Software restriction policies are a new feature in Microsoft® Windows® XP and Windows Server 2003. This important feature provides administrators with a policy-driven mechanism for identifying software programs running on computers in a domain, and controls the ability of those programs to execute. Software restriction policies can improve system integrity and manageability—which ultimately lowers the cost of owning a computer.
Microsoft does have a very good tutorial at https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457006.aspx
One of the advantages in using a solution like this is to reduce possibility of computers being infected by viruses.
Not only network administrators, but even individual users shall read further and decide towards a good strategy
