Johannesburg, 09 May 2017
What happens when your technology won't do what it should? You phone IT. Whether this is an internal resource or an external company that's supporting your IT, is immaterial. All you care about is that the issue is resolved so that you can return to business as usual.
It's all about productivity, downtime is lost productivity and everyone today demands 24/7 availability and accessibility. After all, if Facebook can manage it, why shouldn't your business? Which brings us to another point - people want to interact via a channel that suits them, so whether it's e-mail, Web, phone, chat, self-help or even a forum, the days of listening to bad music and tinny voices that tell you where you are in the queue, are as dead as the proverbial dodo.
A smart helpdesk
The modern service desk is able to consolidate requests from multiple sites and via a variety of channels. It includes an automatic ticketing system that tracks the ticket throughout the lifecycle of the reported problem, but also incorporates asset management and compliance with ITIL processes.
Philip Slimowitz, CEO of ITR Technology, lists the steps that should be followed when someone reports an issue: "The request comes in through whichever channel is preferred by the user, then a ticket is issued. Any applicable business rules are identified (ie prioritise one department or user over another during busy periods, for example), service level agreements are checked (respond within 24 hours) and a deadline is set. A technician is assigned, who must then respond with a solution."
The ability to automate tasks such as preventive maintenance, automatic ticket generation (and distribute to all technicians equally or according to workload), business rules (automate workflow according to an event, condition or action model), service level agreements (set up rules for escalation of issues) and notification rules (via SMS, e-mail or more) dramatic ally reduces the burden on the workforce and frees them up to do other tasks.
Track and manage assets
You can only manage what you can measure, so an automated service desk should provide a comprehensive list of operating systems, IP devices and software, which will enable the business to manage its software use and applicable licenses, and ensure it is compliant.
Slimowitz explains, "Businesses need to be able to track their IT equipment purchase order lifecycle so that they know how much is being spent with whom - and on what. They also need an overview on which vendors are contracted to maintain or support which equipment, as well as the renewal dates for such contracts."
Consolidate your efforts
"Environments are very complicated these days with different systems and assorted departments, so it's all about consolidating information when incidents are logged," says Slimowitz. "When you consider the average business, everyone has their own set of tools and programmes that they work on, so we need to consider how we can best resolve business-critical issues in a timely manner."
This is where ITIL (IT infrastructure Library) comes into play, as it provides a framework on how to implement system changes such as patches or software updates with minimal impact on the business. It's all about dealing with change, says Slimowitz, and the impact that change has (or could have) on the organisation. All information relevant to the business's IT system is kept in a central location, where it can be used to track events and deal with any resulting queries.
Asset management is closely aligned with ITIL, for instance, if the error logged is that the user can't open a certain type of file, it could well be that they simply don't have the right software on their device to do so. If the ticket recipient can view the installed software on the user's device, this type of problem can be rectified quickly and easily by simply deploying the required software package.
Benefits of automation
* Automate desktop management activities.
* Standardise configurations of the operating system and applications across the network.
* Secure desktops from a wide range of threats.
* Troubleshoot day-to-day problems.
* Audit your lT assets.
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