paths
• Application packaging and deployment through the management pipeline
• Mosyle and Apple Business Manager planning for the macOS side of the fleet
• Device compliance troubleshooting, so compliance reporting reflected reality

Shared workstation security

• Transparent Screen Lock deployment, which locks the workstation while keeping the screen’s contents visible, so a running instrument display can still be read at a glance
• Shared workstation session controls and system account configuration appropriate for multi-user lab machines
• Automatic screen locking tuned to lab workflows rather than office defaults
• User communications, training, and rollout scheduling, tested against real equipment usage before enforcement
• Equipment usability testing, verifying that security controls never interrupted an active instrument run

How we approached it

Accountability without obstruction

The core design question for shared lab machines is how to get accountability and protection without slowing science. Transparent screen locking was the key: the workstation is protected the moment nobody is at the keyboard, but the instrument display stays readable, so a scientist across the room can still see a run’s progress. Security stopped being a tradeoff against usability.

Respect the instrument stack

Instrument vendors certify their software against specific OS builds, which is why lab machines often run Windows LTSC releases and reject standard enrollment flows. Rather than forcing those machines into a mold that would break vendor support, we remediated enrollment restrictions case by case and managed each machine as close to standard as its instrument allowed.

Roll out with the lab, not at it

Every control was scheduled with the lab teams, communicated in advance, and tested against real equipment workflows. The difference between a security rollout that sticks and one that gets quietly disabled is whether the people affected were part of the plan.

Why shared workstations need a different security model

If your environment includes shared computers, three assumptions from standard endpoint security stop holding:

• “One user per device” fails. Session controls, sign-in design, and audit trails must account for many people using one machine.
• “Lock aggressively” fails. On a machine driving equipment, an ill-timed lock or forced reboot can destroy work in progress. Locking policy has to be designed around the equipment’s duty cycle.
• “Standard image” fails. Vendor-certified builds mean fleet management must tolerate controlled exceptions instead of pretending every endpoint is identical.

The answer is not to exempt shared machines from security. It is to design controls that fit them, then document the exceptions so they stay deliberate.

The outcome

Office and lab endpoints came under consistent, manageable control: enrolled, registered, compliant, and receiving software through a managed pipeline. Shared laboratory workstations got real security, automatic locking, controlled sessions, and accountability, without a single disrupted instrument run. Scientists kept their pace, and the company gained an endpoint estate it can actually govern.

Key takeaways

• Shared lab machines need security designed for them, not office policies copied over.
• Transparent screen locking gives protection and instrument visibility at the same time.
• Vendor-constrained machines deserve managed exceptions, not unmanaged invisibility.
• Test every control against live equipment workflows before enforcing it.