Apple IOS Devices

Apple IOS devices in the iPod/iPad Family

Apple IOS devices (iPods and iPads) have generated a lot of interest in the education community and many colleges and universities have run formal projects to experiment with them. Though MCLA has no such project under way, individuals and individual departments may have activities that they believe would be enhanced by their use. The purpose of this policy is to outline the process of acquiring and supporting IOS devices at MCLA.

Ordering

As with all technology acquisitions, Apple IOS devices must be purchased through Computer Support Services (CSS) with the approval of the appropriate academic or administrative VP. All iPad orders will have an additional year of AppleCare included. Before ordering, individuals should contact Academic Technology for advice and to take advantage of the ability to borrow an iPad for a brief time in order to better assess the practicality of the proposed use. Purchase of any devices that have cellular (3G, 4G) capability must have specific approval of that feature by the appropriate VP.

Applications ('Apps') and Music

Apple permanently associates the account used to purchase an app or music with rights to download that material again in the future. A personal iTunes or App Store account should be used for personal purchases. CSS will facilitate the purchase of apps to be paid for and owned by the college. Users will not be reimbursed for purchases made with personal accounts.

In the event that the device is returned to CSS for redistribution, the personal applications will be removed but ownership and "re-download" rights will still be registered to the user's personal account. In the case of applications installed or purchased by CSS, the software license will be retained by the CSS department in order to facilitate the redistribution of the software should the device be returned, damaged or redistributed.

Security

A device in the IOS family is by design a single user tool. It is not designed to be shared among several users and maintain data security and privacy in an enterprise environment. Departments purchasing them must either assign the device to one faculty/staff person or, if the device is purchased for the purpose of being shared, it may only be shared if certain precautions are being taken.

The nature of highly portable devices lends them to a greater risk of loss. The fact that they can be used to store information like email, contacts and documents serves to increase the risks associated with such loss. Devices that will be assigned to an individual will be configured by CSS with a standard policy profile which includes a start up security code and other restrictions. Devices that are to be shared will be set up by CSS with some restrictions but it will be up to each user to ensure that machine has not saved personal information or passwords that will be available to subsequent users. It is recommended that users connect to the HOTSPOT network with devices that are shared so personal information is not saved on the device. No action should be taken by users to disable or circumvent the profiles installed by CSS.

Redeployment

If a college-owned IOS device is to be redeployed to a different individual or will start to be used as a shared device, it must first be returned to CSS. CSS will properly remove all data, set up a new security profile and deliver it to the new client.

Support

Hardware repairs for IOS devices are not handled on campus. If one needs repair, CSS will sent it to Apple. Because use of these devices is still considered to be experimental, software and configuration support by CSS will be limited to the installation of the First Class client and basic networking. There is no guarantee that any college network service will function with them as would a laptop or desktop computer.