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Title: Information Technology Hardware Acquisition Approved by: Office of the President
Date approved by President or Board of Trustees: July 22, 2019
Effective date: July 22, 2019
Responsible Official: UTech Security and Policy
Responsible University Office: UTech Security and Policy
Revision History: 2
Related legislation and University policies: None
Review Period: 3 Years
Date of Last Review: July 18, 2024
Relates to: Faculty, Staff

Summary

This policy is to define the process by which IT hardware products are reviewed, purchased and maintained ,at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, with respect to data security, operational integrity, and long-term sustainability.

Purpose:

The [U]Tech organization is responsible for acquiring and maintaining all computer IT hardware and software products purchased by and on behalf of the university, with university funds. Through normative operational planning and budgets, [U]Tech manages IT hardware and software lifecycles on a regular basis, assuring architectural, security, privacy, and technical compatibility with existing IT tools and services.

1. All computer and IT hardware, acquired with university funds, must be approved through ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Procurement purchase order process, in advance of purchase and must be procured, maintained, and disposed of in accordance with [U]Tech standards.
2. ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ will neither install nor support computer and IT hardware that has not been approved in advance of purchase by [U]Tech. This includes the delivery of network services.
3. [U]Tech can assist in determining if a school or department already owns hardware and software that meets local needs.

Computer and IT hardware includes two classes of equipment:

1. IT Infrastructure: server-class equipment, networked storage, routers, switches, and special purpose equipment supporting multiple users, including audio-visual (classroom displays) and teleconferencing equipment. [U]Tech is the sole source for acquisition and maintenance of such equipment.
2. User-centric IT: desktop computers and displays, laptop/notebook computers, tablet computers, printers, scanners, university-purchased smartphones, and other computing and peripheral devices. In both UGEN and schools, many user workstations and or computers are replaced as part of the computer refresh cycle.

All offices and departments should contact the [U]Tech Help Desk for any user-centric hardware purchases that do not fall under a computer replacement cycle. Offices and departments purchasing equipment not covered under the replacement cycle must identify funding in advance of the purchase. [U]Tech will request quotes from ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ primary suppliers, manage the equipment purchase using standard software images, and then install and support the new hardware for both licensing and security controls.

In some cases, and depending on the intended use, [U]Tech may have suitable refurbished hardware on hand that will meet the current need. Please consult with the [U]Tech Help Desk for additional information.

Computer and IT hardware that is not acquired through [U]Tech will not be supported. In order to adhere to licensing and warranty restrictions, [U]Tech will not install university owned software on a non-approved device, nor will[U]Tech perform physical repairs to the device.

Any exceptions for research-centric computing and IT hardware will be reviewed by the [U]Tech - Security and Policy office, Research Computing and Cyber Infrastructure team - for approval recommendations to the [U]Tech IT Contracts Team.

Definitions

IT Infrastructure: IT equipment which supports IT commodity services, such as file servers, application servers, networking equipment

University Funds: Funds budgeted and allotted for IT support, including research funds.