Management and Administration
For the software receiving central (MITS) funding, users need
only buy the media and documentation if extra copies are required.
(List is available from MITS and on the MITS website).
Note that software, whether centrally funded or not, is not
available to everyone with a wish to have it. A needs basis
must be established (see below for guidelines).
Licenses:
MITS determines whether to purchase full site license or volume
license. This decision is largely cost driven. We weigh the
cost of the site license against the volume license. It is
therefore important that the departments respond to our request
for their need in terms of number of licenses. To determine
the number of licenses required, it is the lesser of:
a) number of users of the software
b) number of machines on which it will be installed
For instance should there be the cases where 100 students are taking
a course for which the software is a requirement but the lab to
be used has only 40 PCs, then the number of licenses required is
40.
Distribution:
This is a specific assignment to a member of our staff. All
matters dealing with arrival, distribution, information on
availability, follow up to ensure that delays are minimised
are included in this responsibility.
Copies of the software are distributed to academic departments by
way of the Faculty IT administrators and/or the lab managers ; and
to the administrative departments by way of the (MITS) LAN administrators.
As far as possible software is installed on the appropriate server
and distributed via the network.
A list is compiled of the persons receiving the software, the target
destination and the number of licenses allowed. They are required
to sign a document confirming the receival and acknowledging responsibility.
Maintenance and product upgrades:
Some of the software we purchase provide, at a cost, an optional
maintenance agreement. This usually grants us version updates
and sometimes support privileges. It may also allow us to
purchase the new or substantially upgraded product at a better
rate. Where we purchase maintenance agreements, where we purchase
non-perpetual licenses, where products change substantially,
where products offer new add-ons useful to our users we manage
the arrangements to suit the real need of the end user. We
involve the user by supplying information relevant to the
product and product changes.
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