Supported Software and Hardware List

Last Updated: 09/12/2019

Overview

This list of software and hardware (below) is used by the IT Service Center and Dedicated Desktop Support to guide their responses to support requests, and endorsed by the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for IT & CIO , Larry Levine. These standards enable OIT to provide users with high quality support and cost-effective service.

The standards are not mandatory and technicians will give their best effort to support older products. However, adhering to them will ensure that customers have effective support from the IT Service Center and Dedicated Desktop Support.

This list is intended to be a "living" list; it will be under review continuously. Comments are always welcome; contact oitfeedback@colorado.edu.

Please note:

  • Hardware manufactured by unknown vendors will be supported on a case-by-case basis.
  • Service Center personnel will not open the case on any laptop to install peripherals or memory due to warranty restrictions, however, you may be referred to the CU bookstore (for Apple merchandise) or another vendor to have these services performed at your expense.
  • OIT will not support any prereleases of software (i.e., no alpha or beta releases).
  • The list of supported software may increase during the course of a single academic year, but no applications will be phased out mid-year.
  • If a vendor drops support for software, OIT will continue to support that product with an upgrade option that may incurred a cost to the end user.
  • OIT core experts still support all software offered by Site Licensing that does not appear on this list. Check our list of site licensed software.

Software Life Cycle Chart

Confused about when to upgrade your software? Use the OIT provided Software Life Cycle tool to learn about when software applications are in early release, recommended, near the end of life, or should be upgraded.

Hardware Minimum Support List

The specifications below detail the minimum hardware requirements to receive support from the IT Service Center and BuffTechs:

PC Desktop and laptops

  • Intel Core (i3, i5, i7) processors; 4th generation or newer
  • 4 GB of RAM
  • Dual Band spectrum (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) with 802.11ac or 802.11n
  • Use Windows' Operating System and PC Info to find your hardware information 

Mac desktop and laptops

  • Intel Core (i3, i5, i7) processors; 4th generation or newer
  • 4 GB of RAM
  • Dual Band spectrum (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) with 802.11ac or 802.11n
  • Use Apple's About this Mac feature to find your hardware information

Software

The specifications below detail the minimum software version that is required to receive support from the IT Service Center and Desktop Support (Student Desktop Support Technicians).

Type of Software Minimum Supported
Desktop/Laptop OS
  • Windows 7 Home, Home Premium, Enterprise, Business, Ultimate SP2, 64-bit, 32-bit
    • Note: Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 at the end of 2019. You should have a plan to transition to Windows 10 by December 2019.
  • macOS 10.12 (Sierra)
Office
Word Processors
Spreadsheets
Presentation
Browsers
Email, Calendar, and Contact Readers
Video Conferencing / Collaboration
Utilities

Antivirus/Anti-spyware:

Highly Confidential Data Search Tools:

Whole Disk Encryption:

  • BitLocker (Windows)
  • FileVault (Mac)

Secure File Transfer (SFTP) and Secure Shell (SSH) Utilities:

PDF Utilities:
Media and Design Tools
Desktop Virtualization Tools
Remote Access
Middleware
Unix and Linux OS and Servers Support is available through Shared Infrastructure Services for a fee for new systems using Redhat Linux.
Windows Server
  • Windows 2008 Server & Windows 2008 R2 Server
    • Note: Microsoft is ending support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows 2008 R2 Server January 14, 2020. You should have a plan to transition off of these by that date.
  • Windows 2012 Server

Mobile Devices

The specifications below detail mobile device operating system requirements to receive support. Support includes the configuration of Microsoft Exchange, G Suite, and UCB wireless on devices.

  • Android 4.x and later
  • Apple iOS 11.x and later
  • Windows Phone 7 and later