Equipment Usage

Equipment

iTech selects the computers and printers for all labs based on the current technology available. Rules governing the equipment are:

Lab Computers are either Macintoshes or Windows-based machines. A few labs have a combination of both.

Each lab has its own production-quality laser printer.
iTech determines whether or not a server is required for basic student lab use. iTech will not purchase servers that are intended for special departmental use.

iTech will not support equipment specific to gaming or any recreational audio/visual activities.
At the request of a department or college, iTech may install specialty hardware (e.g., scanners, plotters, etc.) in full access labs. iTech will not purchase any specialty equipment. All requests are subject to iTech's approval.

Software
iTech selects software based on the current needs of the University community. Software available for use includes the following:

Operating Systems (e.g., Mac OS, Windows 98, etc.) are based on the type of computers available in the lab; Internet access software, including Telnet, FTP, and web browsers such as Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer; Software packages, including Microsoft Office, Statistical software (currently SPSS 13.0), if appropriate for the lab in question.

At the request of a department or college, iTech may install specialty software in full access labs. iTech will neither purchase any specialty software nor provide technical support for it. All requests are subject to iTech's approval.

American Disabilities Act
One of the primary goals of iTech is to provide equal computer access to each and every student attending the University, regardless of any physical impairment he or she may have. All wheelchair accessible desktop machines will have voice recognition software. For users with hearing or sight impairments, Cook Library 105A lab will have specialized equipment and software.

Hardware and Software Standards
iTech is working to establish campus-wide standards for hardware and software. Once in place, these standards will help to make technical support more efficient and to improve the overall use of the University of Southern Mississippi computing resources.