Standard Operating Environment

In order to improve your computing experience at UWS, ITS introduced the standard operating environment (SOE) for installation on most University computers. The original SOE was based on Windows XP and Office 2003 Professional.

Benefits of the SOE include:

• Single Login/Password for many systems
• Documents accessible at any standard networked computer across UWS
• Units/schools able to use shared network folders to share documents across campuses
• Improved network security
• Full support from ITS
• Remote assistance by IT support if required
• Packaged software able to be delivered automatically across the network
• Ability to print to any network printer at any campus
• Calendar sharing

Since July 2009, leased standard computers have been supplied with the University's updated SOE, based on Windows Vista and Office 2007. The Windows XP SOE is no longer supplied with new machines, however, it will continue to be supported by ITS for all UWS machines leased before July 6 2009 and not yet updated to Windows Vista. ITS anticipates that support for the XP SOE will continue until July 2012, when the last of the machines leased with XP are replaced. 

Environment details

New:

• Operating System - Microsoft Windows Vista
• Office suite - Microsoft Office 2007

Original:

• Operating System - Microsoft Windows XP
• Office suite - Microsoft Office 2003

For both SOEs:

• System login credentials - your MyUWSAccount
• Email - staff email is stored on a Microsoft Exchange system and accessed with Outlook on campus, or Outlook Web Access (OWA) off campus. OWA's web address is https://email.uws.edu.au
  Email is also accessed using your MyUWSAccount credentials.
• Antivirus and personal firewall software is provided with both SOEs (firewall available August 09).
• Most other commonly used software at UWS is packaged and delivered across the internal network for installation, which allows users to self install packaged software without assistance from support staff.
• Staff are able to access their files from any UWS networked standard computers.
• After internal testing, relevant service packs and patches are automatically installed on standard machines.

More information

• Vista Project
• Identity Management Project
• IT Fact Sheets

^ Back to top