Information Services are pleased to share the following updates and news taking place over the next couple of months:

Windows 10 Self Service now available

As you are likely aware, we have been upgrading Windows 7 laptops and desktops to Windows 10 over the past 18 months and considerable progress has been made in this activity, with all “public access” PCs in Computer Rooms and Lecterns having received an upgrade, as well as significant number of staff computers.

We are now at the stage where all remaining University of Nottingham computers used by Staff and Postgraduates need to be upgraded over the coming months to maintain support with Microsoft beyond January 2020 and we are therefore asking for your assistance.

A self-service upgrade option has been made available for users on Windows 7 which will allow you to upgrade your device at your own convenience. Guidance documentation and Frequently-Asked-Questions for self-service are available here and we highly recommend you read this carefully and back up your data before starting your upgrade.

We will be approaching any individuals still on Windows 7 directly in a few months’ time with a follow up towards the end of this year.

Sophos upgrade on all University devices

From Monday 20 May, Information Services will be upgrading Sophos on all Professional Services managed laptop and desktop computers. Sophos will be upgraded to Sophos Central, which utilises cloud based technology to improve detection rates and has a modernised interface. The core functionality of Sophos Anti-Virus will remain the same.

The installation of the new version will take place automatically in the background if no restarts are pending. Once installed, you will be required to restart your computer and there will be a prompt to restart within 24 hours. You can continue working for up to 24 hours but you cannot hide or close the prompt.

Professional Services includes the following: VCO, Estates Office, Finance, Human Resources, Libraries, Multi Professional Deanery, Nottingham Hospitality, Registrars and Student Services. Schools and departments within faculties will be upgraded in June, for more information, see the Digital Network blog.

Restricted access to Secure Shell (SSH) coming soon

We will soon be implementing a change to restrict access via Secure Shell (SSH) to University resources from outside the network. SSH is a protocol which currently allows remote access to certain servers/computers.

On 24 June, default access for SSH will be disable on the firewall. Please note, you will lose access to resources such as Granby, Unix or Linux Servers, Linux Desktops and Raspberry Pis from off campus if you were previously connecting via SSH.

Access to campus resources via SSH will still be available off site if you connect to the University’s Virtual Private Network (VPN). Alternatively, if there is sufficient justification, you can raise a firewall change request via Self Service portal for your specific use. On campus access to resources via SSH will be unaffected by this change.

Agresso upgrade to Business World

There will be a delay to the Agresso upgrade and downtime will not take place from 15 May as previously planned. We hope the delay will not be significant and will provide further information on our new go-live date as soon as possible. For more information about the project, see the Digital Network blog.

The upgrade to Business World is intended to be “like-for-like” so users will not need to be fully re-trained. A series of guides and eLearning materials will be made available from Thursday 16 May to accompany the upgrade. We will communicate further information to Agresso users on where to view guidance materials.

To support these guides, there will be an information sharing session in Lecture Theatre 3, Exchange Building, Jubilee Campus on Friday 17 May 1.30pm–2.30pm. This will give you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have. No need to book, just turn up.

For all the latest news from Information Services, see our Digital Network blog, Office 365 news or follow us on Twitter.