Support for Departments

While the IT Services Help Desk is the first and main point of contact for user support, there are a number of other forms of support available for departments.

Departmental responsibilities

Inventory
It is the responsibility of each departments to ensure that an accurate inventory is kept for all its hardware and software purchases so that audits can be carried out when required by the College.

It is particularly important for departments to take care that every piece of software installed on departmental computers is properly licensed, as failure to do so could lay the College open to legal proceedings.

Home use of College software
Some software licences allow staff to install a software package on both a College and a home machine under a single licence. Staff should always check the licensing conditions before installing on a computer at home any software covered by a College licence. These issues are addressed in the College’s Software Copyright Policy.

Maintenance contracts
Departments are responsible for ensuring that all their computer hardware, including printers, is covered by an appropriate warranty or maintenance contract. The IT Services can advise on types of maintenance contracts, in order to seek the most cost-effective approach to hardware repairs.

Backup
Departments are responsible for ensuring that there is an appropriate regime for backing up all files relating to the administration of the department, in case of loss or damage through hardware failure, equipment theft of, or user error. Anti-virus software should be used on all machines to protect against corruption or loss of files.