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ROWAN UNIVERSITY POLICY


Title:

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Employee Workstation Assignment Policy
Subject:  Information Resources and Technology
Policy No: IRT:2018:02 
Applies: University-Wide
Issuing Authority:

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 Senior Vice President for Information Resources and Technology and Chief Information Officer
Responsible Officer: Senior Director, Technology Services
Adopted:

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I.      PURPOSE

The IRT Computer Replacement and Support Policy

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01/05/2015
Last Revision: 03/21/2024
Last Reviewed: 06/02/2021


I. PURPOSE 

This policy is intended to:

  1. Ensure appropriate computing resources are available to computing facilities, classrooms, faculty and

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  1. staff to support the mission of the

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  1. University.

  2. Ensure Rowan employees who use computing resources have a

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  1. workstation of sufficient capability to fulfill

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  1. their responsibilities to the University.

  2. Implement minimum standards for

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  1. computing on campus

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  1. .

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  1. Encourage planning, cost-effective installation of new

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  1. workstations, and disposal of old

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  1. workstations.

II.

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ACCOUNTABILITY

Under the direction of the President, the Chief Information Officer and the

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Director of Information Security

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shall

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ensure compliance with this policy. The

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Vice

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Presidents, Deans, and other members of management will implement this policy in their respective areas.

III.

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APPLICABILITY

This policy applies to all Rowan

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University employees.

IV.

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A. Hardware Standards Computer guidelines and standards are based on the current technology available combined with the current needs of the end-user today. These apply to both the Macintosh and Windows platforms. The primary considerations for each configuration (desktop, printing, portable computing) are:

    • Ease of connectivity to the University network
    • Consistent performance of all integrated components in our network environment
    • Industry leader with an established track record in manufacturing, sales and service
    • Successful in-house experience with the chosen product and configuration
    • Imaging consistency and promotion of ubiquitous computing across campus
    • Comprehensive warrantee
    • The machine has a minimum campus lifetime of four years

B. Replacement Eligibility for Full Time Staff and Faculty

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DEFINITIONS

  • Trade-in Cycle: The standard replacement interval for primary workstations assigned to individual employees. As of 2021, primary workstations are replaced after four years of use.

  • Workstation: Any device that runs a full desktop operating system, such as Microsoft Windows or Apple macOS.

    • Primary Workstation: A workstation assigned to faculty or staff to fulfill their regular job responsibilities and replaced through the trade-in cycle.

    • Additional Workstations: Workstations not covered by the trade-in cycle.

Refer to Rowan University Technology Terms and Definitions for terms and definitions that are used in this policy.

 V. POLICY

  1. Rowan University employees, except those noted in V.2.b, are provided one primary workstation covered by the trade-in cycle to conduct University business. As of 2021, primary workstations are replaced after four years of use. Unless otherwise noted in this policy, employees may not be assigned more than one primary workstation and one additional workstation. Additional workstations are not covered by the trade-in cycle. 
  2. Primary Workstations
    1. Upon hire, all new employees, except those noted in V.2.b, are eligible to receive a primary workstation and a monitor based on the current academic year specifications. The primary workstation should remain in possession of the employee it is assigned to throughout their tenure at Rowan University. Reassigning a workstation may result in multiple employees being removed from the trade-in cycle program.
    2. New part-time staff, including but not limited to temporary positions, part-time employees, student employees and affiliates, and adjunct faculty members are not eligible to receive a primary workstation. If part-time staff or adjunct faculty require a workstation, the department the employee works for must purchase the workstation and pay for future replacements. 
    3. Primary Workstations for New Faculty Members
      1. New faculty members may select a primary workstation based on current academic year specifications. 
      2. The funding source for the initial cost of purchasing primary workstations for new faculty members is based on the chart below. 
        1. Due to the nature of their respective curricula, full-time faculty members in the following departments may elect to receive an Apple workstation fully funded through the trade-in cycle program:
          1. Art
          2. Music

          3. Radio, Television, Film

            Funding for Purchasing & Replacing Primary Workstations for Faculty
            ConstituencyLenovo Laptop and Docking StationApple Laptop and Port ReplicatorAccessories
            Full-Time Tenure Track FacultyIRT Shared*
            (See V.2.c.ii.1 for exceptions)            		Department 
            LecturersIRT SharedDepartment 
            3/4 Time FacultyIRT SharedDepartment 


            Note: To support flexible working arrangements, IRT now provides laptops and docking stations rather than desktops as part of the trade-in cycle program.      

            Legend: 

            IRTFully covered by IRT trade-in cycle funds
            SharedIRT covers the part of the cost equivalent to the Lenovo workstation. The remainder of the cost of a standard workstation is covered by the Provost’s office. Any additional upgrades must be covered by the department.
            Department Fully covered by departmental budget



      3. The schedule for purchasing new primary workstations for faculty is outlined in section V.2.e.ii.2
    4. Primary Workstations for New Staff Members
      1. Staff members are eligible to receive the primary Windows workstation included in the current academic year specifications through the trade-in cycle program. No other workstations, including workstations from other manufacturers or custom configurations, are eligible for the trade-in cycle program for full-time staff. 
      2. The initial cost of purchasing primary workstations for new staff members is covered by the staff member’s departmental budget. 
      3. Departments are responsible for ordering workstations for new staff members. Departments must notify IRT at the time of ordering that the workstation is for a new, full-time staff position. Once IRT has been notified, the workstation will be added to the trade-in cycle for future replacements.
    5. Replacement of Primary Workstations
      1. Primary workstations are replaced at the end of the trade-in cycle based on the current academic year specifications. Monitors are replaced at the end of every other trade-in cycle. Any additional monitors or other accessories must be purchased by the employee’s department.
      2. Faculty 
        1. The cost of replacing primary workstations for existing faculty members is based on the chart in section V.2.c.ii of this policy.
        2. The schedule for replacing primary workstations for faculty is as follows:
          1. June: Review and collate list of faculty trade-in workstations for the next academic year.
          2. July: Order workstations

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C. Replacement Cycle

Image Removed
Figure 1: Computer Replacement Cycle

June

  • Review and collate list of faculty replacement computers for the next academic year.

July

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          1. for inventory based on existing faculty data. These

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          1. workstations will be used to provide new faculty with their

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          1. workstation choices in a timely manner.
          2. August

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          1. : Contact and review new faculty orders. Orders will be processed and delivered from existing inventory.

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          1. October

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          1. : Replenish inventory based on number of

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          1. workstations used for new faculty orders.
          2. November: Contact existing faculty to begin the ordering process for their

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          1. trade-in workstations.
          2. December – January

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    • Deliver Existing faculty replacement computers
    • Prepare Staff Replacement cycle list

March – May

    • Deliver Staff Replacement Cycle computers

D. Ordering and Distribution

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          1. : Distribute existing faculty trade-in workstations
        2. Faculty workstations are purchased twice per year after current faculty workstation needs are assessed and prioritized and eligible faculty are identified. This list will be collated according to estimated resources. Initial purchase will be used for new faculty hired by the University. IRT will then restock based on the workstation requested by existing faculty. 
      2. Staff
        1. The cost of replacing primary Windows workstations for full-time staff is covered by IRT trade-in cycle funds. The cost of replacing any other workstations for full-time staff is covered by the employee’s department.  
        2. The schedule for replacing primary workstations for Staff is as follows:
          1. December – January: Prepare staff trade-in cycle list
          2. February – March: Place order for the number of expected machines to be traded-in
          3. March – May: Distribute staff trade-in cycle workstations
        3. IRT will order staff workstations based on the number of staff eligible that fiscal year. Once workstations have been configured for campus use, IRT will contact employees whose workstations are eligible for trade-in to set up an appointment to distribute the new workstation. 
      3. Employees who refuse to accept a replacement workstation at the time the workstation is due for replacement will be removed from the trade-in cycle program. The employees’ supervisor will be notified and provided a copy of this policy. To reenter the trade-in cycle program, the department will be responsible for paying for the cost of replacing the workstation. 
      4. It is the responsibility of the employee receiving a new workstation to back up their data and migrate it to their new workstation. Data should be moved to an approved IRT storage solution, such as Google Drive. IRT will assist employees with migrating their data if they have technical issues backing it up to an approved location or device. 
    2. Workstation Warranties
      1. The trade-in cycle program does not provide replacement workstations or trade-ins for lost, stolen or destroyed workstations.
      2. All workstations purchased through the trade-in cycle program are purchased with the maximum warranty available for the cycle. Currently, all Windows and Apple workstations purchased with IRT trade-in cycle funds come with a four-year warranty. 
        1. Additional costs may be associated with an Apple warranty repair.   These costs are the responsibility of the person or department and not funded by IRT.
      3. Any failures outside of the manufacturer warranty are the responsibility of the person or department that the workstation is assigned to and will not be covered by IRT. If a machine fails due to normal wear and tear after its fourth year of operation, IRT will make every attempt to replace the workstation early or replace it with a refurbished workstation.  If the machine is replaced with a refurbished machine, it will maintain its position in the trade-in cycle.
      4. The department is responsible for any costs related to warranty repair and costs due to damage outside of normal wear and tear.
    3. Workstation Specifications
      1. Workstation specifications for the current academic year are based on the current technology available aligned with the needs of the typical University user. The primary considerations for these specifications are:
        1. Ability to be managed as an enterprise workstation on the Rowan Network
        2. Consistent performance and security of all integrated components of the workstation within the Rowan environment
        3. Supported by a vendor who is an industry leader with an established track record in manufacturing, sales, and service
        4. Successful in-house performance and compatibility testing 
        5. Able to be managed consistently and remotely
        6. Includes comprehensive warranty
        7. Expected to perform to customer requirements for the full life cycle of the workstation.  
  2. Additional Workstations & Hardware
    1. Departments may purchase one additional workstation for an employee from departmental funds. Additional workstations must be approved for acquisition through the Information Technology Acquisition Process (ITAP).
    2. Employees may not be assigned more than one additional workstation, unless otherwise noted below. 
      1. If a faculty member requires more than one additional workstation for research, they must:
        1. Submit the request through ITAP and disclose the workstation exceeds the two workstation limit. 
        2. Provide a Cayuse number in the ITAP submission. 
        3. Assign the workstation for use by a designated individual, such as a research assistant or student worker. The faculty member cannot be the primary user of the additional workstation.
      2. IRT reserves the right to review the language of grants when additional workstations are requested. 
      3. The Office of the Provost and the CIO will review all requests for additional workstations. 
      4. Workstations for research or research faculty are not funded by IRT. There is no trade-in cycle for research workstations. 
      5. Due to the nature of technology and the work performed by some departments in the University, it may be necessary for employees to have more workstations, or workstations of a higher specification level than the designated limit, to perform testing, development, etc. If an employee requires additional workstations, the employee’s supervisor must submit a business case to the IRT Asset Manager for review and final approval by the CIO. If approved by IRT:
        1. The cost of the device must come from the department’s operating budget.
        2. The purpose of the purchased workstation will be noted in the IRT Asset database.
        3. The supervisor will be listed as the owner of the device and will be responsible for updating the status of the device, including the assigned user.
    3. Capital funds cannot be used to purchase additional workstations for employees.  
    4. Departments are not permitted to purchase additional workstations that are not assigned to a specific individual.
    5. Workstations may be purchased for part-time and student staff, but they must be assigned to a supervisor for asset audit purposes. This additional workstation does not count against the supervisor’s workstation limit, as outlined in section V.1 of this policy.
      1. Any department-owned part-time employee workstation or student employee workstation is not eligible for replacement through the trade-In cycle program, even if the department reallocates the workstation to a full-time employee.
      2. Only desktop workstations may be purchased for student staff, except in the following situations:
        1. Graduate student researchers who require a laptop for participation in a research project may be given a University Graduate Student Researcher Stipend for the cost of a laptop, plus taxes, from grant or startup funds. In these cases, the laptop will become the property of the graduate student researcher and is not covered under the trade-in cycle program or other privileges provided for Rowan-owned workstations. Any specialized software required for the graduate student researcher’s laptop must be submitted for approval through ITAP, paid for with department funds and released to the university once the graduate student researcher leaves the university.
    6. Orders for additional workstations will be placed on an as needed basis and will be delivered based on the time it takes to process the order and receive the device from the manufacturer. 
    7. Employees who request workstations with workstation brands or models that differ from the Rowan approved workstation standard, or form factors such as a desktop, computing devices running a non-standard operating system such as Linux, etc. are requesting an unsupported custom-configuration workstation. Those employees must provide written approval from their Dean or Vice President that the college or division agrees to provide all acquisition and repair costs for that unsupported custom-configuration workstation if the acquisition is approved under ITAP. Custom configuration workstations may not be supported by IRT.
    8. IRT is committed to ensuring that all technology investments align with the strategic mission and goals of the University. To this end, IRT requires a business case for all non-standard hardware purchase requests made through the Rowan Support Portal. Requests may be revised or denied by IRT if they do not meet the University’s strategic, compliance or budgetary criteria. Decisions may be appealed to the Senior Director of Technology Services who may allow, change or deny the appeal.  
  3. Loaner Workstations
    1. In the event a full-time employee needs a workstation due to a non-functional primary workstation, they may request a loaner workstation through the IRT Loaner Laptop program. 
    2. In special circumstances, adjunct faculty may be eligible for a short-term loaner workstation through the IRT Loaner Laptop program. 
  4. Workstation Ownership & Custody
    1. Workstations purchased with University Funds are the property of Rowan University and remain the property of the University for the entire life cycle of the product or service. See Rowan University Technology Ownership Policy for more information.
    2. Workstations in the trade-in cycle will be removed from service when they are replaced. Failure to turn in equipment that is being replaced will result in an employee’s removal from the trade-in cycle program, and it will become the responsibility of the department to replace the workstation. Department-replaced workstations may become eligible for trade-in based on the acquisition date of the newer workstation. Trade-In Cycle workstations will be provided at the time that the workstation that is being replaced is returned to IRT. Other sanctions may be applied as outlined in the Acceptable Use Policy.
    3. IRT reserves the right to retrieve any workstation deemed out of compliance with University policy or to address any operational or security issue that arises, including providing access to any computing resource which may be relevant to an active investigation.
  5. Asset Management, Inventory, and Tracking.      
    1. All workstations and associated assets are recorded in the University's asset management database by IRT and asset data is stored for the lifecycle of the workstation.
    2. All workstations must check into the University asset management system every 60 days. If a workstation issued by the trade-in cycle program is not being utilized for 60 days it may be recalled and repurposed elsewhere. Workstations used for research will be given more flexibility during the summer months with this check-in requirement. 
    3. IRT will perform audits of all technology assets following guidelines defined by the Technology Ownership Policy. 
      1. Failure to produce assets during an audit may result in the employee being removed from the trade-in cycle program.
  6. Personal Workstations & Computing Devices
    1. IRT does not support or service personal (non-Rowan owned) workstations and, therefore, does not replace them.
  7. Workstation Security, Health Check & System Updates
    1. All workstations or devices must comply with the Workstation Use and Security Policy. This policy includes minimum software and hardware requirements for workstations to be permitted for use, security standards to be permitted on the network, and requirements to check in to the Rowan Network to comply with applicable policies.
    2. All University faculty, students, staff, temporary employees, contractors, and outside vendors who have access to University-owned or managed information through any computing system or device must adhere to all University Information Security policies including, but not limited to the following:
      1. Acceptable Use Policy
      2. Access Control Policy
      3. Incident Management Policy
      4. Mobile Computing and Removable Media Policy
      5. Remote Access Policy
      6. Workstation Use Policy
      7. General User Password Policy
      8. Policy and Standards for Electronic Media Disposal
      9. Transmission Sensitive Information Policy
      10. Encryption Policy


 VI. POLICY COMPLIANCE

Any University workstation that deviates from the standards defined in this policy must be brought into compliance. If a workstation is not brought into compliance with the standards of this policy, the workstation will be removed from service or blocked from accessing internet and Rowan Network resources.


By Direction of the CIO:

Mira Lalovic-Hand,
SVP

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Faculty computers are purchased once per year after current faculty computer needs are assessed and prioritized and eligible faculty are identified. According to the Computer Replacement Cycle (see Figure 1), these prioritized computer replacement lists for existing faculty will be distributed to the corresponding college Dean and departments for further evaluation of need and appropriateness. This reviewed list will be collated according to estimated resource. Orders for new computers will be scheduled according to the Computer Replacement Cycle. The number of new computers ordered corresponds directly to the budget allotted for such purchases. Replaced computers are the property of Rowan University and are not available for personal or other use.
Purchase of computers from departmental operating budgets for full-time tenure-track faculty should be discouraged. The Director of Academic Technology should be consulted on computer purchases in order to provide a ubiquitous computing environment at Rowan. Computers purchased with department funds, grants, special one-time funding and computers that are an integral part of a piece of scientific equipment or are used primarily for research purposes will be supported by IRT with IRT Technology Acquisition Policy approval.

E. Ownership and Custody

All computers purchased through Rowan computer replacement funds remain the property of Rowan University. In this way, computers are for use at Rowan only and are not permitted to leave the campus for home or other use (unless the computer is a laptop). Replaced computers are, likewise, the property of Rowan and will be removed from service when new computers are delivered. We do not support legacy computers.
*Faculty may request to keep their old computers for one year for legacy compatibility only. Legacy technologies are not supported by Rowan. Additionally, replaced computers cannot be taken off campus. See "Policy for Retention of Computers More than 5 Years Old" for explanation.

F. Supported Computers

  1. Staff Computers
    Full-time administration and staff are eligible to receive a Windows PC computer subject to Rowan computer specifications (see Computer Replacement Specification addendum).
  2. Faculty Computers
    Full-time faculty members are eligible to receive a new computer subject to Rowan computer specifications (see Computer Replacement Specification addendum). 

Laptops

Laptop computers are the responsibility of the faculty member. Academic Technology does not provide funds to replace lost or stolen laptops. Faculty should take the necessary precautions when using laptop computers: 

  1. Never leave your laptop unattended.
  2. Secure your laptop in your office.
  3. Don't store laptop computers in overhead compartments on airplanes.
  4. Don't eat or drink while computing.
  5. Don't press against a laptop computer screen.
  6. Don't drop your computer!

G. Non-Inventory Special Order Computers

All computers offered by Rowan University as replacement computers are high-end and state-of-practice. Staff or faculty who request computers with specifications that differ from Rowan supported computers (same brand, different model or configurations) require all costs to be recompensed by that department with an $100 processing and imaging fee.

H. Unsupported Special Order Computers

All computers offered by Rowan University as replacement computers are high-end and state-of-practice. Staff or faculty who request computers with computer brands or models that differ from Rowan supported computers require all costs to be recompensed by that department pending approval by the IRT Technology Acquisition Policy. Unsupported special order computers may not be supported by IRT.

I. Asset Management, Inventory, and Tracking

All purchased computers and associated assets are recorded into the asset management database. Asset data is stored for the lifecycle of the computer.

J. Reallocation of Computers Within a Department

Staff computers are assigned to a position within a department. When a department wishes to reallocate a computer within the department, a work order should be entered through the Rowan University Support Desk. No computer should be moved within a department without notifying IRT.
If a part time or student employee machine is reallocated in the department to a full-time employee without notification, the unit will not be eligible for replacement through the replacement cycle program.

K. Unsupported Existing Computers

When a computer is replaced through the Information Resources Replacement Cycle Funding program, the existing computer is taken back to the Network and Systems Services workshop for disposal. If the department requests the existing computer be kept for use by a student worker or part time employee other than an adjunct faculty member then the system becomes an Unsupported Workstation. No calls can be places to the NSS Support Desk nor will be serviced by a workshop field technician. The procedure for keeping an Unsupported Workstation is as follows:

  1. The computer is tagged with a sticker stating that the computer is more than 5 years old and therefore will not be supported going forward.
  2. The department will sign off on a form acknowledging that the computer is no longer being supported.
  3. The computer will be formatted before being officially released to the department.
  4. The computer is flagged in the asset management database with the notation that it is now an unsupported computer.
  5. Before any service call is answered, the supportability of the computer in question will be verified.

L. Encryption

All computers are encrypted according to Rowan encryption policies.

M. File Storage and Management

Legacy technologies such as floppy drives and Zip drives are no longer considered essential computer storage components. There are more economical and effective alternatives for file storage and management.  CDRW (re-writable CD), LAN storage (H drive), and USB Flash (Keychain) drives are more portable and scalable solutions.

N. Legacy Technology

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and Chief Information Officer