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When replacing/refreshing your company PCs how do you secure user data

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When replacing/refreshing your company PCs how do you secure user data and settings?

Yes we do use OneDrive and that does take care of user data
that is, when it remembers to synch… Which there is no way centrally to thoroughly check!

Users are much more concerned, after the refresh!! about their missing Desktop layout, document shortcuts, links to recently opened files, browser favorites and cached passwords.

Topic

Wasn’t OneDrive sync found to be problematic?

In reply to When replacing/refreshing your company PCs how do you secure user data

What are you doing to correct this?

Here we only secure SOME user data, not all. This is very important as you should worry about all files and settings.

No to menu items and icons on the home screen. Users can control and arrange those.
Yes to COMPANY FILES which we mandate to be on the company servers (not OneDrive.)
No to files stored on the local drives.
Yes to emails since emails are on Exchange Server.

[enchantedella]

Reply To: When replacing/refreshing your company PCs how do you secure user data

In reply to When replacing/refreshing your company PCs how do you secure user data

When it’s time to upgrade your company’s PCs, ensuring the security of user data is paramount. Implementing robust data backup protocols, encrypted storage solutions, and user education on safe computing practices are crucial steps.

Note: irrelevant link removed by moderator.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by enchantedella.
• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by kees_b.

When replacing/refreshing your company PCs how do you secure user data

In reply to When replacing/refreshing your company PCs how do you secure user data

When you’re swapping out computers at work, keeping everyone’s stuff safe is super important! We use OneDrive to keep all the important stuff like documents and files safe. But sometimes, OneDrive doesn’t sync everything like it’s supposed to, and it’s hard to check if everything synced up right.

After we switch computers, people get worried about their old setup. They miss their desktop setup, the shortcuts to their documents, links to files they’ve recently opened, their favorite websites saved in the browser, and even the passwords that were saved. It’s all about making sure their new computer feels just like their old one did!

Reply To: When replacing/refreshing your company PCs how do you secure user

In reply to When replacing/refreshing your company PCs how do you secure user data

When replacing or refreshing company PCs, securing user data and settings is crucial to ensure a smooth transition for employees. Here are some best practices for securing user data and settings during a PC refresh:

Data Backup: Before initiating the refresh process, ensure that all user data is backed up securely. This can be done using cloud storage solutions like OneDrive, as you mentioned, or by using local backup methods. Make sure to verify that all critical data has been successfully backed up before proceeding.
User Profiles: If possible, migrate user profiles from the old PCs to the new ones. This includes desktop layouts, document shortcuts, browser favorites, and other personalized settings. Windows has built-in tools like User State Migration Tool (USMT) that can help with profile migration.
Application Settings: Some applications allow for easy transfer of settings and configurations from one PC to another. Check if the applications used by your employees have built-in migration tools or if third-party solutions are available for this purpose.
Document Shortcuts and Links: Document shortcuts and links to recently opened files can be migrated along with user profiles. Ensure that these shortcuts point to the correct locations after the migration process is complete.
Browser Settings and Passwords: Browser favorites, cached passwords, and other browser settings can be transferred by exporting and importing browser data. Most modern browsers offer built-in synchronization features that sync bookmarks, passwords, and browsing history across devices.
Communication and Training: Communicate with employees before the PC refresh to inform them about the process and reassure them that their data and settings will be preserved. Provide training or documentation on how to access and restore their personalized settings after the refresh.
Testing and Verification: After the refresh, conduct thorough testing to ensure that user data and settings have been successfully migrated. Encourage employees to verify that their desktop layouts, document shortcuts, browser favorites, and other settings are intact and functioning as expected.
Provide Support: Offer technical support and assistance to employees who encounter issues or have questions about their data and settings after the refresh. Address any concerns promptly to minimize disruption to their workflow.

Solution found

In reply to When replacing/refreshing your company PCs how do you secure user data

We found User Profile Central from EhlerTech that allows us to simply grab the user profile from the remote PC over LAN, and store it to a network share. From there we can then just restore it back to the PC after reinstallation, or to the new PC.

Hardly any overhead for support and we get our users up and running in minutes on their new device, as everything is in place.

[Author]

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