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Computer Science Department - Information Technology

Resources for New Faculty & Staff

Computer and Technology Purchases

New faculty often require computer equipment and software to begin or continue their scholarly work. The Computer Science Department is committed to seeking resources to support new faculty to ensure their success. Below is a list of guidelines, requirements, and considerations for the procurement of computer equipment:

  1. All computing equipment: desktops, laptops, servers, smart tablets, network gear, IoT devices, and printer purchases must be approved and placed by CSC IT staff to conform to university security, compatibility,  and combined procurement initiatives (CPI).
  2. Please contact csc_help@ncsu.edu to consult with computer equipment selection and purchases.
  3. The Combined Procurement Initiative (CPI) is mandatory for all campuses within the  UNC system. It establishes uniform desktop and laptop computer pricing and provides standard configurations from participating vendors such as Dell,  Lenovo, and HP. Note that Apple desktops and laptops are not eligible for the CPI program but may still be purchased.
  4. Before ordering, all non-standard desktop or laptop configurations must be approved by the IT manager and a college-level IT director. Faculty must submit to CSC IT manager a technical and business justification for purchasing non-standard configuration desktops and laptops.
  5. For all other miscellaneous technology (not listed in step 1),  faculty are encouraged to purchase those themselves, but such purchases must be made through the University’s MarketPlace rather than a purchase order, voucher, campus PCard, or personal reimbursement. The MarketPlace is a self-service, e-procurement Web portal that automates the procurement and payment process. See steps below to order in MarketPlace
    • Gain MarketPlace shopper access: contact Linda Honeycutt to request access
    • Once you gain access, visit https://mypack.ncsu.edu
    • Login with your university account and password
    • From the pulldown menu, choose “Financial System Homepage”
    • Click on “MarketPlace” Thumbnail
    • Click on “Shop The MarketPlace”
    • Click on a vendor Logo to purchase from
    • Add your items to the cart and submit the order
    • Note that all orders will be delivered to CSC’s main administration office. You cannot modify this.
    • After submitting the order from the vendor’s portal, you will be returned to MarketPlace “Checkout” window.
    • Enter a name for “Requisition Name”
    • Adjust % funding source distributions (account #’s) if applicable
    • Provide a brief purchase justification in the “Requisition Comments & Attachments” text box.
    • Click on “Save & Submit

Note: If a new faculty transfers computer equipment (e.g., research-funded desktops) from another institution, these must adhere to the campus computer use policy and endpoint security standards. That is, they must run a supported OS and be enrolled with an approved campus configuration management system.

Software Purchases:

Regardless of cost, all software purchases for departmental-owned computer systems must be reviewed by campus software licensing managers to ensure the software complies with University standards and follows Federal and State guidelines. To submit a software purchase request for review, visit: https://software.ncsu.edu/it-purchase-compliance/submit-request-for-review/. Enter IT Manager’s contact information under IT technical support on the form: Carlos Benavente (cabenave@ncsu.edu)

Software purchases include but are not limited to: 

  • application programs and operating systems
  • Web-based applications (SaaS)
  • Cloud hosting services
  • Products that process electronic payments
  • Networks and storage solutions

CSC IT can provide certain software to all CSC computers enrolled in a campus configuration management system. This software can be distributed and installed remotely overnight. CSC and the university have site licenses and/or reduced-price purchasing agreements for various software packages so please check CSC IT’s software page and campus IT’s page at https://software.ncsu.edu

Every incoming faculty and staff should become familiar with the University’s Computer User Regulations.

Email and Calendaring

All incoming faculty and staff are issued a Unity account (UID) with an email address: UnityID@ncsu.edu. Gmail is the official email provider for all NC State students, faculty, and staff. Unity/GMail passwords can be changed via  http://www.ncsu.edu/password/.

CSC IT manages several departmental Google calendars. Some are publicly available, and others are internal for faculty and staff. Please visit https://www.csc.ncsu.edu/calendar/ to view departmental and university calendars.

NC State is a constant target of phishing attacks with targeted emails. Under any circumstances, no one from NCSU IT will ask you (via email, phone, or other) for your email login credentials. If you receive an email asking for such information, it is most likely a phishing attempt to steal your login credentials.  Please flag them as SPAM/PHISH attempts if you receive such target emails.

Email Lists

The CSC department manages and compiles internal mailing lists for official use only. Check our CSC Mailing lists Web page for further information. Email list use is subject to NC State University Computer Use Regulation REG 08.00.02. Please use lists for professional matters only.

File Storage

The NCSU “B” drive is the university home directory file space. 

Additional file space is available through Google Drive. See NCSU Google Apps and Google Drive Web pages for more information.

NCSU OIT offers each faculty member 2TB of individual Research Storage (https://research.oit.ncsu.edu). An additional 2TB of space for each funded research project. Researchers who require more space will be able to fund allocations above the 30TB threshold against their grant accounts. 

Technology Lending

The Computer Science department IT group offers a technology lending program to faculty, staff, and supported students. The lending inventory includes laptops, smart tables, smartphones, portable document cameras, webcams, microphones, VR gear, and more. Visit https://webapps.csc.ncsu.edu/echeckout/ to request lending equipment.

Important: CSC IT’s eCheckout program is intended for short-term loans. For example, a long weekend of up to two weeks, with longer loans on a case-by-case basis. We do not have enough laptops in our eCheckout pool for long-term loans. It is recommended that faculty purchase laptops out of their funding (e.g., startup funds) for ongoing needs such as research or frequent travel.

Web Hosting Services

Several options are available depending on the Web presence you want to publish. For instruction/course-related content, use Moodle. Consider using Google Sites, NCSU’s WordPress individual blog sites for personal Webspace: OIT WordPress services.

The CSC Department also maintains an online directory profile front-end that faculty & staff are encouraged to complete. To update your CSC online directory profile info, visit https://webapps.csc.ncsu.edu/directories/. For promotional resources such as presentation templates and web templates, please visit http://www.csc.ncsu.edu/department/graphics_promo.php.

For additional Web hosting alternatives, check NCSU’s GetOnTheWeb site.

Coursework Resources

The university academic community uses Wolfware – an online Learning Management System that allows faculty to provide a Web presence and Web tools (grading, assignment submission tools) for their courses. CSC IT strongly recommends that all CSC faculty use Moodle to manage their online courses. To request Moodle course lockers, please visit the Wolfware Web site and click on the Moodle link found on the right navigational menu. Delta offers custom training courses on Moodle as well. To request a training session, please visit and fill out their form at https://delta.ncsu.edu/learntech-request/

Networking

CSC faculty and staff who need to register network devices on the campus wired network must submit a CSC IP request form. Campus IT and local CSC IT periodically monitors inbound/outbound network traffic, so please use the university network responsibly. Note that personal-owned computers are not permitted on the campus wired network.

Printing

The department has two “workgroup” network printers (1 color & 1 B/W) on the 2nd and 3rd floors of EB2. Faculty and staff are encouraged to use these printers instead of setting up a printer in each office. If you must have a printer in your office, please contact us at csc_help@ncsu.edu for recommendations and standards.