Warrington Faculty/Staff Computer Purchase Policy

Faculty and staff should consult with ITSP technical staff prior to purchasing new equipment and unless equivalent functions are not available a standardized platform (Dell or Apple) should be utilized. If one’s needs cannot be met by Dell or Apple and an alternate brand is truly the best alternative, ITSP staff will assist in obtaining the best price and do its best to maintain the system.

The College is committed to providing the best possible support to faculty and staff. A standardized platform maximizes the quality of support received from ITSP. Additional costs and/or staff effort to maintain non-standard platform systems over their lifespan is inappropriate when a standardized Dell or Apple enterprise system could have been used. Faculty and staff often purchase “home computers” from consumer-oriented websites or catalogs instead of enterprise systems. All Windows vendors, including Dell, have both personal and enterprise lines of systems. The personal systems typically have lower grade parts, shorter warranties, and inconsistent configurations over time. These are harder for the ITSP team to service (even Dell) due to lack of enterprise grade support websites, parts programs, etc. The College also receives substantially better pricing on Dell enterprise systems than on any alternative (including Dell personal systems).