Typical Installation Processes

How open is your computing environment? What is the typical process for installing software on your desktops? As an end user how much control do you have over your desktop? (150-250 words, a general paragraph)

CSU

The paragraph below was written by Martin Kong, CSU Library, Systems Librarian

In the library, we (the Systems Unit), do most of the installation of the software on our work computers and servers, especially if it is library related software. We have the local permissions to perform that function ourselves. We don’t generally require permission from campus information technology unless it is an application/software that works over the network and requires that a system have a specific dedicated IP address and/or requires dedicated network routing. If a piece of software does pose possible conflict with existing campus software and hardware infrastructure, then we initiate a discussion with campus information technology before fully installing and implementing the new software; if that situation arises, that could introduce some delay into the process.

Most of the time that it takes Systems to install software involves the following: reviewing the hardware and software requirements of the new software, some basic understanding of how to get the software working, how to configure it as needed, and what possible interactions there are with other existing software / antivirus programs. Depending on the complexity of the software, installation can be as simple as a few minutes or a few hours. I have worked with complex software that can take over two to three hours to install and configure properly.