By the end of November, Apple plans to release their Big Sur operating system (OS). Because of the many changes introduced in this version, IT Services recommends the campus community delay upgrading. The Big Sur OS could initially cause essential apps or business processes to not work properly.

For past updates, IT Services has recommended waiting until the .1 or .2 version of a macOS before you consider upgrading. However, with the compatibility problems that Big Sur's changes could cause, they recommend that students, faculty and staff wait for the .3 or .4 update when Apple should have a stable release.

Big Sur could cause the following compatibility issues:

• Downgrading from Big Sur requires a file backup without Time Machine, as well as a complete format and reinstall of the previous OS.
• Applications and third-party software may not support Big Sur until later updates.
• Early versions of new operating systems are more prone to have major unreported software vulnerabilities.

If you have any questions about the update, contact the IT Help Desk  at 479-575-2905 or online chat.