Washington County Board of Education

Background

The Washington County Board of Education (WCBOE) oversees 48 elementary, junior high and high schools in and around Hagerstown, Maryland. WCBOE has over 2600 employees who cover seven separate zones in Washington County. The technology department for WCBOE handles all hardware and software issues for every school in the county, including the maintenance of every computer within the school network. Each school has its own Media Specialist charged with the responsibilities of overseeing that school’s specific PC needs. All needs beyond the scope of these specialists is elevated to a Support Technician assigned to that zone and that particular school.

The Problem

With the responsibility of maintaining such a large network of computers, WCBOE’s IT department was in constant demand. The department was reliant upon a popular, yet inefficient tool to support its efforts in its numerous schools. Working with a system that was not web-based meant the support technicians were unable to quickly and effectively access progress scenarios, making timely responses impossible.

In addition to the inconvenience of the non-interactive database, WCBOE’s IT department was dogged by a paper system that exhausted staff time and resources. Being unable to log any given problem and its resolution protocol in an accessible system meant the support technician had to write out the scenario by hand and then supply numerous color copies to the various parties involved. Operating in this manner obviously took up a great deal of valuable time and meant that for even the smallest of tasks, there was a tremendous amount of paperwork.

Because WCBOE was dealing with various sources of paperwork when dealing with a single issue, there was an inherent degree of miscommunication existing among those involved. Without a concise and central database, the ability to generate accurate, detailed reports in a time-efficient manner was escaping them.

The Solution

With the transition from a less effective paper system to the web-based HelpDesk provided by GroupLink, WCBOE has been able to overhaul its IT department’s approach to problem resolution. Angie von Gersdorff, Help Desk and Technical Support Manager for WCBOE, said, “The ability to move away from an outdated paper system for us to do our job, to a web-based tool available to everyone involved, has been a tremendous success for us. Our techs now have access with any computer that is Internet equipped. In fact, they can access the project at hand from the very computer they are working on!”

WCBOE’s staff is now able to keep everyone involved in any particular process completely informed as to the status of operations relating to their situation. Having information available at the click of a button has really cut down on the phone calls that once bombarded them. The staff no longer spends its time printing and distributing different colored copies, and shuffling through piles of paperwork.

GroupLink’s HelpDesk allows end-users to participate and learn the processes needed to resolve their issues. “By bringing our users into the process, we eliminate repeat inquiries,” said von Gersdorff. “Our Media Specialists love the system – by providing them with the means to see the status of their request, they are more involved, and feel like they are part of the solution. By keeping our schools more informed, we have eliminated guesswork and increased the ability to become an active part of the solution.”

Conclusion

Because of an outdated and inefficient system, Washington County Board of Education’s IT department was limited in its ability to service those who relied on it. Through the implementation of GroupLink’s HelpDesk, WCBOE has been able to increase the IT department’s productivity, and in doing so increase the functionality of the entire computer network among each of the 48 schools they oversee. The seamless integration of GroupLink’s HelpDesk with Novell GroupWise enabled WBCOE to successfully remedy all of its IT needs while simultaneously leveraging their Novell investment. “I love it,” said von Gersdorff. “The difference in how our department operates now is night-and-day when compared to how it was a year ago. Everyone is very pleased, and our supervisors are particularly impressed with the reporting piece. GroupLink’s HelpDesk has and will continue to be a total success for us.”