AU Information Technology Services
Technology Purchasing, Upgrade and Support Policies

Information Technology Services provides to AU faculty and staff basic desktop computing, printing and network access services. The general policies governing the purchase and maintenance of computing equipment are as follows.

1. Standard Computers. The Information Technology Services department is responsible for providing basic desktop computing resources for all AU faculty and staff members. Included by default as components of a standard installation are the following:

   • Desktop computer and monitor
   • Direct connection to the campus network and the Internet
   • Access to either an attached or networked printer
   • MS Windows, MS Office Professional, standard browser and email client
   • Standard utility programs (terminal emulators, file transfer programs, antivirus software, etc.)

   In general, members of the faculty will receive laptop computers, and staff members will receive desktop units. Systems for new staff members will be either new or drawn taken from current stock, at the discretion of the ITS department.  New PCs will match our current standard specifications. Alternative configurations and models will be considered according to the special needs of the staff member, subject to the approval of the Dean of Information Technology Services and the appropriate department head.

2. Software. New PCs will be provided with the configuration listed above. Whenever feasible, older machines will be upgraded with the latest versions of standard software (subject to limitations imposed by the hardware itself). Certain special purpose programs (including SPSS, Borland programming packages, Pagemaker, Dreamweaver) may be installed on selected machines according to administrative or instructional requirements. Departments may identify and purchase from their own budgets special-purpose software not provided as part of the standard configuration. ITS will review the software for compatibility with our systems and take responsibility for installation and maintenance.

3. Funding. Normally the acquisition of standard computing resources will funded by Information Technology Services. Upgrades above the standard platform, portable devices, and special-purpose hardware or software that is unique to a particular program will be charged to an appropriate line within that program's budget, subject to the necessary approvals. Information Technology Services is responsible for the acquisition, installation, and repair of all computing equipment on campus, regardless of how it is funded.

4. Planned PC replacement. Subject to available resources, ITS will develop and implement the planned replacement of campus computers. The details of the replacement schedule will be developed jointly by the Dean of Information Technology Services and the Vice President of Finance and Administration.

5. Service requests. All requests for the repair of computing equipment and reports of problems with software should be sent in the form of an email message to itshelp@aurora.edu. Standard service work will be performed by ITS technical support staff and the ITS department will absorb the cost of the repair. When on rare occasions it may be necessary to seek the assistance of outside vendors funding will be determined on a case-by-case basis. In those instances in which the repair cannot be completed in a timely fashion, ITS will provide the user with a temporary machine.

6. Upgrade requests. All requests for new equipment and software should be submitted through the requisition form located on the AU intranet at http://www.aurora.edu/au/forms/techreq.htm. Responsibility for funding follows the policy for desktop machines: basic computing resources as defined above will charged to the ITS budget, while upgrades, special equipment and program-specific software will be charged to an appropriate line in the requesting department. The requisition form itself provides for notification and approval of the appropriate budget manager.