2.12 Integrated Help Desk

 < Day Day Up > 



Some LAN administration packages include a help desk, but many do not. Some products support help desk functions through add-in modules that must be purchased separately. With the integrated approach, users can generate their own trouble tickets and send them directly to the help desk via e-mail. Trouble tickets can also be generated automatically when certain events occur. For example, if a general protection fault occurs under Windows, the station can lock up, forcing the user to reboot. When the general protection fault occurs, a trouble ticket is automatically generated and sent to the help desk along with such relevant information as the win.ini autoexec.bat configuration files.

At the console, the LAN administrator has access to all trouble tickets, call histories, and support procedure documents. With all staff and equipment profiles also available on-line, the LAN administrator can assign specific personnel to specific problems and route the trouble tickets to appropriate support technicians accompanied by the latest hardware and software configuration information.

The ready availability and distribution of all this information can greatly reduce system downtime. With consolidated data on every help desk activity, the LAN administrator can analyze departmental and staff performance, while identifying recurring problem areas. An analysis of support time reports can justify the need for user training. The tight integration of help desk functions to the LAN administrator’s console can also effectively reduce the cost of network support, which can account for 50% of the total cost of LAN ownership over 5 years, according to some industry analysts.



 < Day Day Up > 



LANs to WANs(c) The Complete Management Guide
LANs to WANs: The Complete Management Guide
ISBN: 1580535720
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 184

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net