Should You Remove Symantec Endpoint Protection?

As a network administrator, you may have encountered issues with Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) software on your organization's Mac devices. In this article, we'll explore some common problems and potential solutions for removing SEP from your fleet.

One of the primary concerns is that remote deployment solutions, such as Casper or JAMF, can cause errors when trying to remove SEP using the SymantecRemovalTool. This is because these tools automatically populate shell script arguments with other data, which may be interpreted by the Symantec tool as potential installation points for their products.

To work around this issue, some administrators have found success by configuring a remote deployment solution to call a dummy script that in turn calls the removal tool without any extra arguments. This approach can help avoid errors and ensure a smooth removal process.

Another challenge is integrating the SymantecRemovalTool with Apple Remote Desktop or other remote deployment tools. While Symantec provides support for running this tool locally, it's up to the customer to figure out how to integrate it with these third-party solutions. Unfortunately, there is no built-in support for passing arguments or using remote commands.

If you're struggling to create a policy that successfully removes SEP from your Mac devices, you may want to try creating a dummy script that calls the removal tool without any extra arguments. This can help bypass any issues caused by automatically populated shell script arguments.

For those who are new to scripting, it's worth noting that SymantecRemovalTool and RemoveSymantecMacFiles do not require any arguments when run locally. However, when used with remote deployment tools, you may need to work around the limitations of these solutions.

Finally, if you're looking for inspiration or guidance on creating a policy for removing SEP in JAMF, consider reaching out to your network team or searching online for examples and tutorials. With some creativity and experimentation, you should be able to develop a script that effectively removes SEP from your Mac devices.

In conclusion, while Symantec Endpoint Protection can be a useful tool for protecting your organization's Mac devices, it may not always play nicely with remote deployment solutions. By understanding the limitations of these tools and experimenting with different approaches, you can find creative ways to remove SEP and keep your network secure.

Should you remove symantec endpoint protection