University Managed Desktop (UMD) and changes to the Clinical School "Computer Support" service
- Kathy Downham
- Jennifer Allan
- Kris Morton
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.
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 University account (formerly Raven) and 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 underlying technology, support is provided by the local institution, which for CSCS customers that will be CSCS!
So what laptop/desktop set up can I have?
UMD is available for both Windows & macOS devices, and at this time May 8, 2024 we are issuing devices running Windows 11 and macOS 14/Sonoma.
As at Jun 21, 2024, there is currently no UMD solution for Linux, however, this is being worked on by both CSCS and UIS teams
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 - 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 when they are the in lab.
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
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.
The table below summarises the options available
When requesting a device set up, it’s important we understand how you plan to use it, so we can select the most appropriate solution
UMD Name | How many people can use it? | Who can use it? | Laptops &/or Desktops (including All-in-Ones) | Operating System? | Can you use shared accounts? | Software 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 Account CRSID (formerly Raven) | Laptops & Desktops | Windows & macOS | No | Windows - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, 7-Zip, Edge, Oracle Java & anti-virus, etc. macOS - None, other than anti-virus | Yes | No | Yes |
Shared-User | Multiple people | Anyone with a University Account CRSID (formerly Raven) | Desktops | Windows macOS | No - not at this time | Windows - Yes, quite a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, 7-Zip, Edge, Chrome, RStudio, MatLab, SPSS, Zoom, Oracle Java & anti-virus etc. macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc. | Yes | No | No - requires a wired network connection |
Scientific Instrument | Multiple people | Anyone with a University Account CRSID (formerly Raven) | Desktops | Windows | No - not at this time | Windows - None, other than anti-virus macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc. | Yes | Yes | No - requires a wired network connection |
Seminar, Lecture & Meeting Room | Multiple people | Anyone with a University Account CRSID (formerly Raven) | Desktops | Windows | No - not at this time | Windows - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, 7-Zip, Edge, Oracle Java & anti-virus etc.. macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc. | Yes | No | No - requires a wired network connection |
Training Room | Multiple people | Anyone with a University Account CRSID (formerly Raven) | Desktops | Windows | No - not at this time | Windows - Yes, quite a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, 7-Zip, Edge, Chrome, RStudio, MatLab, SPSS, Zoom, Oracle Java & anti-virus etc.. macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc.. | Yes | No | No - requires a wired network connection |
Student/Library | Multiple people | Anyone with a University Account CRSID (formerly Raven) | Desktops | Windows | No - not at this time | Windows - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, 7-Zip, Edge, Oracle Java & anti-virus etc.. macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc. | Yes | No | No - requires a wired network connection |
Other including Display Signage | Multiple people | Anyone with a University Account CRSID (formerly Raven) | Desktops | Windows | No - not at this time | Windows - None, other than anti-virus macOS - Yes, a few like Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, eg. Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, Chrome, Zoom, Firefox & anti-virus etc.. | Yes | No | No - requires a wired network connection |
Whilst some of the solutions above are available, desktops require a working wired network connection which is not currently available for all
What about software?
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.
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