On June 11, 2019, the University of Utah Board of Trustees approved University Software Policy 4-050 and University Enterprise Software Rule 4-050A. The new policy and rule apply to all University of Utah entities, including all main campus and University of Utah Health organizations.

The policy and rule are in effect as of July 1, 2019. University organizations must follow a new approval process in order to purchase, lease, develop or otherwise acquire enterprise software.

Covered by the policy/rule:

• Software that will have a broad institutional impact and affect the operations of more than one unit; and/or
• Software that will require integration with PeopleSoft, Canvas, Epic or other enterprise software system currently in use.

Not covered by the policy/rule:

• Software purchased or developed by individuals for individual use.
• Software purchased or developed by a unit solely for its own use and that does not require integration with an existing enterprise software system.

Enterprise software approval process

Prior to purchase, lease, development or another form of enterprise software acquisition, contact the Office of the CIO to begin the approval process at aimee.ellett@utah.edu  or 801- 587-1276.

The Office of the CIO will assist organizations with shepherding the request through required reviews/approvals, including:

• Completing the current version of the university’s technical Request for Proposal (RFP) document, which must then be evaluated by UIT. The evaluation will include an information security assessment.
• Gaining approval from the appropriate university IT governance committees (Enterprise Web Advisory Committee, Teaching and Learning Portfolio, IT Architecture and New Technology Committee, Strategic Information Technology Committee).
• Completing a three-year Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) form. The form must be completed and approved by both the cognizant dean/administrative director and the University CIO before substantial development work begins.

Goals of the policy and rule

• Reduce expenditures associated with enterprise software acquisition and development.
• Identify and measure the TCO for software acquired and used by the university.
• Maximize delivered functionality of the software already owned by the university.
• Measure the integration and support costs required to use software that we purchase, develop and rent.
• Create a catalog of software assets to support state and federal audit processes.
• Create an approval process for enterprise software acquisition so that application and security standards established by the university are met before the software is acquired.

The Policy and Rule have been reviewed and approved by the Strategic Information Technology Committee, IT Architecture and New Technology Committee, Institutional Policy Committee, Academic Senate, President’s Cabinet and Board of Trustees.

If you have any questions, please contact UIT’s Aimee Ellett at aimee.ellett@utah.edu or 801- 587-1276.