From May 2024, The Clinical Computing Service (CSCS) has had to change/adapt much of it’s services, this includes the “Computer Support” service. Previously this service provided a Windows or macOS device that CSCS customers would pay a fee for each month for set up, management and support, however, as we lost access to out systems that manage this environment, CSCS will now be offering the 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.
So what is the University Managed Desktop (UMD)?
The University Managed Desktop (UMD) service is offered via 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.
So what laptop/desktop set up can I have?
UMD is available for both Windows & macOS devices, and at this time we are issuing devices running Windows 11 & macOS 14/Sonoma.
As at , there is currently no UMD solution for Linux, however, this is being worked on by both CSCS & UIS teams
In addition, UMD can be set up for either a “Single-User” or “Shared-Use” experience, which are:
Single-User - is when 1 person logs onto 1 device.
Shared-Use - is when multiple people will log onto 1 device.
Shared Use UMD can be further broken down into the following, see also the table below:
Shared-User solution - for example, if a desktop is placed in a lab and various people log on to it when they are the in lab.
Scientific Instrument solution - for example, if a desktop is used to run instrument attached equipment or bioinformatics.
Seminar, Lecture & Meeting Room solution - for example, a laptop or desktop used in a meeting room that is used to make video calls or run presentations
Training Room solution - for example, a desktop used in a training room where various different courses are run
Student/Library solution - for example, a desktop PC in a library that University students would like to pick up their email on.
Other/Display Signage solution - for example, a device that can be set up to run in reception to show room availability.
A table below summarises the optons available
So when requesting a device set up, it’s important we understand how you plan to use it, so we can seect the most appropriate solution
UMD Name | How many people can use it? | Who can use it? | Can you use shared accounts? | Operating System? | Applications Pre-Installed? | Are more applications available for install via Company Portal or Self-Serve? | Can updates be re-scheduled? | Available for use? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single-User | One person | Anyone with a University CRSID & Raven/Office365 account | No | Windows macOS | On Windows - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, 7-Zip, Edge, Oracle Java & anti-virus etc.. On macOS - None, other than anti-virus | Yes | No | Yes |
Shared-User | Multiple people | Anyone with a University CRSID & Raven/Office365 account | No - not at this time | Windows | On Windows - Yes, quite a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, 7-Zip, Edge, Chome, RStudio, MatLab, SPSS, Zoom, Oracle Java & anti-virus etc.. On macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc.. | Yes | No | For Windows only |
Scientific Instrument | Multiple people | Anyone with a University CRSID & Raven/Office365 account | No - not at this time | Windows | On Windows - None, other than anti-virus On macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc.. | Yes | Yes | For Windows only |
Seminar, Lecture & Meeting Room | Multiple people | Anyone with a University CRSID & Raven/Office365 account | No - not at this time | Windows | On Windows - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, 7-Zip, Edge, Oracle Java & anti-virus etc.. On macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc.. | Yes | No | For Windows only |
Training Room | Multiple people | Anyone with a University CRSID & Raven/Office365 account | No - not at this time | Windows | On Windows - Yes, quite a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, 7-Zip, Edge, Chome, RStudio, MatLab, SPSS, Zoom, Oracle Java & anti-virus etc.. On macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc.. | Yes | No | For Windows only |
Student/Library | Multiple people | Anyone with a University CRSID & Raven/Office365 account | No - not at this time | Windows | On Windows - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, 7-Zip, Edge, Oracle Java & anti-virus etc.. On macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc.. | Yes | No | For Windows only |
Other including Display Signage | Multiple people | Anyone with a University CRSID & Raven/Office365 account | No - not at this time | Windows | On Windows - None, other than anti-virus On macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc.. | Yes | No | For Windows only |
Whilst some of the solutions above are available, desktops require a working wired network connection which is not currently available for all
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
Any user can log a software request from the UIS Software Request portal https://uniofcam.saasiteu.com/Modules/SelfService/#serviceCatalog/request/1DE8422B671241358D7197ECAA9767B9
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 applicationsvia 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