ONGOING SUPPORT



Building a network infrastructure means planning for network support. Without the staff and technology in place to repair and upgrade the network, it will not work as you planned. One of the critical issues that the support organization will face is the network's Acceptable Use Policy for your schools and community. This section is designed to build awareness around the many different factors which contribute to the success of an effective support staff and an Acceptable Use Policy.

Meeting Conducted by: Steering Subcommittee Member
Meeting Attended by: Technology Planning Committee, Ongoing Support Subcommittee

Sample Agenda (Estimated Time Required: 1 hour)
Suggested "Ongoing Support" Meeting Preparations (Steering Subcommittee)

Proposed Action Items (Technology Planning Committee)

Proposed Action Items (Ongoing Support Subcommittee)


Helpful Resources


Online Resources:




OVERVIEW

(Slide 1)

This session will discuss the importance of ongoing support and maintenance. These issues are often overlooked yet are essential for your success. Networks require people and technology to keep them functioning properly. As users place new requirements on the network, it is critical that there be a group in place that can upgrade the network to meet their needs. Finally, it is this group of staff members that will be responsible for ensuring that policies concerning acceptable use and security are adhered to.

PLANNING FOR ONGOING SUPPORT

(Slide 2)

1. Technical and operational investment: Networks require care and feeding by skilled personnel using network management tools, which range in sophistication and ease of use. How you implement these tools will depend largely upon the money you have to spend.

2. Leveraging resources: Further, some network management tools can be shared. Many of these tools are capable of monitoring the LANs and WANs to which they are directly and indirectly connected. If your network is based on open and standard technologies, you can share network management tools across the entire network. By using these tools to predict and warn of potential problems, the staff will be able to help avoid many time-consuming crises. You can then reduce the number of people that are in the field to troubleshoot and repair problem areas.

3. Security and Acceptable Use Policies: Adequate monitoring technologies also help ensure that Security and Acceptable Use Policies are adhered to. If a breech occurs, these tools can be very helpful in discovering the source of the infraction, allowing support personnel to quickly re-configure the network to deter future problems.


ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

(Slide 3)

1. On-site support staff: Probably the most critical aspect of an effective support organization is to have a person or group of people on site to answer questions from end users and to solve simple technical problems. Even though many technical problems can be solved quickly and easily with some routine troubleshooting, it is critical to have a person on site who is familiar with rudimentary problems. In the event that the on-site staff cannot fix the trouble, they will know how to contact someone who has the required skills to solve the problem. Finally, it is often the on-site personnel who will be responsible for seeing that the Acceptable Use Policy is adhered to. As appropriate, this group will monitor the network for infractions of the policy and ensure that corrective actions are taken.

2. Level-two support staff: The level-two support staff will provide what is often referred to as a help desk function. When on-site support staff are unable to resolve an issue, they will report it to the second-level staff. This group will most likely attempt to troubleshoot the problem by providing instruction over the telephone. In some networks they may be able to log in to the remote network and explore the environment. Once they are confident that they have exhausted their options remotely, they will establish a time to meet at the school site and work the issue.

At some point, if the staff is unable to solve the problem, they will most likely call the equipment or service vendor's support staff. This activity may or may not cost the school additional funds, depending on the support contract negotiated between the school and the vendor. The time frame in which the vendor is committed to solving the issue is negotiated under contract between the two organizations.

The level-two staff will also be responsible for troubleshooting network break-ins. In the event of an infraction, the level-two support staff will attempt to discover its source and prevent the event from being repeated. If the problem persists, this group will be responsible for re-configuring the network or working with network service and equipment vendors to solve the problem.

3. Specialty teams: Finally, the support staff at each site and operating at every school level, should be organized into specialty teams. These teams should be responsible for managing the aspects of the network that require coordinated or special attention. In many cases, all of these functions might be performed by the same support staff.

As the plan and network usage evolves, the Internet connection may need to be upgraded. A team should be in place to monitor the effectiveness of the connection and to make the necessary modifications. Further, as new connectivity vendors become established in your area, their services and fees will need to be evaluated.

A similar function will be undertaken by a team which will evaluate the evolving uses of the network and determine the equipment, vendors, and standards that will be required to meet these growing needs. This group will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of the networks and the manner in which upgrades will be handled.

There should also be a team assigned to evaluate and plan for building construction and modifications which meet the demands of the networks. Besides legally-mandated building codes, there are many factors to consider as to where network equipment should be located and how wiring should be installed.

Finally, all of the policies, standards, and procedures agreed to by the specialty teams should be well documented. A well-documented implementation ensures that all persons involved in the support, maintenance, and even use of the network always have a source of information on how the network operates and why. Without this documentation, if key personnel leave the organization, your schools may suffer untimely setbacks as they bring themselves back up to speed in effective management of the network.


WHAT IS REQUIRED OF STAFF

(Slide 4)

Personnel responsible for troubleshooting and resolving end-user issues are a critical part of the networking infrastructure. They will have to handle many stressful situations that require time and patience to resolve.

1. Communication skills: Probably the most important thing needed to make users feel that their problems are being addressed. Staff must speak in a language that users can understand. In the absence of good communications between network users and staff, tension and dissatisfaction tend to arise.

2. Technical skills: The staff should be able to understand and manage the operation of network equipment and protocols. For every piece of network equipment and each application, a staff member needs to know how it works and how it impacts other hardware, applications, and protocols on the network. As network problems arise, a technical expert will often need to be familiar with several aspects of the network in order to isolate the problem at hand. Without a firm grasp of the technical workings of the network, the ability to find the root of a given problem may prove extremely difficult and time consuming. Even when a technologist's skills are well honed, finding and solving network issues is often a complex task. Therefore, technical staff may also need tremendous persistence and patience in addition to technical know-how.

3. Experience: Probably the best way to assess the capabilities of support personnel is to evaluate their experience. What have they worked with in the past, and in what context - another school site, a business, a university? There are many different types of networks in the world, and an aptitude and interest in working with one type of equipment does not necessarily imply an aptitude and interest in working with all types.

4. Flexibility: Finally, support staff must be interested in learning about supporting new technologies. If they are not willing to continually expand their horizons, their users will be left behind the curve of the new developments that inevitably develop to enhance the enjoyment and usefulness of the network.


IDENTIFICATION OF RESOURCES

(Slide 5)

1. Resources from within: Where will these resources come from? While these are highly marketable skills which draw high salaries in most institutions, they need not cost the school an extraordinary amount of money. It may be possible to find many of the skills you need within the current staff. With some training and retraining of the persons already involved in keeping your technology operational, you may go a long way toward finding the resources you need. Additionally, across the country there are many programs that use students to support and maintain the network infrastructure. This approach has proven to be highly successful and provides the students with valuable skills once they graduate, regardless of the occupation or career they choose.

2. Resources from outside: No doubt you will also need to look for resources outside of the school. These may come in the form of paid consultants or partnerships with local businesses or universities. Consultants in this field can be expensive, so you should carefully plan how you will use their skills to their fullest potential. Some consultants may be in a position to donate their expertise to your project, especially if their commitment is limited, so it is a good idea to explore this option as you begin negotiations. It is also important to enlist the assistance of local businesses and universities. Many times these organizations are willing to work in an advisory or planning capacity.


ROLE OF MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT GROUP

(Slide 6)

1. Technologies to be supported: The selection of standard network technologies is a major factor in reducing the level of technical sophistication needed in management tools and personnel. As much as possible, you should attempt to minimize the number of different types of equipment and service vendors that the staff must support. This will make their job much easier and will allow them to operate more effectively. Additionally, the more equipment you purchase from a single vendor, the more clout you have within the vendor organization. This is especially important as you look to your vendors for product support and assistance in planning for upgrades.

2. Financial considerations: There are financial advantages to adhering to standards and enlisting vendors as partners. There are economies-of-scale as vendors are more likely to discount the price of their equipment to please larger clients. For instance, a vendor is more likely to discount the price on ten units of a product than on one or two. Vendors are more likely to negotiate price if they believe it will result in repeat purchases as your network expands.

In addition, by using standard technology, the cost of upgrading your equipment will be minimized. Your investment in used equipment may not be lost, as a software installation or simple replacement of a card may be all that is necessary to increase performance of the equipment. Older yet reliable equipment may be re-installed as an upgrade to a smaller site or to an area with less demanding requirements.

3. Security and Appropriate Use: Security is a concern on every network. The network needs to be designed to prevent users either inside or outside the school from obtaining unauthorized access to restricted data. There are trade-offs between ensuring that a network is totally secure and limiting the freedom that users have in taking advantage of all of its resources. Networks which handle sensitive materials may be made entirely inaccessible to other users. Users on these secure networks may be able to send email to others but it may be impossible for them to share resources or to access other materials. There are less limiting ways to secure a network, but they may be expensive or lower the network's performance.

While it is important to ensure that outsiders don't gain unauthorized access to your network, it may also be important to keep your users from gaining unauthorized access to other networks. Some schools have Acceptable Use Policies that restrict the type of material their students may access. Others leave it to the discretion of the classroom teacher, while still others allow unrestricted access to the net. Nearly all schools require that parents sign a consent form that details the risk of students discovering controversial material while exploring the Internet. This relieves the school of the responsibility to closely supervise every student (a difficult if not impossible task), and allows parents to make decisions about what they deem to be appropriate for their children.

Depending on how you connect to the Internet, you may also face other restrictions. Government-sponsored connections often bar commercial traffic from their facilities. These policies are constantly changing (usually in the direction of fewer restrictions) so it pays to keep up to date with them.


ROLE OF MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT GROUP (continued)

(Slide 7)

4. Attempt to predict the future: The support staff will be responsible for leading efforts to plan for growth. They will have to work closely with other staff members to assess growing network requirements and to plan for the resources you will need. As the staff becomes more experienced at managing the networks currently in place, they will also become adept at identifying and evaluating technologies and vendors that meet your needs well into the future.

5. Always a need to upgrade: It is difficult to plan very far ahead. However, as newer applications create a growing demand for the graphical display of information and more interactive sessions you will almost certainly require new technology and faster connections.



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This NASA K-12 Internet Initiative Web page was last updated on May 30, 1996.