CMDI Computer Lab Support Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Revised, 5/25

Overview

As part of the college’s mission to support excellence and innovation in teaching, learning, and scholarly and creative work, CMDI provides the community with computer labs equipped with state-of-the-art hardware and software for design applications, multimedia editing, production, and delivery. The college aims to make these facilities accessible and inclusive to all members of the CMDI community.ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

This is a Service Level Agreement ("SLA") between the CMDI community and the CMDI Technology Experience staff to document:

  • Responsible for supporting and managing technology in computer labs
  • Procedures for planning, service requests, and incident reporting.
  • Effective date of the SLA: The SLA will take effect on July 1, 2025.

Service Description

A computer lab is a facility that provides computer workstations for students to use in the classroom or for individual work. CMDI has computer labs that students and faculty utilize for scheduled courses, project work, and open access.

In partnership with the OIT Labs group, the CMDI Tech Experience Team manages lab workstations to ensure students can access academic resources while maintaining workstation integrity for all users sharing the lab facility.

Lab services—such as software access, printing, and storage—are available to students and faculty via an Identikey login.

The CMDI Tech Experience Team supports departments in planning, implementing, and maintaining computers and peripherals in media labs. Their services include planning and consultation, hardware installation, software installation and updates, asset tracking, network printing services, workstation security, usage statistics, and problem diagnosis and resolution. The platforms currently supported are Windows and macOS.

Roles & Responsibilities

Each media or computing lab should have a designated owner or contact identified by the academic department. Occasionally, the college's IT Assets and Labs Coordinator fills this role. The CMDI Tech Experience Team collaborates closely with lab owners to plan, procure, deploy, and manage lab technology and software.

Planning and Consultation

Lab Owner* Responsibilities:

  • Consult the CMDI Tech Experience Team in the early planning stages for new or remodeled labs before evaluating specific products or technology solutions.
  • Plan at least four to five months in advance of using the new lab.
  • Identify the instructional requirements for the lab.
  • Allocate funds for equipment, software, and connectivity needs.
  • Identify a strategy and allocate funding for obtaining lab equipment.
  • Explain the rationale for software requirements that duplicate the functions of software already licensed for departmental or general access labs.

CMDI Tech Experience Team Responsibilities:

  • Create a checklist to help gather customer requirements.
  • Evaluate network connectivity options and associated costs, along with recommendations.
  • Identify the possibilities (single-use versus concurrent use) and the related costs of software licensing, along with recommendations.
  • Identify options and associated costs for lab printing, along with recommended solutions.
  • Provide options and pricing for extra laboratory needs, including media and presentation systems, computer equipment, print release monitoring, and workstation security.
  • Manage the procurement of equipment and software.
  • Coordinate with Facilities Management (FM), CMDI Operations, and OIT if needed.

Software Funding

The campus finances enterprise software for departmental labs; the rest is the responsibility of the academic department.

The campus offers the following software for academic labs:

  • Operating system upgrade licenses
  • Microsoft Office suite of applications
  • Anti-virus and workstation security software
  • A standard set of tools, including device drivers, media players, application readers, and codecs.
  • Software to monitor concurrent license usage
  • Workstation management and lab usage software

Department responsibilities for software funding:

  • Operating system license, as part of the workstation purchase
  • Discipline-specific software

Hardware and Software Installation

The CMDI Technology Team provides and sets up laboratory computer equipment and software. It is also responsible for removing and disposing of outdated computer equipment through the campus equipment surplus process.

Lab software is deployed using a standard campus image and packaged application installers. Discipline-specific or individually licensed software installers will be provided for each lab. The CMDI Technology Team will verify the licenses to install the software.

The CMDI Technology Team requests that lab owners submit software installation requests before the end of the prior semester to ensure labs are prepared for the start of each new semester.

While the CMDI Technology Team will install software during the semester for needs that must be addressed before the next semester, we expect these instances to be exceptions.

Lab Owner Responsibilities:

  • Coordinate with the CMDI Tech Experience Team to provide the new computer equipment.
  • Determine software requirements for the lab and any custom configurations.
  • Submit requests for software changes or updates in advance to ensure availability by the start of the semester.
    • For the fall semester, submit requests by the end of April.
    • This is for the spring semester and interim by the end of November.
  • Allow at least one week during the semester to add or upgrade software. If the software is new to the campus environment or has specialized functionality, allow an extra week for the lab owner to test and confirm the installation.
  • Consult with the CMDI Tech Experience Team during the spring semester to establish a suitable summer update schedule for the lab.
  • Test the installation of special-purpose or discipline-specific software for full functionality and report problems promptly to the CMDI Tech Experience Team at least two weeks before use to allow sufficient time for resolution.

CMDI Tech Experience Team Responsibilities:

  • Deliver and install computers and other peripherals, including security cables.
  • Ensure network connectivity to lab workstations.
  • Deploy software using the campus image and packaged application installers.
  • Set up and deploy workstation policies.
  • Set default workstation permissions at the user level and implement workstation security tools to uphold the integrity of the software environment for shared workstations.
  • Document software licensing information.
  • Set up concurrent use management tools for software license monitoring, as appropriate.

Maintenance and Support

The CMDI Technology Team maintains and supports lab equipment and software. In addition to troubleshooting and diagnosing problems, it regularly distributes OS and application updates.

Lab Owner Responsibilities:

  • Open and close the lab and monitor daily lab and lab equipment operation.
  • Provide physical access to the room and room security.
  • Turning equipment on and off.
  • Consult with the CMDI Technology Team before relocating or redeploying the equipment.
  • Report issues with the standard operation of lab hardware or software to the CMDI Service Now portal (CMDITechTeam@colorado.edu)
  • Some lab owners may be able to perform initial troubleshooting before reporting incidents to the CMDI Technology Team. A separate addendum to this agreement will be signed, and the lab owners will be provided with a particular lab identifier with administrative privileges.
  • Provide orientation and training to faculty, students, and staff on using lab technology and software.

CMDI Tech Experience Team Responsibilities:

  • Distribute OS and software application updates.
  • Diagnose and resolve lab incidents as reported to the team.
  • Provide loaner equipment for immediate or short-term (less than one semester) solutions to equipment problems.
  • Monitor tools used for workstation management services, such as OS and software deployment, software license management, anti-virus, and security.
  • Provide inventory reports and usage statistics to lab owners annually.
  • Develop plans for summer work, such as setting up new equipment, cleaning software, re-imaging and installing new software versions, and removing old equipment to surplus.
  • Provide orientation and documentation for lab owners regarding the workstation management process.

Requesting CMDI technology team Services

The lab owner or department administrator should make service requests for academic media labs to the CMDI Technology Team. Examples of service requests are:

  • Planning for changes in lab functionality
  • Software installation or upgrade
  • Adding, removing, or relocating equipment
  • Information about software licensing and availability, Information about lab functionality
  • Information about pricing and purchasing of equipment and software
  • Special event planning

Equipment or software malfunctions in the computing labs should be reported to the CMDI Tech Experience Team at CMDITechTeam@colorado.edu. The response will be prioritized on a three-level scale:

Impact Levels

Impact Level 1

  • Campus-wide impact of critical importance
  • A service affecting all academic labs is unavailable.
  • CMDI Tech Experience Team will respond in 60 minutes when/if appropriate.

Impact Level 2

  • Single lab impact
  • Software used in a lab is not functioning properly
  • CMDI Tech Experience Team will respond in one business day

Impact Level 3

  • Individuals are affected
  • A computer in a lab is not functioning.
  • CMDI Tech Experience Team will respond within two business days

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User Eligibility:

Computer Lab services are available to all CMDI Faculty and Staff.

Service Availability:

Staff support is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.

Fees and Expenses:

As described in this document, CMDI Technology Team services for supporting academic department labs do not have associated fees.

Specialty software requested by departments for individual media labs will be funded through the department technology speed type.

Request support:

Email: CMDITechTeam@colorado.edu

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*In some cases, the "Lab Owner" is OIT.

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