Provision of Computer and IT Services

Introduction
Provision of Support
Defensive Computing
In case of difficulties
Provision of Hardware
Disposal, Renewal and Recycling of Equipment

Introduction

Clare's computing facility is provided by the IT Department and paid for by the College who provide hardware, software and technical support for the College community. The purpose of this document is to set out the basis on which these services are supplied and rationed, for the benefit of the computer users in the College and IT Staff.

Provision of Support

The demands on the IT Support staff's time can at times exceed availability. Certain requests may not, therefore, be fulfilled straightaway - and may indeed be more appropriately provided by other means.

The approximate priorities of the IT Department are as follows:

Network infrastructure, i.e. main switches, routers, servers, and connection between College sites
Student public terminals and printers
College Departments, with critical functions taking priority - e.g. the Tutorial Office during key admissions periods or the Conference Office during the conference season
Individual Fellows
Individual students having problems with their computers or room connections

Users who do need the assistance of IT Support staff are asked to send an email to itsupport@clare.cam.ac.uk stating the problem and where they can be contacted. Alternatively, problems can be reported in person at the IT Office or online using our Problem Reporting Form.

Individuals and groups with complex problems who lie towards the bottom of this list must be prepared to wait for an appointment with a member of the IT Staff, and must also be prepared for their appointment to be rescheduled if a more urgent problem arises in the meantime.

Users are reminded that other sources of help exist apart from the IT Department. The University Computing Service provides training and hardware repair services and there is also a group of Student Computer Officers, contactable by email on sco@clare.cam.ac.uk, who can help with a variety of problems.

The IT Department undertake to:

Respond promptly and individually to all requests for assistance, either reporting if they believe the problem has been resolved, or suggesting a time when they can investigate further

Deal with simple requests (e.g. for a room connection) as quickly as possible

Attend all arranged appointments, unless a genuinely urgent problem intervenes - in which case they will give as much advance warning as possible of the need to change the appointment, and suggest a new time

In the case of a difficult or specialist problem, give advice as to where alternative assistance can be sought

Defensive Computing

All computer users in the College should remember that some eventualities are completely beyond the control of the IT Department. Hard disks, public terminals and printers can fail suddenly, but cannot be repaired or replaced instantaneously; the links between the different sites of the College are the responsibility of third parties.

Always:

Make regular backups of your work in an appropriate location (Network server, PWF home space, USB stick, CD-RW, DVD-RW)

Keep your own local backup copies of mission-critical data

Build an adequate 'safety margin' into any deadline you are working to

Avoid being dependent on a link between the computer where you are working and the server you are using.
If the link between Memorial Court and the Colony fails on a Friday evening, it is very unlikely to be restored before the following Monday.

In case of difficulty

The IT Manger and Computing Coordinator exist to resolve problems with computing in the College, and welcomes queries and comments regarding this Code of Practice from any computer user in Clare. Otherwise, points can be raised via the Student Computer Reps who attend meetings of the Academic Computer Committee - or via Heads of Departments, who also have regular meetings with the IT Manager.

Provision of Hardware

The Academic Computer Committee controls a budget, negotiated annually with the Finance Committee, to cover the provision and maintenance of:

Hardware for connecting all computers in the College to the College network and CUDN (wall sockets, cables, switches, routers, firewall, etc.);

Communal facilities provided for all students (computers in Old Court, Memorial Court and the Colony, printers, scanners, email terminals, etc.);

File servers and the College web server;

Ethernet cables lent to students with room connections;

Equipment for the IT Staff

All other computing equipment is paid for by other means:

College Departments negotiate their requirements directly with the Bursar;

MCR computers are purchased through the MCR budget;

Fellows may receive assistance towards the purchase of computers according to the scheme approved from time to time by the Finance Committee.

It is, however, a requirement that the IT Department is consulted before any College money is spent on computing hardware. This is to ensure compatibility within the College, especially when the purchase will result in consumables (e.g. printer cartridges) being ordered by the College.

Disposal, Renewal and Recycling of Equipment

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive

The WEEE Directive seeks to reduce the impact of waste equipment by encouraging those who manufacture, use and dispose of equipment to achieve this in the best possible manner. It shifts the responsibility firmly onto those who benefit from its manufacture in what ever way.

The WEEE Directive aims to:

Reduce waste arising from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE)
Make producers of EEE responsible for the environmental impact of their products, especially when they become waste
Encourage separate collection and subsequent treatment, reuse, recovery, recycling and sound environmental disposal of EEE
Improve the environmental performance of all those involved during the lifecycle of EEE

WEEE compliance is now necessary for applicable products being sold within the EU. There are responsibilities for WEEE compliance on users, producers and distributors. The responsibilities for as Users of WEEE is summarised below:

If electrical and electronic equipment is used it is necessary to store, collect, treat, recycle and dispose of WEEE separately from other waste. It is necessary to also obtain and keep proof that WEEE was given to a waste management company, and was treated and disposed of in an environmentally sound way.

Communal EE Equipment

The IT Department is responsible for the disposal of all equipment from communal areas. When machines are no longer useable in these areas, they are redeployed to other areas or are kept as loan machines for students to borrow. Any student wishing to borrow such a machine should email the IT Department.

Student EE Equipment

The IT Department prefers that students take responsibilty for the safe disposal of their own electrical and electronic equipment. Disposal can be arranged at a cost of £3.95 + VAT per individual item.

Departmental EE Equipment

The life expectancy of a departmental computer depends on the applications for which it is being used. If a computer is unable to run new software, or a hardware fault cannot be fixed economically, then an upgrade will be considered.

All surplus departmental printers and computers must be returned to the IT Department for disposal or re-deployment, and also to ensure that all sensitive material and College-licensed software has been removed. These equipment can then be offered to other departments.

Disposal: End of Life EE Equipment

The IT Department endeavours to re-use or recycle as much of its computer equipment as it is economically practicable. The IT Department pays for EEE to be disposed of by the University's approved contractor. The equipment or its component parts are then either re-marketed, recycled, or disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.