Among the issues that have to be addressed are how to adequately license the software as well as how to configure systems to support it. As an example, if a piece of software is needed for a class with 30 students, and 30 licenses are acquired one might assume licensing compliance. But if subsequently the software were distributed to open lab machines, then technically several hundred licenses would be required even though only those 30 students would be using it. Various vendors have differing mechanisms to handle such situations, but in the worst case, the software can only be installed on 30 machines. Software licensing should be one of the considerations when selecting desktop software for either class or administrative use.
System configuration is another issue.
Since each different configuration not only requires additional setup time, but troubleshooting is also made more difficult, every attempt needs to be made to avoid different configurations. These and related issues reinforce the need for a well thought out approval process when introducing new software into the environment. Standard desktop software. ACT will coordinate the approval process for this with appropriate campus and district bodies. Supported desktop software.