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General information

The university uses so called Client Management Systems (CLMS) in delimitted insitution divisions to efficiently and personal-resource-friendly set up, administer and maintain the available IT workspaces (PCs, notebooks, but basically also mobile devices e.g. tablets) in these divisions and to support the operating of the user if necessary.

• Definition of CLMS according to Wikipedia (in german)

The general interpretation of CLMS mentioned above extend into the area of mobile IT. There you can find the term Mobile Device Management (MDM). You can understand MDMs also as particular CLMS. The border between these terms are mostly floating.

• Wikipedia entry about MDM

Service agreement

The use of CLMS / MDMs in organizations is in general also connected to handling of potential sensitive data. With unregulated usage such systems can be used e.g. for performance evaluations of employees. To exclude this, a corresponding service agreement for the use of CLMS was developed and concluded with the staff representatives of Kiel University (staff council and staff council for scientific research).

• service agreement for the use of client management systems when working with IT inside Kiel University (in german) (Vers. 1.3.2019, .pdf)

CLMS products supported by the computing centre of Kiel University

• IT workspaces under Microsoft Windows
  As part of the collaboration with the F&L institutions in Schleswig-Holstein for the area of IT workspaces using Microsoft Windows the focus has been laid on the software suite of the company Matrix42 AG (based in Frankfurt-on-Main). This suite contains different modules, where especially a module named Empirum is of central importance for the use at Kiel University. 'Matrix42'/'Empirum' are generally used interchangeably in the local community. As of summer 2019, the use of Matrix42 at Kiel University is segued into production operation.
• IT workspaces by Apple
  The computing centre supports the use of an MDM solution called JAMF in combination with the Apple School Manager (ASM) within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, which is mainly driven by individual internal faculty requirements and is still in its infancy. In the meantime, there are also first applications outside this faculty. As of summer 2019, the JAMF/ASM use at Kiel University can still be characterized as an initial phase in stand-alone operation.

• IT workspaces of other platforms
  Matrix42 can also manage non-Windows devices. As of Sommer 2019, however, this application is not yet in focus.

Use of Matrix42 at Kiel University

Matrix42 is used in cooperation between the decentralised and the central IT of Kiel University. Central Matrix42 servers are operated in the computing centre, where software repositories are maintained, software and hardware inventory data are accumulated and rolled out to the connected devices of the decentralized workstation IT via the operating systems and application programs. The area-related control and monitoring of the associated processes for the connected workstation IT of an institution is the responsibility of the decentralized CLMS administration personnel of the institution area.

• Further information for users of an IT workplace using the CLMS Matrix42 (in german)

Institutions or institution areas that are interested in connecting to the central CLMS are welcome to send a corresponding email to pcsupport@rz.uni-kiel.de.