In Fall 2003, IT began installing automated asset management software, Net Octopus, on every University owned computer on campus. NetOctopus makes asset management smart and simple. Hardware and software inventory, software installation and software updates can all be handled remotely with minutes of time instead of visiting each individual computer on campus. By linking NetOctopus information to our Help Desk application, Magic, we will be able to reduce troubleshooting time and provide faster solutions. NetOctopus will help us to reach the strategic goal of allocating resources efficiently and effectively consistent with sound financial management. Accurate inventory information will enable us to do better planning for hardware and software upgrades.

Policies

• NetOctopus will be installed on every computer on campus. It will be used to generate hardware and software asset reports. Hardware configuration information gathered includes hard drive size, RAM, and internally installed components. All software applications installed on the computer will be gathered in the initial report. Only software from our major vendors (Adobe, Macromedia, Eudora, Symantec and Microsoft) will be tracked.
• Net Octopus will be configured by default to protect the contents of the My Documents folder (on Windows) or the Documents folder (on Macintosh computers) from being viewed. Users may contact the IT System Administrators for Net Octopus to assign additional folders as private.
• Only IT System Administrators will have access to the full hardware/software configuration and application listing. The NetOctopus Agent allows you to set administrator permission to: Search the hard drive; Update/Install; Delete files.
• Limited information on hardware configuration and supported software (Adobe, Macromedia, Eudora and Microsoft products) will be available to the Help Desk staff to assist in troubleshooting.
• NetOctopus will not be used to "police" software installed on university computers. The only software that will be tracked, for licensing and planning purposes, will be Adobe, Macromedia, Symantec, Eudora and Microsoft applications.

Benefits

• Reduces the cost of supporting computers. According to a Gartner Group, Inc. study it costs an average of $11,900 per year to support a singled networked computer. The same study stated that implementation of asset management policies and software can reduce costs by $3100 per year.
• More accurate inventory of hardware without reliance on handwritten records
• Ability to better diagnose problems from the help desk resulting in fewer desktop visits needed
• Ability to accurately count software licenses installed for major software applications listed below. To remove the liability of the university to a software audit, we need to be able to track the number of installed copies. We also need to be able to see which versions are installed so that we may contact users about upgrades and patches.
• Adobe Photoshop, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe Premiere, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Acrobat
  
• Macromedia Dreamweaver, Macromedia Fireworks, Macromedia Flash
  
• Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word
  
• Eudora
• Ability to deliver software and software patches to the desktop from the network. This will lessen time spent by technicians visiting desktops for simple installs or upgrades. This will also ensure that faculty and staff get the patches and upgrades they need.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How will the software, Net Octopus, be used?
  The software will periodically report, via the network, on hardware information and configuration as well as installed software. This information will be linked to our Help Desk database to assist in resolving help desk calls, by having accurate information regarding hardware configuration and software versions installed, and to track hardware and software inventory. The only software that will be tracked are Microsoft, Eudora, Adobe and Macromedia products.
• How will NetOctopus benefit me?
  A major benefit will be that your support needs will be addressed more quickly and efficiently, leading to a reduced loss of computing resources.
• How will NetOctopus benefit the University?
  The university will see benefits from NetOctopus when planning system-wide application installations and upgrades. NetOctopus can quickly determine any systems that need replacement or upgrades because of inadequate hardware. NetOctopus will provide accurate hardware and software inventory for auditing purposes as well as planning and reporting.
• Who will have access to the NetOctopus administrative tools?
  Only designated system administrators will have access to all of the features of NetOctopus. These will be the same IT staff who also administer other systems on campus such as Blackboard, Centra and the Computer Competency server. Limited information on hardware configuration, supported software (Adobe, Macromedia, Eudora and Microsoft products) will be available to the Help Desk staff to assist in troubleshooting.
• Can I tell if someone has used NetOctopus to access my computer?
  Yes. An entry is made to a log file residing on the employee's computer every time NetOctopus performs an activity. Call the Help Desk if you need assistance finding the log.
• Can NetOctopus read or see my files?
  NetOctopus can display a listing of files that reside on a computer but it will not allow anyone to see the contents of any file except text files readable by a plain text editor and system configuration files (config.sys, autoexec.bat, etc.). Files created by Microsoft Office applications, for example, are not readable by a NetOctopus administrator. Although NetOctopus can list files on a hard drive, it will be configured by default to protect the contents of the My Documents
  folder (on Windows) or the Documents folder (on Macintosh computers) from being viewed. Users may the IT System Administrators to assign additional folders as private.
  Will NetOctopus be used to police the software on my computer?
  No, this is not the University's intended use of NetOctopus. IT will only use NetOctopus to track licensed software from major vendors such as Adobe, Macromedia and Microsoft for purposes of insuring the University's compliance with software licensing.