diff --git a/apt/tasks/main.yml b/apt/tasks/main.yml
index ba409ad29aef6655b21b9d6b1f153bb9577bffdd..175fc119e74d142b8463ffbc669c4b462844d56c 100644
--- a/apt/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/apt/tasks/main.yml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
 - name: ensure we get notified of unsupported packages
   apt:
     name: debian-security-support
-    state: installed
+    state: present
   tags:
     - packages
     - apt
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
 - name: ensure we may use the debconf module
   apt:
     name: debconf-utils
-    state: installed
+    state: present
   tags:
     - packages
     - apt
diff --git a/localization/tasks/ntpd.yml b/localization/tasks/ntpd.yml
index ab38dd9997954e3f732fa76c005f97859dad4059..9a1a56ac397ddf6373036b0fee42e477642eec19 100644
--- a/localization/tasks/ntpd.yml
+++ b/localization/tasks/ntpd.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 - name: ensure ntpd is installed
   apt:
     name: ntp
-    state: installed
+    state: present
   tags:
     - ntpd
 
diff --git a/shell/tasks/shell.yml b/shell/tasks/shell.yml
index 464c21716be85cc6ec29dd94a3c80cc1aae485a7..7c38ac174242c5e051c485bfbc5abc4c216e3c4a 100644
--- a/shell/tasks/shell.yml
+++ b/shell/tasks/shell.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 - name: ensure installation of basic shell commands
   apt:
     name: "{{ item }}"
-    state: installed
+    state: present
     install_recommends: no
   with_items:
     - git
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 - name: ensure installaton of some additional software
   apt:
     name: "{{ item }}"
-    state: installed
+    state: present
   with_items:
     - aptitude
     - atop
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 - name: ensure installation of variable additional software
   apt:
     name: "{{ item }}"
-    state: installed
+    state: present
   with_items: "{{ shell_software }}"
   tags:
     - packages
diff --git a/ssh-server/tasks/main.yml b/ssh-server/tasks/main.yml
index d88644944165d6a6c8d7a2b78990a73770f38eb8..9603073e3f6065bccdd708231a6f383c14553794 100644
--- a/ssh-server/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/ssh-server/tasks/main.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 - name: ensure sshd is installed
   apt:
     name: openssh-server
-    state: installed
+    state: present
   tags:
     - ssh
     - packages 
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@
 - name: ensure we fail2ban bad people
   apt:
     name: fail2ban
-    state: installed
+    state: present
   tags:
     - ssh
     - packages
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
 - name: ensure we got ourselves protected from sleepiness
   apt:
     name: molly-guard
-    state: installed
+    state: present
   tags:
     - molly
     - packages