Deploying skillSYMS Desktop: Installs, Group Policy, Kiosk Mode and Device Trust

Summary

skillSYMS Desktop runs skillSYMS as an app on Windows, Mac and Linux. This guide is for the person who sets it up on many computers: installing silently, pre-configuring every computer for your organisation, locking shared computers into kiosk mode, and deciding which computers may hold offline learner data.

Who This Guide Is For

• IT staff deploying skillSYMS Desktop to lab, reception and staff computers
• Administrators who manage devices under Settings → Devices

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• Your organisation code (the short code people type on the skillSYMS sign-in screen)
• For Windows: administrator rights, or Intune, SCCM/ConfigMgr or Group Policy
• For Macs: an MDM such as Jamf, Kandji or Mosyle, or local administrator rights
• In skillSYMS: permission to manage devices (Settings → Devices)

Step 1: Download and Verify the Installer

1. Go to skillsyms.com/download and choose your operating system.
2. Download the package you need: MSI for managed Windows computers, DMG for Macs, .deb, .rpm or AppImage for Linux.
3. Open skillsyms.com/download/verify and check the file. It confirms the SHA-256 checksum matches the published release.

From version 1.3.3 the Mac app is signed with skillSYMS’s Apple Developer ID (team 6K2X5QT54X) and notarised by Apple, and the Linux AppImage and .rpm are GPG-signed (key and fingerprint on the Linux download page). The Windows installers are not code-signed yet: opened from a browser download, Windows may show “Windows protected your PC” (choose More info → Run anyway). Updates the app installs later are signed and verified on every platform.

Step 2: Install on Every Computer

Windows (per machine, silent):

msiexec /i "skillSYMS_1.3.0_x64_en-US.msi" /qn /norestart

Use the file name you downloaded. To uninstall, run the same command with /x instead of /i.

Mac: deploy skillSYMS.app from the DMG to /Applications with your MDM.

Linux: sudo apt install ./<file>.deb or sudo dnf install ./<file>.rpm. The .deb and .rpm do not update themselves; roll out newer packages with your configuration management.

Step 3: Pre-configure with Group Policy (Windows)

1. Download the template: skillsyms.admx and skillsyms.adml.
2. Copy skillsyms.admx to PolicyDefinitions and skillsyms.adml to PolicyDefinitions\en-US in your central store (or import both into Intune as a custom ADMX).
3. Open Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → skillSYMS → Desktop.
4. Enable Organisation code and enter your organisation code.
5. Optionally set Update channel, Install updates automatically and Start skillSYMS at sign-in.

Values set here are written to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\skillSYMS\Desktop and win over any policy file.

Step 4: Pre-configure with a Policy File (Mac and Linux)

Create the file below at /Library/Application Support/skillSYMS/policy.json (Mac) or /etc/skillsyms/policy.json (Linux). On Windows without Group Policy, use C:\ProgramData\skillSYMS\policy.json.

{
  "tenant": "your-organisation-code",
  "release_channel": "stable",
  "auto_update": true,
  "autostart": false
}

Anyone who opens skillSYMS on that computer goes straight to your organisation, and the computer registers as institution-managed.

Step 5: Set Up Kiosk Mode for Shared Computers

Use kiosk mode on lab and reception computers that many learners share.

Group Policy: enable Kiosk mode (shared computer), set the page (default /learner) and the idle minutes.

Policy file: add these keys:

{
  "tenant": "your-organisation-code",
  "kiosk": true,
  "kiosk_path": "/learner",
  "kiosk_idle_minutes": 5
}

In kiosk mode the window is full screen with no window controls or tray icon and cannot be closed. After the idle minutes (1 to 240) with no taps, clicks or key presses, the sign-in is wiped and the page reloads for the next person.

Tip: Kiosk mode keeps the computer on skillSYMS and forgets each person. It is not an exam lockdown. Combine it with Windows assigned access or macOS managed settings if learners must not reach other programs.

Step 6: Register and Trust the Computers

1. Sign in to skillSYMS Desktop once on each computer while online. This registers it.
2. In skillSYMS, go to Settings → Devices (/sdp/settings/devices).
3. Find the computer and click Manage.
4. Choose Change trust level: Managed for organisation-owned computers, Trusted for staff laptops you approve, Untrusted for anything else.

Only Trusted and Managed computers can hold offline data.

Step 7: Set the Desktop Policy for Your Organisation

1. On Settings → Devices, click Desktop policy.
2. Choose whether to Allow personal devices, and whether New devices start Untrusted until an administrator trusts them.
3. Tick Allow offline mode if staff or learners should work offline, and set Offline retention (days): how long an offline pack stays usable before it expires.
4. Optionally set a Minimum version, tick Force updates below the minimum version, and choose the most adventurous update channel devices may follow.
5. Click Save policy.

Options labelled not yet enforced are stored for later and do not change how the app behaves today.

Step 8: Handle Lost, Moved or Retired Computers

From Manage on a device:

• Revoke signs the computer out. The person can sign in again and it registers afresh.
• Block stops the computer being used for your organisation.
• Request wipe deletes skillSYMS data from the computer when it next connects.
• Transfer moves the computer to the person who now has it and signs out the previous person.

Step 9: Get Help for a Computer

On the computer, open Help → Diagnostics. It shows the app and operating system version, whether the computer is registered, whether a policy is applied, and whether skillSYMS can be reached.

Click Send support package (with an optional note) to send that report to skillSYMS Support. It never includes documents, learner records, passwords or the computer’s name.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Signing in for the first time with no connection: each computer must register once while online.
2. Forgetting the language file: Group Policy editors show errors if skillsyms.adml is missing.
3. Trusting shared lab computers: keep kiosk computers Untrusted so no offline learner data is held.
4. Expecting .deb or .rpm installs to update themselves: only the AppImage and the Windows and Mac apps do.
5. Setting an idle time too short: learners reading a long page count as idle if they do not touch anything. Five to ten minutes suits most rooms.

Verification Checklist

Before handing computers over, verify:

• The installer checksum matched on /download/verify
• Opening skillSYMS goes straight to your organisation’s sign-in
• Help → Diagnostics shows a managed policy is applied
• The computer appears under Settings → Devices with the right trust level
• A kiosk computer returns to sign-in after the idle time

Next Steps

• Offline Working: Registers, logbooks and evidence without a connection
• Shared computers in a training centre: Why kiosk mode and device trust matter
• Download skillSYMS Desktop: Windows, Mac and Linux