Information Technology

Computer Support Policy

POLICY NAME: Computer Support Policy
SCOPE: Faculty & Staff Members
Department Responsible: Information Technology
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2000
Rev. Date: 1/14/11
POLICY:

Computer Support Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure an information technology infrastructure that promotes the academic mission of the University in teaching, learning, research and administration. The specific goal of this policy is to define computer-related hardware and software support that will be provided by Information Technology. This policy applies to:

  • All University-owned computer hardware
  • All University-owned computer software
  • All users of computer systems, including but not limited to University students, faculty and staff

Any item submitted for support must be installed on a system with a University Identification Number.

The priority of computer support for the University community is:

  • Computer labs and Classrooms, including Media Services equipment
  • Faculty desktop systems
  • Departments that directly serve the academic mission of the University
  • Non-academic departments
  • Affiliate programs

This Policy does not apply to administrative applications (such as Schedule 25, PeopleSoft, etc...); these applications are supported separately by Information Technology.

Software Support

Information Technology has established three levels of software support

  • Full Support (for Standard University-wide Supported Software)
  • Limited Support (for Non-Standard, Department-Specific Software)
  • Special-case Support (for Non-Standard, Classroom Instruction-Specific Software)

Full Support

Information Technology is responsible for licensing, installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of all Standard software. This support includes:

  • Purchasing and licensing
  • Initial installation on new or existing machines
  • Updates, service packs, patches, and repairs
  • Upgrades to newer versions (once licensed, tested and approved by Information Technology)
  • Phone support for commons questions through the Help Desk (ext. 4357)

Application support through Information Technology

Training and Classroom support through Information Technology Software packages and services included are (current for Spring 2011):

  • Microsoft Windows XP and 7
  • Apple Mac OS 10.4 and higher
  • Microsoft Office 2007 (Windows), Office 2010 (Windows), or Office 2008 (Macintosh)
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.x
  • Symantec Security Client V10.x
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.x
  • Butler email (BUmail) (http://bumail.butler.edu)
  • Butler Blackboard (http://blackboard.butler.edu)
  • Butler Listserv system (email lists)
  • SPSS (Limited to those with licenses)

Limited Support

This includes software packages in use by various departments or individuals on campus that are not supported campus-wide. These packages are typically departmental or discipline specific, and are not widely used by other departments. Information Technology does not have any expertise with these applications, and does not provide technical support beyond the following:

  • Initial installation
  • Updates, service packs, patches, and repairs (provided by the user, not Information Technology)
  • Version Upgrades (provided by the user, not Information Technology)
  • Troubleshooting as related to system performance, not application related.
  • Departmental and/or Individual Responsibility:
    • Initial Purchase
    • Purchase of additional Licensing
    • Purchase of Version Upgrades
    • Training and Classroom support
    • Application and Technical support is through the Vendor or Manufacturer
  • Typical Limited-support Applications:
    • Adobe Acrobat
    • Adobe Illustrator
    • Adobe Photoshop
    • Adobe Premier
    • QuarkXPress
    • iTunes
    • WordPerfect

Special-case Support

In some special cases, Information Technology may provide additional support for typically non-standard software applications. This is on a case-by-case basis, and is typically reserved for support of software used for classroom instruction. Information Technology does NOT purchase this software, nor does it provide licenses or upgrades. Information Technology will provide all of the support listed for Limited-support software (see above), and will provide some application support and troubleshooting. Actual usage of the software will be the responsibility of the individual instructors or department.

Non-supported Software

In some cases, software or services are specifically not supported by Information Technology. These items may have inherent security risks, known problems, or other issues. Please do not ask for support on these items or install them on University owned equipment.

  • File sharing application
  • Video Games (Computer and Console)

Computer Hardware Repair Guidelines

These guidelines govern all University owned computer hardware.

Any item submitted for repair must have a University Computer Center Number (UCC#).

Personal equipment will not be repaired for any reason.

Repair priority is as follows:

  • Computer Labs and Classrooms (including Media Services equipment)
  • Faculty desktop systems
  • Departments that directly serve the academic mission
  • Non-academic departments
  • Affiliate programs

Repair times are affected by parts availability and priority of repair

Warranty Repairs

  • Systems under warranty will be repaired per the warranty
  • 3 year warranty on any computer hardware or peripherals is required
  • Departments are encouraged to purchase extended warranties beyond three years on equipment that will remain in use.
  • HP and Apple computers will be repaired on campus
  • Hewlett-Packard printers will be repaired on campus
  • Computers and peripherals from other sources may be repaired by an outside agency
  • There will be no charge to the user for any warranty repair
  • Reminder: warranty repairs do not cover misuse or abuse.

Non-warranty repairs:

  • Systems 3 years old (as defined by their purchase date from vendor) will be repaired to the extent necessary to maintain full functionality.
  • There will be no charge to the user for computer repair for systems d 3 years old.
  • If the repair is not the result of a defect or failure (ie: abuse or misuse), the user's department may be charged for materials. There will be no charge for labor by IT, though any labor charges incurred by outside agencies will be passed to the department.

Repairs on systems four years old will include the following.

  • Drives (floppy, hard disk, CD, etc…)
  • Power Supplies
  • Original equipment keyboards and Mice
  • Monitors
  • If the repair is due to abuse or misuse and not from hardware failure, the users department may be charged for materials and any labor charges incurred by outside agencies will be passed to the department.
  • Systems five years old or older will not be repaired by IT, and will be the responsibility of the user's department to replace.
  • Systems downgraded to "legacy" by the manufacturer will not be serviced.

Departments should take the initiative and replace aging systems to avoid down time.

Consumable Items

Consumable items include, but may not be limited to, laptop batteries and removable media (DVD-ROMS, CD-ROMS, flash drives, etc…). These items often carry a separate warranty from the manufacturer. If they fail while under this warranty, IT will assist in having them replaced. If these items fail or wear out outside of their warranty period, then IT can assist in replacing them, but is the department's responsibility to cover costs.

Important Note:
Data stored on individual machines is the responsibility of the user. Information Technology will make every attempt to preserve data, but backups and duplicate copies are the responsibility of the user. If you are unable to back up your data before service, you MUST inform Information Technology before the machine is picked up for service. We cannot be responsible for data loss due to user error or lack of communication. Please keep a backup on the network or removable media.

New Computer Hardware Purchasing Recommendations

Information Technology maintains a list of recommended hardware for new purchases and upgrades/replacements. This list is intended to assure compatibility with current standards, match our current support and maintenance contracts, and position the University for future expansion and upgrades. All items listed are known to be of good quality and have the requisite 3 year warranty included or available. Warranties of 3 years or greater are required for all computer, printer, and monitor purchases. Extended warranties on other peripherals, such as scanners and external drives, are highly recommended. Information Technology will not perform any repair work on out of warranty peripherals. Information Technology reserves the right to approve all computer hardware purchases. We will make every attempt to meet the needs of the purchasing department while respecting the best interest of the University. Items ordered by bypassing Information Technology's approval may be explicitly barred from support by Information Technology.

Current recommendations can be found here.

When submitting a requisition to Purchasing, please either include a copy of the recommendation with your purchase request marked or transfer the exact specifications to your requisition form.

Used Computer Re-Allocation

All University-owned computers replaced with new equipment should be returned to Information Technology. In some instances, departments and colleges may request that a computer be used to replace another staff/faculty member's equipment. Information Technology will approve this if:

  • The used equipment is still serviceable by Information Technology (see the Hardware Support Guidelines)
  • The used equipment is significantly better than what it replaces
  • Only one "trickle-down" per department per new purchase
  • Preference is given to the oldest computer in the department

Departments or Colleges may request a used computer from Information Technology to be used for non-critical applications. However, Information Technology does not maintain a pool of available computers for permanent allocation. When a machine is approved for use by another department, that department may be responsible for any needed upgrades, repairs, or extended warranties needed to return the machine to service. Under no circumstances will a machine that does not meet the Hardware Support Guidelines be returned to service.