Wyle Information Systems has managed more than 120 service desks, many of which provided 24x7x365 service, for government customers nationwide.
The Wyle Information Systems NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Help Desk responds to approximately 30 trouble tickets per month. The System Administrator implemented a Web interface so CPC users can enter problem reports via the Internet. Wyle’s team of experts supports more than 100 PCs running Windows and Linux, as well as numerous servers and printers, using the COTS Track-It! application software to assist in inventory control and management. Wyle also uses Track-It! as a knowledge management system for Frequently Asked Questions and solutions to previously reported problems.
As part of the Sciences and Exploration Data Analysis (SESDA) II support contract to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Wyle provides help desk support to users accessing the data archives for a number of Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite data and the associated visualization tools. These users are dispersed across various university educational institutions, government agencies as well as public users both domestically and internationally. This help desk is supported by a number of SESDA II scientist and data specialists who work closely with NASA civil servants to address user inquiries.
At the Department of Energy (DOE) ITISS, where a Gartner Group evaluation placed Wyle Information Systems in the highest percentile of government vendors providing managed seats and services, staff provided performance-based support for configuration management and help desk services covering more than 7,500 PCs at five locations. In only 10 months, Wyle successfully consolidated 28 separate help lines and help desks into a Consolidated Service Center (CSC) spanning two geographically separate locations across the country to ensure resiliency to disasters. The CSC provided 24x7x365 Tier 1-3 assistance to users in all computer and infrastructure areas, applying ITIL-based best practices.
At the Department of Labor’s Job Corps Data Center (JCDC), Wyle staff performed help desk functions 24x7x365 through the Technical Assistance Center (TAC), which fielded 7,000 inquiries (phone, e-mail and fax) and opened 3,800 new trouble tickets a month. The center provides customers with the ability to access the Remedy Ticket Server over the Web and to view their center’s tickets.
For the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Wyle performs all user support functions at the Electronic Research Administration (eRA), employing the ARS Remedy system and providing timely and accurate Tier 1 and 2 help desk and desk-side support to a community of approximately 130,000 users, 24x7x365, fielding nearly 55,000 calls per year with a first call resolution rate of 86 percent.
Wyle has developed an excellent state-of-the-art Network Operations Security Center (NOSC) Help Desk. Numerous positive verbal comments, e-mails, and awards presented to NOSC leadership demonstrate a commitment to performance and customer service. Increased help desk capability has and will continue to improve the performance of higher service tiers.
Currently, the NOSC uses the Wyle-developed CITS Network Management System (NMS)/Base Information Protection (BIP) Phase 2 Remedy TTS, and eTANG for Distributed Server Option support. The U.S. Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) NOSC was the first to configure and implement Distributed Server Option (DSO) capabilities to collect closed trouble tickets from the base-level Network Control Centers (NCCs). As MAJCOM-centric environments emerged, new requirements evolved that required the development of a new standard help desk system. Based on institutional development/knowledge of the previous Remedy TTS, Wyle’s Remedy architects assisted the Air Force Communications Agency (AFCA) in developing the new standard Remedy-based TTS, eTANG, a robust system that incorporates best of breed AFMC processes. The AFMC NOSC is responsible for future upgrades, enhancements, and version control for eTANG, as well as for technical assistance to other MAJCOM NOSCs, as requested.
Already providing enterprise network assistance for several different AFMC programs and initiatives, knowledgeable Wyle help desk support staff assist AFMC enterprise users with setting up and accessing USAF Portal accounts. When AFMC implemented the USAF Portal, Wyle staff developed procedures to bulk load and establish several thousand user accounts on the portal. Additionally, NOSC engineers manage Microsoft Alliance trouble calls and act as liaison between enterprise users and Microsoft engineers until software deficiencies are resolved and tickets are closed.
As Enterprise Directory Services (EDS) administrative support responsibility for Windows 2000 (Win2K) Active Directory (AD) fully transitioned, the NOSC assumed responsibility for more than 80 domain controllers and network assistance to geographically dispersed systems supporting more than 135,000 enterprise users.
The help desk team routinely assists AFMC managers in responding to SIs, anomalies, and outages. All such actions result in the creation of a remedy trouble ticket and government notification via AFI 10-206-compliant SITREPs. Experienced staff follow recommended procedures in troubleshooting commercial software applications and have designed procedures for unique software installations that are updated as technologies and usage of enterprise applications change. Technicians make every effort to educate the user on how to describe their problem to the help desk so appropriate action can be taken quickly, at the lowest possible level.
At the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the help desk supports the bureau’s internal support requirements, approximately 750 users, as well as 13 distributed field offices across the united states, Custom Application hosting facilities and two Labs and 5,000 industry members for excise tax management, labeling, formula’s applications and floor stock tax requirements. This help desk is set up to handle all tiers of support, resolving approximately 500 tickets a week with a small staff. The visibility into the management system, Track-IT!, by the users through auto-notification emails, visibility of Wyle’s Help Desk website and NOC feeds as solutions are applied to the issues provides visibility over the status of the support required. Call resolution remains constant at 100 per cent, and this directly impacts the TTB’s ability to successfully process in excess of $15 billion in excise taxes annually.