With the purchase of the Microsoft campus site license (1999), the college has adopted a common software standard for campus computing. This standard allows faculty and staff the ability to use common base software for e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, network access to the web, shared documents and collaborative projects. The rapid developments in the software industry render desktop computers obsolete within four years. Given this environment, and the importance of maintaining current hardware to support our mission, KSC is on a four-year replacement cycle for workstations.

Upgrades to campus desktop computers occur on a routine and scheduled basis. Computers are upgraded on a four-year cycle, with the goal of ensuring that everyone has the computer they need in order to do their work.

Technology resources which may have sensitive data on them, such as campus workstations, are not available for selling, donating and/or destroying by recycling. KSC contracts with a recycling firm which provides us with a US Department of Defense standard for erasing data and removal of the equipment. All surplus workstations and printers resulting from upgrade cycles are covered on this policy.

E&G departments are typically funded through central IT funds. Auxiliary, Fee supported and Grant funded departments are responsible for funding their own upgrades. In order to facilitate the budget planning process, departments will receive notification from the IT Group regarding current inventory, the number of upgrades required and campus standards each year during the campus budget prep season.

Department	Funding Source	Upgrade Cycle	New Positions and Special Purchased
E&G Staff	Central IT Budget	4 years	For new positions: The Department purchases the first workstation (campus standard) and ensuing upgrades will be purchased using central IT funds.
E&G Faculty	Central IT Budget	4 years	Central funds
Auxiliary, Fee Supported, and Grant Funded	Departmental budgets	4 years	The Department purchases all workstations.

The E&G upgrade process will take place during the summer. Persons designated for an automatic upgrade will receive notification by e-mail. The IT Group will provide consultation and assistance by meeting with department heads, discussing job function requirements, and recommending which standard model will best suit their business needs. Auxiliary, Fee supported, and Grant funded departments will be contacted in January with an updated inventory and current campus standards for software and hardware. The IT Group will also work with department heads to develop a sustainable four-year upgrade cycle. The process consists of two components:

Automatic upgrade - every four years each workstation is replaced with a current standard system. Specifications will allow for the greatest processor speed and computing capacity for the best price at the time of purchase. Recommendations will be based on the requirements of the job function.

Application process - Email upgrades@keene.edu for high-end needs and/or 'out of cycle' requests.

The campus will offer one computer system standard for the PC Platforms in FY07. One standard will be the business workstation in Dell's Optiplex series (GX755). All upgrades will assume the standard model. If there is documented just cause for the purchase of a different workstation other than the standard model, the requestor must provide justification as well as a sign-off from their department director or chair. Expenses higher than standard dollars will need to be supplemented by department funds and/or campus funds if available. Requests should be made to the HelpDesk.

Auxilliary, fee supported and grant funded departments purchase workstations for their employees on the standard four-year cycle.

In support of faculty needs for data/video presentations in the classroom, Full-Time Tenure Track Faculty have the option of selecting a laptop as their workstation upgrade. All classrooms have active data jacks and additionally there are 70+ media enhanced classrooms. Selecting a laptop option as your workstation provides easy access to these resources - and the IT Group strongly recommends it.

Central funds will buy the laptop, bag, mouse and keyboard. Any other accessories i.e. docking stations, additional memory, monitors, etc. must be purchased using department funds. You can view standard laptop specs on the web.