Effective Date:  03/27/2024

Owner:  PPAC

Team Members:  PPAC

1.0            PURPOSE

1.1              The purpose of this policy is to establish standardized IT practices that serve as a collection of shared knowledge used to strengthen, support, and protect the institution.

2.0           SCOPE DETAIL

2.1             This policy supports the management of Baker College’s IT systems and is applicable to any individual responsible for supporting IT systems across the institution.

3.0           DEFINITIONS

AUP

Acceptable Use Policy

CRM

Customer Relations Management systems

EAS

The Enterprise Application Services team

EOS

The manufacturer’s End of Support or End of Service date.

IDF

An Intermediate Distribution Frame or cable rack is used to manage communications between end user devices and the Main Distribution Frame (MDF).

ISS

The Infrastructure Security and Support team.

IT

Information Technology

MDF

A Main Distribution Frame (MDF) is a signal distribution frame or cable rack used to interconnect and manage communication wiring between itself and any number of intermediate distribution frames (IDF).

SLA

Service Level Agreement defines the level of service expected by a customer from a supplier.

SME

Subject Matter Experts are the individuals responsible for documenting instructions and reviewing the compatibility of a resource with the College’s systems.

Technology Request

A formalized procedure that approves technology installation, acquisition, contracts, and renewals for IT Resources.

TSS

The Technology Services and Support team.

4.0           GUIDELINES

4.1             Baker College leverages IT policies and procedures to ensure IT services are aligned with institutional goals and are applied uniformly.

4.2            Baker College has established project management methodologies to ensure projects are aligned with institutional goals, on time, and within budget.

4.3            Baker College uses formal communication processes for emergency and outreach to provide timely alerts and notices to all faculty, staff and students.

4.4            Baker College has an established change management methodology to ensure projects and updates / upgrades are completed on time, communicated effectively, and without service disruption.

4.4.1       Baker College uses a formal change management process to guide IT changes within the organization to minimize the impact of changes to all stakeholders.

4.5             IT Incident Response and Management

4.5.1        Service Uptime

a.)              IT will provide advance notice of maintenance windows and IT activities that have the potential to impact service availability when possible.

b.)              IT will provide timely updates during service outages, i.e. events which cause an interruption to, or a reduction in, the quality of IT operations or services.

c.)              To help the College meet its goals and objectives, IT will strive for a service availability of 99.9%.

4.5.2       Incident Reporting

a.)              IT will leverage a CRM product for incident response and management.

4.5.3       Determination of an Outage Notification and the scope of an outage.

a.)              IT will determine if there is an outage or degradation and the scope of impact of the outage.

b.)              IT in conjunction with an SME will verify the outage level and notify the organization of the outage and its resolution status.

4.6             Technology

4.6.1       Baker College regularly assesses and aligns its technology with its mission, purpose, core values, and the strategic goals of the institution.

4.6.2      Vendor-provided Services

a.)              Vendors of Baker College must adhere to the terms outlined in their contract or agreement.

b.)              Vendor contracts must be reviewed annually.

4.7              Procurement

4.7.1        Baker College has established a procurement framework which ensures accountability, contract consistency, data protection, and regular automated audits.

5.0           RESPONSIBILITIES

5.1              IT

5.1.1         Responsible for ensuring the IT environment and additional products and services are used to support the institution while striving to achieve the IT SLA’s.

5.1.2        Provide feedback and assist with the development of IT related policies and procedures.

5.1.3        Adhere to and promote IT processes including change management and project management.

5.1.4        Review and enforce vendor contracts and agreements to prevent disruptions of service and to ensure terms are met.

5.2             IT Leadership

5.2.1        Responsible for managing, auditing, and reporting on IT contracts and agreements.

5.2.2       Responsible for managing IT budgets in accordance with Baker College finance department guidelines.

5.3             Faculty/Staff

5.3.1        Assist IT with feedback to help drive continual technology improvement.

5.4             Vendors

5.4.1        Adhere to all terms listed within the vendor contract and/or agreement.

5.5              End User

5.5.1        The end user is responsible for understanding and adhering to all Federal and State regulations that apply to their role(s).

5.5.2       Use of any Baker College system or asset will adhere to all guidelines as specified by the AUP, Student Handbook, Faculty Handbook, and Employee Handbook, as applicable.