Preface

The Moody College of Communication’s Technology Services group provides software installation support for College-owned equipment.  We adhere to all University policy with regard to software licensing and standards of practice.

I.  Intent of policy

This policy specifies the commitments our team makes towards the installation of specific software titles.  We strive to deploy software in a timely and efficient manner.

II.  Scope of policy

This policy covers all University-owned equipment managed by the Moody College of Communication.  We do not provide software installation services for non-University equipment.  Such support is available for a fee through the Information Technology Services Help Desk and various third parties.  When we do provide installation services, we conform to standard practices for software deployment.  This means most customizations are the responsibility of the end user.

III.  Requesting software installation

Requests for new software installations or updates can be made to our Help Desk.  Call 471-1199 (option 1), email comm-help@austin.utexas.edu or come by CMA 3.104 or BMC 5.104.

If the software you are requesting is on our list of “standard software” (see IV below), we will make every effort to have the software you request installed within 1 business day of receiving your request.  This assumes your computer is located on campus and is left on and hooked up to the campus wired network.  There may be extenuating circumstances (major lab deployments, security events, etc.) that cause delays.  In these cases, you will be notified of the delay within that 1 business day.

IV.  Standard software

Below is a list of software for which we have installation media available and can provide rapid deployment.  All other requests may take longer to facilitate.

Note that wherever possible, we deploy “concurrent use” licenses, in that we have a fixed number of “seats” available.  When you launch the application, this counts toward one “concurrent use” seat.  If we exceed the number of licensed seats, you may have to wait until someone else quits that application before you can use it.  This is automatic, but keep this in mind if you are in a hurry.

V. Other software available

The following titles are not available for quick installation and will not be subject to our “1 business day” promise.

VI. Online software services available

VII. Your responsibility

If the software you are requesting is not available through a University or College site license, you must provide proof of purchase of an applicable license.  We need up-to-date contact information when you make the request, in case we need to verify any of this or have a question about your request.

Since we deploy software largely through remote network management tools, we need you to keep your computer turned on and plugged into the wired network.  We highly recommend you log out of your computer when you leave your office.  We will enable “energy saver” features whenever possible to minimize the environmental impacts of leaving your computer turned on.

For University-owned systems not kept on campus, you should plan to bring the computer into our Help Desk in CMA 3.102 to receive service.  We might be able to remotely install software if you have a sufficient high speed Internet connection, but it is always preferable to bring your computer in.

VIII. Software updates

Certain software suites include built-in “update” features that will automatically download and install patches.  We also receive regular updates of critical or functional patches.  We will make every effort to automatically deploy such patches.  Unless you have a specific need to, you do not need to request these updates.  Additionally, we will deploy these updates automatically and without requiring your consent or notification.  This is done to protect you from possible harm or compromise of your data or workstation.  We will attempt to make these updates overnight and minimize disruption.  However, to make sure you do not lose any data, please log out of your computer when you leave the office.  Leave it turned on and plugged into the wired network.  Data security is a shared responsibility and we appreciate your help with this.

For any questions about this or any College of Communication technology policy, please contact the Information Technology Director (Charles Soto, 512-740-1888).