Tablet Procurement with University Funds

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Contents Purpose of this Document ...... 3 Introduction ...... 3 Pre Purchase Considerations ...... 4 Hardware ...... 4 Peripherals ...... 4 Operating Systems (OS) ...... 5 Email ...... 5 Calendar ...... 5 Documents & apps ...... 6 Purchasing apps ...... 6 Compatibility ...... 6 University Documents ...... 6 Information Security ...... 6 Document Access ...... 7 Cloud Services ...... 7 Microsoft SkyDrive ...... 7 Dropbox...... 8 Drive ...... 8 iCloud ...... 8 mStir ...... 8 Documentation & Help ...... 9 University Wireless Zones ...... 9 eduroam ...... 9 eduroam at Stirling ...... 9 What’s on the Horizon ...... 10 Microsoft Windows ...... 10 Hardware ...... 10 Connection Free ...... 10 Hardware Purchase Guidance ...... 10 HMRC ...... 11 Business-use only ...... 11 Private use also ...... 11

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Purpose of this Document

The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of the options available when considering the purchase of devices (Tablets) and associated accessories, such as apps and cloud services with University funds, and to offer some background to inform you through the process. The document also contains important security advice and guidance.

Introduction

Tablets are effectively mobile computers that are integrated into a flat touch screen, which is the main interface rather than a physical keyboard and mouse, though an onscreen virtual keyboard and stylus may be used. There are a wide range of devices available which range in size and performance but all have this general interface.

Both globally and in the UK Tablets are experiencing rapid growth, with a number of the mature players in the marketplace now releasing 3rd and 4th generation devices. The world-wide distribution of personal computers continues to grow but if Tablets are discounted from the figures the position shows a decline in traditional PC sales. Tablet development is largely a consumer led market and it is widely anticipated that they will become as ubiquitous as have become over the past 5 years.

Principally designed for e-reading, Web surfing, and multimedia playback, they should be regarded as a viewing device, not productivity, although rudimentary editing features are available. They are generally not provided with a full-sized keyboard, although a wide variety of after-market mini Bluetooth or docking devices are available, and should not be viewed as a substitute for a PC or laptop. Some hybrid Tablet/Notebook devices are beginning to appear but the market is not mature.

The principle differentiator between them is the they run and this determines what peripherals and applications (apps) are available. The main operating systems available are:

 iOS (Apple Computers –iPad’ s)  Android - Various device manufacturers e.g. o Samsung Galaxy’s o Asus Eee Pad’s o o Sony o Toshiba o Motorola  Amazon Kindle Fire (Android variant)  Blackberry Playbook OS  Windows 8 RT/Intel (Various device manufacturers)

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Pre Purchase Considerations

Hardware

When purchasing a laptop you will take into account the intended purpose of the purchase and there are a number of factors that you would consider, including performance, weight and dimensions. These and additional factors are considered below when proposing a Tablet purchase.

 Physical dimensions vary markedly between manufactures and models, ranging from large to ~10inch screen and this will affect the weight.  Processor performance currently ranges from single core to quad core processor. More performance will be required if you are multitasking and/or using multimedia materials.  Storage capacities are typically between 16 and 64Gb. Assess the quantity and size of documents, applications (apps) and other materials you need to retain locally on the device. Some, but not all, devices allow for additional SD card storage.  Display. In addition to physical screen dimensions there are a further two factors to consider, o resolution will vary significantly across devices and the higher the resolution the clearer text and images will appear. o Almost all Tablets utilise capacitive multi-touch technology but at the lower price end of the market this may not always be the case and the screens are much less responsive.  Wireless & Mobile connectivity. Should you routinely require internet access when out of range of a wireless network signal then specify a device with a SIM card to enable connectivity via mobile phone networks (typically referred to as cellular by the tablet manufacturer). Alternatively, some smartphone data plans allow you to tether your tablet to use the phone data connection. You should check with the procurement office what the current contract arrangements are for cellular data provision.  Physical connectivity. Assess which external devices you will typically connect with and ensure the tablet has appropriate connectors or adapters, e.g. HDMI, DisplayPort, USB (version 2.x/3.x), Apple 30-pin or Lightning, 3.5mm jack.  Cameras are a standard feature on Tablets but the resolution capabilities are varied and not all models have both front and rear facing. Front facing cameras are necessary if you need to conference with others and rear for photographic, video work and scanning.  Battery life from a single charge will be dependent on your estimated type of usage. Manufacturers should provide guidance based on a variety of usage types such as video, music or web surfing. The battery usage is typically higher with cellular usage than Wi-Fi.

Peripherals It is important to note that peripheral devices may not be compatible across different vendor platforms. iPad devices are typically suitable for the iPad only, but even here you may require an adaptor to interface between the newer Lightning connector and legacy 30-pin devices.

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Operating Systems (OS)

Tablet PCs are consumer devices and do not currently have the equivalent of an enterprise OS. As consumer products they do not have consistent OS roadmaps and often new features require hardware changes. It will be challenging for Information Services to establish whether a device will be able to keep pace with OS developments or become relatively quickly redundant.

From the OS types listed previously, the market leader is iOS for iPad’s with Android for Tablets showing steady growth and holding the majority of the remaining market share. Blackberry Playbook OS does not appear to be making significant impact and it remains to be seen whether Windows will make any significant entry. Comparative figures from StatCounter, published in July 2012, are listed in table 1.

% iOS Android Other Worldwide 85.7 13 1.3 UK 93.1 - - Table.1

The remainder of this document will focus mainly on iOS and Android systems.

The university network infrastructure is configured around Microsoft Active Directory. Currently Tablets are not easily integrated into this network infrastructure and will require a different approach when accessing university resources. Although it is possible to use certain apps to access stored on network drives, it is not intuitive and is not covered in this document.

Email Both iOS (iPad) and Android Tablets have e-mail applications integrated with the OS, which can be configured for Microsoft Exchange accounts (the system which delivers the University’s staff email service), providing access to multiple mailboxes and calendars similar to the equivalent Smartphones. Some Android Tablet Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) skin1 their devices to provide a custom interface and there are often widgets2 available to provide an integrated live- update look to email accounts. Additional accounts such as and Hotmail can also be configured. User guides for configuring Exchange accounts on Tablets are available on Information Services web pages at http://www.stir.ac.uk/is/staff/mobile/email/.

Calendar Similarly, calendar apps and widgets are provided which can be configured for Microsoft Exchange accounts.

1 Skin - A proprietary overlay to the original OS which is intended to provide an enhanced user experience. 2 App Widgets are typically mini applications that can receive and present automatic updates without opening the full application.

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Calendar Synchronisation Issues Please note that synchronisation issues have been widely reported on both platforms, but extensively on iOS devices recently. You may experience the following unexpected symptoms:

 Incorrect appointment details where you have delegated permissions to others.  Significant battery drain.  High usage on your data plan, where you use a mobile network device.

The Calendar apps are not a Microsoft product and therefor IS are unlikely to be able to provide a solution to these issues, resolution will be dependent on updates released by the OS provider. However, please ensure you report any unexpected symptoms to the Information Centre where IS will endeavour to provide an online information service to guide and advise colleagues on known issues.

Documents & apps

Similar to Smartphone’s, applications available for Tablets are referred to as apps and are available from the relevant for iOS and Android devices. The stores are typically accessed from the Tablets integrated app which is App Store for iOS and Play Store for Android and some apps are common to both Smartphones and Tablets of the same platform.

Purchasing apps The app costs are very low in comparison to computer software packages, typically from free to a few pounds. Enterprise app management is not yet mature and the lack of corporate service arrangements presents a significant challenge for the traditional university purchasing approach. It is therefore proposed that purchases are made directly by individuals and the expenditure recovered through the appropriate expenses procedure. If required an applicable form is available on the Finance Office web pages at http://www.finance.stir.ac.uk/staff/accounts-payable/forms.php.

Compatibility Apps are not compatible across OS platforms but major apps are available in most flavours.

University Documents

Information Security Colleagues are reminded that the university does not currently have agreements in place with any vendor for cloud hosting of university data. University information should not be held exclusively on any local storage media and should normally be kept on a "network drive" provided and administered by Information Services, and it can be assumed that back-up security copies are being taken. Information containing Protected Personal Data3 must only be stored on a “network drive”.

3 Defined in the University’s IT Use Policy section 1.4: “any Information about 1,000 identifiable individuals or more; or any Information that links at least one or more identifiable living person with the list of private information data sets appearing in the appendix ... includes sensitive private data as defined in the Data Protection Act”

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If a device, whether personally owned or supplied by the University, is synchronised with data stored on a University system, then as a minimum that device should have a pass code enabled to prevent unauthorised access.

Please ensure you are familiar with the University IT Use Policy and particularly Section 3.4 Ensuring Security, http://www.stir.ac.uk/media/schools/is/documents/policy/itusepolicy.pdf.

You will also find the information on security, mobile devices and data protection from JISClegal a useful reference, http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/ManageContent/ViewDetail/ID/2326/Security-Mobile- Devices-and-Data-Protection.aspx.

Lost or Stolen Devices If you have synchronised your device with our staff email service (using Activsync), you can perform a remote wipe and lock of your device yourself via outlook web access. Further Information is available on the IS website at http://www.stir.ac.uk/is/staff/mobile/security/.

The University’s IT Use Policy requires that in the event of loss of a synchronised with any University system, you must change all your University passwords immediately.

Document Access Direct access to documentation on the university network is not readily available on Tablet devices. However, applications and apps are available to enable synchronisation of documents and other media between office computers, the vendors Cloud service and mobile devices including laptops, Tablets and Smartphones.

Microsoft Office is the supported document productivity suite at the university, however Microsoft do not currently produced a version for either of the leading Tablet operating systems.

Polaris Office, Quickoffice Pro and are examples of apps that offer support for MS Office Documents and PDFs, and provide interoperability with document cloud services. Other apps are available.

Cloud Services Cloud services can broadly be considered as solutions made available to users on demand via the internet. There are Cloud services available that allow you to synchronise and share your documents across many different devices and the first three highlighted below, which use very similar approaches, are available in the UK. Again, the university does not currently have agreements in place with any vendor for cloud hosting of university data and their hosting of data, in particular personal data, may not be in line with Scottish, UK and EU legislative requirements and codes of practice.

Microsoft SkyDrive SkyDrive provides 7GB of free storage and is available for iOS and Android. By installing the free app on a Tablet (or Smartphone) and configuring the service on your office PC and/or laptop, and any home computers, you will access the same documents across all devices. The configuration creates a folder on the local disk of the computers entitled ‘SkyDrive’ and documents placed here are synchronised via the SkyDrive Cloud service. If you do not have access to any of your own devices

7 you can still retrieve your documents directly from the cloud service via a browser on any computer, https://login.live.com/. A Microsoft Live account is required, registration is free.

Dropbox Dropbox provides 2GB of free storage and is available for iOS and Android. By installing the free app on a Tablet (or Smartphone) and configuring the service on your office PC and/or laptop, and any home computers, you will access the same documents across all devices. The configuration creates a folder on the local disk of the computers entitled ‘Dropbox’ and documents placed here are synchronised via the Dropbox cloud service. If you do not have access to any of your own devices you can still retrieve your documents directly from the cloud service via a browser on any computer, https://www.dropbox.com/. A Dropbox account is required, registration is free.

Google Drive provides 5GB of free storage and is available for iOS and Android. By installing the free app on a Tablet (or Smartphone) and configuring the service on your office PC and/or laptop, and any home computers, you will access the same documents across all devices. The configuration creates a folder on the local disk of the computers entitled ‘Google Drive’ and documents placed here are synchronised via the Google Drive Cloud service. If you do not have access to any of your own devices you can still retrieve your documents directly from the cloud service via a browser on any computer, https://drive.google.com. A is required, registration is free. iCloud The offering from Apple provides 5GB of free storage and is available for iOS only. The solution is less intuitive or useful for documents as changes will not be automatically synchronised in the native file formats. iCloud is available on the most recent iOS and by configuring the service on your office PC and/or laptop, and any home computers, up to a maximum of 10 devices, it is possible to achieve synchronisation. The Windows configuration adds a plugin to the browser on the computers and installation of the iCloud control panel is necessary, http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/pc.html. You will need to purchase Apple iWork apps: Keynote (Presentations), Pages (Documents) and Numbers (). If you do not have access to any of your own devices you can still retrieve your documents directly from the iCloud service via a browser on any computer, https://www.icloud.com/. An Apple ID is necessary, registration is free. mStir Information Services has developed a University mobile app for mobile devices which aggregates a variety of useful University information for students and staff on the move. The app will also function on Tablets and further information is available on the Information Services web site at http://www.stir.ac.uk/is/staff/mobile/mstir/.

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Documentation & Help

Information Services has created a set of information pages and guidelines to help you configure your Tablets (and Smartphones) to access university resources. The range of services for Tablets (and Mobile Phones) is accessed at http://www.stir.ac.uk/is/staff/mobile/.

In addition to providing information on configuration of University mobile services we have created a wiki (http://www.appwiki.stir.ac.uk/) on useful apps to aid student study at the university which may be equally useful for staff.

As consumer products Information Services are not currently in a position to offer an enterprise management solution to aid support of Tablet devices and therefor support is limited to ensuring the documentation is accurate and providing assistance, where necessary, to ensure that the setup and configuration is correct. The capability to troubleshoot app and OS issues is very restricted. As with other requests for assistance you can contact the Information Centre by phone, 01786 46(7250) or e-mail [email protected].

University Wireless Zones A significant proportion of the interior of the Stirling campus buildings are covered by the existing Trapeze wireless network, which was installed in 2010. The main areas encompassed are detailed on the Information Services web page http://www.stir.ac.uk/is/student/it/campusnet/wifi/. It is anticipated that the system will continue to be expanded to include the remaining buildings, specifically on-campus legacy residences, off-campus residences, and staff offices over the next few years. eduroam Full details on eduroam can be found at http://www.eduroam.org/, but in summary eduroam (education roaming) is the secure, world-wide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community. eduroam allows students, researchers and staff from participating institutions to obtain Internet connectivity when visiting other participating institutions by simply opening their laptop, smartphone or laptop. eduroam at Stirling As a member of staff or student from the University of Stirling you can now use eduroam at other institutions. It may be necessary to carry out some configuration of your Tablet, and other portable devices, before you go so you should follow the instructions on Information Services web page http://www.stir.ac.uk/is/student/it/campusnet/eduroam/ before leaving Stirling to setup and test your device.

At present it is only possible to setup and test your device on the eduroam network at Stirling - you will not be able to proceed beyond our eduroam landing page whilst on Stirling campus.

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What’s on the Horizon

Microsoft Windows With the launch of Windows 8 and Office 2013 for Tablets there may be a more enterprise type approach. IS will maintain a watching brief on developments.

Hardware As previously mentioned this is a consumer led market and product development is much quicker than in the business sector. Next generation tablets with quad core processors and multicore graphics processing have already appeared. This trend of more processing power and better graphics is expected to continue.

The major PC processor manufacturers have produced standards for slim, lightweight notebooks. Intel’s Ultrabook standard is the most established and is expected to gain momentum in 2013 as price points decline, and Intel launches a new line of processors and embarks on an aggressive marketing campaign according to analysts Canalys

The standards are evolving as manufacturers adopt the Intel standard and they are producing Ultrabook prototypes incorporating tablet features. The potential exists for devices to evolve into proper enterprise tablet-like productivity devices.

Connection Free A wireless standard evolution providing a short range wireless multimedia radius of 10-15m may reduce the dimensions and weight of Tablet devices by making them connector free and introducing induction charging.

However, connection to peripheral devices may be further complicated as proprietary wireless connectivity platforms are developed by major consumer product manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, Google (Android) and others.

Hardware Purchase Guidance

As previously mentioned, the majority of the market is shared between iOS and Android devices and Information Services user documentation is mainly focused on these operating systems. Until the market position becomes clearer it is advised that you choose an appropriate device for your requirements from these platforms when making a purchase with university funds.

Details for ordering equipment from the National Framework for the Provision of Notebook & Tablet Devices can be found on the IS website at http://www.stir.ac.uk/is/staff/it/purchasing/hardware/#tablets.

Guidance on the purchasing process is provided in the Procurement Policy and Procedures document Section 5 at http://www.procurement.stir.ac.uk/policy/index.php#section5.

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HMRC Computers loaned to an employee can be considered a taxable benefit. The following extracts from the HMRC website highlights what the reporting, tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) requirements are if an employee is provided with a computer. Given that the predominant use for tablets devices can be considered to be e-reading, Web surfing, and multimedia there may be the potential to argue that personal use could fall within the criteria considered as a taxable benefit. The full details can be established from following the link http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/paye/exb/a- z/c/computers.htm.

Business-use only Definitions or restrictions You provide an employee with a computer and both of the following conditions apply:

 Your only reason for providing the computer is so the employee can use it for business purposes  if the employee uses it privately as well, the private use isn’t significant

What to report, what to pay

You have:

 no reporting requirements  no tax or NICs to pay

Private use also Definitions or restrictions You provide an employee with a computer either wholly or partly for private purposes.

What to report, what to pay

For employees earning at a rate of less than £8,500 per year, you have:

 no reporting requirements  no tax or NICs to pay

For company directors or employees earning at a rate of £8,500 or more per year:

 report on form P11D - section L  pay Class 1A NICs on the value of the benefit

Work out the value to use The value to use is calculated as follows:

 20 per cent of the computer's market value (when you first provided it as a benefit) or of any rental/hire charge you pay for it - whichever is higher  plus any running costs you cover less any amount made good by your employee

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Graham Millar

ITCS, Information Services

March 2013

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