Question
What happens after I submit a Technology Review request?
Answer
All technology (including free technology) must be submitted and approved to be used at BGSU
After submitting a Technology Review Request, ITS reviews that the requested technology meets the minimum criteria for approval to be used in the BGSU environment. Including a business case, accessibility, security, and whether BGSU already owns technology that accomplishes the same functionality. ITS also determines at what level the approved technology will be supported.
There are some specific ITS reviews that each request must pass:
- Accessibility Services reviews the requested product/service using a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) to ensure that it meets the accessibility requirements set forth by the Federal and State of Ohio laws for our students and the general public. This helps assure the Office of Civil Rights that we have protected the rights of our students, faculty, and the general public. This review is conducted using information provided by the vendor. An exception may be made for software or a domain to be used by a single user.
- Providing a VPAT does not guarantee that ICT will be approved. BGSU’s Accessibility Policy requires all ICT procured by BGSU to be compatible with assistive technology and meet the Web Accessibility Standards.
- It is the responsibility of the requestor to provide a VPAT.
- The ITS Security Team conducts a security review to protect the individual and the University from security breaches and ransomware attacks. The vendor provides a Higher Education Cloud Vendor Assessment Tool (HECVAT) assessment form to BGSU or BGSU will send a HECVAT to the vendor containing questions that must be successfully completed before their approval is granted.
If all reviews are completed successfully, the requester will be notified by ITS after which they may proceed with with using the approved technology. Additional ITS assistance or Purchasing guidelines may be required:
**Please note: Technology Review requests take approximately 10 business days to be routed through the review process (All required information must be submitted at the time of the request). Failure of any part of the review will result in denial of the technology being used at BGSU**
Definitions
VPAT
The VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is the leading global reporting format for assisting buyers and sellers in identifying information and communications technology (ICT) products and services with accessibility features. The VPAT includes the leading ICT accessibility standards: Section 508 (U.S.), EN 301 549 (EU), and W3C/WAI WCAG.
For additional assistance, please contact Information Technology Services at 419-372-0999 or through chat.