News from the BW IT Service Desk

April 2025

TO READ IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE, CLICK HERE!

Security Awareness Training

Good News: You Can Now Snooze KACE Software Reboot Notifications Up to Four Times

To keep our BW computers secure, security patches are regularly deployed via KACE. These updates are vital for ensuring our software is up to date with the latest defenses against cyberattacks, unauthorized access and data breaches, all of which could result in severe operational disruptions. 

When a patch is deployed, you may receive a pop-up notification from KACE prompting you to reboot your computer. Many times, that message catches you at an inconvenient time. 

Previously, you were only allowed to snooze KACE’s reboot command two times, for up to two hours each time (allowing a maximum delay of up to four hours).

Based on feedback from team members across our organization, the BW IT Service Desk is pleased to announce that the snooze option will now be available up to four times, for up to two hours each time, which will make it possible for you to defer the reboot for up to eight hours. We believe many will find this helpful in enabling them to finish a presentation, meet a deadline or fully engage in an online meeting without distraction.  

Details:

As before, once a patch has deployed to your PC, you will receive this notification if you need to restart your computer, shown right. (Some patches are applied in the background without needing a reboot. In those cases, you will not even be aware of the software update.) 

Some helpful reminders and things to think about: 

1. Clicking Reboot on the pop-up will immediately begin the restart process on your computer, so please save and close your work before doing so.

2. If no action is taken in 15 minutes, the window will close and automatically snooze for two hours. Once all snooze opportunities have been used, your computer will reboot when the window closes.

3. Select a duration from the dropdown menu and click Snooze to delay the reboot for that amount of time.

4. When the snooze duration elapses, the KACE System Reboot notification will return. After the fourth snooze, it will only display an OK button. As before, clicking OK will begin the restart process on your computer immediately, so please save and close your work prior to doing so.

5. After the reboot, if one was necessary, the patching/software update will be complete. 

6. IMPORTANT: If you have an early meeting the day after a reboot notice, and one of your deferments extends after business hours, powering down for the night may result in the reboot occurring almost immediately when you turn on your computer the next morning. To avoid disruptions, plan to start your computer a little early (instead of turning on your computer at the same time you are due to start a meeting).

Questions? Contact the IT Service Desk or your local IT support team.