Campus Evergreen Program

IST has hired Microserve to assist with completing all the Campus Evergreen Program deployments. They will set up and help facilitate the exchange of your old and new hardware.

When it is time for your evergreen, Microserve will reach out to you to make an appointment and inform you of what to expect.

Contact Microserve’s Deployment Coordinator directly for appointment issues.

If you have any data stored locally on the computer (i.e. not on a network drive, personal drive, or Google Drive), we recommend moving that data to another location like a department network drive or Google Drive. If space in those locations is inadequate, an external hard drive is recommended. Backing up your data before the appointment will help speed up the process and prevent any loss of data during the exchange.

While we would prefer not to defer an evergreen, we understand circumstances may require a deferral. Please contact your Evergreen Coordinator if you wish to defer and we will work together to determine the best option forward.

Keeping aged equipment in the environment adds challenges and complexities to the security of university data and the support of computing equipment on campus. Reducing technical debt and aged administrative equipment is one part of the standardization goals of the Campus Evergreen Program.

For example, security update support for Windows 10 will end in October of 2025. Devices purchased prior to 2018 do not meet the hardware requirements Microsoft imposes to move to Windows 11. In addition, manufacturers will move to no longer provide security updates for hardware through firmware or drivers on aged devices. For these reasons IST securely and sustainably disposes of all aged equipment as it is replaced through the Campus Evergreen Program as part of the lifecycle management of these devices.

Equipment Asset Disposal and Retirement Procedure.

Submit a request for a new staff member’s IT onboarding. This request form will allow you to submit a request for a new computer, computer login account and network drive and printer access if required.

Ensure that it is noted in the ticket that the device will be part of the Evergreen program and that Evergreen Coordinator/Faculty General Manager/Director approval is included. If a Standard Evergreen is selected, there will be no upfront cost to the unit. Selections from the Workstation Offerings page will require a speed code. If a request is not part of the Campus Evergreen Program, a speed code will be required.

Please contact your Evergreen Coordinator.

Your Faculty/Unit Evergreen Coordinator will:

• Act as the faculty/unit’s point of contact and assist in answering any general questions regarding the program
• Work with the key department contacts to send out communications regarding their faculty/unit’s evergreens
• Collaborate with IST to verify users for yearly evergreen, help manage department inventory and assist with deployment coordination

When a staff member leaves their position it is up to the unit to “cascade” the device, either to the next person coming into the role or to another person in the department.

If the device is over 5 years old, it should be slated for surplus and a “net new” deployment can be completed for the next incoming staff member. When submitting a New Employee IT Onboarding request, identify in the fields if you require new hardware or are cascading an existing device. Requests for surplus of old equipment can be made here; please include what is being disposed of and where it is located. 

An early evergreen is when a device is replaced before the faculty/unit’s scheduled evergreen. IST would evergreen that device and count it towards the group’s 20% for that fiscal year.

For example, if a device breaks before it is due for evergreen and is not able to be fixed, it can be early evergreened.

No, all deployments will be on campus at your desk or office.

If a standard endpoint does not meet the unique requirements of a user, another device can be purchased from IST’s Workstation Offerings website.

Purchase of a non-standard device will require supervisor approval and the additional costs will need to be covered by the business area. Please note that IST has final approval on what devices are available for deployment within the Campus Evergreen Program. 

The University of Alberta is currently renewing the policy concerning local administrator accounts on University-managed endpoints, as well as implementing a service to replace local accounts, called Privileged Access Management. This service is currently in testing and development, with a view to full implementation in 2025.

The service will result in less user intervention tasks that require elevation of privileges, specifically for fundamental work applications and applications already vetted through the University of Alberta’s Privacy and Security Review.

In line with the University's institutional plan; Technology with Purpose, one of the Foundational Supports is Cybersecurity. The use of local administrator accounts falls under this Support category. Individual local administrator accounts on Windows and macOS devices offer convenience but pose a risk to University data. Should the device or account become compromised, a threat actor can bypass critical security settings, delete system logs, impersonate other users, run exploit code, gain access to sensitive data, and traverse to other University computers and networks.

If there is a need to elevate privileges to install/update an application or make a system change, you can submit a request via the Shared Services IT Portal or by calling 780-492-8000. This alleviates the need to have a local account on your endpoint, which greatly improves the overall security posture of the University of Alberta.

Additional information regarding Technology with Purpose »

Yes. If your device is stand alone and not connected to a domain, it will be added to the appropriate domain for your area in order for IST to better manage your device. If your existing device is already on a domain, your new device will be placed on the same domain for a seamless experience. 

Yes, IST provides a wireless keyboard and mouse with all evergreen deployments. If you require an ergonomic or specific keyboard and mouse, please advise us during the device consultation process. Any additional costs for this change will require a speed code.

Your new monitor acts as the docking station and has multiple ports to allow for peripherals to be plugged in.

Webcams will be provided with desktops. If you receive a new laptop, webcams will not be replaced as it will have a built-in camera.

The majority of departments have only provided enough funding to replace one monitor as part of the evergreen deployment. Provided one of your older, existing monitors can support connecting to your new device via the new docking monitor or desktop computer, we will attempt to connect it as part of the deployment so that you can maintain dual monitor functionality.

If your old monitors do not support this connection, then a second monitor will need to be purchased via speed code. You can review the models available on the Workstation Offerings website.

We will reconnect any existing peripherals to the new device. If any are not compatible with the new device, then it is up to you or the department to purchase ones that are compatible.

You can contact IST anytime after your appointment for support. However, IST will only hold your old device for two weeks in case there are issues with your new device. After those two weeks, the old device will be sent to surplus.

If issues occur with the device, submit a general request for assistance. Please ensure that you include details about your device evergreening when submitting your ticket.

Submit a general request for assistance. Please ensure that you include details about your device evergreening when submitting your ticket.