As of November 1, 2019, the ITS Desktop Backup Service is provided to faculty on the UM-Ann Arbor campus, excluding the Medical School, at no additional cost. In addition, it will also be included in the MiWorkspace desktop support service for both faculty and staff. The change is part of a larger initiative funded by the Office of the VPIT-CIO.
CrashPlan, the software powering the ITS Desktop Backup service, is designed to protect your data files, allowing you to restore your content to a newly configured or re-imaged computer in case of theft or a hard drive crash.
CrashPlan remains a toll service for:
- Temporary employees
- Non-uniqname accounts (i.e., shared access)
How the change benefits MiWorkspace-supported units
Effective November 1, 2019, MiWorkspace includes the ITS Desktop Backup Service without additional fee for MiWorkspace faculty and staff uniqname accounts.
The addition of Desktop Backup comes as part of a larger initiative funded by the Office of the VPIT-CIO and does not impact the MiWorkspace rate.
The addition of Desktop Backup to MiWorkspace stands to be transformational for the service. CrashPlan provides exceptional protection against data loss, and it will become the primary way to restore user data when MiWorkspace customers receive a new computer.
According to Reid Paxton, ITS director of end user services, leveraging CrashPlan for this key function in workstation refresh is part of an overall revamp of the MiWorkspace refresh process coming soon.
How the change benefits unit-managed Desktop Backup users
Effective November 1, 2019, the ITS Desktop Backup Service is provided without additional fee for all UM-Ann Arbor campus faculty (uniqname accounts only, i.e., not shared or lab accounts).
Administrators should continue to request provisioning of a Desktop Backup account on behalf of their constituents, but the process now includes the option to submit faculty uniqnames without requiring a Shortcode.
