It is the primary responsibility of the Client Support Staff to maintain and support desktop equipment, hardware and software, with as little downtime as possible. The installation of new systems or trickle-downs significantly degrades the support staff’s response time for daily support calls.
To help maintain a manageable inventory level, a system must be retired (returned to ITS) when a new one is purchased or trickled to someone else in the department.
The division’s vice president’s signature is required if a new system or a trickle-down results in the net addition of a system to the campus computer inventory.
During the summer, the systems required for the classrooms and labs are re-purchased and installed. Systems included in the budget for employees should also be purchased as part of the summer install process. Purchasing systems in mass affords the University a better purchase price.
The cost of new systems and trickle-downs during the summer includes an installation fee that provides funding to cover the cost of the additional human resources necessary to complete the process before the fall semester begins. This fee is delineated in the yearly Information Services Summer Purchase Memo to all departments to assist in the preparation of departmental budgets. All systems require basic configuring or the installation of the University’s standard setup, including access to our network and standardized applications (e.g. Microsoft Office). Some new systems and trickle-downs require the migration of files and settings from another system. These installations will be subject to a higher installation fee than those not requiring the migration of files and settings. The installation procedures are detailed in Appendices A and B.
New systems and trickle-downs installed during the fall and spring semesters will experience a significantly longer wait time before installation. Depending upon model availability, the time of receipt for a new system from our vendor is three to six weeks. During the fall and spring semesters, when new systems are received they will be assigned the lowest work priority level (up to one month to complete). However, there is no fee associated with these installations. If you require faster installation during this time, it will be necessary to bring in additional human resources for the installation. These special installations will be billed on a time and materials basis at $65 per hour. The average installation takes three hours.
Trickle-downs
Trickle-downs are systems that are still technologically current enough to be used by the University. Computer systems are typically purchased with a three or four-year warranty. After the warranty has expired, a system may be deemed uneconomical to maintain. If that is the case, when the PC is replaced with a new system, it is assigned to storage to be recycled or used for repair parts. If the system is determined to still be usable, it can become a trickle-down.
Trickle-downs occur first within a department and must replace a PC already in use. Trickle-downs can not add to the department’s net PC population without divisional approval. If a department has extraneous PCs that still have value, they should be transferred to other departments within the division based upon division approval. Information Services maintains a small number of trickle-downs that are used on an emergency need basis and depending upon availability.
Exceptions
During the fall and spring semesters, new systems for new employees or systems needed to replace systems beyond repair will be handled as high-priority calls.
- One copy of software has to be purchased for each office computer that needs the software program.
- Use this site to look up the Description, Part Number, Price, and Vendor name for the item(s) you want to purchase. If you have any questions, or cannot find what you are looking for, please contact Lloyd Moreland in Information Technology Services.
- Print out a form for each vendor you need to order from. Note: You do not need to fill in the vendor address, only the vendor name.
- Send the completed forms, including the budget number and necessary signatures, to Lloyd Moreland in Information Technology Services.
- Your hardware and/or software will be delivered directly to Information Technology Services. When it arrives, a technician will automatically be scheduled to install it for you.
Use the campus's current method for ordering paper, toner, and other types of supplies.
ۿ۴ý University ITS department is optimally configured to support university-issued Windows type devices (desktops and laptops) delivered through a tailored software configuration (sometimes referred to as an “image”). For most users on campus, and nearly all administrative users, this is the recommended and most reliable platform for general computing needs. Although this is the optimal and best supported computing environment on campus, some campus users prefer to use a Macintosh computer, and ITS can assist with information that will help decide if a Macintosh is the right choice.
In ۿ۴ý’s complex and evolving multi-layered applications environment, with Google Apps and Gmail in the cloud, and a preference for using Outlook as an email/calendar/contact client on the desktop, the most reliable way to ensure full functionality is to use a Windows style PC or laptop. If a Macintosh is chosen instead, it is best to forgo the use of Outlook, Sharepoint, and other Microsoft delivered products since it is not possible to deliver the same level of functionality and ease of integration on a Mac using these products compared to a Windows operating system PC or laptop.
Both PCs and Macs are supported in labs on campus, with Macs being in the minority of supported computing devices. While PCs are the dominant device in classrooms and labs across campus, Macs are used in targeted specialized work areas, such as graphics development, web development, and multi-media rendering.
The default computing device for all users on campus is a Windows PC or laptop supported by ITS. If a campus user wishes to use a Macintosh instead several things are important to understand:
- ITS support for the Macintosh environment is limited – our expertise is in Windows PC support, and we have limited resources to expand our support into a mixed environment of Windows PCs and Macs
- Avoidance of Microsoft products such as Outlook and Sharepoint is critical to trouble-free use of a Macintosh computer.
- Information security on a Mac computer is the user’s personal responsibility. ITS cannot guarantee that security safeguards in place for Windows PC users are effective with Mac computers. The University’s Sensitive Data and Security Policy applies regardless of the platform used.
- Vice President approval and signoff is required prior to purchasing a Mac computer. This approval both recognizes a special user need, and agrees with points (1) and (2) above.