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Finding help with information technology just got easier and faster for IU students, faculty and staff. A new Web site (http://uits.iu.edu ) provides online access to IU’s “Virtual Support Center,” which delivers services and support for the use of information technology (IT) on IU’s eight campuses.
Many of the thousands of pages that make up this Web site do more than provide information; they deliver services directly to the user’s workstation. Visitors to the site, for example, can generate new computer accounts, order a cell phone, pay a campus phone bill, reserve a computer lab for a class, download free software, sign up for an IT workshop and acquire tools for securing a workstation.
Whether deciding on an E-mail system, figuring out how to make a wireless connection, or looking for tips on how to buy a computer, IT users can find the answer. By the end of spring semester, the Web site will replace completely the current University Information Technology Services (UITS) Web site: (www.indiana.edu/~uits/).
“As extensive as the new site is,” said Larry Mand, vice chancellor for IT at IU Southeast, “navigation is simple and intuitive so users can easily find the information they need. Since many technology systems—such as E-mail, Oncourse and Insite—are used university-wide, students, faculty and staff at all IU campuses benefit immediately from this site.”
The site is part of a comprehensive Online Support Environment (OSE) which is under development by UITS.
“We’re approaching 2.5 million one-on-one support contacts per year,” said Sue Workman, director of user support for UITS, “and we’re supporting almost 200,000 devices. Almost half of those contacts occur outside normal business hours. We knew the exponential climb in support requests would continue, thus it became evident that we must deliver more and more support services through automated and self-help systems.”
The push toward automation, however, has not overshadowed the human element. An essential component of the OSE is enhanced one-on-one support. UITS has broadened the scope for IT training, offering more topics and venues for workshops. Personal support via telephone has been expanded to all IU campuses. UITS works closely with regional campus IT service providers in developing a seamless, university-wide support environment.
“Support Center access has been extended 24/7 on the regional campuses by transferring after-hours calls to the UITS Support Center—a significant service improvement for students, faculty and staff at the regional campuses,” said Mand. “Callers from the IUS campus have been able to get their questions answered and problems resolved immediately, rather than having to wait till the next business day. As sections are added to include the resources specific to each campus, the OSE will become even more useful. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic.”
The engine behind the new Web site is the popular IU Knowledge Base (KB), a database of over 9,000 answers to IT questions. The Web site provides an easy-to-navigate view into that vast store of information about using IT at IU.
OSE initiatives under development include the ability to diagnose and fix remote workstations, online chat between technical staff and customers, a comprehensive set of tools and services delivered in multiple media, the ability to push IT alerts to desktops even when E-mail or the Web are not available, access via emerging and converging technologies such as wireless, the OneStart portal and portable media, and expanding the KB’s distributed publishing capability to areas outside IT support.
“This new Online Support Environment reaffirms the strengths of our existing support services,” said Garland Elmore, associate vice president for teaching and learning information technologies, “while at the same time improving the quality of those services, making them easier to access, and delivering them more efficiently. The OSE makes better use of existing and new technologies while maintaining a strong human presence.”
The goal of the OSE is to ensure that IU students, faculty and staff have the help they need as they use IT to succeed in their work. Students with a strong foundation in IT will graduate with essential skills for the workplace, contributing to the economic advancement of their communities. The OSE will help provide that foundation for IU students.
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