Staff and students should be aware that over the next few weeks, iSolutions will be automatically removing Symantec antivirus software from University-managed Windows computers and replacing it with Windows Defender.
The update will improve our capability to protect against the threat of constantly changing cyber-attacks by moving to a better-integrated anti-malware service.
Common Learning Spaces are currently being updated, and staff computers are now being updated.
New and existing University-managed macOS devices are currently unaffected and will continue to receive Symantec Endpoint Protection for at least the next year.
If you’re on a University-managed Windows 8.1 or 10 workstation:
If you are logged in when the installation begins, you will see the following notification (it is for your information only – you don’t need to do anything):
When the upgrade has completed, you should see the following notification:
If the installation starts while you’re logged out or the screen is locked, the installation will continue and complete in the background.
If you’re on a University-managed Windows 7 workstation:
The upgrade will happen silently in the background (due to the age of the Operating System and accompanying limitations of its notification system). Users aren’t required to do anything.
If you’re on a University Windows workstation which isn’t managed by iSolutions:
You will need to remove Symantec Antivirus from your machine as soon as possible, as you will stop receiving virus definition updates. iSolutions recommends enabling the built-in Windows Defender service instead. Contact your local IT provider, or iSolutions ServiceLine (https://southampton.likn.co/ITHelp), for further advice.
Any users who have a copy of the University’s Symantec Client installed on a personal device should also remove it and replace it with an alternative of their choice.
A separate project is reviewing security protections for our managed Linux and macOS based machines. Further announcements will follow as this progresses.
The iSolutions department has put together an article with useful information and a user guide for Windows Defender here.
If you notice any problems during or after the upgrade, please contact Serviceline.
