Software Policy

Purpose & Scope 

Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) is devoted to promoting the use of standard software to ensure university assets are used effectively, and business operations are supported. 

The purpose of this policy is to establish a framework for the definition, acquisition, and support of university software for SWOSU. This policy defines what software is university software and how university software is to be used by the various units at the University. 

This policy applies to all faculty, staff, students, volunteers, and university units that use university-based software. 

Statement 

The licensing for university obtained software covers the use of such software by all SWOSU faculty, staff, students, volunteers, and any person that has a legitimate business relationship with SWOSU.  All users must abide by the terms of the software license.  This policy applies to all software obtained by the university for use on hardware, public or private cloud, and electronic devices such as smart phones and tablets. 

No software or hardware is to be installed on SWOSU resources (desktop, laptop, tablets, etc.) without first receiving authorization or approval as stated in the "Procedure" section and adhering to the terms of the end user licensing agreement (EULA) that allows the installation. 

SWOSU supports using free and open-source software for its business operations whenever open-source solutions meet business needs as long as it complies with this policy. 

Objectives 

It is important to understand the scope of university software to calculate accurate costs associated with acquiring the software.  Scope is determined by the number of faculty, staff, students, and guests who will utilize the software.  Understanding the purpose of the university software will help to ensure SWOSU does not currently own the same or similar software, and to ensure the functionality of current software is investigated before purchasing new software. This will help ensure that SWOSU resources are not wasted by repurchasing or developing functionality already owned by SWOSU. 

Policy 

  1. Policy Definitions 

  • Software 

    • Can be executed on, but not limited to, a local workstation, server, public or private cloud, and electronic devices such as smart phones and tablets. 

    • Can access, delete or create public, restricted, or sensitive data as well as Protected Health Information (PHI)and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and Intellectual Property data. 

  • System Software - serves as a base for application software.  System software includes, but is not limited to device drivers, operating systems, text editors, and utilities helping the computer to operate more efficiently.  It is also responsible for managing hardware components and providing basic non-task-specific functions. 

  • Programming Software - a set of tools to aid developers in writing programs.  The various tools available include compilers, linkers, debuggers, interpreters, and text editors. 

  • Application software - can be a single program or a collection of small programs intended to perform specific tasks.  Examples of application software include office suites, gaming applications, database systems, and educational software.  This type of software is what consumers most typically think of as "software." 

  • University Software (including public or private cloud software) - software that is purchased, leased, developed, or otherwise acquired by SWOSU.  University software does not include software that is developed or acquired by an individual member of the university community (including any student, faculty, staff, or volunteer) without use of university funds or resources, for such individual person’s private use. 

  • Free & Open-Source Software – software with a source code that allows anyone to use, study, change and/or distribute it for any purpose. 

  • Total Cost of Ownership of Software 

    • costs involved for the purchase, lease, development, or other form of acquisition of software 

    • costs for installation, and/or support of the software throughout the expected period of use 

    • costs associated with integration of the software to other University IT systems 

  1. Policy Standards 

  • It is in the best interests of SWOSU to appropriately manage the acquisition or development of university software, its use, and its replacement.   

  • This Policy is intended to guide university units and administrators in managing university software to ensure that SWOSU software resources are acquired/developed, deployed/used, and replaced, to effectively and efficiently carry out the operations of SWOSU’s various academic and administrative units to best serve the objectives of SWOSU. 

Procedure 

  1. Approval 

  1. All approval requests for new and/or continued use of software must: 

  • be submitted to the appropriate budget head 

  • be submitted by budget head for IT review via Etrieve with technical documentation (if available) included 

  • (as needed) be submitted to Executive Compliance Committee (ECC) 

  1. Requirements 

  • Software for use must be purchased in sufficient quantities to cover either usage or installation. 

  • All software must be compatible with supported operating systems. SWOSU supports Windows and MacOS.  

  • All software is subject to periodic review. 

  • All software requested for use/installation must be intended and/or designed for SWOSU to use. 

  • Security or hacking tools intended to violate the security of the network are not allowed. 

  • Submitting software requests does not guarantee its acquisition or installation. 

  • It is suggested that all software requests are submitted well in advance of the deadline to make certain the IT and ECC review process can be completed before the software usage deadline. 

  1. Review 

  • Respective departments will need to annually assess software licensing and contracts. 

  • IT will make an effort near the end of each spring semester to contact the professors with existing software in labs to confirm whether the software will or will not be needed again the following school year. 

Enforcement 

Employees who violate this policy and its associated procedures may be subject to disciplinary action and will be referred to Human Resources.  When appropriate, SWOSU may restrict a violator’s access to SWOSU resources pending further investigation of a possible violation of this policy. 

Contact Information 

Contact a member of the Executive Compliance Committee if you suspect a breach of this policy, or with questions regarding these guidelines. 

Lori Boyd 

Vice President for Administration and Finance 

(580) 774-3731 

Jonathan Clemmons 

Assistant Vice President for Public Relations & Marketing 

(580) 774-3066 

Adam Johnson 

Vice President for Student Services 

(580) 774-7172 

Patsy Parker 

Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost 

(580) 774-3771 

Chad Kinder 

Vice President for Strategic Partnerships 

(580) 774-3291 

Garrett King 

Executive Director for Institutional Advancement 

(580) 774-3706 

Dayna Hardaway 

Assistant Vice President for Human Resources 

(580) 774-3275 

Dian Ray 

Director of Information Technology Services 

(580) 774-3271 

 

 

Revision & Approval History 

Date of Change 

Version 

Responsible 

Summary of Change 

Date Approved 

Approved By 

July 2022 

1 

IT 

Created as policy 

August 2022 

ECC 

November 2024 

2 

IT 

Updated 

6/26/2025 

ECC 

 

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