Software for Academic or Administrative Use
The Department of Information Technologies manages the acquisition of commonly-used software at the University, and it is responsible for ensuring to the best of its abilities that software on all devices is compatible with the secure and efficient operation of the network. The department provides support for a wide range of commonly-used software, but it is not able to maintain expertise on all the software that faculty and staff acquire for specialized purposes, both academic and administrative.
In order to ensure that DoIT can fulfill its responsibilities in this regard, faculty and staff should review all plans to acquire and install software with DoIT, even if the software will only reside on an individual device if that device is connected to the University network (by cable or wirelessly -- see related policy on devices connected to the University network) and even if the acquisition involves funds other than those managed by DoIT or involves so-called "freeware."
In its review, DoIT will:
- evaluate the software's compatibility with the secure and efficient operation of the network
- determine if other software providing the same functionality is already available in the University environment and, if so, provide that information to the requestor
- evaluate the software's potential to be of wider use than that described in the initial proposal
- determine DoIT's capacity to provide support if the requestor acquires the software
For academic software, DoIT's Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies also will also evaluate the software in terms of the University's overall strategies for technologies in support of faculty pedagogy, research, and public service. DTLT may request further review by an ad hoc advisory group on academic information technologies appointed by the Vice President for Information Resources.
For administrative software, the Division of Information Systems will consider the software's fit to University strategies related to administrative data. Some administrative proposals will prompt further review, as when software or hardware/systems involve central University funding or commitment of central resources (i.e., DoIT or Division of Information Systems) to meet implementation or support requirements. The Enterprise Systems Coordinating Group (an advisory body to the Vice President for Information Resources and to the Vice President for Strategy and Policy) will conduct the further review.
The DoIT reviews will result in one of several outcomes:
- UNACCEPTABLE -- if the software is not compatible with the secure and efficient operation of the network, the requestor cannot acquire it for installation on any device connected to the network.
- ACCEPTABLE, WITH POTENTIAL FOR WIDER USE AND DOIT SUPPORT -- if the software shows potential for wider use, DoIT may recommend that it be considered for site-licensing or volume-purchasing (see below)
- APPEARS ACCEPTABLE, BUT DOIT IS UNABLE TO SUPPORT -- if the software is otherwise acceptable, but DoIT cannot develop or maintain the expertise necessary to support its installation or ongoing operation, DoIT will issue an "at own risk" notice that informs the requestor of DoIT's inability to assist in installation, problem resolution or prevention of any subsequently developed risk to the network that will require DoIT to disconnect the device on which it resides. DoIT ordinarily will offer to assist in the process of purchase of software with this rating (not using DoIT funds, of course) because its avenues for purchase often provide deeper discounts than will be available to faculty and staff using other routes of acquisition.
Failure on the part of any faculty or staff member to request a review by DoIT means that the faculty or staff member is assuming full, personal responsibility for any adverse effects of the use of the software in the University environment.
Procedure for Requesting
Site-Licensed OR VOLUME-Purchased Software
This procedure explains the method that members of the University community use in requesting that DoIT seek University funding for site licenses and volume purchases of application software. The procedure assumes that the software involved has already been through initial review by DoIT for acceptability in the UMW technical environment (above) -- if it has not, the requestor must allow additional time for the initial review before site-licensing/volume-purchasing can be considered.
For requests for site-license/volume-purchase that are approved by DoIT and that receive University funding, DoIT will usually negotiate terms with the vendor and manage distribution of the software. If a request fails to win DoIT approval or University funding, it will be referred back to the requestors so they can make their own arrangements for funding, but DoIT remains available to assist with the process of purchasing using non-DoIT funds.
Who will decide?
A work group on software licenses will recommend to DoIT's Directors the site licenses and volume purchases it believes DoIT should pursue. The Directors will usually consider this question in December and January as they plan the department's budget for the upcoming fiscal year. As soon as the decisions are made, the Directors will instruct the work group to inform all requestors of the outcome.
How can I make a proposal?
Requests should include the reasons why the requestor believes pursuit of a University-wide site license or volume purchase agreement for a particular software package is justified, according to the factors described below. Requests, accompanied by an endorsement and priority rating from the relevant department chair and dean in academic departments and from the relevant unit head and vice president in administrative departments, should be submitted via e-mail to the Vice President for Information Resources (chip@umw.edu). The work group may invite the requestors to meetings to provide additional information. The work group may seek recommendations concerning individual proposals and priorities from the University's Teaching, Learning and Technology Roundtable (TLTR) for requests related to the academic programs and from other University constituencies as appropriate, depending on the nature of the request.
DoIT will schedule periodic reviews of existing site licenses or volume purchase agreements using the same processes it uses for new requests, asking the original requestors to renew their request if they wish the arrangement to continue. For such reviews and for all new requests that can reasonably be anticipated, requestors (from outside or within DoIT) must submit their proposals to the work group by January 10 of each year to ensure that the decision process coincides with DoIT's and the University's budget deliberations. When it would be to the University's advantage, DoIT will consider requests at other times of the year.
Software site licenses or volume purchases that DoIT is unable to include in its list may be available through other means, such as the University bookstore or commercial entities.
On what basis will they decide?
The DoIT work group will assemble a set of recommendations for site-license/volume-purchase that will
address two issues:
(1) whether any or all of the cost of the software will come from DoIT's
budget; and
(2) the level of involvement and support DoIT is able to provide.
What software will DoIT Seek University Funding to pay for?
DoIT will favor stable, multi-platform software of wide utility that runs on shared resources, including equipment managed by DoIT, or on individual machines if the software is necessary for special purposes such as networked communications. DoIT may consider seeking University funding to pay the full cost or to share the cost of software not strictly in the above categories if such an action will help influence the University's technology environment in a direction that has been identified as a central University priority.
In evaluating whether the cost will be proposed to be covered by University funding, the work group and the Directors will consider the following factors:
- Audience
- Will multiple divisions, departments, and schools use the software?
- Is the software useful for faculty, staff, and students?
- Will the software be installed on machines managed by DoIT?
- Functionality
- On which platform(s) does the software run?
- Does the software provide unique functionality? That is, are no other software products available which do the same thing as the one under consideration?
- Is the product necessary for UMW's information technology infrastructure?
- Would the purchase of this software enhance the technological environment, according to University priorities?
- Licensing and Fees
- Does one price cover all workstations/users, or is there a cost for each unit?
- How are licenses managed, and does DoIT already have the technical environment necessary to support such license management?
- Are automatic upgrades included in the price? Are there time limits on upgrades?
- Does the license require payment of renewal costs? If so, how often? Is the price guaranteed to be stable?
- Does the vendor charge for technical support? If so, is there a separate fee for each technical support call?
- Are there additional fees?
What support can DoIT provide?
In evaluating the level of involvement and support DoIT is able to provide, the work group and the Directors will consider the following factors:
- Distribution: DoIT will evaluate available mechanisms of distribution, favoring network-based distribution schemes over individual installation.
- Reliability: DoIT will test the software to determine its reliability.
- Technical Support: DoIT will consider the availability of personnel, complexity of the product, and potential usage of the software to determine the depth of technical support offered to users.
- Documentation: Adequate on-line help should be included within the software, or printed documentation should be available separately from the vendor. This will allow users to resolve most problems themselves and not add appreciably to the workload of DoIT support staff.
- Vendor References: If the vendor has negotiated site licenses with other educational institutions, DoIT can obtain references on product performance, vendor relations, and support issues.
Generally, recommendations for new site-licensed or volume-purchased software, as well as many upgrades of existing packages already supported by the University, require new University funding. If in any year DoIT is able to reallocate funding because of discontinuation of site-licensed or volume-purchased software, the available balance will go to the top priority proposals in this area.
Software purchased will be subject to annual review, to determine its usage and strategic value to UMW.
Adapted from a similar process at the University of Virginia