Apple have announced a new version of macOS – 11.0 Big Sur.

The official public release date will be Thursday 12 November, but Information Services would strongly recommend that users do not perform the upgrade until the impact of the changes are fully assessed.

The new operating system could affect the use of some key University software due to unknown compatibility issues. Further communications and guidance will be shared once testing takes place.

If you do decide to upgrade before Information Services carries out some software tests, the following considerations are strongly recommended before upgrading:

• All users – Take time to prepare for the upgrade as most application issues can be easily resolved by updating before the OS upgrade.
• Users with a University managed device – Applications on University Macs can be easily updated with Mac management facilities like Munki and Jamf, by using ‘Managed Software Centre’ and ‘Self Service’, if you are not already enrolled in these systems then please ask Campus IT Support for guidance on how to get on board.
• All users – We recommend waiting a couple of releases before upgrading as this allows for any early bug fixes to be resolved by Apple.

If you have any questions about the upgrade, please contact Campus IT Support.