How would you react if you find yourself in the middle of a disaster? For example, imagine you’re at work and your boss tells you to go home because there is a hurricane coming, or the city is flooding. Forget about the standard corporate response or the enterprise disaster readiness procedures....
Tag(s): technology, social media, disaster recovery, communications skills, communications technology, incident management, best practice, process
Date Published June 12, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016
In 2008, Citrix launched a BYOD (“bring your own device”) program for its worldwide employee base. Already a leading provider of virtualization, networking, collaboration, and cloud technologies, Citrix set the stage for their IT support teams to begin embracing the transformation taking place...
Tag(s): technology, process, practices and processes, best practice, customer service, IT service management
Date Published June 12, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016
Effective communication cuts through cynicism and makes it safe for others to listen, understand, and take appropriate action. It allows a lot of information to be shared in a very short period. It resolves concerns and reaches in and takes hold of the heart. It invites people to participate,...
Tag(s): people, communications skills, leadership, change management
Date Published June 12, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016
Even as we settle in for smooth sailing, courtesy of a successful service management program, the storm clouds are gathering, ready to rain down new technologies and the challenges associated with supporting them. ITIL and other service management frameworks are flexible enough to help you...
Tag(s): process, practices and processes, framework and methodologies, technology
Date Published May 25, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016
With the rapid adoption of the ITIL framework, a growing number of organizations are now doing the right things, the right way, when it comes to IT service delivery and support processes. If you belong to one of those organizations, you’ve probably established your service desk as the single...
Tag(s): process, business of support, framework and methodologies
Date Published May 25, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016
You’re considering purchasing a fabulous new driving machine, with some of the most innovative features available in automotive technology today. In order to build and deliver this mechanical marvel, the manufacturer installed an instrument panel in the center of the windshield, creating a...
Tag(s): technology, remote support tools, ITSM
Date Published May 23, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016
In 2010, TECO Energy, one of the largest energy and utility companies in Florida, faced a computing infrastructure of aging hardware and obsolete software that created stability and performance problems and hindered business productivity. Most of the company’s 2,800-plus desktop and laptop...
Tag(s): technology, practices and processes, infrastructure management, change management, process management
Date Published May 23, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016
Consider this example of a type of incident that most, if not all, service desks have encountered in the past, and probably will in the future: Mary, an employee at Bank of America (BofA), locked her Dell laptop with a BIOS password, which she then forgot. Without her password, she can’t reboot...
Tag(s): process, escalation, process management
Date Published May 23, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016
As today’s organizations proceed with upgrades to Windows 7 and Office 2007 or 2010, many are finding that the action plans they need are very different from the plans they used for previous upgrades, with particular regard to the migration of users to the new applications. Of course, there are...
Tag(s): technology, change management, infrastructure management, release management
Date Published May 23, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016
It all started in the spring of 2009, after coming in as the runner-up for the HDI Team Excellence Award. We knew we were delivering great service to our customers, making recommendations to be more effective, and creating a great working environment, but there was something missing. After...
Tag(s): process, practices and processes, framework and methodologies, people, customer service
Date Published May 23, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016