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Posted by mschalip on January 12, 2013

Hi folks....

 

Another "How do YOU handle this...?" kinda question:  We are working our way through a multi-year project to add basic technology enhancements to all of our classrooms, (making sure they have a computer, projector, speakers, and all required cabling up to code).

 

Now that there are more computers available to enhance "traditionally non-technical instruction", faculty are wanting more and more access to the systems so that they can install whatever software they want, and run whatever updates they want.  At first, this makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, but - on the other hand, I can see someone wanting to be able to run simple little Adobe and Java updates....

 

How do you handle classroom presentation computers?  Do you give all users admin rights?......ability to install software?  Or, do you restrict that to your IT support folks?  How do you mitigate the risks of having someone being able install whatever software/updates they want?.....anything from "demo software" to malware to toolbars to just about anything.  We *do* run DeepFreeze on some of these systems....but some we don't, we just lock them down...

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Michael


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We use DeepFreeze with admin rights. That way adjuncts and whomever can install anything they need without IT involvement. Has worked to perfection with literally zero problems in our environment. If something is needed to be installed permanently, IT gets involved to make that happen. 

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Posted by: rickey939 on January 12, 2013
All our "Smart Classroom" computers have full rights on them and faculty can load software. That is the reason we do not have DeepFreeze on these computers -- so faculty can do so. Because these are shared computers, however, IT retains the right to reimage any of them if there is a technical problem with them without notice to anyone who used the room. You load it--you are responsible for it.
 
We load patches and updates for security during non-classroom hours. Some of these computers have additional academic software on them that IT is asked to load at the beginning of the semester. We reload that software if we reimage, of course.
 
We do use DeepFreeze in most our labs.
 
Faculty and Staff have the ability to load any software on their office computers as well (that we do not already load for them). We do closely coordinate with them if we need to fix or ultimately reimage their computers. Their computers are managed through our network and receive all updates and patches that way. I should mention that we have ONE standard image we use for every faculty and staff computer across campus.
 
Bill Vriesema

Bill Vriesema 
Associate Director of the Service Desk
Calvin College
Information Technology Dept.
Phone: 616-526-6762
HelpDesk: 616-526-8555
Fax: 616-526-8550
bvriesem@calvin.edu
www.vreez.net
************************
certified: HDM, HDA, ITIL, A+


>>> "SCHALIP, MICHAEL" <mschalip@CNM.EDU> 1/12/2013 3:47 PM >>>

Hi folks....

 

Another "How do YOU handle this...?" kinda question:  We are working our way through a multi-year project to add basic technology enhancements to all of our classrooms, (making sure they have a computer, projector, speakers, and all required cabling up to code).

 

Now that there are more computers available to enhance "traditionally non-technical instruction", faculty are wanting more and more access to the systems so that they can install whatever software they want, and run whatever updates they want.  At first, this makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, but - on the other hand, I can see someone wanting to be able to run simple little Adobe and Java updates....

 

How do you handle classroom presentation computers?  Do you give all users admin rights?......ability to install software?  Or, do you restrict that to your IT support folks?  How do you mitigate the risks of having someone being able install whatever software/updates they want?.....anything from "demo software" to malware to toolbars to just about anything.  We *do* run DeepFreeze on some of these systems....but some we don't, we just lock them down...

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Michael


--
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
believed to be clean. ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.

********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.

Posted by: bvriesem on January 12, 2013
In our environment classroom instructor station computers faculty have full rights to install software.  We do the same if we need to image we tell them they are responsible for anything that they saved on the computers.  We will reload any software that we loaded but nothing else.

We have some faculty that are administrators on their computers but for the most part they are power users and all of our staff are power users.

We load patches and updates for security during non-classroom hours.  Again we reload the software if we reimage.

Since going to power users and not having everyone on campus being an administrator on their computers it has drastically reduced the time that the technicians spend reimaging the computers or cleaning up spyware and malware. It also reduces the amount of time auditing the software installed and not having one license of software being installed on multiple computers.

When we went to power users there was a lot of push back but after awhile it calmed down and a lot of the users now see that they have their computers in their hands using them instead of always being in IT. 



Posted by: scarpent@ashland.edu on January 12, 2013

We image all our “public” (compuer classroom, public library computers, and all classroom/podium computers) with the exact same image. We use DeepFreeze, and everyone is a local admin, so they can install whatever they want and it will stay until the computer is rebooted.  We tried leaving the podiums unprotected, but we had too many problems with malware unintentionally getting installed. Having DeepFreeze helps a lot because a faculty member can install whatever they need to teach a particular class, and then the computer reverts back to its original image – if software is needed long-term, faculty let us know and we might put it on the next image. Once you get the faculty used to it, it really works out well – very few computers are “down” now.


Tom

 

Posted by: tmarcott on January 14, 2013

Tom and others who use DeepFreeze:

 

Are you able to successfully manage your Mac classroom machines with DF as well?  Any issues?

 

Thanks,

 

Penny

 

 

Penny Evans-Plants

Chief Information Officer

Berry College

P.O. Box 495035

Mount Berry, GA 30149

706.802.6727

peplants@berry.edu

 

Follow BerryOIT:

 

 

 

 

Posted by: peplants on January 16, 2013
We have been using Deep Freeze in our labs for years and love it.  Let me repeat that – we LOVE it.

Regarding classroom computers, we began putting it on some of them this year.  Here are a few suggestions that we found to be helpful to both IT and the faculty:
  • Faculty like their settings to stay put, IT does not like the viruses and spyware to stay put.  As a solution, we use deep freeze, but utilize a thaw space + Faronics Data Igloo (free) - this will redirect the user profile onto the thaw space, allowing the faculty member's settings to stay put.  Should they want software to be installed, they are admins, so they can do that too.  If they want software installed permanently, we ask them to give IT 72 hours notice, the software, and the license – then we will install the software for them and re-freeze the PC.
Is anyone else using Data Igloo?  Have you been happy with the results?

PS – We've also been installing solid state drives in classroom computers, this helps keep this whole operation working quickly.

Best,
Brady Gallese
Susquehanna University

Posted by: gallese@susqu.edu on January 16, 2013
Message from bnorconk@nmc.edu

Penny,

I have been managing my Mac labs with Deepfreeze for several years.   I provide a THAWSPACE for saving Finalcut projects to if the students need to, most have external drives.

--
Beth Norconk
Systems & LAN Management
Northwestern Michigan College
********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.

Posted by: listserv-anon on January 16, 2013

We’ve been using DeepFreeze on Windows computers for many years, but we’ve never used it on the Macs – we’re going to test it on several Macs this semester.

 

Tom  

 

Posted by: tmarcott on January 22, 2013

The Deep Freeze management of the MACs is only available with a MAC server.  We do not currently have a MAC server for that purpose.  However, we are using Deep Freeze for MAC as a stand-alone install for the MACs in the library. So far, so good…..

 

Posted by: mwilling on January 22, 2013
Message from bnorconk@nmc.edu

I do not have a Mac Server to manage my Mac Labs that have DeepFreeze.    DeepFreeze integrates with ARD.    I just have a Mac laptop with ARD that I use to boot the computers thawed/frozen, change maintenance schedule, add DeepFreeze user accounts, create Thawspaces, etc.

Can you explain what you would be able to manage it you have a Mac Server?

Beth Norconk
Systems & LAN Management
Northwestern Michigan College
********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.

Posted by: listserv-anon on January 22, 2013
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