There exists a state contract from which to purchase equipment at a discount, but there is no governance mechanism to ensure purchases follow standards. The contract includes IBM and Apple equipment discounts, with Pentium and Powerbook computers the most current equipment offered. It has been stated that personnel are allowed to purchase what they desire in order to maintain flexibility in teaching and student services. However, this lack of standards enforcement puts a burden on technology support personnel, who must sometimes maintain unfamiliar machines or software. 3.4.3.4 Standalone, rather than network, versions of desktop software are widely used with the result that software acquisition, implementation, and support are labor intensive and costly.
Many software programs are available in two versions.
Network versions of the software that reside and execute on a network server. This alternative minimizes efforts associated with installation and maintenance, yet the software is unavailable if the network is not operable. Standalone software versions can be installed manually on each desktop computer to minimize problems associated with inoperable networks, but installation and maintenance efforts increase. It was reported that faculty have been unwilling to use network versions of software because they felt lab networks were unstable and could interrupt instruction were they to fail. They felt that if the network became inoperable during class it would render class time useless.