Service Overview
ITS maintains licensing and deployment of software titles used on devices across campus as well as web-hosted applications. Many desktop software titles are already available for employees to install themselves via Software Center for Windows or Self Service for macOS onto university devices.
Employees can engage with ITS to acquire desktop software licensees that are not already available for self-installation. Additionally, ITS partners with you to acquire web-hosted ("cloud" or "SaaS") applications that are new to our environment. (Examples of existing web-hosted applications all employees already have access to: Microsoft Office 365, Qualtrics).
Common Uses Cases to place a request here:
- Renewal of a desktop software license that isn't managed within Software Center or Self Service;
- Request to procure and/or install a new desktop software that isn't available within Software Center of Self Service;
- Request to procure a new web-hosted or Software as a Service (SaaS) application or software subscription for individuals or a department that is new to the university environment;
- Renewal of an existing web-hosted/SaaS software subscription;
- Adjusting licensing for end-user(s) within an existing desktop software or web-hosted/SaaS application;
- A request for a new software in a classroom or lab for academic use.
ITS partners with you to navigate all the steps and considerations when introducing a new software to the university environment:
- (For certain pre-appoved desktop software): Direct installation onto your device from the web or via a deployed push to your device via Self Service or Software Center;
- Review the licensing Terms & Conditions to ensure they are suitable and advantageous for university and that they align with State of Colorado procurement requirements;
- Perform risk assessment on how the product handles university data and if there are any known vulnerabilities or concerns about how the publisher handles patching/updates;
- Review the provider's security and privacy attestations to ensure compliance with standards that may apply - such as FERPA, HIPPA, and others;
- Discuss and review if the tool meets digital accessibility standards;
- Seek advantageous pricing, confirm appropriate funding source, and maintain vendor relationships and license management;
- Technical consultation and software configuration for new software requests in classrooms and labs or future distribution via Self Service or Software Center;
- Review if the solution you are seeking (a) can be achieved with existing tools or (b) is large, complex and/or costly-enough to go through IT Project Intake.
Who can request this?
Faculty, staff, and student employees are eligible to use this service.
Limitations / Technical Requirements
Many software titles can only be installed on university-owned devices per their licensing agreement. In this request process, we will ask for the target device for the installation and discuss with you if this limitation applies.
Additionally, some software titles have hardware specifications that may exceed existing devices, or they may only be built for one operating system, either Windows or macOS. We will review this with you.
What to expect
We ask for many data points in the request form:
- The name of the desktop software or web-based application (i.e. "hosted" or SaaS products);
- A description of the function and business/academic purpose for this software;
- Details on data that would be processed, transmitted, or stored by the requested solution (i.e. confidential data as defined in the MSU Denver Data Classification policy - https://www.msudenver.edu/policy/data-classification;
- The number of licenses needed;
- A link to the vendor/publisher/provider and their contact information;
- The asset tag(s) of university devices where this software would be installed;
- The operating system of the devices that would use the software application;
- If applicable, location of the academic or office spaces where this would be installed;
- COST: When applicable, our Asset Management team may request a funding source to proceed with procurement.
Your request may need to be reviewed by multiple teams to take all aspects into consideration (see Key Features and Benefits section) and we may reach back out to you via phone or email for further discussion. While we can't guarantee every software request can be approved/fulfilled, we are committed to learning about your needs and finding the best outcome possible.
Each request can vary in its complexity to make a software or web-application ready for use; some requests can be fulfilled within 1-2 business days and some may require multiple weeks to complete. Once the installation is approved and/or procured, a team member will work with you to execute the installation on your device and/or confirm the tool is usable.
Getting Started
To place a request, click the Request Service button at the top of this page. You may also call our IT Service Desk at 303-352-7548 during M-F business hours.