Software recommendations by task

Overview
Office productivity software
Creativity and communications software
Generative AI software
Specialized software

Overview

In this guide for Dornsife faculty and staff, we provide software recommendations by task, as well as links for accessing the software and links to help guides where available. Some software is available as an installable desktop application, while other software is cloud software (accessed online through a web browser).

A note about sensitive data

Be cautious when working with sensitive data in your software, particularly if the data falls under USC's "confidential" designation. For more information, refer to:

Don't see a particular piece of software listed?

This guide provides recommendations for common tasks and does not include all available software at USC. For comprehensive lists, refer to:

Software at USC Dornsife: DTS guide with a focus on Dornsife-managed computers
Software at USC: Official USC list from ITS, including software available for USC students and for personal computers

You can also email ts@dornsife.usc.edu to request software recommendations from DTS. We highly encourage you to reach out to us, especially prior to purchasing any software independently. This is because software purchases must comply with the Dornsife IT procurement policy.

Office productivity software

Category Approved and recommended
Other approved software Appointment calendaring

For voting and deciding on meeting times with coworkers:

Zoom availability polls

For creating an appointment calendar where people can view your availability and book with you:

Zoom Scheduler

For voting and deciding on meeting times with coworkers:

Microsoft Scheduling Poll
Outlook Polls

For creating an appointment calendar:

Microsoft Bookings Personal booking page (for your individual calendar)
Microsoft Bookings Shared booking page (for team calendars)

E-signing Docusign

Signer access automatically available to all USC faculty, staff, and students
How to request: Request sender or author access through DTS
How to use: Docusign help guide

Adobe Acrobat

Instant messaging Slack

Already installed on Dornsife-managed devices
Slack help guides
Slack help guides (ITS)

Microsoft Teams (license included with Microsoft Office suite, but Teams must be installed separately) Mass emailing (newsletters, mailing lists)

Emma

Create visually engaging newsletters and marketing campaigns; many options for layout customization and subscriber management
How to request: Request access through DTS
How to use: Emma help guides

Listserv

ITS-supported email distribution list service intended for internal communication; no design options
How to request: Request access through ITS
How to use: Listserv help guides (ITS)

NA Project/task management Microsoft Planner

Feature that integrates with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft SharePoint for task assignment and management
How to access: Log in at https://tasks.office.com with your USC email address

Slack Lists

Feature available in Slack for task assignment and management

Asana (must request approval from DTS)
Basecamp (must request approval from DTS)
Trello (must request approval from DTS)

Creativity and communications software

Category Approved and recommended
Other approved software Graphic design and image editing Adobe Creative Cloud

How to purchase: Purchase through DTS
How to install: Adobe installation guide
How to use: Using Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Express (formerly Spark; free version available)

How to access: Log in at https://adobe.com/express with your Adobe ID

Canva (must request approval from DTS)

Video editing

Camtasia

How to purchase: P-card recommended, or purchase through DTS

Adobe Creative Cloud

How to purchase: Purchase through DTS
How to install: Adobe installation guide

The DTS Media Services team is also available for project assistance

Request video editing through DTS

Canva for simple ambient videos (must request approval from DTS) Website authoring

WordPress CMS (must use Dornsife's WordPress CMS, not a third-party source)

How to request: Request access through DTS
How to use: WordPress help guides
See also: Website creation resources (Dornsife Communications)

Generative AI software

The following generative AI is approved at USC:

Microsoft Copilot
ChatGPT Edu
Google Gemini and NotebookLM

For more information, including what types of data are approved for use with each option, review our guide:

Start Here: Generative AI at USC

Recommendations based on need

Working with confidential data? Only Microsoft Copilot may be potentially used with confidential data, although we recommend emailing us at ts@dornsife.usc.edu so we can confirm approval from ITS.
Have specialized research or programming needs? ITS is granting ChatGPT Codex access on an as-needed basis. Email ts@dornsife.usc.edu with the following information, and we will coordinate your request with ITS:
- Your business justification
- Manager approval
Need transcription? Microsoft Word's built-in recording transcription feature can create transcripts from uploaded audio files. The transcription limit is 300 minutes of uploaded audio per month for general users, and 30,000 minutes of uploaded audio per month for users with a Microsoft Copilot paid license.
Focusing on note-taking or studying for a certification? Google NotebookLM may be more suited than general chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini if you want to work with a defined set of source materials.
Need to remove background noise from audio files? Even without an Adobe subscription, you can sign up with your USC email address and use Adobe Podcast's Enhance Speech feature to clean up audio files. If you aren't using a paid Adobe subscription through USC, we advise not uploading any internal or confidential data.

Specialized software

Category Approved and recommended
Other approved software Document authoring and note-taking Microsoft Office suite

Already installed on Dornsife-managed devices

Google suite

How to access: Log in at https://usc.edu/googledrive with your USC email address

Notability for macOS and iOS

Install through Company Portal

Scrivener Password management 1Password

How to request: Request access through DTS
How to use:
- 1Password help guide
- 1Password Password Manager resources (ITS)

NA Research writing and citation management
EndNote

Request through DTS

Overleaf

Purchase through DTS

NA Statistical software

SAS (Windows PCs only)

Install through Company Portal

SPSS

Request through DTS

STATA

How to install or purchase:
- CESR, Economics, and Sociology faculty and staff: Install through Company Portal
- All other faculty and staff: Purchase through DTS service catalog

NA Survey software

Qualtrics

Survey tool with a somewhat steep learning curve but high customization and many advanced features
How to access: Log in at https://usc.qualtrics.com with your USC email address
How to use: Qualtrics help guide

Google Forms

Simple and quick survey tool
How to access: Log in at https://forms.google.com with your USC email address
How to use: Google Forms help guide

Microsoft Forms

Simple and quick survey tool
How to access: Log in at https://forms.microsoft.com with your USC email address
How to use: Microsoft Forms help guide

REDCap for HIPAA compliance and specialized research studies: