Centennial Software has extended its DeviceWall software for managing USB storage devices to include auditing functions, so IT departments can see what devices employees are using and plan policy accordingly.

DeviceWall 3.1, available now, can operate in silent mode for a short period after deployment, Centennial said. During this time it gathers information on the type of USB peripherals being used on client systems on the network.

"It looks at the network and audits any portable storage or mobile device that is connected to a PC," said Centennial's vice-president for Europe, Matt Fisher. DeviceWall then builds a report and presents the information graphically, allowing administrators to see at a glance the number and types of devices connected to the network.

"It helps the IT manager decide what instances are risks, versus what they want to allow to happen, and shape their policy accordingly," Fisher said, "You probably want your IT guys to be able to use USB sticks, but disallow your development engineers from burning CDs."

Centennial said it has also updated DeviceWall to counter some new USB Flash drives that look like a CD-Rom to Windows. These drives can evade many existing controls, Fisher warned. "These were probably designed as a marketing tool to allow presentations that autorun just like they would off a CD, but if you have a policy that blocks USB sticks and allows CDs, it will be fooled," Fisher added.

DeviceWall 3.1 runs on Windows NT, 2000 and XP and costs £13.50 per seat for 250 users.