What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Airlock Digital Application Control is to enforce application allow listing across our Windows endpoints so that only approved and trusted software can run. The goal was to reduce the risk of malware, ransomware, and unauthorized applications without disrupting normal business operations.
In our day-to-day work, we use it to review requests for new software, verifying that the application is legitimate and then approve it through the appropriate policy so users can run it without needing local administrator privileges. A typical example is when a business team needs a new finance or engineering application that is not already approved. Instead of giving the user elevated access or creating broad security exceptions, we validate the software, test it on a small group of machines, understand the allow list, and then deploy the policy to the required endpoint. This process has helped us maintain tighter control over our environment while still allowing business teams to get the applications they need in a structured and auditable way. Although there is some ongoing administrative effort, especially when new software versions are released or vendors frequently update their applications, the visibility and control it provides have made endpoint management much more predictable and secure.
What is most valuable?
The best features Airlock Digital Application Control offers that stand out the most for me are the application allow listing capabilities and centralized policy management, and the visibility into what is actually running across endpoints. The allow listing approach gives us much tighter control than relying only on signature-based security tools because only trusted applications are permitted to execute, which significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized software and malware. I also value having a central console where policies can be managed and applied consistently across different groups of devices, as it makes administration much easier than maintaining separate configurations on individual endpoints. Another feature I find valuable is the ability to review application activity before making policy changes, which helps us validate software and avoid disrupting users during deployments. From an operational perspective, the audit trail is useful because it provides clear records of policy changes and application approvals, making troubleshooting and compliance discussions much simpler. These features together provide a good balance between security and day-to-day manageability without making endpoint administration overly complicated, although none of them completely eliminate the need for ongoing policy maintenance, especially in environments where applications are updated frequently.
What needs improvement?
Airlock Digital Application Control is a solid product, but there are a few areas where it could be improved. The biggest challenge is the ongoing effort required to maintain allow listing policies in the environment where applications are updated frequently. While the initial deployment can be planned carefully, keeping policies current as vendors release new versions requires regular attention, and that can become time-consuming for IT teams managing a large number of endpoints. I would appreciate seeing more automation around approving trusted software updates and better integrations with common software deployment and vulnerability management tools to reduce manual effort. Reporting is another area that could be enhanced, particularly with more customizable dashboards and easier ways to generate compliance and operational reports for different audiences. From an administration perspective, some troubleshooting workflows could be more intuitive, especially when identifying why an application was blocked or determining the exact policy responsible for the decision. These limitations have not been significant enough to outweigh the benefits of the product, but addressing them would make day-to-day management more efficient, reduce administrative overhead, and improve the overall experience for security and endpoint management teams.
One additional area for improvement is the overall user and administration experience. While the platform is functional, I think some of the management workflows could be simplified so that common tasks such as reviewing blocked applications, approving legitimate software, or tracing the reason behind a policy decision require fewer steps. For organizations with lean IT teams, a more intuitive interface and clearer guidance during policy creation would help reduce the learning curve for new administrators. I would appreciate seeing broader integrations with the endpoint management, SIEM, and IT service management platforms so application events, approval requests, and policy updates can fit more naturally into existing operational workflows. Better APIs and pre-built integrations would reduce manual work and make automation easier for larger environments. More flexible reporting and customizable dashboards would help different teams, whether security operations or compliance, quickly access the information that is most relevant to them without having to manually compile reports. Addressing these areas would improve efficiency and make the product easier to operate as organizations scale their endpoint environments.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Airlock Digital Application Control for a little over two years in a production environment, primarily as a part of our endpoint security strategy for Windows desktops and servers.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Regarding stability, the product has been reliable in our environment. We have not experienced any significant outages or stability issues with the platform itself, and once the initial policies were properly tested and defined, policy deployment was consistent across our endpoints. The few issues we encountered were generally related to a newly released application version that had not yet been added to the allow list rather than a problem with the product's reliability. Those situations were resolved by validating the software and updating the appropriate policies. The platform has been stable enough that it has become part of our standard security operation, and any day-to-day challenges have been operational rather than related to system availability or performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
From my experience, Airlock Digital Application Control has scaled effectively as our endpoint environment has grown. As we added new user devices and business applications, we were able to extend our existing policy framework without having to redesign the entire deployment management approach. It made it straightforward to onboard new groups, apply appropriate policies, and maintain consistent security standards across the environment. We also found that creating separate policies for different departments or user groups allowed us to accommodate changing business requirements without affecting the rest of the organization. As the environment grew larger, the biggest challenge was not the platform's ability to scale but the operational effort required to keep application allow lists current and organized. Regular policy reviews, a standard approval process, and a phased deployment became increasingly important to prevent unnecessary complexity. We have not encountered any major performance or reliability issues related to growth, and the platform has continued to support our expanding endpoint environment reliably. Successful scalability depends not only on the product itself but also on having well-defined governance and policy management processes in place.
How are customer service and support?
My experience with Airlock Digital's customer support has been positive, and I would rate it eight out of ten. We have not had to contact support very often because the platform has been stable, but on the few occasions when we did, mainly during deployment and when we needed clarification on policy behavior or best practices for handling specific application scenarios, the team was responsive and technically knowledgeable. They took the time to understand our environment instead of providing generic answers, and their suggestions helped us resolve issues without resorting to broad policy exemptions. Response times were generally reasonable, although for more complex questions that required investigation, it sometimes took longer to receive a detailed solution, which is understandable for enterprise support cases. The documentation and knowledge resources were also useful for many day-to-day questions, reducing the need to open support cases. The reason I did not give support a score higher than eight is that I think there is still room for improvement in providing even faster turnaround for complex cases, more proactive technical guidance, and a broader library of implementation examples and best practices for different deployment scenarios. The support experience has been professional and has given us confidence that assistance is available when needed.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before adopting Airlock Digital Application Control, we relied primarily on a combination of traditional endpoint protection, Microsoft AppLocker for a limited set of systems, and manual administrative controls rather than a dedicated, enterprise-wide application control platform. While that approach provided a basic level of protection, it became increasingly difficult to manage consistently as the environment grew. Policy management was fragmented, visibility into approved and unauthorized applications was limited, and maintaining consistent application control across different endpoint groups required a significant amount of manual effort. We evaluated several application control solutions before selecting Airlock Digital Application Control. We were looking for a product that offered more centralized policy management, better visibility into application activity, and a practical way to implement application allow listings without creating unnecessary operational complexity. The transition required careful planning and policy tuning, but once the deployment was completed, administration became more structured and predictable. Airlock Digital provided a better balance between security, usability, and day-to-day management than our previous approach, which was the primary reason for making the switch.
How was the initial setup?
We deployed Airlock Digital Application Control in an on-premises environment because it aligned with our organization's existing security architecture and endpoint management practice. Most of our critical systems and management infrastructure were already hosted within our own data centers, so keeping the application control management platform on-premises simplified integrations with our existing authentication services, endpoint management tools, and internal security processes. The deployment also gave us greater control over policy management, administrative access, and change management, which was important for us from both a security and a compliance perspective. Once the initial setup and policy configurations were complete, day-to-day administration was straightforward, with the policies being managed centrally and distributed to endpoints as a part of our standard operation process. Although an on-premises deployment requires us to maintain the underlying infrastructure, it has provided the level of control, stability, and predictability we were looking for, and it has integrated well with the rest of our enterprise environment.
What was our ROI?
We have seen positive returns on investment, although it has been more apparent in the reduced operational effort and improved security than in direct headcount savings. Before implementing Airlock Digital Application Control, our IT team spent a noticeable amount of time investigating incidents caused by unauthorized software and responding to requests related to unapproved applications. After introducing application allow listing and establishing a structured approval process, those incidents became much less frequent. We estimated that support tickets related to unauthorized software decreased by around thirty-five to forty percent, and the time spent investigating suspicious or unknown executables was reduced from several hours to less than thirty minutes because administrators could quickly verify application status through centralized policies and audit records. Routine software approval requests also became more predictable, with most standard requests being completed within one business day instead of taking several days. While we did not reduce the size of the IT team, the time saved allowed administrators to focus on higher-value activities such as security improvements, endpoint life cycle management, and proactive projects instead of repetitive troubleshooting. From a business perspective, avoiding even a single significant malware or ransomware incident would justify much of the investment. The improvements in operational efficiency, security, and risk reduction have made the solution worthwhile for us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing and licensing model for Airlock Digital Application Control was relatively straightforward and easy to understand compared to some other enterprise security products we evaluated. We licensed the solution based on the size of our endpoint environment, which made it easier to estimate costs during budgeting and future planning. The initial setup cost was reasonable because the deployment did not require significant additional infrastructure beyond what we already had in place. Although we did invest time in planning, policy creation, testing, and administrator training to ensure a smooth rollout, the larger investment was in the implementation effort rather than the software itself, particularly during the early stages when we were building and refining application allow listing policies. Once the environment was stabilized, ongoing licensing and operational costs were predictable and fit within our security budget. The overall value was justified by the increased control over application execution, the reduction in security risks, and the operational improvements we gained. The only area where I think there is room for improvement is providing even greater flexibility in licensing options for organizations with mixed environments or rapidly changing endpoint counts, but overall, we found the commercial model fair and transparent.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before selecting Airlock Digital Application Control, we evaluated a few different approaches, including Microsoft AppLocker, Microsoft Defender Application Control, formerly Windows Defender Application Control, and a couple of other endpoint security solutions that included application control capabilities as a part of a broader endpoint protection platform. Our evaluation focused on how easy each solution was to deploy and manage, the level of policy granularity, reporting, day-to-day administration, and the impact on end users. Airlock Digital stood out because it offered a good balance between strong application allow listing capabilities and operational simplicity, making it a better fit for our team's requirements.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others looking into using Airlock Digital Application Control would be to spend as much time planning your application control strategy as you do evaluating the product. The technology is only one part of a successful implementation. Having a clear understanding of your software inventory, business-critical software, and an approval process will make the rollout much smoother. I would recommend starting with a pilot group that represents different business functions so you can identify legitimate applications that need to be allowed before expanding the deployment across the organization. It is also important to involve the endpoint management, security, and application owners early in the process so everyone understands how software requests and policy changes will be handled. Once the solution is in production, establish a regular process for reviewing policies, validating new application versions, and removing old rules to keep the environment manageable over time. Application control should not be expected to work as a standalone security measure. It delivers the best results when it is integrated into a comprehensive endpoint security strategy alongside endpoint detection and response, vulnerability management, patching, and user awareness. Approaching implementation with good planning, realistic expectations, and a strong operational process will allow application control to provide effective protection without unnecessary disruption for end users or administrators. I would rate this product an eight out of ten overall.