There is a dedicated hardware request form in the portal:

https://camjira.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/1/group/27/create/9

The outline process would normally be as follows:

1. Obtain approval from your Principal Investigator.

2. Obtain a quote from IT Services.

3. Purchase the computer, either through IT Services or the Purchasing Team.

4. IT Services may undertake the configuration of the computer.

1. Obtain approval

   1. You obtain approval in principle for a purchase from your Principal Investigator (PI), who provides you with a likely budget.

      1. Your PI may need to check on the availability and applicability of funds with the grants team (for grants) or the finance administrators (for GL Codes).

   2. You decide on the specification you require within this budget. If you are not sure you can discuss your needs with IT Services.

      1. You should note that the University has various purchasing rules in place depending on the amounts involved, approved suppliers, and certain agreements within these supplier arrangements.

         1. Desktop PCs would normally be from Dell.

      2. This means that while you can go to a public website (such as Dell) to find a specification and price, this will likely differ from what can be purchased within the University’s frameworks.

      3. We are often asked about particular brands of laptops, but generally laptops would either be from:

         1. Dell

         2. Microsoft (Surface)

         3. Apple

2. Obtain a quote

   1. Either you, or the Purchasing Team (if they have already received this request) will contact IT Services to obtain a quote based on your preferred specification.

   2. IT Services may advise you on issues such as availability and technical suitability.

      1. For Windows PCs, we currently recommend a minimum of:

         1. Core i5 or equivalent CPU

         2. 16GB RAM

         3. 512GB SSD (usually NVMe)

   3. Desktop computers will normally be supplied with a keyboard and mouse.

3. Purchasing the computer

   1. If the fund source is a GL code, IT Services can order computers directly. Otherwise, for example purchasing from a grant code, IT Services will forward the quote to Purchasing.

   2. Once the Purchasing Team has a quote from IT Services, they should be able to proceed with a purchase.

   3. On some occasions, you may be advised of stock availability issues/expected delivery delays at the point of ordering, and may wish to consider an alternate purchase.

   4. Computers and related items will be delivered to IT Services in line with the Departmental policy. This ensures that they are configured to meet the University’s mandatory cyber security policies, they are successfully connected to the University network and are added to the inventory for future support requirements.

4. Configuration

   1. Devices (desktops, laptops and servers running any operating system) typically require further configuration. This can involve:

      1. Replacing any Windows operating system on the device with a University-licensed version.

      2. Installing Microsoft Office and other standard Windows software generally used within the Cavendish.

      3. Configuring the security features which are mandatory under Department and University policies.

   2. If you are connecting your computer (typically a desktop) to the wired network (Ethernet), it will need to be authorised. We will need your new computer’s MAC address to do this. If it is a Windows PC, we can do this as part of the initial configuration.

Further information on University and Department IT Polices can be found here: LINK