domain

[pritchardavid]

Hey guys

just a little question here (yes i know i have been asking a lot, just trying to imporve/sort stuff out, best place I have found to do this with, great people here!)


Im just wondering how you guys setup your staff laptops?

Do you put these on your domain?
Would like to somehow keep the staff laptops more update with newer versions of software

But thinking managed programes via group policy would be a bad idea

for example if a teacher turned their computer on for the lesson, she/he will be unable to use it until the new software install, which we will get loads of complaints by doing this

Every year before the summer holidays we have the laptops in for maintance (We are not allowed to reimage these, because all their work, yes I know its easy to copy) So you can imagine the nightmare or services load of staff computer every year. Normally one department a day, or two deparments a day.

[DrPerceptron]

We're using managed software here... but we apply the install middle of last period and give staff a week warning of it.

To be honest though, I don't think more than a quarter of the laptops our staff have are actually ever used in college gates once they've been issued.

[Arcath]

I would normally stick them on the domain with offline files. and simple not ship out all the managed software to them. Although i do work in primary schools so the laptops tend to get turned on in the morning and then left all day so half an hour in the morning isnt to catastrophic to them.

[bossman]

We just re-image our staff laptops as it only takes a few minutes using Acronis.
We have a shedule timetable for when we update them and the teachers bring in their laptops and pick them up later when they are ready.

Any work they have is stored on their USB pen drives which the school provides so no problems with re-imaging.

We don't join them to the domain as this opens up a can of worms with security plus encryption and to be honest they all have access to workstations so most never bring them in to school just use them at home.

They have access to the network remotely to their work areas and Sims.net but confidential material is kept secure and not taken off site unless on encrypted drives whether that be laptops or USB.