Batesville Community School Corporation

Transcription

1 Batesville Community School Corporation Standard Operating Procedures for the Information Technology Department Updated 10/13/10 Telecommunications and Network Support Services

2 1.0 Introduction This document describes SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) for managing Information Technology cases assigned to ITSS (Information Technology Support Services) at Batesville Community School Corporation. These procedures apply to the corporation Computer Helpdesk, TSS s (Technology Support Specialists), ITS s (Instructional Technology Specialist), Powerschool Administrator, and Webmaster affiliated with the corporation. The intent of this SOP is to coordinate the support of centralized I.T. services among these organizations for the corporation. It is expected that this process is evolutionary. 1.1 Relationship This document defines the rights and responsibilities of the relationship between the Computer Helpdesk (denoted as Helpdesk) TSS s, ITS s, Powerschool Administrator, and WebMaster. This relationship defines the Helpdesk as a support center for students, faculty, and staff and as a dispatch center for Information Technology issues. This relationship also defines TSS s as a second level support group DIRECTLY relating to software and hardware issues for all constituents of the corporation. 1.2 The Helpdesk as a Support Center As a support center, the Helpdesk will accept calls through from any school corporation affiliated patron between the hours of 7:45a.m-3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. All calls placed after normal Helpdesk business hours will have a next school day best effort response by the Helpdesk technician. All calls placed to the helpdesk will have a trouble ticket generated for tracking purposes. Every effort should be made by the Helpdesk technician to not assign tickets to TSS s if the problem can be fixed remotely in an efficient quick manner. The Helpdesk will also accept calls from TSS s for the purpose of reporting problems related to software and hardware. It is expected that TSS s have the expertise to make this determination. For all calls placed by TSSs, the Helpdesk will generate a trouble ticket. 1.3 The Helpdesk as a Dispatch Center As a dispatch center, the Helpdesk technician will determine the severity of the issue. If the issue cannot be fixed in an efficient timely fashion, the Helpdesk will assign the call to a TSS (Level 2 support), ITS, Powerschool Administrator or Webmaster. After receiving notification of a ticket assigned to TSS, ITS, Powerschool Administrator or Webmaster the helpdesk may be contacted to seek more information about the ticket before visiting the site. 1.4 TSS s as Second Level Support The role of TSS at Batesville Community School Corporation is to provide technical support to students, faculty, and staff. This includes the following services: Desktop Support Perform in-depth troubleshooting on computer equipment. Repair equipment when appropriate. Request replacement parts from the I.T. Services Administrator. Repair and Service of Equipment- Prepare computers to be sent off-site for vendor repair and service. Documentation Document issues using appropriate processes. Maintain documentation of off-site machine repairs. New Equipment-Prepare and setup equipment per established procedures. Install computer image per school suite of software. Test image to ensure operational. Obsolete and Non-Working Equipment- Record Serial number. Report serial number and asset tag number to Helpdesk technician to be removed from Inventory. Communication- To appropriate school personnel regarding issues. TSS s only support the centralized services described above. All trouble tickets received by TSS s that are not directly related to one or more of these areas will be directed back to the Helpdesk for reassignment. TSS s do not provide server support for the corporation. However, TSS s may assist the Helpdesk and I.T. Service Administrator with determining the source of a problem. BCSC October 2010

3 2.0 Trouble Tickets TSS s, ITS s, Powerschool Administrator, and Webmaster are notified of problems by the Helpdesk through the creation of trouble tickets. ALL tickets assigned or referred to TSS s by the Helpdesk are assigned by availability. When issues are assigned, these tickets automatically generate an electronic directed to the TSS, ITS, Powerschool Administrator, Webmaster AND person reporting the issue. The Helpdesk will make every reasonable effort to ensure that the trouble ticket software properly generates this page at the time the ticket was assigned. In all cases, this will contain the following information: trouble ticket number Issue to be resolved contact name location of the problem 2.1 Generating Tickets I.T. Services Administrator agrees to provide the software that the Helpdesk provides for accessing these cases online. The Helpdesk agrees to provide application training for this product as needed to the I.T. staff. A trouble ticket can be generated by one of four methods: A ticket can be created by the Helpdesk as the result of directed to the Helpdesk. A ticket can be created by the Helpdesk as the result of a call placed to the Helpdesk main number ( ). A ticket can be created by through the Helpdesk trouble-ticket software by an authorized Technical Support Specialist. When generating a trouble ticket, the Helpdesk or the TSS will make every reasonable effort to provide a specific set of information. A trouble ticket should contain the following information: who reported the problem contact information for return call (phone number) location of problem (building and room) brief description of the problem preliminary triage (ie: error messages, the results from pings and traceroutes, or other information if available) additional information as applicable Preliminary triage and additional information is best suited in an attachment to the trouble ticket as identified in an action item. This format will provide enough information to perform preliminary research before contacting the user. TSS s, ITS s, Powerschool Administrator, and Webmaster will not create tickets for internal events. 2.2 Point of Contact The I.T. department will advertise the Helpdesk as the primary point of contact on the public web site, in documentation, and within corporation technology committees. When appropriate, end users will be directed to the Helpdesk main phone number ( ) to report trouble. A Helpdesk or TSS will work with the end user to determine if it is deemed an emergency. An alternate point of contact for issues is the Batesville Community School corporation address of helpdesk@batesville.k12.in.us. This mailbox is for users that have informational questions. It is assumed that questions directed to this are not high priority. There is no requirement to generate a trouble ticket for these types of inquiries. If a user is reporting a problem relating to the services provided by the TSS, the TSS will respond to the problem as if a ticket was issued. Once a ticket has been established, it is expected that dialogue will directly occur between TSS and the caller. Once the case has been closed, subsequent dialogue surrounding the same ticket will be redirected to the Helpdesk. The Helpdesk or TSS can reopen an existing ticket as needed. BCSC October 2010

4 2.3 Severity Types Assigned by the Helpdesk There are three severity types for trouble tickets. The first severity type called Low describes a ticket used to help a user find information(ex: a user is seeking information about how to seek wireless service in the corporation). The second severity type called Normal describes a problem that appears to impact a single user (ex: a staff member can t remember password). The third severity type called High describes a problem that appears to impact multiple users (ex: a building network is offline, no Internet connectivity, etc). The Helpdesk will generate each ticket with a normal severity level. Once the ticket has been reviewed, the severity level will be altered to reflect the scope of the problem. 2.4 Helpdesk Trouble Tickets Reports Once a month, the I.T. Services Administrator will generate a usage report indicating the following: number of tickets generated each month the average amount of time a ticket is open TSS s, ITS s, Powerschool Administrator, Webmaster agrees to provide feedback on the effectiveness of this process and make recommendations for enhancing trouble ticket management. 2.5 Duplicate Tickets If subsequent calls are placed to the Helpdesk referring to the same problem described on an existing, open case, this ticket should be amended indicating each caller that is reporting the same problem. Every reasonable effort should be made to prevent generating multiple trouble tickets for the same problem. A single ticket describing the same problem reported by multiple users can be managed more efficiently by TSS s, ITS s, Powerschool Administrator, Webmaster than multiple tickets for each caller. Subsequent callers can be identified as action items associated with a common ticket. Duplicate tickets that are assigned to TSS s, ITS s, Powerschool Administrator, Webmaster will be closed and referenced to the original case number. 3.0 The available TSS An available TSS will be managing the Helpdesk during the Helpdesk technicians lunchtime, sickdays, trade time, and off days. This will be established on a rotating basis and coordinated between Helpdesk technician and available TSS. The available TSS is assigned to monitor incoming calls and . It is important to understand that the TSS managing the helpdesk is not responsible for solving a reported problem. The TSS managing the helpdesk is responsible for coordinating with other TSS s to solve the problem depending upon the type of problem reported. However, the TSS managing the helpdesk can resolve the problem without assistance from others if the problem is within their field of expertise and responsibility. The TSS managing the helpdesk is only available to the Helpdesk. This information is restricted and may not be shared with others. This practice prevents individuals from bypassing the trouble ticket process. All TSS s participate within the managing helpdesk schedule. The TSS managing the helpdesk will contact the I.T. Service Administrator regarding the impact of urgent problems. 3.1 Responding to Tickets It is the responsibility of the TSS to asses each trouble ticket. After assessing the ticket, the TSS can redirect the ticket to the Helpdesk if the scope of the problem is outside the responsibility of their role. The TSS accepts a trouble ticket by acknowledging ownership as an action item. The text of this action should state something like TSS is researching the problem. As subsequent activities occur surrounding this ticket, any TSS can include additional action items. It is the intent that all tickets created and assigned will be viewable by I.T. Service Administrator. This allows the I.T. Service Administrator to monitor the status of an open ticket without contacting the Helpdesk directly. BCSC October 2010

5 3.2 The On-Call Process During Standard Hours Standard hours are defined as 7:45 am to 3:30 weekdays during the school year calendar. Once a ticket has been generated AND the TSS has received notification within standard hours, the TSS will review the ticket online to determine what action must be taken. The TSS is responsible for assessing the problem described in the ticket and then contacting other professional entities as necessary to troubleshoot and resolve the problem. The Helpdesk has 5 minutes to respond to the ticket and classify it as Low, Normal, or High. I.T. Service Administrator, I.T. Director, or School Corporation Administrator reserves the right to reclassify the severity of a trouble ticket. Once classified, the TSS has a fixed amount of time to get resources committed to researching and resolving the problem based upon the severity of the ticket: Low severity: the TSS has 1 business day Normal severity: the TSS has 120 minutes High severity: the TSS has 15 minutes In the event that a TSS does not respond within these time limitations, the I.T. Service Administrator can be called for assistance. 3.3 The On-Call Process Outside of Standard Hours Weekends, holidays, before each 7:45 a.m. weekday, and after each 3:30 p.m. weekday during the school year calendar, are considered outside of standard hours. Once a ticket has been generated AND the TSS has received notification (ie: ) outside standard hours, the TSS will review the ticket the next school day available. The I.T. Service Administrator is responsible for assessing the problem described in the ticket and determining whether or not to seek resources after hours. This decision is dictated by the severity and scope of the problem. If an immediate response is warranted, the I.T. Service Administrator will attempt to contact appropriate resources after hours to respond to the reported problem. If the decision is to defer the problem to the next business day, the I.T. Service Administrator will update the ticket indicating that it has been deferred. As soon as possible during the next business day, the I.T. Service Administrator will contact the necessary resources to research and troubleshoot the problem. 4.0 Managing Cases Once a TSS has reviewed a reported issue, it is important to manage the ticket to provide updated information and closure. Helpdesk will manage all tickets by updating them with action information. The TSS is responsible for closing them with resolution. Either the TSS, Helpdesk technician, an engineer assisting on the ticket, or the I.T. Administration team can update a given ticket with additional information. 4.1 User Interaction After doing preliminary research, one or more I.T. personnel will contact and work with the end user to obtain information to research and troubleshoot the problem. The TSS will leave voice mail (when possible) for those callers who cannot be reached and update the ticket indicating the actions taken. 4.2 Updating Tickets Once the source of the problem has been identified, the TSS will update the ticket with appropriate information including the action currently being taken to research or resolve the problem. It is expected that the end user will have access to view information surrounding a trouble ticket assigned to a TSS. This process allows the end user reporting the problem to remain in touch with the status of the ticket. BCSC - 4- October 2010

6 4.3 Closing Tickets Once a problem described in a trouble ticket has been properly addressed, the ticket will be closed as soon as practical. The resolution of the problem will be included within the ticket at the time it is closed. A trouble ticket may also be closed if three attempts have been made to contact the end user without a response over three business days. At that point, it is assumed that the problem described in the ticket no longer exists. The TSS will notify the individual through voice mail or upon closing the ticket. Only the TSS or Helpdesk technician that worked the case is authorized to close a ticket. 5.0 Notification Although the I.T. department will not create Helpdesk tickets for tracking internal problems, it is important that users be made aware of major network/server problems. This operation will be performed by either the I.T. Services Administrator or the I.T. Director alert I.T. Service Administrator will be responsible for posting major network outages or notifications relating to network infrastructure to the appropriate mail list as needed. The Helpdesk may also post this information on the behalf of I.T. Service Administrator after the Helpdesk has confirmed that a problem exists. 5.2 Outages and Alerts The I.T. Service Administrator may also post network outages or notifications to the I.T. Department web page. The Webmaster may also post this information after the problem has been confirmed. 6.0 Planned Outages There are times when the I.T. Department must perform scheduled maintenance to ensure the integrity and viability of the infrastructure. These activities usually create outages for defined periods of time. The scope and duration of these outages can vary substantially. 6.1 Maintenance Outages Because the corporation s infrastructure is continually evolving, there is a continuous need to introduce new hardware, software, or services on the network. Since much of this work would impact network connectivity, these tasks are performed during regularly scheduled maintenance outages. A maintenance outage is a pre-defined window in time where network services or connectivity for the corporation can be taken offline to perform maintenance. To minimize the impact of these outages, only one maintenance outage is scheduled per month. These outages typically begin at 8:00a.m until 4:00p.m. on a designated Friday unless otherwise noted. A reminder is posted to appropriate mail lists the week before the scheduled maintenance. 6.2 Emergency Outages There are times when an emergency outage must be scheduled because a problem has emerged upon the network that requires immediate attention. Emergency outages are only scheduled because the problem cannot remain unattended until a subsequent maintenance outage. An emergency outage is a window in time that is announced only a few hours/minutes in advance of the maintenance window. This announcement is posted to appropriate mail lists and the I.T. Service Administrator will contact the appropriate entities. BCSC - 5- October 2010

7 I acknowledge that I have received a copy of the Batesville Community School Corporation Information Technology Standard Operating Procedure Handbook dated: October I understand that this handbook replaces any and all prior verbal and written communications regarding procedures. I have read and understand the contents of this handbook and will act in accord with these procedures as a condition of my employment with Batesville Community School Corporation. I understand that if I have questions or concerns at any time about the handbook, I will consult my immediate supervisor, my supervisor's manager, the Human Resources staff, or the Superintendent for clarification. Please read this Handbook carefully to understand these conditions before you sign this document. Employee Signature Date Employee Name (Please Print)