Overarching Standards (Tier 3)

If you wish to buy outside of the recommended standards (“Tier 3”), all purchases must still meet some minimum standards.

Purchasing hardware from non-preferred vendors is by exception only, with exceptions granted by the IT director. Reasons for exception include compatibility with specific research hardware/software, specific ergonomic or form factor requirements that cannot be met by preferred vendors, or specific performance or configuration characteristics required for research that cannot be met by preferred vendors.

In most cases, however, we can work with you to find mitigations or alternatives.

LS IT standards include:

Warranty

All hardware costing $750 or more must be covered by a minimum 3-year manufacturer's, vendor's or 3rd-party warranty. For most computers, printers and displays that have an expected life of 5 years, a minimum of 3 years of warranty coverage is required. For portable computers and other portable devices, accidental damage coverage is highly recommended.

Sustainability

Computers, displays and other equipment much be rated Energy Star 4.0 or higher and EPEAT Gold or higher.

Operating System Support

Computers that will be network connected must be capable of running a supported operating system version, meaning an operating system for which current security patches are available.

Wireless Network

Computers and other devices that will connect to or broadcast WiFi network traffic must support WPA and/or WPA2 encryption.

Supportability

Based on UC vendor contracts and our IT infrastructure, LS IT has a preferred set of hardware vendors for common IT hardware. By constraining the hardware that is used in the division, we are able to provide a much higher level of support and support automation for that hardware.

Please consult with us if you need something that doesn’t meet these minimum requirements. We can work with you to find an accommodation for reasonable requests.