Supporting Flexible Work
Supporting Flexible Work
Supporting Flexible Work
Information Resources & Technology is making several changes to the way we manage technology as part of a larger program to better support flexible work models.
The goal of this program is to equip employees with computers that will stay up-to-date with security and software patches — no matter where the computer is located, and without connecting to the Rowan VPN.
Our End Goal
Once fully implemented, this project will allow us to ship a Rowan-managed computer to an employee across the country, and they would never need to connect to the VPN or step on campus to receive managed software, security updates or access personal files in their home directory.
How We Get There
Scheduled Changes
Updates to Removable Media Storage Encryption & Access
Coming Fall 2023
We will update how we manage encryption and removable media access for Rowan-managed computers in fall 2023, including:
- Discontinuing software encryption for removable media. We will no longer use Symantec — or any other software — to encrypt removable media storage devices, such as USB thumb drives.
- Limiting removable media access to those who use it. Employees who have used a removable media storage device in the last year will be able to continue to do so, though we’ll be reaching out to determine the best path forward for your data. Removable media access on Rowan-managed computers will be blocked for employees who have not used a removable media device in the past year.
- Moving full disk encryption to Microsoft. We will begin using Microsoft Intune, rather than Symantec, to manage full disk encryption.
More details will be released in the coming weeks.
Future Changes
Windows 11
Not Yet Scheduled
The latest version of the Windows operating system provides big improvements in performance with memory and CPU, configuring and remembering external monitor configurations and multitasking using snap layouts.To upgrade to Windows 11, we must first remove Symantec from our environment.
Migration of Home Directories to OneDrive
Not Yet Scheduled
Rowan computers automatically redirect particular folders, such as desktop and documents folders, to your home directory, which is located on-premise.
This change will redirect those folders and your home directory to OneDrive, which offers more storage and makes it easier to access those files from any device off-campus.
Completed Changes
Microsoft 365
Completed Spring 2023
With Microsoft 365, you always have the latest versions of Office applications on your computer. That means you automatically get the latest features and security updates as they are rolled out.
Microsoft 365 also provides a more seamless experience for Exchange Online.
We completed the upgrade to Microsoft 365 of Rowan-managed Windows computers in March 2023.
Exchange Online
Completed Spring 2023
Exchange Online is a cloud-hosted service from Microsoft that offers increased storage capacity of 100 GB per mailbox, an upgraded Outlook for web experience and better reliability and accessibility.
We moved all @rowan.edu email accounts to Exchange Online in March 2023. Visit our Exchange Online transition page for more information.
Defender
Completed Summer 2023
Defender is the built-in antivirus solution for Windows and integrates seamlessly with the operating system.
Defender improves the speed and performance on your computer, as it uses fewer resources than our previous antivirus solution.
We moved all, eligible Rowan-managed computers to Defender as of summer 2023.
