West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services One Stop Shopping For IT Support Services Sid Morrison Director, OIT Support Services

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Copyright Notice Copyright Sid Morrison, This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Background and History Decentralized Campus – Centralized Administrative Support – Focus on Financials and Student Records – Little or no Academic Support – Small Independent IT Units in Colleges – Outsourced Data Center

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Background and History Independent Computer Units Within IT – Duplications of Effort – Lack of Communications – Single Function Support – Multiple Help Units – Lack of Historical Data

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Background and History Holes in the Service Offering – Faculty/staff/students purchasing from retail outlets Not compatible with campus systems/networks Would not meet their needs – Employees calling for assistance Round robin handoffs Eventually gave up out of frustration – No support services for students

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Background and History Holes in the Service Offering (Continued) – No tracking of problems Calls lost or forgotten No response or resolution to caller – Multiple numbers to call for service User had to diagnose problem to determine who to call User had to maintain a list of contact numbers Users contacted specific individuals for specific problems No backup assistance if primary was not available

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Result: Lack of Credibility in IT

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services About 5 years ago, we set out to fix these problems New CIO who had: Vision Strategic Plan Experience Change Agent

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services The Support Vision Centralized support agency Single point of contact Incident tracking and reporting Services for students Hardware, software, & networking standards Purchasing advice and assistance

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Realistic View Problems did not occur overnight – Will take some time to fix We will have resistance to change – Users accustomed to old methods We must overcome lack of credibility

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 1: Create a Stable Core (1998) Start by merging the most stable services – The most mature help desk – Desk-side support – Microcomputer repair service Survey and select help desk software – Full featured product desired – Compatible with existing data and a planned Oracle system

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 1 Organization Customer Support Help Desk Desk-side Support Microcomputer Repair

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Product Selection MAGIC Total Service Desk Network Associates Incident tracking and reporting Severity level assignment and escalation Knowledge base Self service help desk

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 1 – Problem Magic on Oracle Oracle accepted as campus standard Vendor claimed support for Oracle Delay due to DBA staff dedicated to ERP Attempts to interface Magic with Oracle failed NAI technical support wasn’t helpful Moved to MS SQL Server Lost nearly 9 months

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 2 – Start Expansion (1999) Create Technology Support Center (TSC) Focus on service to students/parents Sales assistance and discounts Student computer repair Internet connection in residence halls Collaborative with Student Affairs Merged Microcomputer Repair unit into TSC

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 2 Organization Customer Support Help Desk Desk-side Support TSC Microcomputer Repair

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 3 – Management Structure (2000) Upgrade Associate Directors position Put new Director in place Merge other service units under Director – Computer Consulting – Training – Electronic Mail Support – Computer Account Management

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 3 Organization Director of Customer Support Help Desk Desk-side Support TSC Microcomputer Repair Computer Consulting Support Training Account Management

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 4 – Service Expansion (2001) Merging other (single function) help desks Single phone call for: – Telecommunications – Networking – Information Systems – Financial Applications – Training – Consulting – Repair

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 5 – OIT Reorganization (2002) Create Support Services Department Merged more services under the umbrella – Public Relations – Student Labs – Assistive Technologies – Campus Wide Software Licensing – Test Scanning and Scoring – Student Portal Support

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 5 (Continued) Expand function of existing services – Dell Warranty Repair Center – Help Desk Self Service – Help Desk call recorder – Recover outsourced electronic mail services – Administrative hardware purchases – Procurement card purchases – Partnership with H/R Training

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services OIT Support Services Customer Service Center (CSC) – Help Desk – Desk-side Support – Knowledge management – Severity level management – Incident tracking and reporting

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services OIT Support Services Technology Support Center (TSC) – Sales assistance and advice – Computer repair services – Warranty repairs – Hardware standards – Parent/student public relations – Virus control – Student connectivity – Vendor relations

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services OIT Support Services Training and Publications Services (TPS) – Scheduled & unscheduled workshops – Web page support – Electronic Theses and Dissertations support – Workshop documentation standards – Training Lab Management

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services OIT Support Services Academic Information Services (AIS) – Student labs – Assistive Technologies – Scanning and scoring service – Computing and Technology Fair

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services OIT Support Services Technical Support Services (TSS) – Electronic Mail Support – Student Portal Support – Account Management Services – LISTSERV Support – Project Management

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services OIT Support Services Management and Administration (M&A) – Quality Control – Public Relations – Software Site Licensing – Policies and Procedures

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Step 5 Organization Director of OIT Support Services CSC Help Desk Desk-side Support TSC Microcomputer Repair TSS Support LISTSERV Account Management TPS ETD Web Services AIS Student Labs Assistive Technologies

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Changing the Culture Overcome resistance to change – Communicate, communicate, communicate – Play up key features of interest to detractors Overcome lack of credibility – Consistent track record of success – Communicate, but deliver on promises New system installation – Stick with what the vendor guarantees – Escape clause in contracts

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services What’s Next Year of Control – Standards – Performance measures – Planning Regional Campus Support – Help Desk – Sales & Service – Training

West Virginia University Office of Information Technology Support Services Thanks for Attending Slides will be available at: after 7/1/2002