IT Support in the Library - Help Desk

1. IT Support in the Library - Help Desk KhulisuJobe Sithole – khulisujobe.sithole@wits.ac.za

2. What are we going to do today? • What is a Help Desk • Why use a Help Desk • What Happens to call Logged to the Help Desk • 4 Major Possible Problems • Examples of a Network Problems • How To Create a Screen Dump • Remote Desktop Assistance • Why do password expire

3. What is a Help Desk? A dedicated internal organizational resource that provides technical or functional application problem-solving advice and follow-up to system users. www.bridgefieldgroup.com/bridgefieldgroup/glos3.htm

4. Why use the Help Desk • The Help Desk is a much more efficient way of logging calls compared to using a Phone or email. • if a problem is logged on the Help Desk, it becomes easy to prioritized them • It is easy to refer back to the problem if it has been logged in the Help Desk correctly.

5. What Happens to call Logged to the Help Desk • All the calls logged to the Help Desk are assigned to technicians who in turn will attend to them. • An email will be sent to a user who has sent a Help Desk request to inform them that a call has been logged on their behalf. • After the technician has attended to the problem, the call will be “Closed”

6. What Happens to call Logged to the Help Desk - continues… • A confirmation phone call will be made to the user who has sent a Help Desk request to verify if a problem has been attended to and has been solved. • If a problem was not solved the call will be re-opened otherwise, it will be closed.

7. 4 Major Possible Problems • Hardware • “Monitor is not switching on” • Printing • “Document failed to print” • Software • “Word does not want to open my document” • Network • “I cannot get into the internet”

8. Example of a “Network Problem”

9. E-Resources problem“Network Problem” – Continues… • Please give as much information as possible • Please write down the search you did, the journal name giving the problem • Give us a screen dump of the error you see on your monitor.

11. How to do a Screen Dump • The reason for a Screen Dump is that it gives an exact graphical description of the problem • On the keyboard there is a button that is labeled Print Screen/SysRq, hold down the Ctrl button and click the Print Screen. This will copy what ever you are viewing on to clipboard • On Paint click on the Edit menu and click on Paste.

12. Remote Desktop Assistance • It is a tool where the I.T department can connect to a P.C. remotely – Only with a users consent • This means that sometimes a Technician does not need to go to the users P.C. to solve some problems. For example, A document that cannot open. • This helps in time saving and provides quicker response to a problem.

13. Why do password expire • The major reason for a password to expire is security • If one keeps the same password for too long the possibilities of it being know and cracked are high • Sometimes the I.T department might ask you to give them your password for them to be able to solve a problem Remotely or for some other reasons (Only with your consent)

14. In closing • I.T department provides a substantial amount of service to the Library. • It helps in the investigation of new Technologies that can be of use to the Library. • The I.T. Help Desk provides a link and it is a first place of contact for Library users

15. Questions? KhulisuJobe Sithole – khulisujobe.sithole@wits.ac.za