USER
SUPPORT
The
User Support Division of the Information
Technology (IT) department provides technical
PC hardware and software assistance to
City departments. Support and maintenance
functions are provided by the Help
Desk staff and the Application Development
staff.
HELP
DESK
User Support Technicians staff the IT
Help Desk and respond to employee questions
and requests for service. Staff
respond either over the telephone, with
personal on-site help, or by communicating
through E-mail. Over 1,500 workstations
are supported, including all hardware,
software, printers and related equipment.
The Help Desk staff utilizes a standardized
software package to track requests for
service. Our service management
system provides information on the status
and activities of each request.
This system enables the Help Desk staff
to prioritize their responsibilities in
order to respond in the most efficient
manner possible.
As part of the City's technology upgrade
program, User Support Technicians have
deployed more than 720 new workstations
over the past three years. New workstations
are installed with current versions
of Microsoft Office, our standard desktop
software.
APPLICATION
DEVELOPMENT
Client Server Application Developers
provide support for many of the City's
IT applications. Enterprise-wide
programs such as PeopleSoft Financial
and Human Resources applications are supported
along with many other specialized site-specific
applications.
Completing the move from the mainframe
to our client/server environment is scheduled
for 2001. Evaluating, and
implementing replacements for remaining
mainframe applications has a high priority.
PeopleSoft modules are being considered
as a resource for some of our remaining
mainframe applications while other systems
may convert to stand-alone applications.
With the extensive planning and implementation
necessary, we expect to have all applications
converted from the mainframe by December
31, 2001.
