The Device Management (DM) service is a proactive approach to ensure our University computer systems and network are safe, secure, and available for teaching, learning, research, and projects. It has been doing a great job of maintaining our University-owned computers by keeping commonly-used programs up-to-date, like Java, Flash, and Adobe Acrobat. As an extension of this valuable service, we will soon launch a "spring cleaning" initiative in late-March.
What is Spring Cleaning?
Just as a "deep clean" helps our homes and offices run more efficiently, so too does a thorough "cleaning" of our computers. As time passes, computers tend to accrue applications that are unnecessary, annoying, and perhaps even harmful. These types of programs are referred to as "grayware," "bloatware," or PUPs ("Possibly Unwanted Programs"). Though they are more innocuous than viruses, they make our computers work harder and run slower.How will DM Carry Out the Cleaning?
In order to clean out this digital junk, the Device Management system will soon start automatically removing certain programs which have been identified as "unwanted" from university-owned computers. Information Technology has partnered with support representatives of the schools to identify the programs most detrimental to system performance, system security, and user experience.These protocols will be started on March 21, 2016 and will only affect University-owned computers. If you would like the exact details of the programs being removed and their justifications, please visit the Device Management Blog's Spring Cleaning Page. For more information on the Device Management system please visit the Device Management homepage.