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Academic and research departments

If you work in an academic or research department, you just need to complete a request for technical approval form for any non-standard computer purchases. These areas include:

• Division of Continuing Studies
• Division of Medical Sciences
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Fine Arts
• Faculty of Human & Social Development
• Faculty of Humanities
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Social Sciences
• Faculty of Graduate Studies
• Peter B. Gustavson School of Business

We strongly recommend TSC standard computers for staff who work with UVic’s administrative systems. However, departments within these faculties and divisions aren’t required to buy TSC standard computers.

Administrative and operational departments

If you work in an administrative or operational department, you’re required to buy a TSC standard computer unless none of them meet your needs. You can submit a request for deviation from personal computer standards along with your request for technical approval.

Our information security standards are a set of guidelines we use to manage UVic's digital infrastructure. They're designed to ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability of university information. These standards are reviewed and updated regularly.

UVic employees can see our .

If none of the TSC standard computers meet your needs, you can request a non-standard computer. You’ll need to submit a request for technical approval for any non-standard computers when you're ready to buy.

If you work in an administrative department, you also need to complete a request for deviation from personal computer standards (884 KB PDF file). You can attach it to your technical approval request and WebReq.

Criteria

We need to make sure that the computer you’ve chosen:

• meets UVic’s information security standards
• is compatible with UVic’s network infrastructure
• will receive suitable, timely and secure warranty service
• doesn’t have any hidden costs you might not be aware of
• is suitable for the kind of work you intend to use it for

Our review will take into account how you intend to use the device. For example we have strict requirements for computers that are used to work with UVic’s enterprise information systems because of the risk of security breaches, but the same standards may not apply if you’re buying a specialized computer to control instruments in a research lab.

Technical approval is required for all software acquisitions including:

• one-time purchase of desktop and mobile apps
• software subscriptions
• cloud software and services
• adoption of free (proprietary and open source) software

Criteria

We need to make sure the software you’ve chosen:

• will work well for the purpose you’ve described
• is compatible with the UVic network
• is actively supported by the vendor and receives security patches
• isn’t something we already own a site license for

Approval for cloud software can be much more complex than desktop or mobile apps. Most cloud software is hosted in cloud data centres operated by companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. We need to be careful to ensure that UVic data is kept secure and private.

We consider many factors related to:

• Privacy
• Security
• Accessibility
• Single sign-on (SSO) support

Vendors should be able to provide information about data residency, certifications and support.

It’s important to remember that free software still requires technical approval. Particularly if you want to implement free software at UVic for a group of users and require them to create accounts or input UVic user data

We apply the same criteria when reviewing free software as we do with paid software.

Some types of funding applications or equipment grant proposals include proof of technical approval. You can book a consultation with Research Computing to get help with your research equipment grant application.

If you buy something that doesn’t pass technical approval, you may not be eligible for reimbursement. This includes computers, software and online subscriptions purchased with a UVic Commercial credit card (CCard) or business expenses.

Find more information about reimbursements from Financial Services.

The updated pro-D policy HR6420 no longer allows Management Exempt (ME) and PEA staff to use Pro-D funds to buy equipment. This includes:

• computers, laptops and tablets
• accessories like monitors, keyboards and headphones
• smartphones, smart watches and storage devices

See HR for the current CUPE 951 pro-D purchasing policy.