Global Energy Executive MBA Program
Laptop Computer
Hardware and Software Requirements
2014/2015
Global Energy eMBA Student Laptop Guide
Global Energy eMBA Participant Laptops 2014/2015
Introduction
Computing technologies are an integral part of any successful business. The University of Calgary relies on proven
technologies to deliver services to students, faculty, and staff. Technologies a Global Energy eMBA participant will be
using (but not limited to) are:





UofC Portal (www.my.ucalgary.ca) – Student records, transcripts, email, and first point of contact for all services
the University of Calgary provides students
Desire2Learn (D2L) – Online Course Management System which provides access to grades, course content, and
professors. We also store detailed Program Information on D2L.
Webex Meetings – Online web conferencing and teaching tool
Tegrity Recordings – lecture capture for online viewing later
Global Energy eMBA Course related software
Use of Corporate Laptop Computers
Participants using laptops supplied by their workplace will need to work closely with their company IT department.
Appendix: A - Conditions for Corporate Laptop Computer Use is required to be given to your corporate IT department
to ensure your laptop will not create conflicts at work or in the classroom.
Computer Skill Requirements
Before you enter the Global Energy eMBA program, you should be familiar with Microsoft Office and email programs.
Strength in using Microsoft Excel is important in the Data Analysis (Statistics) course.
Purchasing a Laptop Computer/ Where to buy
The following guidelines will help you make a purchasing decision.
Warranty/Service Contract





Look for a minimum two-year warranty with one of the following:
Next-business-day on-site service, i.e. they'll come to you to fix the computer or,
Local repair with guaranteed two-day turnaround or
Depot service - i.e. you ship the computer overnight to a remote repair facility, they fix it and ship it back to you
- with guaranteed three- to five-day turnaround
Remember screens are normally not part of a laptop warranty!
Apple Computers (Important!)
We understand the Mac user's commitment to their computer. However, there are a few known issues when using
Macs in the Global Energy eMBA program. Printer drivers for Macintosh computers are different than those for
Windows. The print drivers should work but are not supported. Risk Solver Platform software is necessary for the
program and will not run on the Mac operating system.
MacBook laptops have the ability to run Windows 7/8 natively. Window Vista or 7 will need to be purchased in addition
to the laptop purchase. ITS will do its best to provide support for Mac laptops but the support will be limited.
Page 2 of 5
Global Energy eMBA Student Laptop Guide
Tablets (iPad, Samsung Galaxy, etc.)
Tablet computers have a number of benefits including battery life, weight, and ease of use. Tablets are excellent for
consumption of media, email, browsing, and social networking but are not ideal for the Global Energy eMBA program.
Office document creation can be cumbersome. Risk Solver Platform software is necessary for the program and will not
run on a tablet. Printing is not possible from a tablet.
Hardware and Software Requirements
Windows XP is not supported in the GEeMBA program. The following two sections detail what the recommended
hardware and software configurations are for this program. If you already own a laptop, check to ensure your system
has the Minimum specifications. If it does not, there is a good chance you will need/want to upgrade at some time in the
next two years. If possible, upgrade the RAM to a minimum of 4 GB. For assistance with upgrading, see your dealer. If
you need to purchase a laptop, try to purchase something in the Preferred column. The most important characteristics
(in order) are: memory (RAM) (ensure it has room for expanding later) and weight (remember, you’re going to be
carrying the machine, as well as your textbooks, around for the next 16 months). Webcams and external headphones
(with a microphone) are also highly recommended for this program.
Hardware Requirements
The following guide can be used to make purchasing decisions.
Hardware
Preferred
Minimum
Processor (CPU)
Intel Core i5 - 2.4 GHz+
Intel Core2 Duo - 2.4 GHz+
Memory
8GB+
4 GB
Hard Drive
100GB+
60 GB
Webcam
Built-in (Internal)
Internal or External
Battery Life
5 Hours
2 Hours
Ethernet Network Card
Internal 10/100Mbps NIC card
Internal 10/100Mbps NIC card
Wireless Network Cards
Required
Required
USB port
3
2
Sound Card
Yes
Yes
Screen Size
13.3 inch +
13.3 inch
Internet Connectivity
Cable or ADSL
56K dialup connectivity
RJ45 Cable (for Ethernet)
8 ft
8 ft
External Headphones
with Microphone
required
required
Page 3 of 5
Global Energy eMBA Student Laptop Guide
Software Requirements
Software
Version
Comments
You will need Administrator rights on your laptop
and Windows updates needs to be set to run
regularly
Operating System– All operating
systems must be English
Windows 7 (Recommended)
Microsoft Office 2010/2013 or
Office 365
Available directly from
Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/stu
dent/office/en-ca/default.aspx
Word, Excel and PowerPoint are compulsory
Risk Solver Platform *
Office 2010/2013
Risk analysis, simulation, and optimization
software for Excel. Risk Solver Platform will be
provided by the GEMBA program
Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft Security Essentials
Anti-virus software
Outlook, Outlook Express or
Mozilla Thunderbird email
You can work with any email
client you want but remember
some services may be restricted
depending on location.
The U of C supports Outlook. You may elect to
use your provider’s webmail services.
Email Account
http://www.webex.com/testmeeting.html
Your UC IT account will be set up prior to the
start of classes and you will be given your
username and password.
Windows 8
Webex
Webex will be used for live online instruction.
This link allows you to test your computer before
engaging in live online instruction.
Adobe Flash*
Latest version
Flash may be required for online content
Java*
Latest version
Java may be required for some online sessions
(* These will be checked during your laptop session. If you do not have them installed on your laptop, they will be
installed)
Email
You will be provided with a University of Calgary IT account and shown how to maintain forwarding from this account to
another mailbox. Please do not use MSN or Hotmail accounts, as the storage available on these accounts is usually not
adequate for participant needs and the allowable size of file attachments is small. Hotmail does not allow mail that has
been forwarded more than once and this causes problems with group mail lists. The University supports Microsoft
Outlook.
Help
The GEMBA program is available and on site during the modules to help with any software/connection issues.
Page 4 of 5
APPENDIX A
Information for your Corporate IT Department
Global Energy eMBA Participant Laptop Guide
Conditions for Corporate Laptop Computer Use
If you are using your corporate laptop computer for your studies, you should resolve whichever of the following issues
are relevant before the beginning of the program. Please provide a copy of this document to your IT department and
discuss any issues with them several weeks in advance, so you can resolve the issues before Intensive Week begins.

Your IT department may lock the configuration on your laptop by requiring an administrative password to
change the configuration. Before you meet with Global Energy eMBA IT Staff make sure that your IT department
has given you administrative rights on your computer. Some corporate IT departments will insist, for security
reasons that they do all the necessary installation and configuration of the laptop you will be using in the
program.

Configuring your laptop to connect to the Internet in the classroom might require that you manually change the
configuration each time you switch between work and school. You will need to understand how to do this, if you
are to successfully use the same computer between work and school.

If your company network standard is DHCP, your computer should move easily from your Office to the
Classroom without need for switching. If your work environment requires that you have a static IP address, you
will need to have a second network setting for the University of Calgary.

If your company uses a proxy server, you will also need to know how to turn the proxy server off in your browser
software and, possibly, in the control panel.

Please note that the IT assistance provided by the Global Energy eMBA program is limited to ensuring network
connectivity, printing, and installing and configuring the application Risk Solver Platform for Education. We do
not provide computer repair services, repairs to your operating system or data management. We are only able
to assist with your laptop setup if your operating system is in English.
Page 5 of 5