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Recent Questions
about IT Baseline and Related Topics
If you have any
questions for suggestions, please contact any member of the Ag IT
Advisory Group.
 | Am I required to use the baseline? No, faculty and staff are expected to acquire
the IT needed for their activities, even if they are not part of the IT baseline; but
these non-baseline items will not be supported by the central IT staff. The focus and
priority of the staff will be on supporting the baseline. |
| May we consider vendors beyond those recommended by AITAG? Yes, but there is no
assurance that there will be centralized IT support for this hardware. |
| Proxy allows IT staff to control my computer; will my computer still be secure?
Yes. Proxy does not allow an IT technician to take control of your computer without
your permission. This permission can be granted only by you. Usually the technician will
be on the telephone with you discussing your question; if the two of you decide to use
Proxy, you will need to start that program on you computer and grant access to the
technician through your computer. Your permission terminates at the end of that session;
it cannot be re-established without you repeating the steps each time. |
| What do the arrows mean on the table of baseline software? The up arrow indicates
that the software is being installed on new equipment; it is the most recent program in
this category. The right-pointing arrow indicates that the software is not the latest
version but it will be maintained for those users and on those computers where it
currently exists. The down arrow indicates that the program is considered old and will
likely be removed from the baseline in the foreseeable future. |
| A colleague just left our department and the computer is now available for another
user. Will the IT staff help set up this computer for another user? Yes, the Ag Comm
IT technicians will do their best to prepare the computer for another user.
 | You will be expected to make copies of all data on that computer that needs to be saved;
a technician can help explain the process of making copies, if necessary. Be sure to
consider the current format of the data (for example, what program was the data created
in) and the program in which you will use the data in the future; you may need to change
the format of the data (such as Lotus to Excel) as a result of upgrading or changing the
underlying program. |
| After the data have been copied, contact the technician to install the current baseline
software. Your department may incur a license fee for the programs installed as part of
this upgrade. |
| After the baseline software is installed, you will be free to install additional
non-baseline programs and reinstall the data files you had previously saved. |
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| Is NDSU exploring a concept similar to a baseline for the University? Yes, NDSU
ITS and the Computer and Information Technologies Planning and Goals Committee (CITPG) are
exploring a concept similar to baseline. Representatives of NDSU Agriculture are involved
in these discussions and are working hard to assure that differences between the baseline
and whatever the University develops are resolved. |
| What if the NDSU baseline is different than the baseline developed by NDSU
Agriculture? Every effort will be made to have the concepts identical. Close
communication, and regular review and update of the baseline (such as every 6 months) will
provide opportunities for the differences to be addressed and resolved. |
| What if my unique needs conflict with the IT infrastructure of NDSU or the state
network? Technicians, working with your own technical support will try their best to
find a solution, but if the conflict cannot be resolved, your unique IT hardware or
software will NOT be allowed to jeopardize the operation or security of the NDSU IT
system. |
| What if my equipment and software are older than the minimums listed in the baseline;
am I prohibited from using them? Do I have to replace them immediately? No, to both
questions. However, if your equipment or software is no longer listed as part of the
baseline, it is a good indication that upgrading should be an important priority for you. |
| Netscape is an optional web browser according to the software baseline. Are
there any particular times when I should consider using Netscape?
| Staff who use PageCenter may find that Netscape 4.7 performs the best. |
| People developing web sites may want both Internet Explorer and Netscape so they can
test how well their site works (looks) with both of these browsers. |
| Individuals who prefer Netscape over other browsers may request that Netscape be
installed on their computer. |
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