FAS/CIT supports faculty and staff client computers in most FAS departments. Contact numbers and contact e-mail addresses for specific departments can be found at FAS/CIT Service Contacts. Last updated 5/7/2019.
Some general policies:
- All computer purchases must be cleared with the Director, FAS/Computing and Information Technology in advance, so support and compliance with purchasing policies can be determined.
- All iPad purchases must be cleared with the Director, FAS/Computing and Information Technology and FAS/Fiscal Services in advance. Please read and submit this usage acknowledgement agreement form before submitting purchase requisition.. At that point you are free to make the purchase at the NYU Computer Store.
- Service agents should respond to service requests within one working day. If you do not receive a response in this time interval, contact the Director, FAS/Computing and Information Technology so the problem may be escalated.
- We do not support computers that are not purchased with university funds.
- We do not make house calls to work on computers. Computers will only be serviced at university offices.
- We do not support machines over four years old.
- The primary computer of each full-time faculty* and staff member is replaced on a four year cycle.
- We do not support "applications" such as specially programmed databases or spreadsheets with intricate logic. The creator of such applications will have to provide support for them.
- We do not support mail servers.
- We only support PDAs (Smartphones) purchased through ITS Mobile (its.mobile@nyu.edu), and only support Blackberry, iPhone, and Android phones. See FAS Cellphone and Smartphone Policy for details on purchase, usage, and support.
- Netbook support is limited to installation and registration only. We do not recommend netbooks.
*except in the sciences
Specific packages supported:
We support the following ITS-Licensed Software:
- Firefox
- Internet Explorer (Microsoft)
- Symantec Anti-Virus
- Thunderbird
- Stuffit
- Fetch
- WinSCP
- PuTTY SSH
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
We also support Microsoft Office (all versions after and including Office 2007).
We provide limited support (installation and configuration) for:
- Adobe Acrobat (Full Package)
- SAS
- SPSS
- Stata
- StatTransfer
- E-Views
- Lisrel
For any other programs, we will make a good-faith attempt at installing the package, but do not support them beyond installation.
Computer Life Cycle:
The following represent standard policies across the life-cycle of a client computer. Variations from policy must be approved by the Dean's office.
Purchase
Purchase of computers must be approved by the Director, FAS/Computing and Information Technology. Standard configurations are available at the FAS/CIT Standard Configurations webpage.
We specifically will support Dell, Apple, Lenovo and selected Samsung computers. We specifically will not support Sony, Toshiba, or Fujitsu computers.
FAS provides one client computer for every full-time faculty member* and every full-time administrative position. The computer will be a standard configuration desktop or laptop unit. Any variations from standard configurations must be paid by a department or research account.
Printers for full-time faculty staff computers will be replaced on an
* Except in the sciences.
Installation
New computers will be installed by the appropriate FAS/CIT service contacts. Each department has a standard setup that will be installed.
Special software will be installed by FAS/CIT service contacts, if it is appropriate for administrative or research use in the University, and if a licensed copy of the software can be produced. No department has an "unlimited site license" for specialized software. If a department has a limited number of copies of software, use of a copy must be coordinated with the department designee for assignment of licenses.
Specialized hardware, such as scanners or external hard drives will be installed upon request. Although service contacts will make a good faith effort to make these machines operational, there is no guarantee they will be able to make the devices work. This is particularly true when devices use older
Backup
Faculty and administrators are responsible for their own backups. All valuable works should be stored on a server, external hard drive, USB "keychain" drive or other media separate from the hard drives on the computers.
In case of a hard drive failure, FAS/CIT service agents may remove the defective device and attempt recovery on another computer. There is no guarantee this will work, but an attempt will be made.
If a hard drive fails and recovery fails, FAS/CIT service agents may recommend an external data recovery service. These services are expensive, and carry no guarantee. Departments will be responsible for payment to any external data recovery service.
Upgrades
Requests for hardware upgrades should be made to the FAS/CIT service agent. Memory upgrades, additional hard drives, or insertion of new circuit boards can be performed by the service agent. Service agents will not upgrade CPUs or perform other motherboard upgrades.
FAS/CIT service agents can also perform software upgrades. Free Upgrades or "patches" provided by vendors will be installed on an as-requested basis. In general, it is unwise to upgrade software unless specific operating features are needed, or specific problems are encountered that the upgrades are designed to repair. Upgrades that require additional expenditures must be paid with research or departmental funds.
Repair
Any operational problem with a client machine should be reported to the FAS/CIT service agent. Service agents should be contacted through email, as it provides the largest possible coverage for the problem, gets the request to direct service contacts faster, and provides a record of the contact.
Once contacted, the service agent should respond within one working day to perform a diagnosis of the problem. If you do not receive this response, contact the Director, FAS/CIT to escalate the problem.
Once a diagnosis is performed, many solution strategies are possible. For hardware problems, the solution may be to request on-site service by a vendor representative, installation of replacement parts provided under warranty, or to send the machine to an authorized repair facility. For network problems, the problem may be referred to the ITS Network group. For software problems, vendor supplied solutions may be attempted. If the service agent cannot solve the problem, they are to refer it to their supervisors for solution.
In some cases, the solution may be to purchase new hardware or software. The Director, FAS/Computing and Information Technology, will determine the most efficient solution in these cases. In some cases, such as a broken laptop screen, the department or the individual will be responsible for the purchase. For research funded machines, this may include disk drives or other components.
Replacement
FAS funded computers will be replaced on a four-year cycle. Eligible machines will be determined by FAS/Computing and Information Technology. Replacement machines will be one of the standard configurations by default. Upgrades may be requested using department or research funds. The replacement policy covers one machine per full time faculty and staff member, and any lab machines that fall under the FAS/CIT maintenance.
A replacement printer will be provided as necessary. Some departments use departmental printers instead of printers for individuals, and the network printers will be replaced by FAS under this policy.
Machines replaced under these cycles must be retired from use and tagged for disposal. In some cases, they can be recycled for use by students, but will no longer be covered under the maintenance agreement. Contact FAS/CIT service agents before disposal or reassignment, so inventories and registration records can be updated.
PDAs (Smartphones)
Only Blackberry, iPhone, and Android smartphones are supported by FAS/CIT. Further, it must be a phone purchased through ITS mobile (it.mobile@nyu.edu) to receive support.
Support is limited to initial setup of the phones to the NYU mail and calendar system. We will not set up the phones to sync with other software packages.
Contact your support provider for setup of a smartphone.
Netbooks
FAS/CIT provides limited support for Acer and Dell netbooks. We will do an initial setup of the machines, including installation of Office software, registration, and installation of anti-virus software.
Contact your support provider for the services listed above. For any hardware problems or other services desired, contact the manufacturer.
Last Updated: 11/17/2011
Send updates or questions to:howard.hutchinson@nyu.edu