Policy Statement

Ramapo College is committed to maintaining a secure, cost-effective, and strategically aligned technology environment. All software, hardware, and supporting devices shall be acquired, used, reassigned, and disposed of in accordance with standardized institutional procedures to ensure compatibility, security, and proper fiscal management.

Reason for Policy

Establishes standardized procedures for the acquisition, use, reassignment, and disposal/elimination of software, hardware, and supporting devices at the College. It ensures that all technology resources are compatible, secure, cost-effective, and appropriately funded.

To Whom Does the Policy Apply

All faculty, staff, and administrative units requesting or using College-owned software, hardware, or supporting devices.

Contact:

• Information Technology Services (ITS)
• Instructional Design Center
• Office of Budget & Fiscal Planning
• Purchasing Department

Supplemental Resources

• Policy 604: Acceptable Use of Information and Technological Resources

I. Software Procurement and Management

All software acquisitions must be approved and managed by the Chief Information Officer (CIO) or their proxy using the centralized ITS Help Desk system. Unauthorized software purchases or unauthorized use by faculty or staff are strictly prohibited. Users will not be permitted to install unauthorized software on RCNJ devices.

A. Process

1. Submission

• Submit a Help Desk ticket using the appropriate request type. Requests must specify if the software is for academic or administrative use.

2. Approval

Submitting a request does not guarantee purchase or license. Software must be vetted by ITS for:

• Compatibility with College systems
• Security and integration considerations, including data handling
• Redundancy with existing licensed products
• Proof of budget availability by the requesting unit, which may be verified by the Budget Office

3. Funding

• Once approved, the requesting unit must request a funds transfer to ITS.
• The request must indicate whether the funding transfer is:
  • Permanent (multi-year use anticipated), or
  • One-time (limited to the current year)
• Funding must include all licensing and maintenance costs.

4. Special Funding Considerations

• The cost of academic software funded by course/student fees will remain in the unit’s budget in order to properly align revenue and expense.

5. Contracting

• Prior to engagement with vendors, units must consult with Purchasing for current contract guidelines, such as pursuing three-year vendor contracts instead of one-year or exploring current state contract vehicles (e.g. NASPO).
• ITS must be involved in vendor negotiations and contract review.
• Copies of fully executed contracts must be sent to the Controller for review against GASB96.

6. Integrations

• Units must disclose all system integrations related to the software.
• Units must include ITS in the discussions with vendor to ensure system integration with Banner (if integration with Banner is required).
• Responsibility for undisclosed systems lies with the requesting unit. If a new system is incompatible with Ramapo’s existing systems and therefore cannot be used as intended—for example, by integrating with other campus software—ITS will not provide support or develop custom solutions to enable compatibility.

7. Decommissioning

• Notify ITS upon retiring software.
• Potential return of unused funds from ITS to the requesting unit is subject to the Office of Budget & Fiscal Planning’s procedures.

B. Additional Considerations

1. Software Installation for Lab Computers

• All software installed on college devices must be properly licensed. Note that while some software may be offered at no cost to students for installation on personal devices, this does not necessarily mean that the same software is free for institutional use. Installation on college-owned computers, including lab environments, may require a separate license or carry associated costs. All proposed software installations must undergo a licensing review to determine eligibility, cost implications, and compliance with vendor agreements. Faculty and staff must submit software installation requests to the ITS Help Desk for evaluation prior to deployment. Approval will be based on the approval requirements (as outlined in this policy), licensing terms, institutional need, and budget considerations

2. Software Licensing and Installation

• All software purchased by the College is licensed to the institution and must be used in accordance with the terms of the applicable licensing agreements. Installation of college-licensed software on personal devices is prohibited unless explicitly permitted by the software’s licensing terms. Software licensed on a per-user basis (e.g., Microsoft Office, which allows installation on up to five devices per authorized user, depending on the subscription plan) may be installed on personal devices, provided such use complies with the licensing agreement. Software licensed per device or with other restrictions must not be installed on personal equipment unless prior written approval is obtained from ITS and only if the license explicitly allows such use. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with all software license terms including the End User License Agreement (EULA).

3. Software Requests for Instructional Delivery and Academic Purposes

• In coordination with the requesting faculty member, ITS and the Instructional Design Center (IDC) are responsible for reviewing instructional technologies. Requests for new technologies must be submitted to ITS via the procedure above for review prior to purchase. The College will ensure that the necessary, College-supported technology and equipment is identified and in place, appropriate training for faculty members is available, and faculty members have access to adequate technical support personnel for approved instructional technologies as shown on the IDC website.

II. Hardware Procurement and Management

All hardware purchases must be approved by ITS and requested through the Help Desk. Hardware is defined as any device that can be assigned an IP address. Hardware is College property regardless of the funding source and must be tracked and managed accordingly.

A. Process

1. Submission

• Submit a Help Desk ticket using the appropriate request type and indicating whether the request is for academic or administrative purposes.

2. Approval & Funding

• Submitting a request does not guarantee purchase.
• ITS will replace computers approximately every five years.
• Computers will be replaced with the current college standard. However, if an upgraded device is requested and approved by the core vice president, and the difference in cost is transferred to ITS, upgraded equipment can be purchased.
• Devices not eligible for upgrade can be requested and approved, however, the full amount needs to be transferred to ITS and the computer being replaced also goes to ITS.
• For secondary computers or Grant funded computers, ITS will purchase a computer with the supplied specifications, if approved by the core VP and budget. The full cost of the computer is transferred from the unit to ITS.
• All purchases remain under college ownership (and therefore the State), regardless of whether the funding came from the college or a grant and are subject to ITS governance.

3. Eligibility & Assignment

• A computer qualifies for replacement if:
  • its operating system is deprecated (i.e., no longer supported with security updates) (mandatory),
  • it is more than five years old (optional unless the operating system is deprecated),
  • it has unrepairable hardware (determination made by ITS),
  • it is a desktop or part of a set of multiple computers (assigned to a single user) to be exchanged for a single laptop (determination made in collaboration with ITS).
• Employees are entitled to one primary device (Windows-based Lenovo laptops only) with a docking station, stand-alone monitor, keyboard, and mouse. (Note, a user may elect not to receive a docking station.) Any previously issued laptops and desktops will need to be returned to ITS
• Requests for desktops will need to come from the VP of Operational & Administrative Integration based on another Core VP’s recommendation to meet a particular need.
• Hardware is assigned to individuals, not departments.

4. Reassignment & Returns

• Reassignments must be coordinated through ITS. When a college employee leaves the college, they must surrender their assigned computer(s) to ITS regardless of how or why they were purchased.
• Hardware should not be passed internally without ITS approval, reconfiguration, and security updates.
• Upon employee separation, all devices must be returned to ITS. If any employee, upon departure, leaves any of their devices with their supervisor, POER, or another employee, those devices must be returned to ITS.

5. Platform Eligibility

• Mac OS devices are only approved under special circumstances (e.g., instructional requirements).
• If a request is made for a computer that is different from the standard issued model, ITS will evaluate the request for security standards and supportability and will fund up to the cost of our standard issue laptop. The unit or department will have to fund the remaining portion of the cost. Approval will also need to be provided by the unit’s core Vice President (VP).

6. Computer Labs

• Lab hardware requests follow the same Help Desk request process.

7. Replacement Guidelines

• Replacements due to damage/misuse will be fulfilled with used equipment.
• Renewals may not result in the same class of computer as the original.

B. Additional Considerations

1. Distribution of Faculty Hardware

• The College provides equipment such as laptops to full-time faculty to support portability and flexibility in their work and allow for successful instruction. Requests for additional equipment by faculty members, including adjuncts, will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. All inquiries regarding hardware or college-supported software, including licensing, must be submitted to the ITS Help Desk. Software requests are subject to an approval process involving ITS and the Office of the Provost. Approval is not guaranteed and is based on institutional needs, resource availability, and compatibility with existing systems.

2. Disposition of College-Owned Hardware

• All computing equipment purchased by the College, including computers purchased by grants, remains the property of the institution and may not be sold, transferred, or otherwise disposed of to individuals, including current or former employees or students. Requests to purchase College-owned computers—whether at the time of device retirement (end of life) or upon separation from the College—will not be granted. All such equipment must be returned to ITS for appropriate decommissioning, repurposing, or disposal in accordance with NJ State regulations related to the disposition of state-owned property, institutional asset management policies, and data security policies.

III. Supporting Devices

Supporting devices such as network infrastructure (e.g., switches, routers, firewalls) must be procured and implemented by ITS.

A. Process

1. Submission

• Use the Help Desk system to submit requests for changes to networking.

2. Approval

• All devices must be vetted and approved by ITS for compatibility, necessity, and alignment with infrastructure standards.

3. Funding & Ownership

• Approved networking changes may be funded by supporting units’ budgets; however, all such devices are implemented and managed by ITS. All devices remain College property. These funding rules apply regardless of whether the funding comes from the College or a grant.
• Devices must be installed, configured, and tracked by ITS.

B. Additional Considerations

Grant-Funded Devices Policy

• All devices purchased using grant funds are considered the property of Ramapo College (unless otherwise noted by the grant) and are subject to all applicable institutional IT policies and security requirements. This includes, but is not limited to, the mandatory use of multi-factor authentication (e.g., Duo) and the installation and maintenance of college-approved antivirus software. Grant-funded devices must be managed and secured in the same manner as all other College-owned technology assets.

IV. Implementation, Integration, and Administrative Responsibility

A. Implementation and Integration Support

ITS will support the implementation and integration of any approved software, hardware, or supporting device. This includes coordinating vendor activities, configuring integrations with college systems, and ensuring initial deployment is secure and functional.

B. Functional and Security Administration

• Each software system must have an assigned functional administrator, typically a staff or faculty member within the requesting unit. This individual is responsible for:
  • Managing the system’s operational usage.
  • Serving as the liaison between the vendor and ITS.
  • Coordinating and delivering training to the campus community.
  • Handling day-to-day maintenance and updates (excluding ITS-managed code or integrations).
  • Notifying ITS of any security or important changes to the software.
  • Liaising with internal audit for audit purposes.
• ITS will assign a security administrator (typically a programmer or systems analyst) who will:
  • Manage system security, including user authentication and access permissions.
  • Collaborate with the functional administrator on technical, implementation, and integration requirements.

C. User Access and Security Management

• ITS will manage user permissions within the system based on the roles and needs identified by the functional administrator.
• The functional administrator is responsible for:
  • Notifying the security administrator of all user role changes, additions, or deletions.
  • Ensuring timely updates to access control to maintain system integrity.
  • Maintaining records of user access decisions and justifications.

D. Enforcement

Failure to comply with this policy may result in denial of support, removal of unauthorized technology, and/or disciplinary action in accordance with college policies.