Antivirus Transition from Symantec to Microsoft Defender

The University is discontinuing with Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) and replacing it with Microsoft Defender for Endpoints (MDE) as the university's antivirus, antispyware and firewall for both Windows and MacOS.

• We will be required to remove Symantec from all University workstations by March 2021.

• For computers located on campus, this process will be automatic and seamless.

• For individuals with university-provided workstations located off-campus, CPH IT will be able to automate the process, but we request that you please schedule a time with our technical support staff to ensure a smooth transition by submitting a TUhelp request or emailing cphithelp@temple.edu.

• CPH IT is planning ahead and building the Symantec removal and Defender install process into all of our remote support sessions going forward. This means, if you contact CPH IT for technical support, it may take a bit longer than usual, but it is important that all university equipment complete this process in order to stay in compliance and receive required security updates and virus definitions.

Information Technology Services (ITS) will start removing SEP from your workstations (Windows and macOS) physically located on campus or connected via VPN between Tuesday, February 16th and Sunday, February 21st between 12:01 am and 5:00 am. This change will require an automatic reboot of your workstation. Please plan accordingly.

Before removing SEP, a pop-up window will appear notifying you that it will be removed one night within the next five days. A sample window appears below:

Additional Notes:

• Upon successful removal, you will no longer see the SEP icon in your Windows system tray or macOS menu bar.
• Currently, we are only targeting computers that are on campus. We are developing a plan to address remote systems.

Reporting Issues Should you encounter any issues after this system update, let us know! Please contact the Help Desk at tuhelp.temple.edu or call 215-204-8000.