Senior Leadership
If your organization is new to DDS, assistance from the department leader(s) is crucial throughout the transition. This involves:
- Promotion of the transition effort to the department.
- Agreement on the transition period start and target end dates.
- Hosting a department-wide kick-off meeting.
- Participation in a status- and barrier-review meeting recurring weekly for the duration of the transition.
- Use of licensed and up-to-date software: OIT provides all employees with software licenses for common software such as OSX, Windows, MS Office, Office 365, and Google Apps. Many departments have additional software that is specific to their needs. When machines get the OIT Image, DDS will need to install these applications. Pass on the licenses and installers from the department and we’ll handle it from there, including involving the OIT Software Strategy and Licensing group as needed.
- Funding for the purchase and replacement for equipment that is too old to be used: DDS provides management and support for university-owned computers that have Microsoft Windows or Apple OSX as their operating systems, were manufactured in the last four years, meet the minimum-supported hardware standards, and have been set up for the OIT managed computer approach. When purchasing new computers please consider working with the Device Lifecycle Program team to get the best systems for the best price. At the very list, purchase using the CU Marketplace to purchase a computer from the list of best-supported systems. If there is a reason why one of the listed systems will not work for you, just let DDS or the Device Lifecycle Program manager know and we'll work with you to find the right system. Older or unique systems that cannot use the OIT Image will not be supported by DDS.
- Post-transition sponsorship of major departmental IT efforts: The department might identify occasional major IT projects, perhaps creating a limited-access set of shared folders, or implementing a department-wide security or banding policy, or perhaps allowing everyone to connect remotely to their desktop machines. DDS is here to help with your business needs. We would just ask for the same sponsorship and level of communication from the department leader as with the initial transition process.
Department Members
Everyone in the department will be expected to participate in the process and agree to the following:
- Each computer supported by DDS will use the OIT operating system image: This provides up-to-date software and configurations and allows us to take care of central management and patching. We understand that erasing and reinstalling software is a scary step, and we make sure to save all data to a safe location to ensure nothing is lost. The transition period to Dedicated Desktop Support will be agreed upon by departmental leadership.
- Agreement that at least 2/3 of department is ready to have their computers setup with the “OIT image” and managed by the end of the transition date: We recommend that everyone in the department participate in DDS by having the OIT Image and service model we provide. We understand, however, that in some situations individuals in a department may wish to forgo the DDS service. We are happy to work one-on-one to see how DDS can work for these people; or, if they just don’t want DDS support they can opt-out. As long as 2/3 of the departmental personnel is supported by DDS, we can setup the service for your department.
- Those who opt-out understand and agree that they get their computer support by taking their computer to one of the General Desktop Support Walk-In Computer Support Centers: There is no available in-office support from GDS for DDS-supported departments. If an opted-out individual runs into problems, support will be available through OIT’s Walk-In Computer Support Centers, not DDS. For people who have chosen to opt-out of the service, DDS will share the technical information necessary to operate in the department’s new computing environment (things like file paths, printer settings, IP addresses, and custom VPN settings).
- Will use the desktop support portal to submit urgent cases to the DDS group.
- Will operate as a “user” on the computer (and not an “administrator”): If a user needs “administrator” access, DDS will help them make the exception request to the department and the Office of Information Security (OIS). Computer operating systems distinguish between “users” who can operate a computer and “administrators” who can install software and make other changes. CU’s Office of Information Security requires that we all operate at the “user” level whenever possible (covered in the System-wide Baseline Security Standards). DDS’s computer management methodologies allow almost everyone to do so without ever needing be an administrator. This protects the department and the individual from most malicious attacks and maintains all credibility in the unlikely event of a data or security breach involving the individual’s computer.
