Last summer, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) successfully replaced over 800 computers in a few months as part of our annual computer refresh. The OIT Install Team is ramping up for another large-scale installation project targeting approximately 1500 computers! We’re making a few changes to the process to ensure the upgrades go more smoothly this year.
- Reports of all eligible computers were sent to a representative in most areas. This allows departments to plan ahead for any budgetary impact or special coordination that may be needed.
- Beginning in March, we will reach out to the individuals who have a device eligible for an upgrade under the Technology Fund. We’ll determine the number and types of devices to order and prepare.
- We’ll then place a bulk order for the equipment leveraging hardware discounts due to the number of computers. These will be prepped for rapid deployment.
- In April, we will compile the schedule for all installations and notify customers of their appointment day and time.
- In May, we begin the deployments! We will plan on wrapping up installations by the beginning of August to prepare for the Fall semester.
Our team utilizes LANDesk for the installation process. Therefore, we will not process a computer upgrade request for Tech Fund eligible computers until LANDesk has successfully checked in this calendar year. If your computer is not checking in, we will notify you and assist in remediating the issue.
For more details about Technology Fund eligibility rules and standards, visit the University Technology Fund page. If you have any questions about the summer refresh process, please email Rachel Mulry, Director of Customer Service for OIT, at rmulry@smu.edu.
UPDATE: The link for Technology Fund eligibility rules has been updated to point to the correct site.
