North Lake College
Information Systems
Policies and Procedures

Table of content

Mission Statement

The mission of the North Lake College Information Systems department is to provide our computer users with consistent and excellent support and computing resources. These services will help to provide the best technical resources available to our students. back to top

Service Requests Prioritization and Protocol

Prioritization

Prioritization of a service request is assigned according to the following guidelines:

Emergencies - An emergency service is required when service is needed to enable the resumption of learning or general operations by the entire campus or by critical workgroups of the campus. Examples of an emergency would include: problems with a server or backbone that deny the campus network access; problems that prevent the functioning of critical physical plant systems; problems that prevent the processing of receivables or payables, payroll or benefits; registering of students or that deny the use of an entire lab. An emergency will result in cessation of all other work by one or more of the Information Systems staff to assist in addressing the problem. The IS/LAN Manager, Dean of Instruction and Student Support Services, any Vice-President or the President may declare an emergency service.

Crucial - A crucial service is required when resolution is needed to enable the resumption of learning or general operations. Crucial services presume that another computer with the software required to perform the work is unavailable. Crucial services cover catastrophic software and/or hardware failures.

General - A general service is required when resolution will not cause the cessation of learning or general operations. Software/hardware upgrades, equipment movement, file management tasks are examples of services, which fall under this category. back to top

Mitigating Factors

A number of mitigating factors may apply that result in a higher priority being assigned a service request. These could include specific deadlines assigned by the supervisor or organization, unavailability of equivalent software on another computer or inadequate number of working computers in a specific lab. back to top

Protocol

Hours of Operation
Monday through Thursday - 8:30am - 10pm
Friday - 8:30am - 5:00pm
Saturday - 8:00am - 4:30pm

Information Systems staff only support district owned hardware and software. No personally owned hardware or software will be installed by the IS staff.

The following protocol is used for requesting computer services:
All service requests should be reported via email to 7pchelp or by calling the service telephone extension 3339. The initial response will be by the first available and appropriate technician. This may include a student involved in the Student Technical Training Program. Service requests for remote campus locations should be reported in the same manner. These requests will be prioritized using the same guidelines as above mentioned.

Instructional computer labs are equipped with red telephones that automatically dial the service telephone extension 3339. Instructors may pick up the phone at any time and receive computer technical service immediately if a technician is present. If no technician is present to accept the call, the instructor may leave a voicemail and the first available technician will respond to the call.

For an emergency service request the Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology is telephoned. If the dean is not available, the Administrative Assistant of Information Systems is contacted. The assistant will then page the dean for immediate response. If the dean is unable to correct the problem, the appropriate personnel will be contacted. Areas of responsibility outside the campus control include operations such as Colleague, district web services, library services, Mainsaver, GroupWise and WAN connectivity. Should emergency services in these areas occur, the dean or director will page the appropriate personnel at the District Service Center. The pager numbers of all District Service Center technical support staff are located on the DCCCD Intranet and posted in the PCHelp office area. All North Lake Information Systems staff have access to this information.

For emergency service requests after 5pm, Monday through Friday and on weekends, the on duty IS staff will contact the Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology either by pager or by calling her home telephone. If the dean is unable to be reached, the staff will contact either of the Network/System Support Specialists via pager and or telephone. back to top

Network Management and Maintenance

Account Management

Section 9d of the District Computer Use Policy governs the conditions surrounding the use of network accounts. The District Computer Use Policy can be found in the Appendix of this document and at web address http://www.tasb.org/cgi-pol/do-
policy-frame-verity.perl?orgno=057501&policy=CR(L)-X-
057501.html

All campus employees will receive a copy of the District Computer Use Policy. There will be opportunities provided to each new employee for clarification and explanation. The Employee Orientation will provide one such opportunity. A discussion will be led by the Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology concerning the employees' responsibilities when using technical resources provided by the district. Access to campus computer resources may be restricted until such discussions take place.

Though the District Computer Use Policy allows for the sharing of network accounts and passwords, the user is ultimately responsible for acts committed by others given access to that account. In cases where the access is unauthorized by the user (i.e.-stolen accounts and passwords), the user is relieved of the responsibility.

Network administrative accounts are used for the maintenance of servers, network account information, classrooms and workstations. Their use is permitted only by authorized Information Systems staff.

User network accounts are used by employees for the performance of their job duties. User accounts are created and maintained by the Network/Systems Support Specialists. User accounts are created and assigned upon completion of the Request for Network Account form. These forms are available in the Information Systems Department. back to top

Services

Novell NetWare LAN access is provided in order to share programs, data and printers on the campus file servers by administrators, faculty, staff and students. The campus President, Vice-President, Deans or equivalent administrators may authorize LAN access for employees. All employees receive personal LAN accounts. Students use generic LAN accounts in the education labs. Students enrolled in computer related courses may receive personal LAN accounts which provide access to a specific server and folder. Those accounts are maintained by the instructor of the course. Users are required to change their passwords every 90 days. Failure to do so will result in the locking of their account. Previously used passwords are not permitted. Requests to reset forgotten passwords must be made to the Information Systems department by calling the technical support telephone extension 3339 or one of the Network/Systems Support Specialists.

GroupWise email is provided to administrators, faculty and staff. . The campus President, Vice-President, Deans or equivalent administrators may authorize email access for employees. All employees receive personal GroupWise email accounts. Users are not required to change their GroupWise passwords, but may do so at any time. Previously used passwords are permitted and may be any length. Requests to reset forgotten passwords must be made to the Information Systems department by calling the technical support telephone extension 3339 or one of the Network/Systems Support Specialists.

WebMail email is provided to all students. All currently enrolled students receive a personal WebMail account upon request. Students are not required to change their passwords, but may do so at any time. Previously used passwords are permitted. Requests to reset forgotten passwords must be made to the Campus Student Email Administrator.

World Wide Web, Internet access is provided on every computer on campus. Passwords are not required for this service. Those required by any external services are the responsibility of the user.

Blackboard, internet-based Distance Learning System, is provided to allow instructors to develop and students to access internet-based educational content for both Distance Learning and traditional classes. Users are not required to change their passwords, but may do so at any time. Previously used passwords may be used. Requests to reset forgotten passwords must be made to the Blackboard technical support at the LeCroy Center for Telecommunications.

Colleague allows administrators, faculty and staff access to the District's human resource, financial and student records. The appropriate authorizing administrator and IS/LAN Manager must approve access requests for employees (i.e. Human Resources Director will approve access to HR records, Dean of Business Affairs will approve access to financial records, Registrar will approve access to student records). Users are required to change their passwords every 90 days. Failure to do so will result in the locking of their account. Passwords must be at least 5 letters in length and must include at least one number. Requests to reset forgotten passwords must be made to the District Help Desk.

Mainsaver allows access to information necessary for the maintenance of the Physical Plant of the college. The Director of Facility Services and the IS/LAN Manager must approve all access requests. Users are assigned passwords that may only be changed by the administrators of the service.

Sched25 allows access to scheduling information of rooms and other resources of the college. The campus IS/LAN Manager must approval all access requests. Users are assigned passwords that may only be changed by the administrators of the service. back to top

Maintenance Activities

It is the responsibility of the hiring supervisor to determine which network services and levels of access a new employee needs for job performance. Required training should be immediately scheduled. Once all necessary approval has been received the Network/Systems Support Specialist will create the account and assign the required rights to both personal and workgroup storage space on the server.

Transferring employees may request the transfer of critical files between campus servers. They must complete the above process prior to receiving access to the NLC network. Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology will arrange with the District Network Administrator and previous campus network administrator for the transfer of files from the previous campus server.

It is the responsibility of the supervisor to notify the Information Systems Department of the impending departure of an employee. The campus Director of Human Resources will confirm the employee's date of departure. Once confirmation has been received, the personal network account and all user files will be deleted from the campus server. back to top

Printing Management

All departments of the campus will have access to a networked printer. It is the responsibility of the administrator of the department to notify the Information Systems Department of the need for additional networked printers and the network services from which the queue will print. Print queues are maintained by the Network/Systems Support Specialists. All Colleague print queues require additional setup by the District Service Center. The IS/LAN Manager will coordinate the additional setup procedures. back to top

Storage Space Management

Users are provide a folder on the server, mapped to drive letter U for the storage of personal, work-related data they wish backed up nightly. The users are initially provided 10mb of space for storage. Requests for additional space may be granted after review by the user's supervisor and the approval of the IS/LAN Manger. Users are expected to delete any files that are of no further use for job duties. Users are not permitted to store executable files in this space without approval from the IS/LAN Manager.

Workgroups may be provided a folder on the server, mapped to the drive letter P for the storage of workgroup, work-related data they wish backed up nightly. Restriction of size will only occur when server space is in the critically low range. Supervisors are expected to delete data files no longer needed for workgroup job performance. Workgroups are not permitted to store executable files in this space unless arrangements have been made with the IS/LAN Manager.

Instructors are provided a folder on the educational server for the storage of instructional materials they wish accessible by their students working in the educational labs. Restriction of size will only occur when server space is in the critically low range. Instructors are expected to delete data files no longer needed for instruction. No executable files are permitted to be stored in this space without approval from the IS/LAN Manager. back to top

Server Management

Servers belonging to North Lake College may only be administered and operated by authorized campus and District Computer Services staff.

It is the responsibility of the Network/Systems Support Specialist to purge deleted files from the serve at least once a month. If a file previously purged is required, the Support Specialist will make arrangements for a backup of the file to be restored by the District Service Center.

It is the responsibility of the Network/Systems Support Specialists to backup all educational servers in a timely and accurate manner. The educational servers should be backed up on the 12th class day of each semester. This date is chosen to ensure the installation of any new software on the server is backed up. back to top

Audit Security and Licensing

Network administrative accounts will be audited on a constant basis to ensure their security and proper use. Network administrative accounts are for the sole use of Information Systems staff authorized by the IS/LAN Manager for the purpose of administering the network servers, user accounts and network printers.

Maintenance accounts will be audited once a semester to ensure their security and proper use.

User accounts will be audited annually to ensure their security and proper use.

Workstations will be audited twice a week for software installations. Annual reports will be provided to supervisors, Deans (and equivalents) of the workstations under their supervision. Annual campus-wide reports will be provided to the Vice-Presidents, the President and any requesting District-level entities. Non-scheduled security and licensing audits may be conducted by direction of the President, Vice-Presidents or Dean of Instruction and Student Support Services. back to top

Installation and Maintenance of Server Software

Installation of software on the servers may not be performed without the knowledge and approval of the Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology. Installation of software may only be made by Information Systems employees with administrative access or by authorized District Computer Services personnel. Installations made by Information Systems employees must be followed up with an email to the Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology as notification of the installation.

Installation of software may only be performed when Information Systems is provided a copy of the software license involved (or letter of clearance from a representative of the publisher) and any relevant purchasing documentation. Only when these items are on file with Information Systems may installation proceed. back to top

Backbone Management

Information Systems is responsible for the network wiring between the network devices involved (computers and printers) and the wall plugs. District Telecommunications is responsible for the network wiring from the wall plugs to the larger networking backbone. This includes the equipment found in the wiring closets on campus.

The Cost Center Manager of the requesting division must approve requests for network wiring additions and/or changes. The IS/LAN Manager II is responsible for preparing the paperwork and sending it to District Telecommunications once approval is received.

Requests for network wiring and equipment repairs should be reported to Information Systems via email to 7pchelp or by calling extension 3339. A technician will troubleshoot the connectivity problem. If the technician is unable to resolve the problem, the Director of Technical Support will report the problem to District Telecommunications and attempt to provide a temporary fix until DSC can resolve the problem. back to top

Hardware Management and Maintenance

Introduction

The allocation of technology must be tied to the performance of job duties. A user's job duties determine the software required for their performance. The software required determines the computer hardware requirements. A user's computer skill level is not a factor in this decision. back to top

New Job Positions

The hiring supervisor is responsible for notifying Information Systems in advance of hiring a new position to facilitate the acquisition of computer hardware and software resources. The hiring supervisor may recommend to replace an existing employee's computer and "roll down" that computer to the new position. The supervisor should notify the Director of Technical Support in this case. back to top

System Replacement or Upgrade

System replacements or upgrades must be in response to job-related software or data storage requirements as determined by the supervisor. Specifications will meet at least the minimum systems requirements of the involved software or data. back to top

Other Peripherals

Peripherals should only be purchased in response to planned activities for the peripheral involved. Modems will only be purchased in response to job duties requiring modem connection to external computer systems via this technology. High-density storage devices will only be purchased in response to data backup needs as determined by the supervisor. back to top

Minimum System Configurations

Minimum system configurations are established by the district and reviewed on an annual basis. All administrative computers will have access to a networked or stand-alone printer.

The software being utilized by the courses being taught in each lab will determine instructional lab configurations. The configurations will at least meet the minimum configuration recommended by the lowest requirements of the software being taught in the lab. back to top

Purchasing and Installation of New Hardware

The supervisor identifies the hardware needed by subordinates for the performance of their job duties. The Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology will review with the supervisor the identified requirements. Areas to be reviewed include compatibility with existing hardware, special training requirements, network wiring additions or changes and system configurations. Once the hardware needs have been determined, the supervisor will provide in writing to the Director of Technical Support any pricing and/or vendor information already acquired.
The Director of Technical Support then initiates the purchasing process.

The Director of Technical Support is responsible for checking for availability and pricing of hardware from state agencies and District vendors. Once the quotes are received a requisition will be completed. The requisition is submitted to the Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology for signature and fund account number. The requisition is input and submitted to the Campus Business Office.

Hardware may also be requested by departments in coordination with the Information Technology Committee processes and procedures. Final recommendations from the IT Committee are reviewed and submitted for approval by the President's Advisory Council. back to top

Receiving

All hardware will be delivered to Information Systems by a representative of the Receiving Department. A packing slip and Colleague Purchase Order printout is delivered with the hardware. A representative of Information Systems will sign both copies of the paperwork. One copy of the paperwork will be returned to the Receiving Department and the other copy will be maintained by the Director of Technical Support. It is the responsibility of the Information Systems representative to ensure the delivered hardware and paperwork matches the ordered hardware prior to signing for the equipment. Once a room number has been determined for the placement of the hardware, the number is written on the receiving documentation and a copy sent to the Receiving Department.

The Director of Technical Support will be responsible for the creation and maintenance of a database of ordered hardware. Pertinent information to be kept in this database include but are not limited to:
Quantity
Vendor
DCCCD or Campus Purchase Order Number
Date of Purchase
Cost Center Manager
Funding Source
Requisition Number
Date Delivered to IS back to top

Installation

The software installations and setup of new hardware will occur in Information Systems when possible. All administrative computers include the following software installations:
Novell NetWare client software
Anti-virus software
Microsoft Office Suite
Netscape web browser
GroupWise email
NetWare Application Launcher (NAL)

All printers and peripherals must be installed by Information Systems staff. Once a network printer is installed a printer configuration page will be given to a Network/Systems Support Specialist. The network printer queue will be created and all necessary drivers for use of the printer will be installed on the appropriate computers. When Colleague printing is required the Network/Systems Support Specialist will provide the District Service Center the necessary information for a Colleague print queue creation. back to top

Reallocation of Replaced Hardware

The replacement of existing hardware with new hardware makes the existing hardware available for use by others on campus. The policy of the Information Systems Department is to make recommendations for the use of this equipment that serves the most pressing campus needs.

Replaced equipment reverts to college ownership rather than cost center ownership and there are no guarantees that reallocation will occur within the cost center where the equipment originated. back to top

Upgrades of Existing Hardware

The supervisor identifies the need for hardware upgrades for subordinates based on the subordinates inability to process the daily volume of work required or new software which the current configuration does not meet the minimum requirements. The Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology and the supervisor will review the requests to determine compatibility with existing hardware and system requirements. The supervisor will provide Information Systems any pricing and/or vendor information already acquired. The dean then initiates the purchasing process described in this document. back to top

Equipment Replacement

Computers will be replaced when the existing computer is incapable of being upgraded to meet minimum software system requirements or when it is more cost effective to replace than it is to repair or upgrade.

Printers will be replaced when the existing printer is not meeting the volume and/or complexity of print jobs or when it is more cost effective to replace than it is to repair the printer.

Peripherals will be replaced when new features are needed but not available on the existing peripheral or when it becomes more cost effective to replace than it is to repair the peripheral.

Replaced equipment is to be reallocated according to the process described above in the section concerning Reallocation of Replaced Hardware. back to top

Equipment Moves

All equipment must be moved by the Information Systems staff. Requests for equipment moves should be made via email to 7pchelp or by telephone to extension 3339. Requests for equipment moves should be made at least one week in advance to ensure availability of technicians. back to top

Software Management and Maintenance

Policies

District Policy forbids the use of unlicensed software on all district owned computer systems. Typical violations include:
software licensed for and already installed on another computer on campus,
evaluation software whose evaluation period an expired,
shareware for which no licensing fee has been paid,
software attached to email.
All users may utilize ONLY software for which they are licensed.

Faculty and instructional staff may utilize evaluation software intended for classroom use and/or curriculum development. Once the software is accepted for use past its evaluation period, the software must be purchased or cleared for use by its publisher. If the software is rejected for use, it must be removed from any computers installed by the party involved.

All computers will be audited for software license compliance. Software for which no license and purchasing documentation can be produced will be deleted. If the supervisor determines the software involved is critical to the performance of job duties, it must be purchased. Information Systems will inform supervisors of violations in their workgroup.

The Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology will review all software purchases. The dean will ensure the computer on which the software will be installed meets the minimum system requirements for the software. The dean will ensure that compatibility with existing software is maintained. back to top

Purchase and Installation of New Software

All software purchases are reviewed and approved by the Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology. Once the supervisor identifies the software needed by subordinates for the performance of their job duties, the dean is notified. The dean will determine if the existing computer configuration of the subordinate's computer meets the minimum hardware requirements of the software. If not, the supervisor is notified of the necessary hardware upgrades.

If the software purchase is approved, a copy of the requisition is made and maintained by Information Systems. The Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology must initial all requisitions for software prior to being submitted to the Campus Business Office for processing. back to top

Receiving and Installation of Software

Receiving will deliver all software along with Colleague purchasing and receiving paperwork to Information Systems. Upon receiving, an IS staff member will sign the receiving documentation. A copy will be retained in Information Systems and the original paperwork returned to Receiving.

Upon receipt of software, the Director of Technical Support will document the receipt and create "working copies" off all software. The master copy of the software will be filed in a file cabinet located in Information Systems. Only working copies of software will be allowed to leave Information Systems without documentation of check out. The Director of Technical Support will maintain working copies of software.

Information Systems staff will install all software. The Dean of Educational and Administrative Technology will monitor location of installed software. Reports will be run monthly and compared to the software license database to determine campus compliance.

Software upgrades will follow the process described above. back to top

Data Management and Maintenance

Server Data

Only Information Systems staff will load application software to the administrative server. User data and workgroup data may be saved to the administrative server once appropriate rights have been granted to the user.
The District Service Center will back up the administrative server nightly.

Only Information Systems staff will load application software on the educational servers. Folders for use by faculty are available on the educational servers. Requests for a folder may be made to the Network/Systems Support Specialist or to 7pchelp. The Network/Systems Support Specialist will back up all education servers nightly.

The campus web server will be maintained and backed up by the Network/Systems Support Specialist. Requests for FTP rights may be made to the Network/System Support Specialist or to 7pchelp. FTP rights are granted once file transfer competencies have been proven. back to top

Email Account Data

Users are encouraged to periodically delete old email messages no longer wanted or needed. Users are not permitted to send executable files as attachments to emails. Large files should be posted on the campus Intranet rather than sent as email attachments. A link to the Intranet location can be sent in an email to the recipients.

Student email accounts and data are purged at the end of each academic year by the district student email administrator. back to top

Telecommunications

Requests and Maintenance

Services and maintenance requests should be made via email to 7pchelp or 7fonhelp or by calling extension 3339. Written approval for all services, which require a charge back to the division, must come from the Cost Center Manager of the requesting division. District Service Center requires a 72 hour advance notice for telecommunication services. back to top