DEFINITION OF DESKTOP AND MOBILE COMPUTING - 4989.2

The following activities require prior approval from the Department of Technology and are excluded from the delegation authority to acquire desktop and mobile computing commodities.  These activities must be treated in accordance with SAM Sections 4819.3 through 4819.42.

IT Projects – As defined in SAM Section 4819.2, beyond the acquisition, installation, and operation of Desktop and Mobile Computing Policy commodities as defined in this policy. The acquisition of desktop and mobile computing commodities required for an IT project, whether reportable or delegated, must be included within the project scope and acquired under the approved project’s authority. Use of this policy to circumvent IT project reporting requirements or to make an otherwise reportable project fall within delegated thresholds is expressly prohibited.

Budget Actions – Any acquisition, maintenance, or support of desktop and mobile computing commodities which requires a Budget Change Proposal, a Budget Revision, or other budget action is not covered by the Desktop and Mobile Computing Policy. However, this policy may be used to acquire the standard complement of desktop and mobile computing commodities as approved by the Department of Finance for new positions.

Specialized or Single-Purpose Systems – Acquiring any specialized, single-purpose, non-modifiable system, such as computer-aided design systems, desktop publishing systems, programmer workbench systems, or artificial intelligence systems is excluded from the policy. However, software-based applications used on a general-purpose personal computer may be covered by the policy. For example, desktop publishing employing word processing, graphics, and page layout software packages on a general- purpose personal computer falls within this policy; desktop publishing employing a specialized computer system that has been developed and marketed for the sole purpose of doing desktop publishing does not. A specialized, single-purpose system that allows some connectivity to an Agency/state entity’s existing systems, such as electronic mail, is still considered a specialized or single-purpose system for the purposes of this policy. 

Infrastructure or Platform Migration – Acquisitions associated with or mandated by a change in an Agency/state entity’s standard technical architecture for servers, desktops and/or mobile computing platforms are excluded from the policy. Migrating to a newer version within the existing standard’s product family is not considered an infrastructure or platform migration.

Wide Area Networks (WAN) – The acquisition, maintenance, or support of desktop and mobile computing commodities specifically to install or operate a WAN are excluded from the policy. These activities for WANs are considered IT projects, or components of IT projects, for the purposes of this policy. However, upgrading the capacity of a previously approved WAN project may fall within the definition of a previously approved project. (See SAM Section 4819.2: “Previously Approved Effort/Project”.)

While the acquisition of desktop and mobile computing commodities specifically for or required by the above-mentioned activities is specifically prohibited under this policy, existing desktop and mobile computing commodities purchased under this policy may be used for some of these purposes. For example, existing desktop computers purchased under this policy may be used in the development of a reportable IT project. Whenever an Agency/state entity is uncertain as to whether a proposed use of desktop and mobile computing commodities falls within the scope of this policy, it should seek a determination from the California Department of Technology.