ITS Tiered Support Framework

This article explains the ITS Tiered Support Framework and outlines how support levels are determined based on technical standards, risk, and organizational priorities.

Purpose and Overview

The Tiered Support Framework (TSF) is designed to provide clarity regarding the level of ITS support available. By evaluating solutions against Technical Support Standards, the college is able to align resources with organizational priorities and help ensure successful implementation of sustainable solutions. It also acknowledges that a less supported solution is required in some cases but encourages these decisions to be made intentionally with a transparent understanding of any risks they may introduce.  

Tier 1 (T1) - Full Support

• Enterprise, business-critical solutions fully supported by ITS 

• Enterprise solutions provided by ITS 

• System office mandated solutions 

• Business critical, college-wide solutions 

• Vendor support contract required 

• Incident Support 

• Service Desk: Basic troubleshooting, escalation 

• Product management (software): Verifies incident, escalates, coordinates 

• Field Operations (hardware): Verifies incident, escalates, coordinates  

• Technical ops: Level 3 support, vendor support engaged as necessary 

• Technical Support (in addition to Tier 2): 

• Release Management 

• Configuration Management 

• Availability Management 

• Backup and Disaster Recovery 

• Compliance and Audit support 

• Identity & Access Management 

Tier 2 (T2) - Partial Support 

• Departmental technology that meets Technical Support Standards 

• Vendor support contract required 

• Incident Support 

• Service Desk: Basic troubleshooting, escalation 

• Service Ops: Verifies incident, escalates, coordinates 

• Technical Ops: Assists as needed (Vendor primary) 

• Technical Support: 

• Data Integration 

• Support for built-in integrations 

• Project required to implement custom integrations 

• Hosting (on-prem or cloud) 

• May require additional operational costs to be funded 

• Configuration management 

• Apply configurations (as recommended by vendor) 

• Apply updates and patches 

• Remediate vulnerabilities 

• Deployment management  

• Automated deployment via Intune/SCCM 

• Identity and Access management 

• SSO Integration for authorized users 

• Role-based access automated with SCIM/Entra ID 

• Application owner manages authorization if SCIM not supported 

Tier 3 (T3) - Limited Support 

• Department technology that does not meet Technical Support Standards

• Example: Consumer grade 3D printer, previously approved Tier 2 software with lapsed license 

• Vendor support contract highly recommended 

• Risk based decision (RBD) approval required to move forward 

• Available support 

• Basic internet connectivity  

• May require compensating controls 

• SSO integration (if supported by the product) 

• Installation and initial setup guided by vendor 

• Client/vendor responsible for support, including updates and patches 

• Incident Support: 

• Service Desk: Basic troubleshooting 

• Operational Level Agreement defines escalation path (e.g. refer to vendor or departmental contact)