Per university policy, the ECE Information Technology Office and your assigned Procurement Officer are required to approve and/or be made aware of ALL computer-related purchases prior to finalizing your purchase. This includes ALL methods of Procurement (ProCard, UT Market, Amazon Business accounts, Purchase Orders). This ensures all compute devices are Business/Enterprise models, meet university compliance (regardless of Operating Systems), and is approved for the university networks (wired & wireless)
Computing equipment purchased that does not meet university standards or compliance must go through an exception process with the campus Information Security Office and ECE-IT Office. Without approval, these devices may not be placed into production, may need to be returned, or will not be placed on the UT network (wired and/or wireless).
Please read the Computing Purchasing Guidelines
Dell-Lenovo Models
The Business/Enterprise models listed below have been verified to meeting the minimum hardware and security standards (e.g., TPM chipset requirement).
Apple macOS
All Apple computing devices such as MacBooks, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac Mini are compliant and support native encryption (FileVault)
Per university policy, engagement with the ECE-IT Office and your designated Procurement Officer is still required prior to purchasing.
Custom Vendor-Built Workstations
Custom vendor-built custom workstations are compute devices built and warrantied by a vendor that may not be currently offered by a UT affiliated vendor (Dell, Lenovo, Apple, CDWG, SHI, Campus Computer) on UT Market. If there is a technical requirement for pursuing a vendor-built workstation, please consult with ECE-IT and your designated Procurement Officer. We will assist with identifying a reputable vendor, identify extended support options (warranty), and ensure the hardware meets compliance regardless of the Operating System requirement. We can also engage with a UT affiliated vendor if your goal is solely to reduce the price of your purchase (no technical requirement
Support: If a vendor-built device is under warranty, the ECE-IT group may provide assistance by working with your group to identify any hardware related concerns. The ECE-IT group will work with your group and/or designated Procurement Officer for any potential hardware returns.
Warranty: The warranty provided by these vendors may not always provide the quickest turnaround times compared to Dell or Lenovo. It may take a few days or weeks to fully resolve the reported issue.
TPM: The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chipset is required. Please ensure the vendor can accommodate the TPM chipset in their custom builds.
Custom Self-Built Workstations
Custom self-built custom workstations/desktops are computers built by purchasing computer components separately, then building the computer yourself. Self-built custom workstations/desktops are highly discouraged and should only be reserved to meet a critical technical requirement. Self-built options are not an avenue to reduce the financial burden of a vendor-specific compute device such as Dell, Lenovo, or Apple. There are hidden overhead costs to supporting self-built compute devices the user/group will inherit.
Note: To install a Windows operating system on a custom self-built system will also require you to purchase a Windows license. UT's Microsoft agreement does not allow installation on a self-built system without a license purchase.
If a faculty research group opts to pursue a self-built custom device, the hardware components must meet university standards and compliance. The research group will inherit the obligation of building the system correctly before the ECE-IT Office begins the installation of the operating system. If the ECE-IT Office encounters any technical difficulties with the custom-built device, the research group assumes liability and will need to work with the part's manufacturer or vendor(s) the part was purchased from to resolve the issue.
Note: The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chipset is required. This must be purchased with any custom self-built compute device, regardless of operating system.
Servers
When considering the purchase of servers, it is important to consider the following:
Location of servers: Where are the servers going to be placed?
Server Size: Is there adequate space to host a server in your designated space in EER or MER?
Power consumption: Is there an adequate power source to run the servers? What is the power supply wattage? How many power supplies within the server?
Cooling: Do you know if the heat the servers generated can be sustained in a lab?
Server Noise: Will the server impact users in the lab or occupants in nearby rooms?
High-compute servers should be located at the University Data Center. For more information about this service, please read here and contact us at help@ece.utexas.edu to learn more.
Printers
HP network-based printers are highly recommended. For assistance for a particular model, please email ECE-IT at help@ece.utexas.edu