Computer and Equipment Purchases

Computer Leasing
CUMC IT has partnered with Dell to offer leasing of desktop and laptop computers for departments on the CUMC campus, please see the Dell Lease page for details.

Equipment Purchasing and Discounts
IMPORTANT! Departments, faculty and staff (including post docs) that will be using CUMC IT for support or set up of a computer must read and understand Purchases and IT Support information at the bottom of this page BEFORE ordering equipment.

• Columbia's Computer Discounts page has links to discounted pricing available through Apple, Dell, and other vendors. A UNI login is required to access pricing information. Select the link for Purchasing's Preferred Vendors List view additional vendors by category or name.
• Discounts on smartphones and cellular plans are available from Verizon and Sprint, and the iDevice Equipment page has information on Apple phone and tablet purchases and discounted repair.
• Columbia provides some programs (including Microsoft Office) to faculty, staff and students for free or at a discount. See the list of Software Downloads for details.

• The Operating System Compatibility and Support page lists currently supported operating systems, versions and known issues.
• Students should review Student Computer Support by CUMC IT to be sure they understand help desk policies and requirements.
• Departments, faculty and staff (including post docs) must read and understand all information below BEFORE purchasing a new computer if they will use CUMC IT technicians for installation or any future support. Purchasing a system that does not meet CUMC IT hardware and software specifications can greatly impact support time and cost.

Computer Purchases and CUMC IT Desktop Support
If you prefer not to use the computer lease program and will be enlisting CUMC IT technicians for set up and/or support of a computer, we still strongly recommend purchasing one of the same models listed on the lease page for the following reasons:

• CUMC IT has verified that the hardware is compatible with many CUMC applications and resources, and is able to meet a high level of security and encryption requirements.
• These models have much faster deployment, repair times, and a lower total cost of ownership due to the use of a CUMC IT maintained image.
  • The image is a thoroughly tested configuration that has been vetted by Information Security.
  • It includes the operating system, drivers, standard software programs, and updates.
  • User data and any non-standard programs are added to the computer during set up or as needed.
  • The image is tested throughout the year to verify compatibility with newly released operating system and software updates or versions, before being rolled out to user’s computers.
  With a CUMC IT maintained image it is possible to rapidly deploy a computer or re-install the image if needed due to viruses, security risks, complex/time-consuming technical issues, change of the computer’s primary user, etc.
  Without a maintained image, the computer has to be set up and supported via manual installation of almost all software. This includes upgrading and/or testing of the operating system, drivers, applications and any patches or updates at the standard support rate of $116 per hour.
  Models that vary at all from those listed on the lease web site are not able to use one of these images; any difference in hardware makes the computer incompatible with the image’s specific combination of software. Specific support requirements for hardware can be found under the Computer Hardware Configurations section of our Computer Support page.