UB has entered in a partnership with Dell Inc., which will provide the campus with updated machines and software while saving millions of dollars in the process.
The deal that has been established will offer a 35-40 percent discount on the new computers.
"We are going to be able save probably about two million dollars annually by securing the discount from Dell," said Elias Eldayrie, chief information officer of the School of Management. "We are now able to extend those discounts not only for University-owned machines but also for personal machines."
According to Eldayrie, UB had specific standards that were to be fulfilled with this project.
"The goal of the project is really to improve service, reduce cost and simplify the way in which we support information technology on campus," Eldayrie said.
The deal was established in accordance with UB 2020, which recommended the update of several computers that were not up to par with research standards.
"We have about 16,500 workstations around the campus - that does not include the research centers," Eldayrie said. "So this deal with Dell is really to address most of the 16,500 workstations."
The deal with Dell will bring changes to public computers, in addition to student, staff and faculty personal computers.
"Using our purchasing power, we want to not only secure discounts for University-owned machines but also for our students, staff and faculty personal machines," Eldayrie said. "And that's what this deal gives us."
The new computers are also coming with network-ready features, which will allow them to access the Internet as soon as they are plugged in. Public workstations in places like Lockwood Memorial Library and Capen Undergraduate Library have already been updated with the new equipment.
"Those computers have already been upgraded this summer and we are continuing on upgrading those sites," Eldayrie said. "If you walk into the cybraries you'll see the new machines and the new monitors that were part of the upgrade."
According to Eldayrie, the deal will bring a large variety of positive changes to campus.
"The University is going to have multiple benefits. We are going to be able to standardize our equipment on the latest technology that Dell can offer for the majority of our campus constituents," he said.
Dell may not be the only company that UB gets involved with. Companies like Apple could also soon be involved, which would open the door for more technological advances.
"We have had a number of conversations with (Apple) and are hoping that we will be able to secure something that will be beneficial for us in the very near future," Eldayrie said. "The University will continue to talk with all vendors. We value diversity of technology on campus, and our goal is not to have (only) a single vendor here."
Like most, this contract with Dell should last about four years, however, it will also include revisions on a yearly basis.
"This is right now a four-year agreement we have with Dell, but obviously it gets reviewed every year to make sure we are addressing the latest needs of technology and user's needs," Eldayrie said.
With the program underway, a number of students have already gotten discounted prices at UB Micro, which offers a large array of products.
"A lot of students are already taking advantage of this," Eldayries said. "So when you go to UB Micro and you buy Dell equipment, you are going to get a (better) price than you would if you go and buy it by yourself from someone else."
