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Advantages of Purchasing Standard Hardware |
As you weigh the pros and cons of purchasing a “non-standard” system, please be
sure to factor in the limited level of support our Helpdesk can provide to any
non-standard system. We base our staffing around the full support of standard
hardware and software packages, anything above that is supported “as resources
allow.”
One major advantage to the standard hardware recommended by Smith IT is the time
saved when one needs a repair. We can repair the standard hardware quickly -
often instantly - with spare parts in stock. We are vendor certified for the
models we choose. Sometimes that certification covers other models from that
same vendor (currently Dell) and so we can manage the repair process of
non-standard Dell hardware as needed. The difference is the time it takes to get
the repair parts. Yes, vendors promise 24-hour turn-around times - but that has
RARELY been our experience with any company. Having spare parts in stock is the
only truly quick way to provide fast service. Support of hardware purchased from
any other vendor is very limited. If it breaks, the owner must deal with the
vendor or warranty provider themselves, we will not be able to deal with the
warranty vendor for you.
Software compatibility is the other advantage to purchasing standard systems.
The Helpdesk maintains and updates the software image on standard systems. That
means that we test for compatibility in this environment, and we test and
maintain upgrades to standard software, including operating systems. We cannot
guarantee that all of our software will work on anything outside of the standard
configurations. We can do our best to install software on top of the operating
system non-standard equipment ships with if you have proof of a valid license,
but we do not have the resources to re-build operating systems or re-configure
systems to address problematic incompatibilities between non-standard hardware
and software. We would only be able to restore the system with the restore CD
the vendor provides. Please refer to our Policies and Procedures document at
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/smithit/aboutus/itpolicies.html#section2 for more
information.
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