Staff IT Purchasing and Entitlement Guide

The University executive leadership team (ELT) has made a clear strategic decision that IT Services are accountable for the selection, purchasing, management and replacement of all staff personal computing devices and mobile telephony. In accordance with procurement regulations, LJMU have selected suppliers from whom all staff IT equipment is sourced. All IT equipment and software purchases must be approved by IT Services.

We have clear instructions from ELT that all staff (for whom the use of a computer is essential to the fulfilment of their role) should be provided with a laptop device that is suitable for their work at LJMU, and that all staff will have one device as a starting principle. The device will be purchased from central funds and will be managed and fully supported by IT Services, who will replace it on a schedule – you should not need to request a new device. Your old device will be removed for recycling through the University’s official channels in order to comply with waste management legislation.

The default provision for staff is now a fully-managed, ‘LJMU Anywhere’, Windows laptop with a set of standard accessories to facilitate hybrid working.

Please note:
Only one set of accessories will be provided. Staff wishing to work at home will be expected to equip their own workspace.

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What kind of IT equipment can I be issued with?

How do new staff get a laptop?

Can I continue using my old computer?

Can I give my old computer away?

Classified Equipment List

Entitlement to University supplied IT and Telephony equipment is defined below – please also see the numbered guidance notes that follow.

Permanent Staff, full-time

Personal Computing: One Managed Windows laptop
Fixed Telephony: Mitel desktop handset if needed
Mobile Telephony: Basic Android or Apple handset and associated contract if needed.
Accessories: One full set of accessories per laptop.

Permanent Staff, part-time

Personal Computing: One Managed Windows laptop
Fixed Telephony: Mitel desktop handset if needed
Mobile Telephony: Basic Android or Apple handset and associated contract if needed.
Accessories: One full set of accessories per laptop.

Short Term Temporary Staff (less than 12 months)

Personal Computing: Loan Windows laptop via ITS for duration of contract
Fixed Telephony: Mitel desktop handset if needed
Mobile Telephony: No
Accessories: Audio headset if needed

Sessional Staff

Personal Computing: Access to Managed Desktop PC in open access shared space such as LJMU libraries
Fixed Telephony: No
Mobile Telephony: No
Accessories: No

Postgraduate Research Student (PGR)

Personal Computing: Access to Managed Desktop PC in shared dedicated PGR spaces.
Fixed Telephony: No
Mobile Telephony: No
Accessories: No

Supplementary, none-standard and specialist IT equipment

Subject to approved business need, funded from local budgets or research grants, and only after technical and security validation. Support will only be offered on equipment with the standard LJMU managed Windows or Mac client configuration.

Wi-Fi

University managed Windows laptops connect to a dedicated Wi-Fi network when on campus. All members of LJMU with a current, valid IT account may access Eduroam for free Wi-Fi access on other devices. Review the Free Wi-Fi page on the University IT Help web pages for more information.

Notes regarding entitlement

  1. Equipment will be supplied only to staff for whom an individually allocated personal computer is essential to their role. Permanent also includes staff on fixed contracts of 12 months or greater.
  2. Anything additional to be purchased from the student's research grant. Support will only be provided on ITS-managed devices.
  3. Subject to validated business need, where the role or teaching responsibilities dictate it, a MacBook may be provided as an alternative to a Windows device.
  4. Current standard items are:
    Laptop: Dell model 5430, 14” inch screen, with Intel i5-1245U processor, 16GB RAM and 512GB NVME drive (1.2Kg).
    Phone: A recent model iPhone or Android handset – the user can choose the option they are more comfortable or familiar with. There will be no choice of handset colour. Manufacturer’s standard-sized handset is usually provided but a large format option can be requested subject to user needs and stock availability.
  5. Full set of accessories includes monitors, laptop bag, laptop docking hub, wireless mouse and keyboard, audio headset. One or two widescreen monitors will be provided as needed for the role, for office use only. Staff wishing to use separate monitors for working at home must purchase their own. Monitors have a longer lifetime than laptops and will only be replaced if they are no longer viable.
  6. Loans for temporary staff to be requested by the line manager of the temporary staff member. Equipment will be loaned to the manager with an expiry date of the end of the temporary contract. (Select IT Purchasing from the menu at LJMU HelpMe).
  7. Search ‘Mobile’ in the service catalogue section of the IT Help portal for help with requesting mobile telephony. Mobile telephony costs are charged to departmental budgets and all requests must be approved by a member of the University Executive Leadership Team (ELT).
  8. The provision of mobile telephony to students on specific programmes will be managed separately at faculty level, though all handsets and contracts provided for such purposes must be sourced through IT Services
  9. No device will be granted access to the University network if it poses a material security threat.
  10. All sessional staff are considered to be self-employed and therefore expected to provide their own IT kit, from which they can securely (with multifactor authentication (MFA)) access key LJMU systems via prescribed interfaces.
  11. New telephone handsets will only be provided where there is no alternative and the role cannot be performed without one. Where a handset is required and is not already in place, wherever possible, one should be reallocated from a desk where it is no longer needed.
  12. Where supplementary, none-standard or specialist IT equipment is required, you will need to complete the requisition form in the IT Self-service Help Portal – go to the IT Purchasing menu. Read the instructions carefully, then click on the IT Requisition tile and complete the form.

Software

Is it already available?

Before you consider a purchase, check in the AppPlayer and Software Centre (accessed via the Start Menu on any LJMU PC) – the software you want may already be available to use or install.

Software Purchasing and Installation

For software that LJMU does not already have, there are many special agreements in place for software purchasing in higher education, and the IT Procurement Officer will be happy to advise you.

If you want the software to be available through LJMU AppPlayer you will need to request its installation via our self-service portal (search 'Software' in our Service Catalogue). Some software is not suitable for use in this way, so we cannot guarantee a successful installation. See Subject and Local Software in our IT Service Catalogue for more information, including minimum notice periods. You must not buy new software without first checking with IT Services that it can be used in the way you intend and on the hardware that will be available to you. When considering a software purchase, we strongly recommend that you discuss it with a member of our team first - Request Purchasing Advice.

Once you have confirmed suitability, our procurement team will direct you to our software request form.