Software and Hardware Purchasing at NU

Did you know that because you belong to the Northwestern community, you can purchase software and computer equipment at discounted prices? Prepare for fall quarter and find out about the availability of personal and departmental site-licensed software, computer equipment, and the proper ordering process through Northwestern University Information Technology's (NUIT) online resources.

Purchasing Software
NUIT makes selected software products available to staff and faculty via the site-licensed software program. These software products are available to the Northwestern research and teaching communities at a significant discount.

Users interested in obtaining a license for any of these products can visit the Site-licensed Software Distribution site at <software.northwestern.edu>. Program information, ordering instructions, and a complete list of products can be found on this site.

NUIT also offers a variety of free software including Symantec AntiVirus and Eudora (e-mail). Licenses for free software are available to Northwestern University faculty and staff on University-owned and sometimes personally-owned computers, usually for the purpose of accessing the University network. Specific information on free software products, as well as downloading instructions, can be found off the NUIT Home Page <www.it.northwestern.edu>, by clicking the "Software" link.

Discounted Software for the University Community
Northwestern's E-academy site offers select software products at significant academic discount prices for faculty, staff, and students. Software currently available to staff and faculty include MS Office (Work at Home), Mathematica, Maple, and Intellisync for Meetingmaker. Additional software will become available on E-Academy in the future.

All licensing takes place on the Web and software is shipped via UPS directly to the user. Faculty and staff members are limited to one copy of each product. To purchase software, users visit the E-academy Web site, login with their NetID and password, choose the software they want, and pay online with a credit card. For details, visit <elms.e-academy.com/northwestern/>.

"E-Academy is a well-developed, well-supported resource available to the NU community," said Wendy Woodward, director of NUIT Technology Support Services. "E-Academy is used by other universities, such as the University of Illinois, and is becoming the mainstream for purchasing and licensing software for non-departmental use."

A complete list of both site-licensed and free software for faculty and staff follows:

Site-licensed Software

Free Software

Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Photoshop
EndNote
*Intellisync for MeetingMaker
Macromedia Dreamweaver
Macromedia Fireworks
Macromedia Flash
*Maple
*Mathematica
Microsoft Office
*MS Office 2003 Professional, Standard, and X for Mac (Work At Home)
Microsoft Windows Server License
Microsoft Windows Operating System
SAS

Absolute FTP
*Eudora
Fetch
Host Explorer
*MeetingMaker
Remedy
SSH Secure Shell
Stuffit
*Symantec AntiVirus
tn3270
*Virtual Private Network (VPN)
WinZip

* Indicates software is available on E-Academy.

For further information on NUIT software, please e-mail questions@software.northwestern.edu.

Purchasing Computers and Networking Equipment
A new computer for the fall quarter may be just what you need to take advantage of streaming video and wireless opportunities around campus. To make computer purchasing easier, visit NUIT's Virtual Store to help find information and possible sources for purchasing computing and networking equipment. This service is available to the University community for departmental or individual purchasing needs.

In addition, NUIT publishes purchasing guidelines to assist University schools, departments, faculty, and staff to make informed purchase decisions for computer and networking equipment. It might be a good idea to review the guidelines if you are thinking of purchasing a new computer before next fall quarter. To review the guidelines, please see <www.it.northwestern.edu/guidelines/>.

The recommended configurations will last for approximately 30-36 months. After three years of service, NUIT recommends retiring and replacing aging computer systems. These guidelines are important for protecting the University's investment by recommending appropriate products with a reasonable life span and enable the University community to fully maximize NU network resources.

If you have questions about the purchasing guidelines, please contact it-feedback@northwestern.edu.