Policy
Departmentally Sponsored Software (updated 02-26-2004)
UITS sponsored software is interdisciplinary in nature, permitting Student Technology Centers (STC) to deliver a high level of service to the majority of users.
Still, not all needs are met by these interdisciplinary applications. In order to meet the needs of those disciplines which rely upon very specialized software, UITS provides support for the delivery of Departmentally Sponsored Software in the Student Technology Centers.
Departmentally Sponsored software is, by definition, supported and funded by the department requesting the software. As a recipient of Student Technology Fee funding, it is the responsibility of the Student Technology Centers to provide the broadest possible suite of application for users. The limited nature of these funds means that STC is not always able to meet all of the needs of all users.
In order to enhance the ability to deliver and support as many applications as possible, STC has developed practices intended to help users clarify their expectations of UITS to provide assistance to meet their needs.
STC will strive to deploy Departmentally Sponsored software whenever possible. However, some software can make unusual demands upon the unique Student Technology Center computing environment. When practical, STC will attempt to accommodate those applications, but this may not always be possible within the scope of the mission of the Student Technology Centers.
If unable to host a departmentally sponsored application because it does not conform to the requirements of the STC environment, STC may suggest that the requester host the application on their departmental server. In most cases, STC access to such applications can be made available.
There are a number of considerations which must be taken into account whenever STC first receives a Request for Services to deploy a new application in the Student Technology Centers:
- Will the software run in the STC environment? The STC team strives to provide a secure computing environment second to none in the academic community. Deploying otherwise standard software often requires special procedures, and specialized applications often present unique challenges.
- Does the software fall within STC deployment guidelines? These guidelines are intended to insure highly reliable service to all of our users. Among them are:
- STC will retain a copy of the installation media, documentation, and proof of licensing for the STC application software library.
- Software must run from STC application servers whenever possible. Exceptions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
- Software must not write to shared directories on STC servers or on the local STC workstation.
- Software must not interfere with previously deployed applications under any circumstances.
Applications may not require "non-standard" network connections. All network access must be user accessible via standard Ethernet connections. - Software may not require operating system modifications. Operating system enhancements will be made only when such enhancements serve the entire user community.
- Deployed software will not be upgraded during the academic year except to address specific problems or under unique circumstances.
- Applications may not rely on hardware keys of any kind. Server-based license managers (for applications requiring them) should be provided by the requesting department
The Student Technology Centers will work closely with departments whose applications fall outside of these guidelines in order to help identify a suitable deployment model. Often access to these applications can be accomplished by hosting the application on the requesting department's own server.
- Are superior alternatives already available in the Student Technology Centers? This is largely subjective but is intended to permit the STC to deploy a suitable alternative when the requested software is unsupportable or is in such low demand that its support requirements exceed its value to the user community.
- Is there sufficient lead time to meet the requested deployment date? STC is dedicated to meeting strict deployment schedules and under normal circumstances will be able to guarantee deployment of new software by the desired date, provided that the request was submitted prior to published deadlines. The STC team will try to meet target dates for late requests, such requests will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis, only after all on-time requests have been fulfilled.
- Is the software duly licensed? Most software vendors permit STC to deploy fewer copies of their application than workstations in Student Technology Centers as long as concurrent instances of running applications are metered. However, some software vendors require a license for every workstation in the Student Technology Centers. Indiana University may not be able to deploy some applications without institutional licensing, regardless of the terms for individual use. It is the responsibility of the sponsoring department to provide the appropriate Proof of Licensing authorizing deployment in the STC environment.
Procedures for requesting software are simple. Just fill out and submit the Student Technology Center Software Installation Request Form. Information about deadlines and instructions for filling out the Student Technology Center Request for Services form can be found here.
Once in receipt of your request, the STCs will acknowledge the request and provide specific instructions for providing us with a copy of the software media and documentation. This material will become the property of UITS and will be placed in the STC permanent software library. Failure to deliver the software to the STC team in a timely manner may result in significant delays in processing the request.
Software which is not accompanied by sufficient Proof of Licensing cannot be legally deployed in the Student Technology Centers.
While your request is being processed, you may be asked for additional information. Thus, it is important that the STCs has accurate email or telephone information in the event that further information is needed.
Prior to final deployment, you will be notified that the application is ready for testing. At that time, you will be notified about where to go to test the software. Software cannot be deployed until you have certified that it is working properly.
Annual Software Review
In the Spring of each year, as part of the Annual Review Process, the STC Software Inventory team will review the usage statistics of all software currently available in the Student Technology Centers. At that time, departments will be asked to determine the disposition of their sponsored software for the upcoming Academic Year.
The possible dispositions of existing departmentally-sponsored software are to RENEW the current version (at the current licensing levels), UPGRADE to a newer version (or to a greater number of licenses), or DELETE the software as it is no longer needed by the department.
Failure to respond to inquiries regarding the disposition of departmentally sponsored software will be assumed to mean that the software is no longer needed by the original requester. Such software may be deleted from the Student Technology Centers prior to the beginning of classes each Fall.
All Departmentally-Sponsored Software must be accompanied by a "Request for Services" each year or it may be deleted prior to the upcoming Fall semester.
The Deadline for submitting "Requests for Services" for Fall is May 1st each year. Departments wishing to simply renew their applications are also asked to observe this deadline.
Like new software requests, upgrades are funded by the requesting department and must be accompanied by Proof of Licensing prior to deployment. Software media should be delivered to STC no later than June 15th. Software upgrades requested after the May 1st deadline will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.
