UTSA information technology office streamlines computer purchasing

By Alex Morones
Technical Writer and Editor, Office of Information Technology

(Sept. 10, 2010)--The UTSA Office of Information Technology has streamlined the office computer ordering process, ultimately saving UTSA departments time and money.

Last spring, OIT staff members met with campus information technology associates and other interested staff members to create a concise standard list of computers to meet UTSA faculty and staff members' needs. The group decided on a selection of computers with Windows and Mac operating systems that will satisfy computing requirements of most campus users.

OIT staff members then met with vendors to decide on the computer model specifications and features and to negotiate pricing. The vendor quotes, along with detailed information on the computers, are available on the UTSA Recommended Computer Configurations website.

"Buying a new computer or replacing your existing one can be burdensome," said Ken Pierce, UTSA associate vice provost for information technology. "Our aim was to significantly reduce that effort by providing faculty and staff with a process that gets a functioning system on their desk in the least amount of time and at the best price."

The computer ordering process is simple. Visit the UTSA Recommended Computer Configurations website, research the options and select your computer. Then, print out the PDF quote and present it to your department's administrative associate, who can order the computer.

There are definite advantages to using the website and the predetermined quotes:

• Pricing has been pre-negotiated with vendors to ensure the best pricing.
• Windows PCs will arrive loaded with standard UTSA software -- no need to take your computer to OIT Support Services for setup.
• Personal computers will be delivered with a UTSA inventory tag.
• Computers will come with standard university applications -- nothing more to purchase or install.
• Mac and Windows computers will be available.
• There will be three levels of computers available: general, intermediate and high performance.
• Desktops, laptops, netbooks and thin clients (lab PCs) are included.
• Faculty and staff members who require specialized computers will be provided with a link to the vendors' ordering websites.

"Although using the website and quotes is not mandatory, we believe that it will result in an overall saving of time and money, while making the process simpler and more convenient," said project manager Jerry Smith.

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The Standard Computer Configurations project is part of OIT Summer Splash -- 11 projects that are changing the face of information technology at UTSA.