Objective:
The objective of this policy is to establish guidelines and define a process for allocating personal computing technology resources to Greenville College employees and departments.

Introduction:
The personal computer has become an indispensable tool for carrying out the educational and administrative operation of the college.As computers age, they become more prone to failure and the support costs rise. Also, as time goes on, the hardware demands placed on the system by the software increases with each new application and each new release.Because of this, a personal computer needs to be upgraded or replaced on a periodic basis in order to maintain the productivity of the end user.

Frequency of Replacement:

Assuming that sufficient budget exists, computers should be replaced on a regular recurring basis. The following guidelines for replacement frequency have been established:

• Faculty should have their systems replaced every 3 years
• Other employees should have their computers replaced every 3 to 5 years depending on the technological need of their position.
• Academic departments will provide a place for adjunct or part time faculty desktop systems to be used.These systems should be replaced every 3 years.
• When we implement a mandatory laptop program for students, admission counselors should use the student laptop systems and should have them replaced every 2 years.
• Some employees who have legitimate need for higher computing power (using cutting edge technology to better fulfill their job responsibilities) may have their systems replaced on a 1 or 2 year basis.

Replacement Process:

Twice a year requests will be solicited for computer replacement; once in the fall and once in the spring (typically early November and early May.)Actual dates will be published on the Greenville College web site. Requests will be submitted to the IT Policy and Allocation Committee.The committee will evaluate the requests and rank them according to need and importance. The committee will then allocate new systems until the allocated budget has been exhausted. As much as possible, the committee will reallocate usable/supportable systems to meet current needs.Requests that are denied during one allocation cycle must be resubmitted in order to be considered for the next cycle.

If the allocated system is replacing an existing system, the replaced system will be picked-up when the new system is delivered.Departments & organizations will not be able to retain the old system for other use within their department.

System Architecture

Some employees and organizations find it important to use the Apple (Macintosh) platform instead of an Intel (PC) platform. This may be because of software availability or personal preference. Since Apple hardware (especially laptop hardware) is generally more expensive, the frequency of replacement of these systems may be less frequent and budget considerations may influence the approval of a PC request over a Macintosh request.