HBS provides every faculty member with a single desktop or laptop computer that is upgraded on a three-year cycle (some faculty members may have access to additional funding for technology purchases). We are pleased to support both Windows and Mac OS machines to meet your needs; see Standard Systems for New Faculty for more detail.
All HBS computers include a standard software suite for office productivity and security. Computers placed for July 2021 will feature Windows 10 or Mac OS Big Sur depending on whether you choose Dell or Apple hardware. Microsoft Office, including Outlook, is used on both platforms for document creation/editing and for e-mail and calendar collaboration across the school.
Other software can be installed on your HBS computer, but it must be requested through HBS for inventory and support purposes:
RCS provides free access to its HBSGrid compute cluster and MariaDB relational database server, with accompanying file storage, to all faculty and collaborators for their research. The HBSGrid cluster features 850+ CPU cores, 11 Terabytes of RAM, 5 high-end GPUs, and 0.5 Petabytes of total storage. Paid access is also available to Harvard's Cannon research cluster, with 75,000+ CPU cores, GPUs, 342 Terabytes of RAM, and 60 Petabytes of storage.
Please contact research@hbs.edu or 617.495.6100, or see their RCS Computing Environment website for more information about these offerings.
Centralized file storage on the HBS network, and collaboration tools (Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive for Business, Harvard's Dropbox instance), are available to store all faculty data. Data stored on the HBS network will be safely backed up, and can be securely accessed from any onsite or remote computer with a connection to the Internet. We strongly encourage faculty to use centralized storage and collaboration tools, and to avoid keeping data on their local desktop and laptop machines.
Secure wireless network connectivity is widely available across campus.
Before You Arrive
You will be contacted prior to your arrival by John Owen, Senior Director of Technology Support Services to discuss your technology requirements. If you have any technology questions before then, feel free to contact Technology Support Services at ithelp@hbs.edu or 617.495.6600 and ask for John. Please work with us to confirm your technology requirements as soon as possible so that they can be purchased, configured, and ready in advance of your arrival.
If you have questions relating to your research (e.g., research software, data that you would like to transfer, or research data and services available) please contact Research Computing Services (RCS) at research@hbs.edu or 617.495.6100. Research Computing Services orders and supports research software, and provides access and support for local and remote high-end computing systems. They also provide a variety of services including training, methodological and statistical consultation, and a number of data and programming services. More information can be found on their RCS Overview page.
If you are interested in the Computer Lab for Experimental Research, please contact behavioral@hbs.edu or 617.496.3167.
Your HBS Account
Email and access to your HBS computer will be available on the first day of your appointment (for many new faculty this is July 1). The remainder of your access (such as to the HBS Intranet) will be enabled overnight, and be available to you starting on the second day of your appointment.
When You Arrive
Your desktop or laptop computer will be configured and installed in your office before you arrive. After your arrival, you will be contacted by other members of HBS IT in an effort to make your onboarding smooth and productive. These include a representative from HBS IT's Instructional Design Services group who will acquaint you with HBS’ teaching-and-learning technologies, and a representative from HBS IT’s Technology Support Services group to acquaint you with the computing, communication, and collaboration tools used at the school
You can receive ongoing desktop support after your arrival by contacting Technology Support Services at ithelp@hbs.edu or 617.495.6600.