Category Archives: IT Management

Help Desk Basics: How Effective Is Your Help Desk, Really?

An Effective Help Desk

Before you can determine how effective your help desk is, you need to determine what your help desk does. What would you say your help desk’s most important purpose is?

I’ve had the opportunity to work on many different help desks of many different sizes. I’ve found, almost in every case, help desk technicians are unable to answer the basic question of why they work for the company. Some will say “We fix PCs!” or “We answer phones!”

Those may be good examples of their duties, but they do not directly answer why they have a job.

For internal IT help desks, the answer is simple, but rarely communicated or discussed:

The role of all help desk employees is to reduce employee downtime and maximize employee financial productivity.

If you or your team do not have a clear understanding of your primary goal, you may be working on solving problems that do not impact your core objectives. You will also never be able to truly determine how effective your help desk is.

Many metrics are available to help desk managers and employees, including Average Talk Time, Call Abandon Rates, First Level Resolution, Client Satisfaction Scores, etc. Out of all of your metrics, if “Financial Productivity” is your primary focus, this helps narrow down your key metrics to a smaller number.

I do want to state that all metrics are important to understand and measure, but decisions and directions should be primarily determined based on your key drivers. The # 1 most important metric when identifying effectiveness:

First Call Resolution 

How often does your help desk have the tools, knowledge, and access to resolve reported issues on the FIRST call, without delay or escalation? The only faster way to resolve an issue is by avoiding the issue altogether—a topic we will cover in a future blog post.

Do you agree?  Do you disagree?  I would love to hear from you!

By Steven White, Director of Customer Service, Managed Services

Tech News Recap for the Week of 01/15/17

If you had a busy week in the office and need to catch up, here’s our tech news recap of articles you may have missed the week of 01/15/2017!

Cisco augments IoT platform with software and analytics. Ransomware and DoS attacks will continue to grow in 2018. 10 ways AI will impact the enterprise in 2018. What WANs are and where they’re headed and more top news this week you may have missed! Remember, to stay up-to-date on the latest tech news throughout the week, follow @GreenPagesIT on Twitter.

Tech News Recap

Join GreenPages’ Cloud Experts for a lively, non-biased discussion at our webinar:

AWS or Azure? How to Move from Analysis Paralysis Toward a Smart Cloud Choice

Click here to register!

IT Operations

Microsoft

  • Linux Foundations shares some love back for Microsoft Azure
  • Here’s one way Microsoft’s Amazon Alexa rival could win
  • Learn how to run Linux on Microsoft’s Azure cloud
  • Microsoft’s newest Windows Server test build adds new storage, failover clustering updates

VMware

  • VMware VVOLs adoption now poised to grow after slow start
  • VMware vSphere 6.5 enhancements and why you should upgrade

Cisco

AWS

Citrix

  • Citrix to unify product suite, kill off today’s product names in May

Cloud

Security

Thanks for checking out our tech news recap!

By Jake Cryan, Digital Marketing Specialist

AWS or Azure? How to Move from Analysis Paralysis Toward a Smart Cloud Choice

Click here to register!

Tech News Recap for the Week of 11/13/17

If you had a busy week and need to catch up, here’s a tech news recap of articles you may have missed the week of 11/13/2017!

How GreenPages can help with Office 365 design and migration. How a disaster recovery process can go hyper-converged. The future of cyberwar: weaponized ransomware, IoT attacks and a new arms race. The top 3 benefits of AI adoption and more top news this week you may have missed! Remember, to stay up-to-date on the latest tech news throughout the week, follow @GreenPagesIT on Twitter.

Tech News Recap

Featured

IT Operations

[Interested in learning more about SD-WAN? DownloadWhat to Look For When Considering an SD-WAN Solution.]

Amazon

Microsoft

HPE

  • HPE’s Blockchain as a Service offers faster deployments and ‘massive scalability’
  • Rackspace partners with HPE to introduce pay-as-you-go private cloud

Dell

  • Dell EMC high-performance computing bundles aimed at AI, deep learning
  • Dell EMC: Big data lakes will like our Elastic Data Platform
  • Dell EMC looks to speed machine and deep learning adoption with new product bundles

Cisco

  • Cisco: Most IoT projects are failing due to lack of experience and security

VMware

  • VeloCloud SD-WAN user Brooks Brothers assesses VMware buy

Cloud

Security

  • This phishing attack pretends to come from someone you trust
  • Cybersecurity predictions for 2018: it’s going to be “a lot more of the same”
  • Equifax breach gives IT $87.5 million reminders to apply critical security patches
  • Phishing attacks, not breaches, represent the biggest security risk for Google users
  • How hackers crack passwords and why you can’t stop them
  • What is a cyber attack? Recent examples show disturbing trends
  • The future of cyberwar: Weaponized ransomware, IoT attacks, and a new arms race

Thanks for checking out our tech news recap!

By Jake Cryan, Digital Marketing Specialist

While you’re here, check out this white paper on how to rethink your IT security, especially when it comes to financial services.

Office 365 Design & Migration: How GreenPages Can Help

Check out the infographic below to learn about how GreenPages recently helped a global manufacturing company simplify management, increase security and improve user experience with Office 365 design & migration.

Learn how we can help you lower cost, reduce risk and increase services efficiency.

Office 365 design & migration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey there! While you’re here, check this out:

Interested in a managed services or help desk solution? If you’d like to decrease time to resolution, measure service improvement, build a first-class knowledgebase, and leverage support communities, listen to this recent presentation from Jay Keating, SVP of Cloud and Managed Services, and Steven White, Director of Customer Service.

By Jake Cryan, Digital Marketing Specialist

Tech News Recap for the Week of 10/30/17

If you had a busy week and need to catch up, here’s a tech news recap of articles you may have missed for the week of 10/30/2017!

What might happen with the Reaper botnet? How to decide on an SD-WAN solution. How big data won the World Series. The nasty future of ransomware and what’s coming next. VMware acquires VeloCloud and more top news this week you may have missed! Remember, to stay up-to-date on the latest tech news throughout the week, follow @GreenPagesIT on Twitter.

Tech News Recap

Featured

IT Operations

[Interested in learning more about SD-WAN? DownloadWhat to Look For When Considering an SD-WAN Solution.]

Microsoft

Dell

Cisco

  • How Cisco drives its industrial IoT business forward
  • Cisco unveils AI-powered voice assistant to schedule and manage meetings

VMware

IBM 

Cloud

  • Workloads are moving to the cloud, but also moving back on-premises
  • How the cloud is turning every business into a subscription business
  • How cloud will elevate data science teams
  • 4 reasons to consider cloud-hosted VDI for business continuity & desktop DR
  • Cloud computing: How to make the move without losing control
  • Validating cloud applications before going live

Security

  • Report: UK’s NHS ignored patch warning months before WannaCry, leading to wide-scale devastation
  • Google expands its bug bounty program to include third-party Android apps
  • Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec: Cybersecurity at work is everyone’s responsibility
  • Fear the Reaper? Experts reassess the botnet‘s size and firepower
  • Malaysia data breach compromises 46.2 million mobile numbers
  • The nasty future of ransomware: Four ways the nightmare is about to get even worse
  • Malware-laden apps in Google Play store mine cyptocurrency from mobile victims, discovered by Trend Micro
  • Shark Tank’s Herjavec tells how to get one of 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs that will be open by 2021

Thanks for checking out our tech news recap!

By Jake Cryan, Digital Marketing Specialist

While you’re here, check out this white paper on how to rethink your IT security, especially when it comes to financial services.

Tech News Recap for the Week of 10/09/17

If you had a busy week and need to catch up, here’s a tech news recap of articles you may have missed for the week of 10/09/2017!

Achieving hyper-flexibility by migrating your network to AWS & Azure. Networking trends of 2017. Building a modern help desk. How Azure Stack helps deliver intelligent cloud and edge computing. and more top news this week you may have missed! Remember, to stay up-to-date on the latest tech news throughout the week, follow @GreenPagesIT on Twitter.

Tech News RecapTransform IT Security

Featured

IT Operations

[Interested in learning more about SD-WAN? DownloadWhat to Look For When Considering an SD-WAN Solution.]

Microsoft

  • How Azure Stack helps Microsoft deliver the promise of intelligent cloud and edge
  • What’s new in Microsoft Visual Studio Code 1.17
  • Microsoft is banking on social platforms for VR adoption
  • Microsoft: We’ll have two-thirds of Office users in the cloud by fiscal 2019
  • Microsoft just ended support for Office 2007 and Outlook 2007
  • What is Windows 10 Fall Creators update? Everything you need to know about Microsoft’s big upgrade

AWS

  • GE solidifies commitment to AWS for IT apps

Dell

  • Dell launches $1B IoT division to mold a world of smarter cities

Liquidware 

  • 10 ways FlexApp has raised the bar for layering

VMware

  • VMware Fusion 10 updates Mac virtualization app, adds High Sierra support and Pro features

Citrix

  • How using Citrix XenApp in the cloud helped Nudie Jeans extend access to application across continents

Cloud

Security

By Jake Cryan, Digital Marketing Specialist

While you’re here, check out this white paper on how to rethink your IT security, especially when it comes to financial services.

How to Build a Modern 24/7 Help Desk

Check out the infographic below to learn how GreenPages’ Help Desk helped a customer drastically improve service desk support while saving 30%. Learn how we can help you lower cost, reduce risk, and increase services efficiency. 

If you’d like to decrease time to resolution, measure service improvement, build a first-class knowledgebase, and leverage support communities, listen to this recent presentation from Jay Keating, SVP of Cloud and Managed Services, and Steven White, Director of Customer Service.

GreenPages Help Desk

 

By Jake Cryan, Digital Marketing Specialist

Tech News Recap for the Week of 09/04/17

If you had a busy week and need to catch up, here’s a tech news recap of articles you may have missed for the week of 09/04/2017!

How to adapt to digital disruption with Microsoft. Rethinking the software-defined storage market. How ISPs use your data. Giant ransomware email campaign could cause some problems. Azure App Service now available on Linux and more top news this week you may have missed! Remember, to stay up-to-date on the latest tech news throughout the week, follow @GreenPagesIT on Twitter.

Tech News Recap

Featured

IT Operations

[Interested in SD-WAN? DownloadWhat to Look For When Considering an SD-WAN Solution.]

Microsoft

VMware

  • VMware gets closer to the cloud at VMworld 2017
  • VMware choosing Frame to deliver cloud app streaming says a lot
  • Hybrid IT and cyber security drive disruption at VMworld 2017

HPE

EMC

Cloud

Security

[Interested in SD-WAN? DownloadWhat to Look For When Considering an SD-WAN Solution.]

By Jake Cryan, Digital Marketing Specialist

The Shifting Needs of Cloud-Era End Users

Help Desk Cloud

Click here to download our recent webinar:

How the Cloud Is Killing Traditional Help Desk

As we enter the cloud era, most people are focused on what, where, and why when it comes to cloud. They want to know; how do I architect it? How do I migrate to it? And how do I operate it? Once the transition is made, the question is then, how does it affect how I support my users? Also, what is the impact to my Help Desk team? Given a cloud framework, operations people need to be considered differently. Their positions were created to deal with issues IT already knew about. However, cloud changes the game. Since so much of the cloud is hidden, you can’t just refer to a guidebook to get some help, thus you do lose some sense of control. For example, if Office 365 rolls out a new update, when users connect it will look different because it updates automatically, and the users might not know what to do.

The issue is that today the traditional structured tiers of Help Desk aren’t the same. The old model won’t work anymore. In a traditional help desk model, Tier 1 handles the simpler questions while Tier 2 handles the more difficult, escalated challenges. But with the cloud, if the Help Desk cannot solve the issue, then they become the user and must open a ticket with the vendor or cloud provider, thus making coordination more difficult and less efficient.

That is not to say that transitioning to the cloud doesn’t have many perks and can greatly contribute to efficiency. But it’s crucial to plan for the impact that your company’s cloud strategy will have on your Help Desk and end user support.  There are a variety of variables that must be considered when moving to the cloud, including more training, re-architecting the way Help Desk is built, and turning it into a Help Hub. Help Desk is changing drastically: it is the hub for communications and you need to be able to provide that conduit to other, additional help avenues and take incident ownership to maximize your users’ productivity. During our recent webinar, How the Cloud Is Killing Traditional Help Desk, we dove deeper into this and provided you with the questions that should be asked and the solutions to common cloud-era Help Desk challenges.

Tech News Recap for the Week of 05/29/17

If you had a busy week last week and need to catch up, here’s a tech news recap of articles you may have missed for the week of 05/29/2017!

Cisco and IBM announce historic cybersecurity partnership. Microsoft patched more Malware Protection Engine bugs last week. Power surges at British Airways cause losses in upwards of $125 million. Security hole in Samba software could lead to another WannaCry. Why the cheapest cloud option isn’t usually the best option and more tops news this week you may have missed!

Remember, to stay up-to-date on the latest tech news throughout the week, follow @GreenPagesIT on Twitter.

Tech News Recap

Microsoft

Cisco

HPE

Cloud

IT Operations

Security

  • What do you do when you’re caught in a breach?
  • Security hole in Samba software could possibly lead to another #WannaCry
  • Shadow Brokers launch subscription service for fresh exploits, zero-day leaks at $23,000 to join!
  • Target’s data breach settlement sets a low bar for industry security standards
  • US defense contractor stored intelligence data on Amazon server without a password

Register for our upcoming webinar and find out how cloud is killing traditional help desk, and learn about what end users need now to stay productive and happy (June 27th)

By Jake Cryan, Digital Marketing Specialist