Device shutdown/restart/log off automation
Overview
Problem
Rebooting a device is a key activity to maintain its overall health and performance. In fact, in many cases, slow or sluggish PCs can be remediated with a simple restart allowing the device to finally update, close unnecessary apps, or refresh its memory, for example. Unfortunately, most employees do not follow this best practice.
Solution
This library pack offers key remote actions, where IT teams can define a "days since last reboot" threshold. Devices that pass that threshold will receive an automated campaign prompting them to restart. Note that this solution offers employees the option to refuse or postpone the action.
With this automated self-heal feature, IT can proactively prevent employees from experiencing common issues that can be solved with a quick restart, without disrupting their daily workflow.
Alternatively, the remote actions can be triggered without campaigns to immediately trigger a restart, shutdown, or log off on selected devices. Note that although the library pack has separate remote actions for macOS and Windows, the Engage campaigns are the same.
Key features:
Notify and ask employees for permission before triggering a restart, shutdown, or log off.
Optional Engage campaigns to ask for immediate or delayed restart/shutdown/log off.
Specific remote actions for Windows and macOS devices.
Ability to trigger remote actions without campaigns.
Changelog
V1.0.0.0 - Initial Release
Configurations
This library pack contains a variety of remote actions that can be customized to meet your specific needs. Each remote action can be executed with or without user permission, providing flexibility in how they are used. To ensure that the remote actions are set up correctly, it is recommended to review the description of each parameter after installing the remote action.
Pack Structure
Remote actions
The pack includes the following remote actions:
Invoke log off for Windows
Invoke log off for macOS
Invoke shut down for Windows
Invoke shut down for macOS
Restart Windows device
Restart macOS device
The remote actions for Windows and macOS devices should be scheduled on a daily basis. This feature enables the tracking of the number of days since the last shutdown, restart, and logoff event. Depending on the specific requirements, all of these actions can be scheduled, or any subset of them can be selected. Each remote action has input parameters that can either trigger a campaign asking for user permission or execute one of the operations without requesting permission.
For more information about remote actions, please visit the https://nexthink.gitbook.io/opd/user-guide/remote-actions/getting-started-with-remote-actions page.
In the image below, there is an example of the “Restart Windows device” remote action, where the campaign must always be triggered and user permission must be granted. The campaign id is maintained as “restart_device_invoke”. This provides flexibility and control over the remote actions, ensuring that they are executed in a manner that meets the needs of the user.
Engage campaigns
The pack includes the following engage campaigns:
User log off after delay - Invoke
Restart device - Invoke
Restart device after delay - Invoke
Shut down device - Invoke
Shut down device after delay - Invoke
The campaigns in this library pack are designed to work in conjunction with the remote actions. These campaigns are compatible with both Windows and macOS devices, and provide users with the ability to choose between two different versions when configuring the remote action input parameters. The first version of the restart and shut down campaigns asks for user permission, giving them the option to delay the action by either 1 minute or 10 minutes. The second version does not provide this choice, and instead, the user can either agree to have the action performed immediately or postpone it until the next time the remote action check is performed. This flexibility allows users to have greater control over when and how these actions are executed.
All of these campaigns can be adapted to meet the specific needs of your organization. By customizing your campaigns, you can tailor the content and messaging to better resonate with your target audience. This can help to increase engagement and drive the desired outcomes.
For more information about how to customize campaigns, please visit the https://nexthink.gitbook.io/opd/user-guide/campaigns/getting-started-with-campaigns page.
Below screenshots show the examples of “Restart device” campaign in 2 versions.
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