Information Technology Policies and Standards

Title
Wireless PIM/PDA Policy
Type
Policy
Category
Hardware/Software
Status
Superseded
Approved
01/12/2005
Revised
03/14/2007
To Be Reviewed
01/12/2007
Scope
CAO approval is required to purchase a wireless PIM/PDA. Only city owned wireless PIM/PDA devices may be used on the city's infrastructure.

Defines the circumstances under which City employees may utilize wireless Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or Personal Information Manager (PIM) devices.
Policy
  • Only approved wireless PDA/PIM devices that perform the preponderance of synchronization activities (e.g. e-mail and calendaring) via public cellular network may be used by City employees. Approved devices shall be published in a standard. Only City-purchased and owned devices will be permitted.
  • All established City cellular phone polices, procedures and standards apply to such devices.
  • All wireless PDA/PIM device procurements must be approved by the Chief Administrative Officer regardless of cost.
  • Any Department wishing to procure wireless PDA/PIM devices must identify an employee in that Department as the first level support ("super user") for those devices.
  • The City's Telecommunications Management Group will provide specialized wireless PDA/PIM device support as a contracted service billable to the Department. This support will work in conjunction with ISD infrastructure support, ISD desktop support and appropriate application managers on an ad hoc basis.
  • ISD will support the back-end interface between the cellular network and City servers, in addition to managing user license and support contracts.
  • All wireless PDA/PIM purchases must be approved through the standard TRC process.
  • Other wireless PDA/PIM based "line-of-business" applications may be handled on a case by case basis at the discretion of the Technical Review Committee.
Rationale
Implementing and supporting traditional computer desktop-centric PDA's tend to be very labor-intensive activities that challenge the overall return on investment of personal productivity devices. Through pilot testing, the City has determined that wireless server-based synchronization can meet the requirements of personal information management with less time involved in the inherent support required for desktop-based devices.

Contact: Dan A. Sparacino, (505) 768-3140