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Software Licensing - FAQ

Purchase, Acquire and Get Access To Software

How do I purchase software for myself or others in my department?
  • Visit OIT's Software Catalog for a list of CU Boulder-provided and/or academic-priced software, as well as instructions for acquisition.
  • You may also find academic pricing on common software through OnTheHub, even if it is not CU-sponsored software.
  • For more detailed information about software purchasing, visit the Acquiring Software page.
I have questions about the OnTheHub software purchasing platform

Please see the OnTheHub page for information and answers to questions about using OnTheHub.

Can I use a procurement card (PCard) to purchase software?

While procurement cards (PCards) can currently be used for making IT purchases, consideration should be given to other procurement vehicles (Software Catalog, CU MarketPlace) before proceeding, especially with purchases of software and applications. These purchases can create tremendous exposure for the University as there are no mandatory workflows to ensure contract and compliance review as part of these purchases. While PCards are not the preferred method for making IT purchases in general, their use is allowed when purchasing through CU Marketplace or an existing agreement is not a viable option, or when there is a critical business need, and the CU Marketplace access is unavailable or unreasonable for the immediate IT procurement. Visit the PSC's How to Buy IT Goods and Services page for more information. 

When purchases of software and applications are made on the PCard, the cardholder is responsible for ensuring the purchase has been reviewed for legal, security and compliance concerns. Visit Guidelines for Reviewing Software Agreements for additional guidance on reviewing terms and conditions. 

When is OIT review required?

Any actual purchasing approvals or direction should come from the PSC PSC@cu.edu. OIT is only responsible for performing the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) review. Below is our general guidance: 

All IT goods or services that involve, but not limited to, digital interface, software, licenses, or systems that can store, manage, control, manipulate or retrieve information/data for human interaction, including videos, platform, web content/web development, and communications products require ICT compliance review and approval. Learn more about the ICT Review Process Overview at the University of Colorado Boulder, and visit the ICT FAQ to determine if the product or service needs ICT review.

What should I do after purchasing software?
  1. Save your documentation about the purchase, including the invoice, how it was paid, and what exactly was included ("entitlements"). You may need this in the future to show that you own what you use. If your purchase was made through OIT Software Licensing, you do not need to save the documentation—we record that for you.
  2. Review the contract or EULA (end-user license agreement) to determine the appropriate use for the software licenses, and any restrictions that may exist. If your software is in the Software Catalog, we have already summarized those terms for you.

Support and Help for Software

What if I have issues or problems with software on my computer?

Support for any campus-licensed software, once customers have the license, will be provided by the normal support provider.

I am an IT Practitioner supporting other people in my department. How do I engage with Software Licensing for support?

Please first contact the IT Service Center, which will be able to assist you with routine issues or escalate the issue to the Software Licensing team if it is truly a licensing issue.

Some campus-licensed software comes with contracted enterprise support. We may be able to open an enterprise support case on your behalf, but we do not serve in the "campus IT support" role for an individual. Please contact us to open an enterprise support case.

If you have issues performing actions that support a broad number of customers, such as software license servers or preparing software packages for deployment, please contact us directly.

I'm looking for help with a specific software product, where can I find that?

Check the individual product's information page in the Software Catalog. If we have information or FAQs for that product, that's where you will find it.

Compliance

As a user of software, what are my responsibilities?

Be sure to read and understand the Policies and Guide to Legal and Ethical Use of Software.

As a purchaser of software, what are my responsibilities?
  • Review and understand the CU Fiscal Roles and Responsibilities policy. Remember that you are not allowed to sign a contract, including a license agreement, on behalf of the university. Only selected individuals at the Procurement Service Center may do so.
  • For multi-user software contracts, consider allowing OIT Software Licensing to review and provide advice on the terms and conditions of the contract.
  • After purchasing, keep track of your entitlements (the license rights that you purchased) and who you assign them to.
  • Manage licenses or subscriptions. License management (LM) involves tracking and controlling software licenses to reduce costs and compliance risks. LM covers procurement, deployment, and disposal of software. These guidelines provide general instructions for Software Owners, Managers, and Users to:
    • Report unused licenses
    • Track licenses
    • Renew subscriptions or maintenance if determined that it is still needed
    • Identify unused software
    • Pool, reassign, or retire licenses
       
As an IT Professional who installs or manages software on behalf of others, what are my responsibilities?

Software Audits

What is a software audit and what can I do about it?

See the Software Audit Information page.