CAA Computing Policy

CAA uses a wide variety of industry-standard software to facilitate employee excellence and student learning. As stewards of the software environment, we have settled on a collection of standards to benefit everyone at the college. They are listed below:

CAA-IT reserves the right to update this information as needed.

CAA-IT reserves the right to arbitrate the meaning of our own policies.

Softwares shall be updated for their yearly major update during the Summer session.

Softwares shall not be updated through a major version through the Fall or Spring sessions, but they may be subject to minor version updates for bug fixes or security reasons.

Staff and Faculty shall not modify, install, or remove computer equipment, software, or peripherals, or attempt to do so, without proper authorization, as detailed by BOR Policy 1303.1.

Only software that has been approved by CAA-IT, MSU Procurement, and MSU Legal shall be installed onto CAA systems. The process to initiate new software for installation on MSU systems is detailed under the "Software Request" section.

Software Request

The professional landscape in each school requires faculty and staff to stay updated on software trends and standards in their respective industries. CAA-IT is commited to keeping our software systems as cutting-edge as possible while still meeting security and compliance standards at MSU; to facilitate that process, the Software Request form was created.

To request new software, visit the "Software Request" link listed below "Resources" on the left side of the page. Fill out the form to the best of your ability. We will take your form and send it to your respective director for a Docusign indicating the first step of approval at your school. We will take it from there and provide the information to Contracts and Procurment as necessary. Listed below are some frequently asked questions.

What qualifies as an item to put under a Software Request?

What are the timelines from putting in the form to having the software ready for use?

Are there any processes for web-based applications?

Will I need to put in a Software Request form for applications that enable functionality of hardware devices?

Can I use software without putting in a Software Request form?

Life Cycle Replacements

CAA-IT has a standard five year replacement cycle for most computer systems in CAA. A system is eligible for replacement if it meets any of the following criteria:

Five or more years in age from production

Severe and unpatchable security vulnerabilities