Workstation Program
Workstation Program
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History



The Workstation Program was funded to address the IACC goal of achieving universal access to computing and communications for faculty. The IACC model for providing universal access involves two phases:
  • Catch-up Phase--Phase I--to provide new PCs to those without or those who have an obsolete system
  • Sustenance Phase--all subsequent phases--to begin replacing the PCs of about one-third of the faculty each year to achieve the goal in which no full-time faculty member has a system more than three years old.
Fiscal Year 96/97 (Phase I): 440 new faculty workstations--229 Apples and 221 Dells--were installed during May/ June, 1997.
  • Analysis: because of the large number of workstations needing replacement, workstations were leased to maximize purchasing power. This caused a number of problems:
    1. The goal of replacing one-third of all workstations each year became difficult to achieve because of the disproportionate number of workstations purchased this cycle.
    2. Leasing became a necessary model as debt rolled from Fiscal Year to Fiscal Year, thus adding extra expense to the program.
    3. The large numbers of workstations installed at one time required that installations be contracted out at additional expense.
    4. Administration of department charge-backs, lease terms, box storage, and buyouts became increasingly confusing and time-consuming.

Fiscal Year 97/98 (Phase II): 187 new faculty workstations--62 Apples and 125 Dells-- were installed during February/ March, 1998.

  • Analysis: leasing continued, but due to the cost of the FY 96/97 lease and budget cuts, the number of workstations purchased fell well below the one-third mark of 271. Installations continued to be contracted out at additional expense.

Fiscal Year 98/99 (Phase IIIa & IIIb): 165 new faculty workstations--69 Apples and 96 Dells-- were installed during August and October, 1998.

  • Analysis: leasing continued and, due to the cost of the previous lease cycles, even fewer workstations were purchased and contracted out for installation.

Fiscal Year 99/00 (Phase IVa & IVb): 280 new faculty workstations--110 Apples and 170 Dells-- were installed during August, 1999 and July, 2000.

  • Analysis: Phase IVa workstations were leased, but Phase IVb workstations were financed internally by Cal Poly, resulting in significant cost-savings. This, in combination with aggressive price negotiations with vendors, allowed the program to purchase a larger number of workstations and exceed the 271 target.

Fiscal Year 00/01: 284 faculty and 4 support workstations-- 103 Apples and 185 Dells-- were purchased and installed between March and June, 2001.

  • Analysis: for the first time all workstations were financed internally, resulting in significant savings and reducing over-all program debt. Workstation orders were processed quarterly with installations performed by User Support Services taking place continually. Changes to the program resulted in the following:
    1. Per workstation support costs (including financing, warranty, and installation) fell from $1,000 to less than $500.
    2. The average cost per workstation/ peripherals rose from $1,780 to $2,000, resulting in better workstations on the desktop.
    3. Debt for the program fell from $766,000 to $633,000.
    4. More users opted for laptops to better utilize mobile teaching technologies.
    5. The number of HelpDesk support calls fell to the lowest level since inception of the program due to better qualified technicians installing workstations.

Fiscal Year 01/02: 156 faculty workstations, 66 ITS workstations, and 80 staff workstations were installed between July 01 and May 02.

  • Analysis: faced with immediate budget cuts, a proposal was presented to IACC, Logistical Coordinators, and others to move to a four-year replacement cycle (for a target total of 219 workstations per year). The allocation was reduced to 156 workstations. In addition, the amount spent per workstation was reduced from $2,000 to $1,610 with a goal of eliminating all debt from the program.

Fiscal Year 02/03: 166 faculty workstations were replaced.

  • Analysis: faced with on-going budget cuts, the allocation was 166 workstations. In addition, the amount spent per workstation was reduced from $2,000 to $1,610 until all debt is eliminated from the program. With these changes we saved $100,000 in FY 02/03 and eliminated all debt for FY 03/04.

Fiscal Year 03/04: an estimated 219 faculty workstations will be replaced.

  • Analysis: the workstation allocation will equalize at 219 for a four-year cycle. In addition, the amount spent per workstation will rise from $1,610 to $2,000. The budget can be reduced by $190,000 and the program will have no debt.
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