Apple/Dell Hardware Standards and Recommendations
To better support the needs of campus and leverage the university’s buying power, the central IT groups (CNS, ITS, Law School, McCombs, Moody, LAITS, TRECS and Procurement) across campus developed new campus standards for the purchase of Dell and Apple products. This effort is in alignment with the Change Starts Here strategic plan, and is intended to help streamline the ordering, delivery and support process.
Campuswide endpoint configuration standards: Standardization of hardware allows the University to achieve goals of enhanced delivery times, simplified process for IT teams, improved planning and forecasting for hardware refresh cycles, established principles for future hardware acquisitions, improved vendor relationships, and increased savings through better contract terms.
Facilitated Ordering Process: The proposed standards have been loaded to the Dell catalog and are immediately available for campus partners to place orders via Summus (Dell’s HUB partner) via UT Market. Similarly, Apple products should be purchased using the Campus Computer Store via the UT Market which is also a certified HUB partner. Both suppliers will provide cost savings and efficient shipping to the University.
Warranty Requirements: Apple configuration standards should not include AppleCare, and Dell configuration standards should include 3 years ProSupport Plus. CSUs purchasing outside the standard configurations should be encouraged to follow the warranty standards for any custom configurations.
Campus-wide ‘Replace or Repair’ rubric: When a repair is needed for a device that is out-of-warranty, CSUs should contact the Campus Computer Store to generate a quote to help determine whether the device should be repaired or replaced.
Establish and maintain loaner fleet: Each CSU should establish and maintain its own fleet of loaner units to cover potential gaps in device uptime based on internal need and business drivers.
Below are the recommendations that the IT Leadership Council is suggesting for Apple and Dell hardware. These suggestions aim to simplify the procurement process, ensure efficient delivery, and help reduce costs.
If you have additional questions, contact:
Marilyn Vega
Procurement Category Manager
