1. A method for controlling user access to applications, the method comprising: setting up a kernel-mode address space in memory; identifying that a user is authorized to access the requested application when the user is a member of a select group of users by a hardware processor executing instructions out of the kernel-mode address space setup in the memory; receiving a list of required applications that the select group of users are allowed to access from a file, the list of required applications including information that associates one or more users of the select group of users with the required applications, and the file is stored in a user-mode address space; storing the information that associates the one or more users of the select group of users with the required applications in a data structure in the kernel-mode address space accessible by a hardware processor when executing program code of an operating system kernel, publishing the required applications to the select group of users by creating one or more shortcuts that identify the required applications; receiving a request to access an application of the required applications from a computer operated by the user of the select group of users over a network interface; identifying that the user of the select group of users is authorized to access the requested application when the requested application is in the list of required applications, wherein the identifying that the user of the select group of users is authorized to access the requested application includes the hardware processor executing the program code of the operating system kernel to search the data structure stored in the kernel-mode address space; accessing the requested application according to a shortcut of the one or more shortcuts, wherein the shortcut of the one or more shortcuts identifies a folder where the requested application resides, the requested application is accessed by the hardware processor executing the program code of the operating system kernel to access an application module stored in the user-mode address space, the user-mode address space is accessible to the required applications, and the application module includes program code that is associated with the requested application; and providing access to data associated with the requested application to the computer operated by the authorized user over the network interface.