University Managed Desktop (UMD) and changes to the Clinical School "Computer Support" service

From May 2024, The Clinical Computing Service (CSCS) is making changes to the “Computer Support” service. We will no longer be offering “medschl” devices, instead the service will utilise the new University Managed Desktop (UMD) solution as a way for all laptop and desktop computers to securely reconnect to the University network, systems, files, and applications to safeguard functionality and to keep everyone’s data secure, as well as lowering the risk of future cyber incidents,

So what is the University Managed Desktop (UMD)?

• The University Managed Desktop (UMD) is provided by UIS & provides a secure and managed platform for devices to connect to University services, keeping them more secure too.

• Not only can operating system security updates be managed and installed, any applications pre-installed, or installed via the macOS Self Service or Windows Company Portal, will be periodically updated to ensure security is maintained too.

• Given CSCS customers have now moved to Exchange Online, the UMD service is a great solution as it allows you to login onto any UMD device using your “Raven”/Office365 credentials & it will set up Outlook, MS Teams, OneDrive, MS Office etc.. using seamless-sign-on (SSO) which makes set up and access to Office365 services much easier.

• UIS provide the platform, support is provided by the local institution, i.e. CSCS.

So what laptop/desktop set up can I have?

• UMD is available for both Windows & macOS devices, and at this time 08 May 2024 we are issuing devices running Windows 11 & macOS 15/Sequoia.

• To be able to run UMD there is a minimum hardware requirement, so if your device is very very old, it may need replacing. Under “recovery” we are offering like-for-like replacement devices for exampler , see the pages below for the minimum hardware and the replacement models available:

  • Windows devices - https://cscs-itsupport.atlassian.net/l/cp/J1tU6CsP

  • macOS devices - https://cscs-itsupport.atlassian.net/l/cp/gwNBPGDY

• In addition, UMD can be set up for either a “Single-User” or “Shared-Use” experience, which are detailed below as separate services to chose:

  • Single-User solution - is when 1 person logs onto 1 device.

  • Shared-User solution - when multiple people will log on to 1 device, for example, if a desktop is placed in a lab and various people log on to it with their own University CRSIDs.

  • Scientific Instrument solution - when multiple people will log on to 1 device, for example, if a desktop is used to run instrument attached equipment or bioinformatics.

  • Seminar, Lecture & Meeting Room solution - when multiple people will log on to 1 device, for example, a laptop or desktop used in a meeting room that is used to make video calls or run presentations, where not everyone may have a University CRSID.

  • Training Room solution - when multiple people will log on to 1 device, for example, a desktop used in a training room where various different courses are run

  • Student/Library solution - when multiple people will log on to 1 device, for example, a desktop PC in a library that University students would like to pick up their email on.

  • Other/Display Signage solution - when multiple people will log on to 1 device, for example, a device that can be set up to run in reception to show room availability.

• A table below summarises the options available:

What about applications?

• Certain UMD solutions will come with some applications pre-installed, others won’t have any installed at all, see the table above for details.

• You can also install applications from the Company Portal on Windows, or Self-Serve on macOS yourself and there are currently 100’s of applications available, many of them free but some where licenses are still required.

• At this time, for single-user set up, the following applications pre-installed on the device https://help.uis.cam.ac.uk/service/desktop-services/umd/university-managed-desktop/software-university-managed-desktop (the software listed under “Shared Use”)

• If you find the application you want is missing, you can contact the CSCS Service Desk by logging a ticket who can then put in a request or help you install it if it’s urgent.

What about “admin rights”?

• The UMD solution does not come with admin rights as a default, which helps reduce the University risk, should a device fall victim to a malicious attack.

• However, we do appreciate some of our customers need elevated permissions to allow them to do their work effectively. So should you require additional permissions to do your job, you can request this via the CSCS form here - https://itsupportcscs.haloitsm.com/portal/service?btn=73&itil_requesttype_id=3&autolog=true&shownewticket=true&categoryid=13&id=71

• If you need elevated permissions to install software, first take a look in the Company Portal (on Windows) & Self Serve (on macOS) as there are already 100s of applications you can set up without elevated permissions via a one-click install.

• More details on elevated permissions can be found here https://cscs-itsupport.atlassian.net/l/cp/a3v714Xm

Related Pages

• If you would like to read more about the UMD service, see the related UIS pages here https://help.uis.cam.ac.uk/service/desktop-services/umd

• If you would like more information about installing applications via the Company Portal on Windows or Self-Serve on macOS, click here https://help.uis.cam.ac.uk/service/desktop-services/umd/installing-additional-software