McGill is required to track and manage its IT assets.
What is IT asset management?
IT asset management involves the tracking and governance of all information technology resources in an organization. It provides information essential to the University's planning through the tracking of McGill's information technology resources. Maintaining an up-to-date inventory of the organization's resources assists the University in remaining accountable to its community and upholding its compliance with public regulations.
What is a McGill IT asset?
A McGill IT asset includes any IT equipment (hardware), software, system, mobile devices, or application services in the cloud that are acquired, maintained, reused or recycled by or on behalf of McGill. Computer accessories with a value of less than $250 do not need to be inventoried and tracked as IT assets. Any IT asset purchased through a university fund, including research funds, is a McGill-owned asset and their management must follow all McGill policies and regulations. IT assets are either fully owned by McGill University, leased on behalf of the University, or co-owned as defined by inter-institutional agreements. McGill IT assets cannot at any point in time be co-owned by the University and McGill community members.
Why is IT asset management important?
An up-to-date inventory of the University's IT assets and their interdependencies can inform significant decisions concerning future acquisitions and the maintenance of existing assets. This information can help determine how amounts will be allocated to IT investments and how these will be used.
What is the procurement process for IT assets?
All IT asset acquisitions must comply with the McGill Procurement Policy, the Policy on the Approval of Contracts and Designation of Signing Authority, Expense Reimbursement Policy and the McGill PCard Regulation. For details, consult University Policies and Regulations | Secretariat - McGill University.
No IT asset can be purchased using a personal credit card, then reimbursed through an expense claim.
To align with McGill’s sustainability objectives and as a means to ensure the longevity of its information technology assets, IT Services issues a set of standards for the purchase and reuse of IT equipment at McGill. For more information, consult the IT Knowledge Base articles Minimum standard requirements for the purchase of IT equipment at McGill, and Reuse Eligibility Criteria for McGill-owned computers and other IT equipment (login required).
What is the responsible use of IT assets?
The Policy on the Responsible Use of McGill Information Technology Resources ensures that McGill information technology resources are used to advance the mission of McGill University and to support any related administrative, financial, and operational activities. In addition, the Policy aims to safeguard the security of all McGill IT resources by establishing the responsibilities of the University and of the University community in their use.
How do we manage the lifecycle of our IT assets?
McGill University optimizes the lifecycle of its IT assets, following circular economy principles. All IT assets must be inventoried and any internal transfers or changes in asset stewards must be recorded in the system, to maintain the inventory’s accuracy, as per governmental requirements.
McGill’s IT Asset Management Regulation directs the University towards the sound management, longevity, and optimization of its IT assets. The roles and responsibilities of IT Asset Stewards and Technical Stewards pertaining to inventory tracking can be found in the IT asset management service description.
What is the decommissioning process and responsibility concerning the management of used and end-of-life IT assets?
All used and end-of-life IT assets must be managed according to the IT Asset Management Regulation, which prescribes media sanitization, the assessment of IT assets for internal reuse, their redeployment, or external reuse and recycling. No IT Asset can be sold or kept for personal use at the end of its lifecycle. External sales or inter-institutional transfers to enable the reuse of high-value IT assets are subject to prior authorizations by IT Services and Procurement Services. Used or end-of-life IT assets must be removed from inventory before being sent for external reuse or recycling.
The IT Equipment lifecycle is outlined in the McGill University IT Asset Management Regulation. Details concerning the reuse eligibility criteria, data wiping requirements, and other related processes can be found in this document’s Appendix.
Resources
For more information, please view the IT Knowledge Base article About: IT asset management.
