Computer Replacement Program Guidance
Modified on: Wed, Apr 10 2024 3:56 PMComputer Replacement Program Guidance
The Computer Replacement Program (CRP) ensures that College-owned desktop and laptop computers are regularly updated and replaced to maintain efficiency, security, and productivity. Having functional working computer desktops and laptops is paramount for instructional purposes in supporting students with their academic, professional, and personal goals.
The IT Department is provided a budget for CRP hardware upgrades based on the College's fiscal health. These funds are neither guaranteed nor are the funding amounts set or recurring. For this reason, in conjunction with faculty and staff, IT has established hardware standards for purchasing and supporting software applications and systems to support students and the College's operational needs.
The IT Department evaluates computer desktops, laptops, and technology accessory hardware each academic year for compatibility, performance, and budget forecasting. This practice ensures that student, faculty, and staff technology hardware is distributed with an equitable and budgetary focus. This policy establishes guidelines for the systematic scheduling of replacing College owned computers and laptops every five years as budget and IT support resources are available for deployment. The CRP technology refresh guidelines:
1. Desktop and laptop computers owned by the College and assigned to fulltime faculty or staff employees are eligible for replacement under this program. College-owned desktops and laptops used by temporary staff, hourly staff, part-time staff, student workers, professional experts, federal work-study, student work experience, or consultants are not eligible for CRP technology, but will be supported using departmental or alternative funding sources.
2. College-owned desktop and laptop computers are eligible for replacement every five years, starting from the date the system is placed in service. The replacement cycle may be adjusted based on CRP budgetary considerations, available CRP in-stock inventory, technological advancements, vendor order processing, shipping delays, changes in departmental computing requirements, technology purchased with restricted or grant funds, and the availability of IT support resources for deployment.
3. The IT Department will contact faculty and staff using desktops or laptops eligible for CRP to schedule an appointment to install their upgraded CRP desktop or laptop. The IT Department uses the desktop and laptop hardware inventory database and IT asset tag numbers to prioritize the order in which CRP desktop and laptop devices are upgraded.
4. The College and IT support guidelines state that users are provided technical support from IT on their primary device. If a user is eligible for an upgraded CRP device (desktop or laptop), their old device will be reclaimed. Based on age, the device can be repurposed to a new location or function at the discretion of IT or College leadership. This practice helps maximize hardware investment, software licensing, and IT support costs by providing staff with the technology needed to support students while preventing excessive hardware within the IT ecosystem.
5. Faculty or staff eligible for a CRP upgrade will receive the campus standard configuration at that time. IT reviews the CRP hardware standards annually to verify that the campus standard desktop and laptop configurations can support the dynamic software needs of faculty and staff while conducting College business and supporting students.
6. If the campus standard hardware will not adequately support the software or workflow of a department or division, the requesting department or division would have to purchase the necessary hardware via a funding option such as a grant or through the College's annual Planning For Institutional Effectiveness (PIE) process. CRP funds are budgeted annually based on device upgrade projections. They cannot be used to subsidize or in place of department or division funds for non-campus standard technology purchases.
7. The CRP hardware refresh guidelines in this document address desktops and laptops used by faculty and staff that meet the outlined eligibility requirements for an upgrade. The CRP guidelines in this document do not apply to academic hardware used in classrooms, labs, student support centers, or other areas where students use computers for instructional purposes.
8. Please address any questions about these guidelines to the Director, Academic Technology by submitting a helpdesk request.
Last Modified Date 4/10/2024