How ITS Manages the Academic Software Catalog
- Moore, Chris S
The Academic Software Catalog includes over 100 applications that are installed in our classrooms and public computing spaces. The catalog of standard applications is refreshed annually based on enterprise license renewal, software utilization trends, and evolving needs of academic programs. This page outlines the relevant factors that establish the catalog as well as processes and requirements for deployment of software applications to classroom and individual workstations.
Academic Catalog Annual Updates
The standard applications in the Academic Software Catalog are generally enterprise license applications, meaning that ITS manages the license agreement with the vendor that allows the software to be installed broadly on hundreds of workstations in our academic spaces. By late spring in each year enterprise license renewals are either renewed or discontinued and this establishes the catalog for the upcoming academic year.
Requesting Supplemental Software for the Classroom
Course instructors may request supplemental software applications to be installed in our academic spaces to support teaching and curricular needs unique to their courses. Before requesting software or buying licenses, please read the information that follows to help ensure timely distribution of your software and that it is feasible and suitable for distribution.
Your Software Expertise
You are the expert of the software you’re requesting. ITS staff do not have deep knowledge of every software application, particularly of those that are specialized to specific classes. Therefore, ITS expects you to be able to speak to all details about your requested application and be prepared to verify proper functioning once installed. This often requires that you act as the intermediary between ITS and the software vendor. Be prepared to facilitate between all parties to provide the details that ITS needs to distribute your application.
When procuring software, it is common for vendors to provide installer files, licensing codes, instructions, and other useful support information via a website portal that requires a customer account log in. In these cases, we suggest that you work with the vendor to facilitate access to the product portal for ITS resources, providing us with direct access to the information and thereby streamline requirements gathering and software installation.
Software Request Timeline and Deadlines
We aim to fulfill requests as efficiently as possible. For the additional software to be installed it must meet a set of requirements. Each software request requires a review process through which ITS can collect all information necessary for the software to be distributed efficiently. We need you to provide information to ensure the software that you’re requesting meets requirements for ITS to properly distribute and manage the software.
The process to distribute software applications to academic workstations involves several phases to ensure requirements are met. This can take weeks to complete. To minimize delays in processing your request please adhere to the software request deadlines for each semester below.
Software Available on First Day of Semester | Deadline for Software Request Submission |
|---|---|
Fall semester | July 15 |
Spring semester | November 15 |
If you submit a software request after these deadline dates, we cannot commit to installing the software by the first day of classes or any specific delivery date. ITS will still process the request and work to deploy the application if it meets all requirements, contingent upon available resources at the time.
Software Requirements and Distribution Processes
The following review phases of the software request process outline details necessary for ITS to distribute software to academic workstations.
Functional Review and Rationale
The Academic Software Catalog includes numerous applications that meet the needs of most classes. Before submitting the software Request Form, please review the catalog to make sure your application of interest isn’t already installed. Also, consider if an app that’s already deployed can meet your needs rather than requesting installation of software with redundant functionality. While the academic workstation fleet is modern and robust, overloading the hard drive or processor with applications can result in degraded computing performance. For this reason, please present a compelling rationale for your request for supplemental software. Additionally, if the software you request is not compatible the computing specs of the destination workstation(s), it cannot be installed.
Software License Review
Before requesting software, be sure that you have a license that allows ITS to install to academic workstations. Without this the software cannot be installed. Even if the software is free, there are often license terms involved that ITS must adhere to. Additionally, license activation methods can impact the time needed to make the software available. For example, activation can be handled through a license server or as part of the software installation itself. Consideration and implementation of these approaches add time to the process. Be aware of limitations to the number of workstations and/or concurrent users covered by the license. You need to provide all details about the software license and activation methods with your software request.
Information Security Review
INFO IN PROGRESS.
Software Deployment Method Review
ITS uses tools to efficiently deploy software over the campus network to thousands of workstations in our campus classrooms, labs, and offices. To efficiently install your software, it needs to be compatible with this network deployment system. ITS will evaluate your requested software to determine if it compatible. If it cannot be installed in this manner, we might need to decline the request, or the process could require a significantly longer time to complete.