Computing Purchasing Policy - Mechanical Engineering
- Justin Pollok
Computer Purchase & Inventory Information
For assistance with system configurations or quotes, please email mech-it@austin.utexas.edu with your desired options. ME IT will coordinate with various vendors to leverage higher education pricing, warranty options, and ensure your system meets the minimum hardware standards while meeting your technical, teaching and research needs. UT and Mechanical Engineering primarily purchase Dell Enterprise/Business products for Windows and Linux needs.
The Information Resources Use and Security Policy - Standard 19.6 states - “All units are required to have their local IT Systems Custodian(s) participate in processing (e.g., inventory, standards verification, configuration) of all IT procurements (e.g., network-capable computing devices and large dollar or high risk software). This includes but is not limited to any university owned devices that have the ability to store university data or use the university wired or wireless networks. Examples of these types of computing devices include but are not limited to: laptops, desktop computers, servers, network-attached storage devices, and tablet devices.”
Per the IRUSP, ME Information Technology and the ME Finance Team 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 System), and are 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 UT Information Security Office and ME IT. Without approval, these devices may not be placed into production and may need to be returned or will not be placed on the UT network (wired and/or wireless).
For support and security reasons, computers SHOULD NOT be retrieved from surplus to be repurposed for use in the department as a way to reduce the financial burden of procuring supported computers. Peripheral IT equipment (monitors, keyboard, mouse, etc) retrieved from surplus will not be supported if they experience issues and will be treated similar to personal equipment. If there are valid budget constraints for procuring standardized new computers, ME IT can work with you on cheaper alternatives.
Click here for a list of recommended computing devices that meet University compliance.
General Guidelines
Encryption Requirements
All UT Austin computing equipment such as desktops, laptops, servers, and external storage devices are required to be encrypted in accordance to University policy. Therefore, each purchase should be vetted through ME IT to ensure encryption compliance can be met.
A supported operating system is required for all UT device to reside on the university's network (wired and wireless).
Windows Enterprise is required to implement BitLocker and our security policies such as AppLocker (Home versions are not supported). Other versions will be assessed case-by-case.
A minimum of a three year extended hardware warranty is required for all new computing devices. If it's a mobile device, then Accidental Coverage (drops/spills) is highly recommended.
Device Operating System | Processor | Security Features | Recommended Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|
Windows Enterprise | Intel Core, Xeon, AMD | TPM Chipset Required for BitLocker | 4 or 5-year with accidental coverage |
Apple macOS | Intel, ARM (M-series) | FileVault | 3 or 4-year with accidental coverage, no service fees |
Linux (primarily Ubuntu) | Intel Core, Xeon, AMD | LUKS and/or Self-encrypting drive. Leveraging TPM with Linux is being investigated. | 4 or 5-year with accidental coverage |
Server OS | Intel Xeon and AMD | TPM is preferred in most cases and required for confidential data. | 4+ year |
Network Capable Devices
Although some of these devices are necessary for academic or research purposes, ME IT must be informed before procurement of all equipment that can or will be connected to the UT network.
These type of computing devices can range from a variety of hardware connected to the UT wired (physical wall port) or wireless network.
Examples of such devices include:
Network Attached Storages (NAS) devices (e.g., Synology DiskStations, Qnap)
Robotics-related equipment
Research lab equipment
Consumer-based network switches, hubs, routers, wireless-access points (e.g., D-Link, Linksys, Netgear devices) ← These should never be purchased and/or placed on the network without approval from ME IT (Network Operations Manual)
Embedded systems used for complex/specialized applications and prototyping (e.g., National Instruments cRIO-9082)