Contractor Access to IT Services
Information Technology Standards
Contractor Access to IT Services
Section 1. Overview
1.1 Purpose, Scope, and Objectives
This standard is designed to guide contractors in gaining telephone and/or network access while performing work on the William & Mary campus. Typically, contractors require such access in their temporary office facilities on site.
1.2 Assumptions and Constraints
Information Technology is committed to providing world-class service to all users, including the services specified for contractors. If a contractor suspects a problem with a telephone or network connection, they are encouraged to contact the university’s Technology Support Center at 757-221-HELP (1-HELP for on-campus telephones). The TSC representative will put a ticket in the appropriate queue, and an engineer will follow up to check the telephone or network jack. If an outage can be confirmed, the issue will be addressed as soon as possible.
If the telephone or network jack is confirmed to be operating correctly, it is the responsibility of the contractor to find and/or provide additional support. The university cannot adequately provide support for contractor desktops, laptops, printers, plotters, scanners, cameras, network equipment, etc.
Under no circumstances will the university support resources past the telephone or network jack. If further support is required, Information Technology will provide a list of local computer companies that can be contracted to provide support.
If additional services, outside the scope of this document, are promised by a representative of IT, any further support or questions regarding this service are to be directed to the original representative, not to the Technology Support Center or other members of IT staff.
Section 2. Description
2.1 Guidelines/Procedures
Contractor Service: Telephone Access
W&M will provide telephone services to the contractor office via the campus telephone system. Phones will have a number of the format 757-221-XXXX. Contractors are responsible for providing analog handsets and/or answering machines.
Phone service is billed at the standard IT rate per line, plus the one-time cost for installing the necessary cabling to the contractor office. Standard voicemail is available for an additional fee.
Contractor Service: Computer Network Access
Using the university's high-speed data network, contractors are able to connect to the Internet, in order to access email and websites. Many contractors utilize Virtual Private Networking (VPNs) in order to securely connect with corporate resources.
In order to provide access to the network, Information Technology will provide a single network 10/100 MB/s jack with a single IP address. If a contractor requires multiple network connections, they are responsible for providing a router. A home broadband router, designed for cable modem users and available at most larger stores, is sufficient. The device will assume the IP address assigned by Information Technology and provide network access to multiple devices behind the router. Note that a “switch” or “hub” is not sufficient.
It is the responsibility of the contractor and their central IT office to configure this router to the campus network. If this is not desirable, Information Technology will provide a list of local computer companies that can be contracted to provide support.
In order to ensure the security of campus network resources, all traffic on the campus network is automatically analyzed in order to detect and prevent malicious attacks going to or from the campus. Information Technology reserves the right remove the connection from the network in the event that suspicious traffic is observed.
Under no circumstances will a contractor connect any wireless access device (access point, router, etc.) to the campus network.
Contractors will have no access to other campus network resources, such as file servers, print servers, campus e-mail, etc. Under no circumstances will contractors be given W&M accounts or email addresses.
If additional network services are required (for instance, wireless networking), the contractor is responsible for providing network connectivity through a local telecom company, such as Cox or Verizon.
There is no monthly charge for network access; however, there is a one-time cost for installing the necessary cabling to the contractor office. IT will install the necessary equipment to manage the network connection to the jack. All IT-supplied equipment will be retrieved at the end of the project. If any equipment is lost, stolen, or damaged, there will be an at-cost replacement fee. Note that network infrastructure equipment (switches) typically cost approximately $2500.
Requesting Services
In order to request telephone and/or network services, send email to the Technology Support Center ([[support]]). IT engineers will follow up to coordinate the necessary cabling and equipment installation. Please provide contact information for the on-site job manager as well as the central office IT coordinator if one exists.
Section 3. Definitions
Contractor: Those individuals working on construction projects who do not hold W&M accounts.
