Administrative Computer Refresh

The university provides full time faculty and administrative staff positions a program of consistent and sustainable computer replacement based on a four year life cycle. This program is the Administrative Computer Refresh Project; also known as Evergreen refresh, or just refresh. A four year life cycle was specifically chosen to balance the considerations of technical compliance with fiscal sustainability of the administrative computer fleet. A primary assigned computer is provided by the faculty/administrative department for a new full time faculty or staff position. Only primary assigned computers are eligible for the refresh program and are replaced according to university computing specifications.

 

What is a primary assigned computer?

Primary assigned computers are identified as computers (desktop or laptop) that are provided by the faculty/administrative department to the faculty or administrative staff member for the specific purpose of assisting in the completion of their general administrative work related duties; specifically email, office document content, printing, and Internet connectivity.

Features of primary assigned computers:

• Primary computer is associated with the assigned HR position number.
• Faculty/Department has privilege of use for the duration the position is active within the unit.
• For the duration of the FT faculty/staff position, the primary assigned computer would be considered eligible for refresh as funded by the university.
  • The computer would be refreshed to the form factor originally procured for the position at lease term end.
  • Refresh life cycle terminates when position terminates or use of computer falls outside of refresh eligibility conditions.

How does a primary assigned computer get on the refresh cycle?

A faculty or administrative department will request for an administrative computer to be provisioned to a new full time member upon position creation. The Software License and Asset Managment (SLAM) team will provision an appropriate baseline specification as a primary assigned computer. After a 4 year life cycle has been completed, the computer is scheduled for replacement as per the Administrative Refresh Project. Should the position end active status, the computer is subject to the Computer Reallocation Procedure.

 

When does the university refresh primary administrative computers?

 

The IT Services Campus Computing Support (CCS) team annually manages this project during the May to July period. In order to manage this large undertaking, the administrative computer refresh is divided into four phases that span a four year time frame. In each phase, a quarter of the total administrative computer fleet is refreshed to the current university baseline specification. The university has partnered with preferred vendors to supply us with the best overall computer specification to meet the university's administrative computing needs. Criteria for computer selection is based on the ability to handle the university's key business and academic applications and to provide a consistent computing environment for handling email, office document content, and Internet connectivity. Ability to support standard computer specifications on-site is essential to maintaining client productivity.

 

When is a computer not eligible to be on the Administrative Refresh life cycle?

In the following cases, computers are not considered primary and do not qualify for refresh by IT Services:

• Department elects to provide a faculty/staff member with a computer that is not the baseline specification supported by IT Services as defined by the University Computing Specifications.
• Computers obtained for specific research and other specified/unspecified department uses.
• Computers provided to faculty/staff that are in addition to a primary assigned computer. These computers are considered secondary department or project computers.

• Donations to the university via special grants, projects, or other types of gifts to the institution.

• PD Fund acquired computers are provided to faculty through special funding and are intended for faculty individual professional development. Such computers are not intended for on-campus use as a substitute for a primary administrative work computer.

The PD Expense claim form must be approved by a department Chair, Director, or Dean.  Clients may log into MyMRU to obtain the PD fund balances; make sure you have enough funds in your account to cover the entire cost of the purchase. 

The process allows you to buy from a vendor of your choice and take receipt directly to Payroll with your authorized PD Claim form provided you acknowledge the following:

Warranty and after warranty support is with external vendors purchased from; IT Services technical support is not applicable.

MRU licensed software inclusive of but not limited to MS Office, McAfee Antivirus, Adobe Acrobat Pro will not be installed on a PD funded computer.

• Computer is intended for home use; MRU network connectivity is limited to wireless access only.
• PD funded computers are not to supplement or replace administrative primary assigned computers.
• PD funds are not authorized for the purchase of peripherals or components intended to be installed in or set up
• with administrative or student computers.
• PD funds may not be used for the reimbursement of data plans associated with mobility technology.

You may deal directly with Payroll regarding your reimbursement of the tablet, sign off by IT Services is no longer required.

In these above mentioned cases, it is the department's responsibility to budget for replacement. Replacement is recommended based on a four year cycle, as advised by IT Services. The need for a replacement can be reviewed and coordinated with the supervisor of Campus Computing Support. 

 

For more details on computers supplied with the MRU annual computer refresh, please review the following document.

University Computing Specifications