{"id":9538,"date":"2026-07-09T14:11:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/?page_id=9538"},"modified":"2026-07-10T10:34:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T14:34:06","slug":"standards","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/services\/standards\/","title":{"rendered":"Hardware, Software, and Security Standards"},"content":{"rendered":"

These standards apply to all MET faculty and staff who use MET-owned technology for work. Standards follow Boston University IT and data security requirements.<\/i><\/p>\n\n

Hardware<\/h4>\n
\n
Standard Equipment<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– One Windows laptop<\/em> per full-time employee based on BU standards.
– Up to two monitors<\/em>.
– Keyboard, mouse, webcam, headset or<\/em> conference speaker, docking station, and required cables.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

Macs<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– Considered non-standard due to cost and security constraints.
– Allowed only as an approved exception with justification (Request Form<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

Replacement<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– Laptops are replaced every 4 years<\/em> (unless otherwise noted).
– Other equipment is replaced as needed.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

Non-standard Hardware<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– Requires business justification and approval from the department head and MET IT (Request Form<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

Personal Equipment<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– MET IT does not<\/em> support personal devices or unauthorized purchases.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n\n

Software<\/h4>\n
\n
Standard Software<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– MET IT maintains a list of approved, supported software on the MET IT Software<\/a> page.<\/p>\n<\/dl>\n

Non-standard Software<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– Requires business justification and approval from the department head and MET IT (Request Form<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

Updates<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– Systems and applications are kept within vendor-supported versions and BU security policies.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

Licensing and Compliance<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– MET IT manages licenses for standard software and conducts regular audits to ensure compliance.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n\n

Purchasing and Assets<\/h4>\n
\n
\n

– All IT hardware and software purchases must go through MET IT.
– MET IT works with BU Procurement and IS&T for pricing and contracts.
– MET IT tracks equipment, warranties, and replacement schedules.<\/p>\n<\/dl>\n\n

Security and Disposal<\/h4>\n
\n
\n

– All MET-managed systems must meet BU security standards.
– Equipment must be returned on the day it is replaced or retired.
– Users may purchase old laptops at 50% of the current market value.
– MET IT securely removes all data and BU-provided software before sale, reuse, or disposal.<\/p>\n<\/dl>\n\n

Onboarding and Offboarding<\/h4>\n
\n
New Hires<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– MET IT provides hardware, software, and assists with accounts for all full-time employees.
– MET IT provides Technology Orientation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

Departing Employees<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– Equipment collected on the last day in the office, access removed on the last day of employment.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

Part-time and temporary staff<\/strong><\/dt>\n
\n

– MET IT provides Virtual Desktops for all part-time, temp, and student employees working remotely.
– Access info for Virtual Desktops is at https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/services\/network\/met-remote\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These standards apply to all MET faculty and staff who use MET-owned technology for work. Standards follow Boston University IT and data security requirements. Hardware Standard Equipment – One Windows laptop per full-time employee based on BU standards.- Up to two monitors.- Keyboard, mouse, webcam, headset or conference speaker, docking station, and required cables. Macs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14346,"featured_media":0,"parent":18,"menu_order":13,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/no-sidebars.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9538"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14346"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9538"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9556,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9538\/revisions\/9556"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/metit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}