Computer Support

Computer support is available to all YSE faculty and staff during normal work hours, Monday through Friday. Please use the IT Support Request Form if you need help.

Support for personal machines is limited. We will only be able to provide support with email configuration, wireless configuration, server access, as well as backup assistance. We may be able to provide basic diagnosis but we will not be able to perform repairs or virus removal on personal machines.  YSE-IT staff do not provide off-site support.
 

IT Purchases - Hardware and Software

YSE-IT works directly with faculty and department heads to analyze computing needs and to order and install new equipment.  Although many staff and faculty may be able to order hardware or software directly on SciQuest, YSE-IT policy dictates that all computer-related orders must be coordinated with and purchased by the YSE-IT office to insure that these purchases comply with Yale and YSE-IT policies and specifications.  If YSE community members purchase computers or software that do not conform with Yale and YSE recommendations, YSE-IT staff will not be able to provide technical support for those purchases.
 
YSE-IT follows Yale ITS policy in specifying computer hardware from vendors and manufacturers with which Yale has negotiated highly favorable pricing, and in most cases recommends the purchase of Lenovo and Apple Macintosh hardware.
 
Because faculty computers are charged to faculty support accounts, each faculty member determines his or her own computer replacement or upgrade schedule.  All faculty members are responsible for funding the cost of replacement computers and peripherals from their faculty discretionary allotments.  Unless a specific arrangement is outlined in the faculty appointment letter, new faculty members are expected to use their own computers (laptops) as well as their YSE provided Dropbox account for all YSE related file storage.  

 

For administrative staff computers purchased on the YSE-IT budget, replacements and upgrades are determined in consultation with department heads; the norm for replacement is between forty and forty-eight months, but this varies depending on the nature of the tasks performed. 

Effective July 1, 2017, YSE has a Postdoctoral and Postgraduate Assoicate Computer Policy.  More information on this policy can be found here.  For questions regarding this policy, please email the YSE-IT Helpdesk.

Due to security and support concerns no students or staff members will be granted administrator rights on any Yale-owned machine.

Faculty members may request a local admin account be setup on their Yale machines.  This local admin account would be the account used for any admin purposes such as software installation.  The faculty member’s NetID account will not be given admin privileges due to the security risks associated with having the primary user account associated with admin privileges.

In cases where such installations cause issues, the machine will be returned to the original installed software image. YSE-IT will make every effort to backup/recover data however, we cannot take responsibility for lost data due to viruses or corruption caused by software installed by anyone other than YSE-IT staff.