• Per policy, 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 is 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 campus 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

• Please read the Computing Purchasing Policy

• Laptops are strongly encouraged for individual employees wherever possible.

• Purchasing multiple computers for individual usage should not be proliferated if avoidable. For example, “I have a desktop/laptop in my office, a desktop/laptop I use a home, and a laptop I teach/travel with.” This can likely all be condensed to a single laptop with peripheral equipment (monitor(s), keyboard/mouse, dock, etc) setup at any location to have a desktop-like work environment.

  • Reduces your computing complexities, file management issues, and security risk exposure.

  • Reduces your IT budget and inventory duties.

  • Reduces IT support issues and general IT overhead/costs.

Custom vendor-built custom workstations are compute devices built and warrantied by a vendor that may not be currently offered by a UT affiliated vendor (Dell, Lenovo, Apple, CDWG, SHI, Campus Computer) on UT Market.  If there is a technical requirement for pursuing a vendor-built workstation, please consult with ME IT and your designated Procurement Officer.  We will assist with identifying a reputable vendor, identify extended support options (warranty), and ensure the hardware meets compliance regardless of the Operating System requirement.  We can also engage with a UT-affiliated vendor if your goal is solely to reduce the price of your purchase (no technical requirement).

• Support:  If a vendor-built device is under warranty, the ME IT may provide assistance by working with your group to identify any hardware related concerns.  ME IT will work with your group and/or designated Procurement Officer for any potential hardware returns.

• Warranty:  The warranty provided by these vendors may not always provide the quickest turnaround times compared to our typical Dell ProSupport next business day, onsite warranty.  It may take a few days or weeks to fully resolve the reported issue and could require shipping the computer back.

• TPM:  The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chipset is required.  Please ensure the vendor can accommodate the TPM chipset in their custom builds.

Custom self-built custom workstations/desktops are computers built by purchasing computer components separately, then building the computer yourself.  Self-built custom workstations/desktops are highly discouraged, must be approved by ME IT and the department, and should only be reserved to meet a critical technical requirement not possible through an approved OEM computer (Dell).  Self-built options are not an avenue to reduce the financial burden of a vendor-specific compute device such as Dell, Lenovo, or Apple. Besides security issues, there are hidden overhead costs to supporting self-built compute devices the user/group will inherit such as support/resolution delays leading to increased computer downtime.

Note:  Installing a Windows operating system on a custom self-built system will also require you to purchase at least a Windows Home license.  UT's Microsoft agreement does not allow Windows activation on a self-built system without a license purchase.

If a faculty research group opts to pursue a self-built custom device, the hardware components must meet university standards and compliance.  The research group will inherit the obligation of building the system correctly before the ME IT begins the installation of the operating system.  If ME IT encounters any technical difficulties with the custom-built device, the research group assumes liability and will need to work with the part's manufacturer or vendor(s) the part was purchased from to resolve the issue. This includes any future hardware malfunction. ME IT will only support operating system compliance and supported software.

Note:  The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chipset is required.  This must be purchased with any custom self-built compute device, regardless of operating system.