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To make the most efficient use of university resources,
all desktop and laptop computers acquired by the university
should be based on standard configurations approved by the
Information Technology Governance Committee.
Departments with needs not met by the standard
configurations can request a variance in writing to Information
Technology.
Information Technology will then conduct a
review of the specifications and make suggestions to the department.
If a consensus is not reached, an appeal will
be reviewed by the PC Standards Committee.
Desktop Computer and Laptop Computer Standard Configuration
Procedure
February 11, 2003
I.
Standard Hardware Configurations
The PC Standards Committee will meet quarterly
to review changes in technology. Consideration will be taken
to configure quality desktop and laptop computers that meet
the vast majority of computing needs at the lowest possible
cost to the university. Standard configuration upgrades will
be included to give flexibility to the configurations and
allow additional uses. The committee will make recommendations
to the university standard configurations. These
recommendations will be forwarded for approval by the
Information Technology Governance Committee (ITGC). Once
approved, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) will be
charged with installing and supporting these hardware
platforms.
II.
Standard Software Configurations
The PC Standards Committee will also review
software technology and recommend a basic software image to be
installed on each of the configurations. These
recommendations will be forwarded for approval by the ITGC.
OIT will be charged with installing and supporting these
software applications on all desktops and laptops. OIT will
work with vendors to have the software image pre-installed,
where appropriate, to streamline installation.
III.
Publicizing the Configurations
OIT will be responsible for publicizing the
standard configurations. Faculty and staff will be notified
by email when a configuration change is made. OIT will also
maintain configuration information and internal lease and
purchasing instructions on their web site (http://www.etsu.edu/oit).
Whenever possible, OIT will have a demonstration unit
available for review by interested faculty and staff.
IV.
Configuration Assistance
The User Services Group of OIT will be made
available for appointments to assist in the configuration of
desktop or laptop computers. Faculty and staff can call
(9-4OIT) or email (oithelp@mail.etsu.edu)
the OIT Help Desk to make this request. An analyst will
schedule a time to visit the employee’s office and discuss
their computing needs and configuration options.
V.
Submitting a Requisition for a
Standard Configuration
The department will complete and submit to the
Purchasing department a departmental requisition for a desktop
or laptop computer. If the computer is one of the standard
configurations, a purchase order can be generated immediately.
VI.
Submitting a Requisition for a
Variance from the Standard Configuration
The department will complete and submit to the
Office of Information Technology a departmental requisition
for the computer. Accompanying the requisition will be a
request for a variance from the university standard. This
should explain why the university standard configuration is
not appropriate for their needs. This can be the result of
incompatibilities of required software or hardware or a vendor
requirement. This requisition and request for variance will
be reviewed by the appropriate OIT staff. If there is not
significant reasoning for the variance, the requisition will
be sent back to the department with written explanation and a
proposed alternative standard configuration. At that point,
the department should consider the university standard or they
can consider an appeal of the variance request.
VII.
Variance Request Appeals
If a department feels their request for
variance was rejected without consideration, they can initiate
an appeal. These requests for appeal will be reviewed by the
PC Standards Committee on a monthly basis. The committee will
report their recommendation to the department and to OIT.
Non-approved requests will not be sent to the Purchasing
department. Records will be kept of variances that were
permitted. These will be used as consideration in adopting
new standard configurations.
VIII.
Departments with special high-end
computing needs
Departments with special high-end computing
needs will be allowed to obtain computers with capabilities
beyond the standard configurations. OIT will perform a basic
installation of the computer by loading a supported operating
system (Windows and Macintosh platforms only), virus
protection and the standard office productivity suite. The
department will be required to reimburse OIT for this
installation by including a budget transfer of $250 to cover
this installation at the time of requisition. This
installation is required to ensure the computer is properly
communicating on the ETSU network and has no known
vulnerabilities. When received, the computer will be specially
tagged by Central Receiving indicating it is a non-standard
computer. OIT will not be responsible for any hardware or
non-standard software maintenance for the computer after the
installation.
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