Mount Holyoke College provides centralized management for College-owned computers, which helps keep computers secure and functioning efficiently.
Overview
Management of computers (also referred to as workstations, as opposed to servers) at Mount Holyoke College is provided by a combination of on-campus and cloud-based tools.
Systems are used to patch computers with the latest updates for operating systems and applications, to deploy configurations to manage shared use computers or to assist with the installation and use of approved software, to manage security tools and related settings, and to provide information used for budgeting and replacement planning.
Management systems require frequent two-way communication between a computer and the system. Most systems can communicate with computers on campus or off campus, but some systems may require a computer to be on the MHC network or VPN to communicate. Additionally, if a computer is connected to a non-MHC network it's possible for a firewall on that network to impede communication with MHC's servers, but unlikely.
In most cases, a minor break in communication will not cause any issues, but sometimes a computer and system can become so out of sync that they need assistance getting connected again. This can happen with computers that are turned off for a long time (such as during a sabbatical) or off campus for an extended period. A brief connection to VPN may be enough to get the computer in sync again.
At times, a computer may need to be brought into the LITS Technology Help Desk to resolve communication issues. We can also visit on-campus desktop workstations that need help with broken management communications.