Dear Campus Community,

ITS recommends manually restarting or shutting down your computer and other devices at least once per week.

Software and hardware vendors are constantly identifying security vulnerabilities within their products and the pace at which vendors release security updates has increased. In response to the changing security landscape, ITS (Information Technology Services) is quickening our cadence for software updates and security patches.

Regularly checking for new browser versions and other app updates — and enabling automatic updates where available — is an important first step to ensuring system security. Rebooting your system often is equally necessary to protect your digital assets.

ITS recommends manually restarting or shutting down your computer and other devices at least once per week. Rebooting in this way allows updates to software, hardware and peripherals to complete their installation and be applied to your system. While Windows or macOS updates might include a restart reminder, other pending updates could be awaiting a reboot without such notice. Shutting down your computer also resets the system, often resolving slowdowns or other performance issues.

For more information about rebooting your device and other best practices, visit the IT Security Policies and Guidelines page on our website. If you need assistance with this or any other technology need, contact the ITS Service Desk at umtech@memphis.edu or 901.678.8888.

Regards,
Robert Jackson, EdD
Chief Information Officer