Ivy Tech State College, Indiana

Background

Ivy Tech State College, located in Lafayette, Indiana supports roughly 5,000 students, and 200 faculty and professional staff. The Lafayette region consists of four sites within a 35 mile radius of each other. The school maintains approximately 1,000 computers through the efforts of only six IT personnel. 50% of the IT staff’s time is spent dealing with hardware or software issues as it impacts the end-user, the other 50% is allocated to research, computer hardware maintenance, printers, PBX, phones, and voicemail.

The campus sustains an atmosphere of professionals and academics, however, while the majority of professors may be very knowledgeable in their particular fields of expertise, many of them are not exactly computer savvy; a great deal of the student body fits into this category as well.

Situation Before GroupLink Solution:

Ivy Tech State College-Lafayette region’s IT department was increasingly inundated with computing questions of all kinds from both students and staff. The majority of questions were not of the overly technical sort; generally questions such as, “how do I access my email from off campus?” or, “how do I change my password?” With a limited IT department, basic operating questions of every kind, including those mentioned above, left the limited IT department very little time for the hands-on assistance required by some users.

The IT department found itself answering the same questions over and over. It also answered departmental questions over and over, in regard to their specific computer and technical needs. A major concern for the IT personnel was the fact that the end-user was not truly gaining the knowledge of how to troubleshoot his/her problems, even with the training given at the start of employment. There was no educational process that allowed end-users the ability to avoid such problems in the future, nor did it allow for an increase in their general computer literacy.

ITSC-Lafayette was in need of a solution that would help them prioritize their many needs, keep track of hardware and software trends, and assure that the end-user was part of every solution by providing an in-depth resource; once that resource was in place they would need the ability to keep a record of every question—especially those which are the most frequently asked. ITSC looked at numerous Helpdesk vendors, both large and small, and none save one were able to meet all of their specific needs.

Situation After GroupLink Solution:

Through the integration of GroupLink’s HelpDesk, ITSC-Lafayette was not only able to put into place a perfectly configured software solution, they were able to capitalize on, and leverage their existing Novell technology. George Bittles, Director of Computer and Technology Services for ITSC-Lafayette notes, “Your HelpDesk software is way too cool. As an administrator I was able to go in with zero training and use the knowledge base portion with ease. The system proved to be very user-friendly—that is something we had to have for our students and faculty.”

The HelpDesk solution provided by GroupLink allows the IT department the ability to track users in a general sense, and see what universal training they require. It also enables them to monitor their computer fleet, and evaluate which units need maintenance. And, from an administrative point-of-view, it provides tracking capabilities to monitor IT staff and evaluate training needs, as well as ensure that staff are fulfilling their responsibilities. “There are so many different ways to use this software, I can’t begin to discuss them all,” relates Mr. Bittles. “The applications are wonderful, but the implementation was amazing as well, it basically equated to, ‘here folks, here is the link,’ that is about it.”

The integration of the HelpDesk software was specifically customized for ITSC, but the ability for on-going customization—in-house, for all of their different divisions is of added value for any institution. Mr. Bittles states, “I am amazed at the customizability, and the accessibility. With very little pre-planning, and zero training, we had only a handful of questions.” The product provided for ITSC-Lafayette was built upon their needs, and installed with the intent and ability to function immediately. “Frankly, the installation was simple. We have a lot of financial, as well as confidential student information in our databases so our installation was handled in-house; we simply did it over the phone. It was done in less than an hour. We started the installation at 4:00 pm; I was out the door by 5:00.”

By providing keywords on their HelpDesk website ITSC now gives users the ability to search for a resolution which provides a step-by-step process to allow users the ability to solve their own problems. “By educating the end-users, they do not feel they are unable to handle problems presented to them, and by providing that scenario it frees up much needed time for my IT staff.”

Conclusion:

Through the integration of GroupLink’s HelpDesk software ITSC-Lafayette is now able to serve, as well as educate, their students and faculty. By leveraging their existing Novell investment (with options for running on a Linux platform, and integration with Novell GroupWise, eDirectory and ZENworks data) the institution was able to capitalize and build upon a system that offered very pleasing results. Mr. Bittles notes, “I would say the knowledgebase is the major advantage for us. We will continue to populate the knowledge-base with frequently asked questions, allowing users the ability to handle their needs independently. This system benefits the end-users, each division respectively, and our IT division as well.” The integration of HelpDesk for ITSC represents a full-functioning business solution. “We couldn’t be more pleased! We anticipate a beneficial relationship with GroupLink for years to come.”