IT Support for Office Management

Types of IT Support Services by Level

Level 0 - Self help

users can retrieve support information by themselves

typically involving minimal assistance from an IT professional

Types of IT Support Services by Level
Cont’d
Level 1 – Help Desk / Service Desk
Helpdesk Operators, IT Call Desk support, First Line Support Engineers, and First-Line
Network Support Analysts.

Users interact through the phone or web (sometimes chat only)

The service desk technician may use remote support technology to take remote control of
your computer at this stage (Example of Deakin University IT Support)
Types of IT Support Services by Level Cont’d
Level 2 – Technical Support

More in-depth, specialized knowledge and experience with the

product or service
Second-Line Support Engineers, Customer Support Technicians, and
Desktop Support Analysts.
Require more technical expertise and right IT support certifications.
Technical support personnel will assess the issue and provide a
solution.
This process may entail multiple conversations between the technical
IT support technician and the client.
IT services may need to take remote access control to fix the problem.
Types of IT Support Services by Level Cont’d
Level 3 – Expert Product and Service Support

Highest technical resources are accessed for incident resolution

These support staff are the most highly skilled product and service specialists

They will attempt to duplicate the problem to define the root cause and issue a
new fix.

Once the fix is issued, it will be documented for future use by Level-one and -two
customer support technicians.
Types of IT Support Services by Level Cont’d
Level 4 – Outside Support

Preferred vendors and business partners who are contracted from

outside the organization

To provide support for items that are not directly serviced by the
organization.

This might include things like printer support, vendor software

support, machine maintenance, and depot support.
What types of issues are resolved by IT support?

1. Troubleshooting-
hardware
software
server maintenance, and other tech issues
What types of issues are resolved by IT support? (Cont’d)

2. Viruses, malware, security breaches

IT support is the frontline defense for implementing cybersecurity solutions

Such support activities include:

Performing network monitoring and security - controlling access to a business’s
network by issuing and removing authorization as needed
Building firewalls, installing antivirus software, installing VPNs, updating
security patches
and performing regular network checkups.
What types of issues are resolved by IT support? (Cont’d)

3. Data backups
Manage the information backup services
Manually or automatically run file backups, server backups, and even
desktop backups
They will also test back-up sets to make sure the information can be
recovered in its entirety
For instance, in the event of a breach, a secure backup can help jumpstart
operations. Data backups can be managed: (Example)
In the Cloud
On-premises servers
Off premises servers
Hybrid/combination
What types of issues are resolved by IT support?
(Cont’d)

4. Password Recovery and Access issues

Everyone has a lot of passwords to remember
A help desk technician can help when an employee can’t get logged into their
PC, email account, etc.
They can reinstate user rights or reset your password for you if the problem
was as straightforward as a forgotten password,
If there is something more complex going on, they can investigate and provide
a solution (Example demo email)
Why IT technical support is the future of customer
service? (Applications)

Majority of the companies in software and telecom domain have now

discovered the option of fetching the advice from the expert on IT technical
support at a fraction of the price they usually were changed with the advantage
of the skilled resources who speak the same language as theirs.
IT Infrastructure and Emerging
Technologies
 IT infrastructure and its importance

• Combined components needed for the operation and

management of enterprise IT services and IT environments.
• Poor IT infrastructure: connectivity, productivity and security
issues, like system disruptions and breaches.
• Strong IT infrastructure:
• Provide a positive customer experience by providing uninterrupted access to its
website and online store.

• Develop and start solutions to market with speed.

• Collect data in real time to make quick decisions.

 IT infrastructure: Components (1)

• The two core groups of components are hardware and software.

• Hardware uses software—like an operating system—to work.
• Likewise, an operating system manages system resources and
hardware.
• Operating systems also connect software applications and
physical resources using networking components.
 IT infrastructure: Components (2)

• Hardware: • Software:
• Desktop computers • Content management systems
(CMS)
• Servers
• Customer relationship
• Data centers management (CRM)
• Hubs • Enterprise resource planning
• Routers (ERP)
• Switches • Operating systems
• Facilities • Web servers
 IT infrastructure: Components (3)

• Facilities: provide space for networking hardware, servers and

data centres.
• Also includes the network cabling in office buildings to connect
components of an IT infrastructure together.
• Network: composed of switches, routers, hubs and servers.
• Switches: connect network devices like routers, servers and others
on local area networks (LAN).
• Routers: allow devices on different LANs to communicate and
move packets between networks.
• Hubs: connect multiple networking devices to act as a single
 IT infrastructure: Components (4)

• Server: Servers are essentially computers that allow multiple

users to access and share resources.
• Server room/data center
Organizations house multiple servers in rooms called server
rooms or data centers. Data centers are the core of most
networks.
 Types of IT Infrastructure (1)

• Two primary types are- traditional and cloud infrastructure.

• Traditional:
• made up of the usual hardware and software components (such
as…)
• Typically, requires more power, physical space and money than
other infrastructure types.
• typically installed on-premises for company-only or private
use.
 Types of IT Infrastructure (2)

• Cloud infrastructure: Similar to traditional infrastructure,

however…
• end users can access the infrastructure via the internet
• with the ability to use computing resources without installing
on-premises through virtualization (MATLAB)
• Virtualization connects physical servers maintained by a
service provider at any or many geographical locations
• divides and abstracts resources, like storage, to make them
accessible to users
• often public, it’s usually referred to as a public cloud.
 An optimal IT infrastructure (1)

• High-performance storage systems store and back up data and

include a data recovery system in case of disasters.
• Low-latency networks use enterprise-level infrastructure
components to reduce the delay of data flow.
• Secure infrastructures include systems that control
information access and data availability. Safeguard against
breaches and cyberattacks wherever the data resides,
maintaining the customers’ trust.
 An optimal IT infrastructure (2)

• Wide Area Networks (WANs) manage the network by

prioritizing traffic and giving certain applications more or less
bandwidth as needed.
• Virtualization provides faster server provisioning, increases
uptime, improves disaster recovery and saves energy.
• Zero downtime aims to reduce disruptions to business
operations and eliminates system downtime to keep costs down
and profits up.
 CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FIRM, IT INFRASTRUCTURE, AND BUSINESS CAPABILITIES

FIGURE 5-1 The services a firm is capable of providing to its customers, suppliers, and employees are a direct function of its IT infrastructure. Ideally, this
infrastructure should support the firm’s business and information systems strategy. New information technologies have a powerful impact on
business and IT strategies, as well as the services that can be provided to customers.
 IT Infrastructure: Evolution (1)

• Evolution of IT infrastructure
• General-purpose mainframe and minicomputer era: 1959 to present
• 1958: IBM first mainframes introduced
• 1965: Less expensive DEC minicomputers introduced
• Personal computer era: 1981 to present
• 1981: Introduction of IBM PC
• Proliferation in 80s, 90s resulted in growth of personal software
• Client/server era: 1983 to present
• Desktop clients networked to servers, with processing work split between clients and servers
• Network may be two-tiered or multitiered (N-tiered)
• Various types of servers (network, application, Web)
 IT Infrastructure: Evolution (2)

• Evolution of IT infrastructure (cont.)

• Enterprise computing era: 1992 to present
• Move toward integrating disparate networks, applications using Internet
standards and enterprise applications
• Cloud and mobile computing: 2000 to present
• Cloud computing: computing power and software applications supplied over
the Internet or other network
• Fastest growing form of computing
 STAGES IN IT INFRASTRUCTURE EVOLUTION

Illustrated here are the typical computing

configurations characterizing each of the
five eras of IT infrastructure evolution.

FIGURE 5-2
 STAGES IN IT INFRASTRUCTURE EVOLUTION (cont.)

Illustrated here are the typical computing

configurations characterizing each of the
five eras of IT infrastructure evolution.

FIGURE 5-2
 A MULTITIERED CLIENT/SERVER NETWORK (N-TIER)

FIGURE 5-3 In a multitiered client/server network, client requests for service are handled by different levels of servers.
 IT Infrastructure

• Technology drivers of infrastructure evolution

• Moore’s law and microprocessing power
• Computing power doubles every 18 months
• Nanotechnology:
• Shrinks size of transistors to size comparable to size of a virus
• Law of Mass Digital Storage
• The amount of data being stored each year doubles
 MOORE’S LAW AND MICROPROCESSOR PERFORMANCE

Packing more than 5 billion transistors into

a tiny microprocessor has exponentially
increased processing power. Processing
power has increased to more than
200,000 MIPS (2.6 billion instructions per
second).

FIGURE 5-4
 FALLING COST OF CHIPS

Packing more transistors into less space

has driven down transistor cost
dramatically as well as the cost of the
products in which they are used.

FIGURE 5-5
 EXAMPLES OF NANOTUBES

Nanotubes are tiny tubes about 10,000

times thinner than a human hair. They
consist of rolled up sheets of carbon
hexagons and have the potential uses as
minuscule wires or in ultrasmall electronic
devices and are very powerful conductors
of electrical current.

FIGURE 5-6
 Exponential growth in hard drive capacity 1950–2012

Since the first magnetic storage device was

used in 1955, the cost of storing a kilobyte
of data has fallen exponentially, doubling
the amount of digital storage for each
dollar expended every 15 months on
average. Cloud storage services provide
100 gigabytes of storage for about $1.00.

FIGURE 5-7
 IT Infrastructure

• Technology drivers of infrastructure evolution (cont.)

• Metcalfe’s Law and network economics

• Value or power of a network grows exponentially as a function of
the number of network members.

• As network members increase, more people want to use it

(demand for network access increases).
 IT Infrastructure

• Technology drivers of infrastructure evolution (cont.)

– Declining communication costs and the Internet

• There are 5.35 billion internet users worldwide.
• Out of the nearly 8 billion people in the world, 5.35 billion of them,
or around 66% of the world's population, have access to the
internet, according to Statista. ©https://www.forbes.com/
• As communication costs fall toward a very small number and
approach zero, utilization of communication and computing
facilities explodes.
 EXPONENTIAL DECLINES IN INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS COSTS

FIGURE 5-8 One reason for the growth in the Internet population is the rapid decline in Internet connection and overall communication costs. The cost per kilobit of
Internet access has fallen exponentially since 1995. Digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modems now deliver a kilobit of communication for a retail price
of less than one penny.
 IT Infrastructure

• Technology drivers of infrastructure evolution (cont.)

– Standards and network effects
• Technology standards:
– Specifications that establish the compatibility of products and the ability to
communicate in a network
– Unleash powerful economies of scale and result in price declines as
manufacturers focus on the products built to a single standard
 IT Infrastructure Components

• IT Infrastructure has seven main components

1. Computer hardware platforms
2. Operating system platforms
3. Enterprise software applications
4. Data management and storage
5. Networking/telecommunications platforms
6. Internet platforms
7. Consulting system integration services
 THE IT INFRASTRUCTURE ECOSYSTEM

There are seven major components that

must be coordinated to provide the firm
with a coherent IT infrastructure. Listed
here are major technologies and suppliers
for each component.

FIGURE 5-9
 IT Infrastructure Components

• Computer hardware platforms

• Client machines
• Desktop PCs, laptops
• Mobile computing: smartphones, tablets
• Servers
• Blade servers: ultrathin computers stored in racks
• Mainframes:
• IBM mainframe equivalent to thousands of blade servers
• Top chip producers: Intel, AMD
 IT Infrastructure Components

• Operating system platforms

• Operating systems
• Server level: 65% run Unix or Linux; 35% run Windows
• Client level:
• 90% run Microsoft Windows (Windows 8, Windows 7, etc.)
• Mobile/multitouch (Android, iOS)
• Cloud computing (Google’s Chrome OS)

• Enterprise software applications

• Enterprise application providers: SAP and Oracle
• Middleware providers: IBM, Oracle
 IT Infrastructure Components

• Data management and storage

– Database software:
• IBM (DB2), Oracle, Microsoft (SQL Server), Sybase (Adaptive Server
Enterprise), MySQL
– Physical data storage:
• EMC Corp (large-scale systems), Seagate, Western Digital
– Storage area networks (SANs):
• Connect multiple storage devices on dedicated network
 IT Infrastructure Components

• Networking/telecommunications platforms
– Telecommunication services
• Telecommunications, cable, telephone company charges for voice
lines and Internet access
• AT&T, Verizon
– Network operating systems:
• Windows Server, Linux, Unix
– Network hardware providers:
• Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, \Juniper Networks
 IT Infrastructure Components

• Internet platforms
– Hardware, software, management services to support company Web
sites (including Web-hosting services), intranets, extranets
– Internet hardware server market: IBM, Dell, Sun (Oracle), HP
– Web development tools/suites: Microsoft (Visual Studio and .NET),
Oracle-Sun (Java), Adobe, Real Networks
 IT Infrastructure Components

• Consulting and system integration services

– Even large firms do not have resources for full range of support for
new, complex infrastructure
– Leading consulting firms: Accenture, IBM Global Services, HP,
Infosys, Wipro Technologies
– Software integration: ensuring new infrastructure works with legacy
systems
– Legacy systems: older TPS created for mainframes that would be too
costly to replace or redesign
 Current Trends in Hardware Platforms

• The mobile digital platform

– Smartphones (iPhone, Android, and Blackberry)
• Data transmission, Web surfing, e-mail, and IM
– Netbooks:
• Small lightweight notebooks optimized for wireless communication
and core tasks
– Tablets (iPad)
– Networked e-readers (Kindle and Nook)
– Wearable devices (smart watches, smart glasses)
 Interactive Session: Management

THE GREENING OF THE DATA CENTER

Read the Interactive Session and discuss the following questions

• What business and social problems does data center power consumption cause?
• What solutions are available for these problems? Are they management,
organizational, or technology solutions? Explain your answer.
• What are the business benefits and costs of these solutions?
• Should all firms move toward green computing? Why or why not?
 Current Trends in Hardware Platforms

• BYOD (Bring your own device)

• Allowing employees to use personal mobile devices in workplace
• Consumerization of IT
• New information technology emerges in consumer markets first and
spreads to business organizations
• Forces businesses and IT departments to rethink how IT equipment and
services are acquired and managed
 Current Trends in Hardware Platforms

• Quantum computing
– Uses quantum physics to represent and operate on data
– Dramatic increases in computing speed
• Virtualization
– Allows single physical resource to act as multiple resources (i.e., run
multiple instances of OS)
– Reduces hardware and power expenditures
– Facilitates hardware centralization
 Current Trends in Hardware Platforms

• Cloud computing
– On-demand (utility) computing services obtained over network
• Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
• Platform as a service (PaaS)
• Software as a service (SaaS)
– Cloud can be public or private
– Allows companies to minimize IT investments
– Drawbacks: Concerns of security, reliability
– Hybrid cloud computing model
 CLOUD COMPUTING PLATFORM

In cloud computing, hardware and

software capabilities are a pool of
virtualized resources provided over a
network, often the Internet. Businesses
and employees have access to applications
and IT infrastructure anywhere, at any
time, and on any device.

Figure 5-10
 Interactive Session: Organizations

IS IT TIME FOR CLOUD COMPUTING?

Read the Interactive Session and discuss the following questions

• What business benefits do cloud computing services provide? What

problems do they solve?
• What are the disadvantages of cloud computing?
• How do the concepts of capacity planning, scalability, and TCO apply to
this case? Apply these concepts both to Amazon and to subscribers of
its services.
• What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit from using cloud
computing? Why?
 Current Trends in Hardware Platforms

• Green computing (Green IT)

– Practices and technologies for manufacturing, using, disposing of
computing and networking hardware
– Reducing power consumption a high priority
– IT responsible for 2% U.S. power demand
• High performance, power-saving processors
– Multi-core processors
– Power-efficient microprocessors
 Current Trends in Software Platforms

• Open-source software:
• Produced by community of programmers
• Free and modifiable by user
• Examples: Apache web server, Mozilla Firefox browser, OpenOffice
• Linux
• Open-source OS used in high-performance computing
• Used in mobile devices, local area networks, Web servers, Android OS
 Current Trends in Software Platforms

• Software for the Web

• Java:
• Object-oriented programming language
• Operating system, processor-independent
• HTML/HTML5
• Web page description language
• HTML5 is latest evolution
• Embeds media, animation
• Supports cross-platform apps, offline data storage
• Ruby and Python
 Current Trends in Software Platforms

• Web Services
• Software components that exchange information using Web standards
and languages
• XML: Extensible Markup Language
• More powerful and flexible than HTML
• Tagging allows computers to process data automatically
 Current Trends in Software Platforms

• SOA: Service-oriented architecture

• Set of self-contained services that communicate with one another to
create a working software application
• Software developers reuse these services in other combinations to
assemble other applications as needed
• Example: an “invoice service” to serve whole firm for calculating and sending
printed invoices
• Dollar Rent A Car
• Uses Web services to link online booking system with Southwest Airlines’ Web
site
 HOW DOLLAR RENT A CAR USES WEB SERVICES

FIGURE 5-11 Dollar Rent A Car uses Web services to provide a standard intermediate layer of software to “talk” to other companies’ information systems. Dollar
Rent A Car can use this set of Web services to link to other companies’ information systems without having to build a separate link to each firm’s
systems.
 Current Trends in Software Platforms

• Software outsourcing and cloud services

• Three external sources for software:
• Software packages and enterprise software
• Software outsourcing
• Contracting outside firms to develop software
• Cloud-based software services
• Software as a service (SaaS)
• Accessed with Web browser over Internet
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs): formal agreement with service providers
 CHANGING SOURCES OF FIRM SOFTWARE

Figure 5-12 In 2014, U.S. firms will spend more than $279 billion on software. About 35 percent of that will originate
outside the firm, either from enterprise software vendors selling firm-wide applications or individual
application service providers leasing or selling software modules. Another 4 percent ($11 billion) will
be provided by SaaS vendors as an online cloud-based service.
 Current Trends in Software Platforms

• Software outsourcing and cloud services (cont.)

– Mashups
• Combinations of two or more online applications, such as combining mapping
software (Google Maps) with local content
– Apps
• Small pieces of software that run on the Internet, on your computer, or on
mobile device
• Refer commonly to mobile applications
– iPhone, Android
• Tie user to platform
 Challenges of Managing IT Infrastructure

• Dealing with platform and infrastructure change

– As firms shrink or grow, IT needs to be flexible and scalable
– Scalability:
• Ability to expand to serve larger number of users
– For mobile computing and cloud computing
• New policies and procedures for managing these new platforms
• Contractual agreements with firms running clouds and distributing software
required
 Challenges of Managing IT Infrastructure

• Management and governance

– Who controls IT infrastructure?
– How should IT department be organized?
• Centralized
– Central IT department makes decisions
• Decentralized
– Business unit IT departments make own decisions
– How are costs allocated between divisions, departments?
 Challenges of Managing IT Infrastructure

• Making wise infrastructure investments

• Amount to spend on IT is complex question
• Rent vs. buy, cloud computing
• Outsourcing
• Total cost of ownership (TCO) model
• Analyzes direct and indirect costs
• Hardware, software account for only about 20% of TCO
• Other costs: Installation, training, support, maintenance, infrastructure, downtime, space, and
energy
• TCO can be reduced
• Use of cloud services, greater centralization and standardization of hardware and software
resources
 Challenges of Managing IT Infrastructure

• Competitive forces model for IT infrastructure investment

1. Market demand for firm’s services
2. Firm’s business strategy
3. Firm’s IT strategy, infrastructure, and cost
4. Information technology assessment
5. Competitor firm services
6. Competitor firm IT infrastructure investments
 COMPETITIVE FORCES MODEL FOR IT INFRASTRUCTURE

FIGURE 5-13 There are six factors you can use to answer the question, “How much should our firm spend on IT infrastructure?”