What is an MOU?

An MOU is a memorandum of understanding. In this case, it is a document that outlines an agreement between an internal university body, usually a faculty member or academic department, and IT.

When are MOUs Needed?

IT asks for MOUs to be signed in two general situations:

1. Paid Services - When money is to change hands, an MOU outlining the cost and the services to be rendered will be generated. Examples include setup and provisioning of VMs, or leased storage on the HPC. Typically, it will also include a MOCode for the billing as well.
2. Unsupported Devices - When a device is being purchased that will not receive some standard IT support, a MOU will be generated. These devices will generally be vendor-supported instead.

Example MOU

The following example MOU is for a lab instrument that has a computer attached to it. The computer runs the vendor-provided software for controlling the instrument and runs a custom Ubuntu operating system, which is not supported by IT. The vendor has committed to providing critical security patches to instrument control computer:

Customer Responsibilities – The Customer (Dr. [NAME]) will be responsible for the following services:

1. Security of the device
   1. This workstation runs the Ubuntu 22.04.4 operating system, provided by the manufacturer/distributor, [Manufacturer], and is registered on the campus network as [device_name]. While this system is connected to the network, the user agrees to update it monthly to apply OS security and software updates.
      1. Part of the [Manufacturer] technology is the fact that the card has its own management and operating system, therefore the user is required to update and maintain the [Manufacturer] operating system with patches, security updates and firmware updates.
   2. Users and administrators of the workstation must be enrolled or employed with the University.
   3. This workstation's physical security must be protected and access to the physical location is limited to active project participants.
   4. Upon expiration of hardware warranty, [date], this workstation will be removed from service, data sanitized by IT Security or proctor, and processed for decommissioning and disposal.
   5. System Support Should repair work be required, the user agrees to contact [Manufacturer] support.
      1. Examples include hardware failure and/or replacement, OS upgrade, OS repair due to fault or corruption, OS upgrade as new OS versions are released.

IT Responsibilities – The IT Research Support Services (ITRSS) team will be responsible for the following services:

1. Support
   1. IT Support IT provides no support matrix for this workstation. IT will register this system in NetDB as [device_name]. User takes full responsibility for managing the hardware, software installations under BPM12004 policy, user creation and management, documentation of operations of the workstation and any data backups, deemed fit for the research goals.
   2. IT will deliver the system “as is." There is no rebuild or reinstall option from IT.
2. Security
   1. Should the workstation be identified as a risk to the campus network, the machine will be locked down and secured by the IT Security team to protect the campus network's security. User will then work with the vendor to remedy the situation.