SupportDesk for Education
SupportDesk can be rapidly implemented for education establishments with Windows™, Web and if required Mobile interfaces adhering to the BECTA framework for ICT Technical Support (FITS) and ITIL® best practices. SupportDesk is adaptable to meet the needs of ICT Technical Support personnel, network managers, management and teaching staff needs and is licensed on a concurrent user basis. Licences can be “reserved” for individual support personnel and changed as required. The SupportDesk windows licence incorporates all of the following facilities.
ITIL® Compatible Framework
Incident Management
Log, prioritise and escalate incidents throughout their lifecycle with clear ownership tracking and reporting.
Automatic incident creation from incoming e-mails, immediate matching and identification of related problems and known errors. Skills based incident routing to appropriate ICT support staff for effective incident handling. Use customisable templates for rapid capture of commonly recurring incidents.
Problem Management
Identify and resolve problems and provide workarounds for known errors to minimise the reoccurrence of incidents. Automatic notification of all affected users with resolutions or workarounds. Identifying and reporting on problem trends for proactive support.
Configuration Management
Configuration Management Database (CMDB) stores hardware, software, documentation, people and other configuration items. Parent/Child relationships provide intuitive structure for configuration items with easy retrieval of users and assets via the Search Console.
Change Management
Requests for change (RFC) can be raised against incidents, problems, known errors and configuration items including users, computers and locations. RFC approval and acceptance is provided with Change Advisory Board (CAB) notification and voting. Change prioritisation supports the necessary tasks required for successful deployment. An Audit Trail logs all modifications to the RFC and provides analysis and cost reporting.
Service Level Management
Service Level Management monitors and reviews service levels against the Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Full escalation options are provided including text messaging and SupportDesk Alarm notifications. SLAs can have multiple service hours for flexible management of customers and third-parties.
Comprehensive Service Support
SupportDesk for Education
The SupportDesk for Education Windows™ client provides school wide, best practice, ICT Service Management. Enabling cost reductions in the delivery of effective ICT service support, while improving teacher and management satisfaction.
Alerts and Notifications
Drives communication between ICT Technical Support personnel and teaching staff informing them of the status of incidents, changes, problems and impending service level breaches via alerts and notifications.
Management Information & Reporting
The Management Console provides an unlimited user licence for live, graphical views of your support environment, throughout your school. Key performance indicators are shown with drill-down capability to the actual incident. Custom resolution codes help provide trend analysis to develop proactive support measures.
Knowledge Management
Knowledge base items help ICT Technical Support personnel solve their own queries and builds into an invaluable resource for staff.
Customer Satisfaction
User-definable Customer Satisfaction Surveys can be sent via e-mail to individual or groups of teachers providing feedback on the level of service delivered.
Integration
Integration with asset discovery and PC remote control software is provided as well as Microsoft Outlook synchronisation for task and calendar details. Microsoft Active Directory™ integration enables rapid setup and automatic updating of moves, additions, deletions and changes to users and computers. Links to OLE DB compliant data sources provide live views of external data.
Mobile and Internet Deployment
Additional modules are available to further enhance the SupportDesk client licence for collecting PC inventory data as well as Mobile and Internet interfaces. The Mobile Client is licensed on a concurrent basis with each connection using a single licence. The Customer Web Interface licence provides unlimited end-users access to log and track support requests via the web.
System Requirements
Windows™ Client version
- Windows™ 2000, XP, 2003
- Pentium class PC (1000 Mhz or higher recommended)
- Minimum 256 Mb RAM
- Minimum 100 Mb disk space required
SupportDesk Web Interface (web server requirements)
- Windows™ 2000, XP, 2003
- Pentium class PC (1000 Mhz or higher recommended)
- Internet Information Services (IIS) v5 or higher
- Minimum 512 Mb RAM
- Minimum 100 Mb disk space required
SupportDesk Mobile
- Microsoft Windows Mobile™ / Microsoft Pocket PC™ / Windows CE™ v3 or higher
- Microsoft Activesync™ is required for installation via a desktop PC
- Minimum 200 Mhz processor
- TCP/IP connection to enable connectivity to the service desk database Wi-Fi, GPRS/3G or Bluetooth
Recommended server requirements
- Database requirements, Microsoft SQL Server 2000/2005/2005 Express Edition or MSDE
- 512 Mb RAM
- Dual 1GHz processors
- Disk Space:95-270 MB (250 MB for a typical installation)
- SupportDesk E-mail Service Module requires SMTP/POP3
PC Inventory, Mobile Client & Web Interface
Richmond PC Inventory
Richmond PC inventory functionality allows the automatic scanning of hardware and software information for PCs connected directly to your educational network.
The collected hardware information includes the operating system version, processor type, memory usage, hard disk space along with the installed software.
The details are then stored in your chosen database and can be viewed in SupportDesk.
SupportDesk Self Service Portal
The SupportDesk Web Interface enables staff to take ownership of their own incidents, logging, tracking and even accessing self help through the SupportDesk Knowledge Base, all via a web browser.
Helpdesk operators can also publish Microsoft Office™ documents, HTML or PDFs to a web server for retrieval by users.
SupportDesk Mobile
SupportDesk Mobile provides ICT support staff with the incident management functionality of the Windows™ client module via a mobile device.
The product can be deployed to any portable device that supports the Windows Mobile™ operating system. Connectivity to the SupportDesk database is provided via Wi-Fi, GPRS/3G or a Bluetooth connection.
Consultancy, Maintenance and Support
Consultancy Services
Our Services include:
- Planning
- Implementation
- Training
- ITIL Best Practice
Maintenance and Support
As part of the SupportDesk Schools packages we provide a comprehensive Upgrade and Maintenance Contract- this includes:
- 12 months product maintenance including all new versions of the software
- Unlimited support via phone, web and e-mail
- A dedicated website for access to product downloads and technical support.
SupportDesk Trial Verison
Please visit www.richmondsys.com/education to download trial versions of the SupportDesk, Self Service Portal and Mobile for education software.
