CoS Technology Refresh Program

Background

The Academic and Research Computing Services unit in the College of Sciences (ARCS) was allocated limited resources to strategically provide for technology refresh in the College.

The goal of this program is to provide a base technology platform for staff, faculty, and other full time CoS employees who are engaged in the academic and business operations of the College.

Faculty and staff who require equipment above and beyond the basic provided technology can work within their available individual and unit resources to cover additional costs.

Research computing equipment and advanced capabilities are expected to be covered by research funds wherever possible and are not budgeted in our limited allocation.

This effort is both in response to tight budgets as well as to ensure that all CoS employees have the technology they need to do their work. We know that some staff do not have any GT issued laptop and some faculty do not have external funding that can be used for laptop refresh. By implementing this program, the College will be better able to provide appropriate technology to its employees using a sustainable and ongoing model.

Implementation

Our plan to implement this refresh program within the provided budgetary constraints is to leverage bulk purchases and deploy a consistent and manageable software stack. Many standard software packages will be able to be added or removed using self-service provided by the campus endpoint management tools.

We will operate under the assumption of a 4-5 year lifespan which, based on our experience, is acceptable for basic capabilities. Based on rough estimates, there are approximately 750 systems that need to be eventually refreshed so we will be deploying about 150 systems each year.

We are planning on an increasingly mobile workforce (which includes substantial teleworking) so new systems provided will be laptops.

When new systems are deployed, all existing GT owned desktops and laptops in use by that employee will be reclaimed for redistribution within the College if they still have a useful life, or else surplussed. This will allow us to retire about 20% of the oldest systems annually and still maintain a useful pool of hardware. Equipment directly supporting sponsored research which was purchased on currently active grants will not be subject to redistribution.

We will provide a standard set of peripherals (e.g. monitors, basic keyboards and mice, etc). People who are teleworking will be provided a monitor for both home and office. We will work to provide a second monitor in at least one location, prioritizing those staff (e.g. financial and business admins) who require it.

We plan to preserve about 10% of our resources for contingency to address unavoidable emergency replacements (e.g. theft, permanent damage).

ARCS will not be refreshing any printers in this program but will work with Schools to support centralized unit printing with secure release of private documents. This is not only a cost savings, but also has a positive environmental impact.

Throughout this year, some of you will be contacted by ARCS to arrange for a refresh. In this first round, we are prioritizing replacement of our oldest systems, those who are in significant need of new equipment, and employees whose primary role is directly serving students (e.g. academic professionals). Identified gaps in staff technology are another initial priority.

We fully understand that this new program will pose some challenges, and we ask for your patience and understanding as we do our best to implement it.

We also are well aware that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to technology, and we are committed to working with the chairs and financial managers in the Schools to explore well-justified variations from the basic package.

ARCS is genuinely committed to providing and supporting the best technology within our means, so that we can help advance the mission and strategic goals of the College of Sciences.

We welcome your feedback. We intend to review this program annually and make adjustments as needed.

FAQ

1. Who is eligible for refreshed technology?

   The goal is to make sure the staff, faculty, and other full time CoS employees who are engaged in the academic and business operations of the College have the necessary technology to do their work. We are aiming to cover 1 computer upgrade per person for a 5-year period and this first year we are prioritizing replacement of our oldest systems, those employees who are in significant need of new equipment, and employees whose primary role is directly serving students.

   Staff, faculty, and other full time CoS employees who are fully funded by research dollars are not currently eligible. We are not funded to cover all graduate assistants at the same level as full-time faculty and staff (1 computer upgrade per person for a 5–year period), however we will work with schools (e.g. those who have state funded teaching assistants) to make sure that teaching assistants have access to necessary technology, e.g. through shared resources.

2. Will I be able to choose the computer, operating system, or application software?

   In order to maintain economies of scale, new systems will be a standard hardware configuration (currently an Intel Core i7 - 4 core CPU, 512 Gb SSD, and 16 Gb RAM) deployed with a standard Georgia Tech Windows 10 install by default.

   Applications available via the endpoint management tools can be added and removed by end users via self-service, and ARCS will address any other application needs on a case-by-case basis.

   Due to the additional expense of Apple hardware, your manager may request an exception based on benefit to the Institute, which will be evaluated by ARCS against available refresh resources. Red Hat Enterprise Linux may be requested for those whose teaching or administrative roles depend on it.

   Research needs will continue to be addressed via research funding and we understand there is a need for more flexibility in this domain.

3. Why can’t I keep my old stuff?

   The program is designed around providing one system per person for a five year period. There is a disproportionate amount of time and effort spent supporting older equipment which reduces the overall ability of staff to provide support across the College for basic IT services and strategic initiatives.

   We are faced with a significant variety and disparity in hardware across the college. In order to begin addressing this, we plan to leverage some of the currently deployed usable systems to improve the capabilities of more people.

   Thus, even if you have a 3 year old laptop and a 2 year old desktop, you may be asked to start using a brand new laptop (which would include easy docking to double as a desktop) so that we can redistribute the usable hardware to reduce the percentage of outdated systems still deployed.

   As mentioned above, we will be happy to work with leadership in each School to make sure that we are not significantly impacting the work that needs to be done.

4. Can I get something above and beyond the standard technology provided?

   The program is designed to achieve efficiencies by having a standard hardware and software configuration. However, we also recognize that one size does not fit all and there will need to be some exceptions.

   Faculty and staff who require equipment above and beyond the basic provided technology should check with their supervisor, chair, or financial manager to address gaps. ARCS will work with School leadership to provide and support the required technology, subject to the limitations of central resources supplemented by available individual and unit resources to cover additional costs.

   Each year, in addition to the standard model, a standard+ option targeted to meet the needs of most individuals requiring academic and business computing capability above and beyond the standard will be identified. The standard+ model is designed to fit into the tech refresh economy of scale and will be available for the cost difference between standard and standard+. Beyond that, participation in the CoS Technology Refresh program is not mandatory, individuals with funds may continue to acquire unique customized equipment by reaching out to ARCS.

   Research computing equipment are expected to be covered by research funds wherever possible and are not budgeted in our limited allocation.