Ending Your Laptop Woes Gene Danilenko

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Ending Your Laptop WoesGene Danilenko

• Conference For Law School Computing
• June 2005

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Agenda

• Why a laptop program
• Bidding and negotiating a contract
• Chosen model/s
• Setup and deployment
• Policies on repairs, insurance
• Policies on student drops/transfers

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Why? Student Computing Support

• Service
• Many headed beast/vipers nest of problems
• Multi hw, sw, configurations
• 90 already had a laptop
• Control
• Virus spyware issues
• Electronic exams
• Personal productivity sw
• Future Potential
• E-books, classroom polling

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Laptop Selection Committee

• Project Manager Gene Danilenko
• Manager of Computer Support
• Student Services Coordinator
• Assoc. Director of Technology
• Three Students (1- 1L, 2 - 2Ls)
• Added input Purchasing Community Relations

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Contract Timeline

• 5 Months Total from Go to Award

Dec 15, 2003 Project gets go ahead
Last Week Jan RFP sent out
Third Week Feb All proposals due (about 26 days for response)
March7-March 31 Three vendors invited for presentations
April 1-28 Contract negotiations
First week May Approval from Board of Regents
First Week June Order placed
August 2004 Roll out to students at orientation
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Vendors

• Proposals received
• Dell, Gateway, HP, IBM, Reason (local), Sony
• Presentations
• Dell, IBM, Reason

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Evaluation Criteria

• Technical Specifications
• Including access ease to memory, hard drive,
  battery
• Durability
• Weight
• Price
• Financial/business stability
• Warranty, warranty repair, turnaround time,
  loaners
• Training, Rollout assistance
• Community benefit/relations

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Laptop Chosen

• IBM Thinkpad T41
• Specs
• 1.4GHz Centrino, 512 MB RAM, 30GB Har drive 24x
  DVD/CDRW, 802.11b/g/a internal wireless, 14.1 XGA
  monitor
• 12.2 x 10 x 1 6 pounds
• Hardened top, hard to break latch
• Leased rather than bought

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And Upcoming Year

• Lenovo (IBM) T42
• Intel Pentium M 725 (1.6 GHz) 60 GB HD
  1400x1050 resolution
• Award was for 3 year lease for 1 class 2
  possible 1 class extensions before new RFP

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Order/Rollout Process
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Setup and Deployment

• 3 FTE (incl vendor assistance) over 4 wks
• Assembly-line testing, record keeping, mapping
• Pre-imaged
• 2-3 hour orientation walk-through sessions
• Mechanics of procedures, usage, network, policies
• Vendor present for ?
• This year adding another FY FTE

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Repairs

• Complete service
• Loaners for immed swap
• Guaranteed turnarounds
• Full recoveries
• Wipe/reimage
• Setting up a warranty repair center
• Plans to add Dell

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Insurance, Theft, Damage

• Students responsible
• Personal property insurance recommended
• U self-insured for theft - 500 deductible
• Accidental damage policy (coffee on keyboard)

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Drops, Transfers, and Buyouts

• Drops
• Turn in laptop. Refunds per University policy
• We keep as loaner or for transfer, can return
• Transfers
• Issued extra loaner or returned laptop
• Buyouts
• Not allowed except at end of lease (3 years)
• Our policy, not vendors

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Issues

• Wireless networking issues
• Atheros chipset not happy with our mixed WAP
  environment
• Switching to 802.11a WAPs for connections
• Laptops arrived with only touch pads
• Otherwise, remarkably smooth

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Future

• Evaluating various software such as Silicon
  Chalk (classroom sw)
• Potential for e-books (Vital SW is here)
• Hire 1 more support person