OIT Public Knowledge - Software Application Support Policy for the OIT Managed Desktop Service

This document is intended for customers of OIT Desktop Services and provides details on the conference room support services provided to those customers. This document is not intended as a "How to", but to provide information to customers regarding policies & requirements of the support process.

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Supported

In-Scope: Departments and devices are supported by OIT_DESKTOP_SUPPORT with a Service Agreement in place.

Out of Scope: Colleges, departments and devices that are not supported by OIT_DESKTOP_SUPPORT*

*The university as a whole may be subject to some policies linked below, but may not have a contract for support from OIT or follow the same practices to meet these guidelines.

The OIT Managed Desktop Service will endeavor to solve application problems whenever possible. Given the tremendous number of applications on the market, the scope of support for software is as follows:

Applications must have approved/conditional Clickwrap agreements listed on the NCSU Software Licensing Management website.
As long as solutions are readily available, support staff will resolve software installation and functional problems up to the point of confirmed application launch.
Applications must be licensed properly and still supported by the vendors who develop them.
We will assist with troubleshooting software that is not launching or functioning properly.
We will undertake initial investigation to determine if the issue is system- or network-related.
We do not offer tutorials or training in the use of applications, but may direct users to application help systems, Knowledge Base articles, and other online resources.
Problems with certain business systems or specialized software may be referred to your departmental specialist resources for those systems or software.
Advanced configuration and support may require custom service level agreements for support and hosting.
OIT will package and update applications for automated deployment for installations on 5+ machines.
Supported units should not disable or uninstall any workstation management software deployed and required by OIT (e.g., antivirus, application and patch deployment clients).

Supported Applications

Supported applications are those included in our base image and deployed automatically to our managed computers. For each Workstation, OIT will provide and manage licenses and services for the following components, including:

Current OIT supported Windows
Current Mac operating system & previous 2 revisions
Microsoft365 Office Suite
WolfTech Active Directory membership
Chrome
Firefox
Workstation management agents such as SCCM, Spirion, Alertus, etc.
Cisco Anyconnect
Zoom

Additional Applications

If a User needs an additional application, the Unit will need to request it via the NC State Help Desk. In accordance with licensing restrictions and availability from the OIT software library, OIT will add the User’s Workstation to the proper software distribution group in Active Directory and the Workstation Management Tools. The application will then be installed automatically and should require no User intervention.

Licensing

Non-standard software should be properly licensed. Supported Units may be asked for installation media/keys and documentation. MDS staff, or LANTechs as available, will install and upgrade software in response to customer requests, changes to campus standards, security requirements, or to resolve problems. Software may be installed with remote tools. Applications must have approved/conditional Clickwrap agreements listed on the NCSU Software Licensing Management website.

Email Client Support

NCSU is a Google campus and the supported and recommended method of accessing and using email is through the native Gmail web interface using the Chrome browser. Google purposefully enhances certain features and functions of Gmail in the Chrome browser. The OIT Managed Desktop Service does not provide application or configuration support for any local email client such as Thunderbird or Outlook. OIT may provide vendor- or user-created documentation to customers for troubleshooting and resolution of simple problems.

Software Inventory

A software agent will be installed on each Workstation in order to:

Use remote and automated management technology effectively.
Allow an inventory of the Workstation so that reports can be generated and reviewed as necessary.

Patching of Managed Endpoints and OIT-provided Applications

OIT will deploy standard operating system updates and application patches to each Workstation in the Unit on a regular schedule. Occasionally, OIT will deliver emergency patches to remediate high-risk vulnerabilities that could allow intruders to hijack or abuse the Workstations. In these cases, OIT will deploy emergency patches with as much prior notice as is possible.

Patching of Unit-specific applications

If such patching is possible with OIT’s tools, the Unit may negotiate this separately with OIT.
Evaluating and testing of Unit-owned software, including applications developed by third parties, software purchased from a vendor, or systems developed by the Unit.

Please reference the OIT Managed Desktop Service Service Level Agreement (SLA) for additional details on our Service.

Escalation

All additional information or questions can be directed to the Team leads or Manager of the OIT_DESKTOP_SUPPORT assignment group. Please submit a ticket through the NCSU Help Desk.

Software Application Support Policy for the OIT Managed Desktop Service

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