Chris Mackey, Product Services Manager

Predictive maintenance is a method of maintenance that involves making adjustments to a network in anticipation of specific events that are predicted to occur. These adjustments provide increased network or systems continuity. Predictive maintenance utilizes specific triggers to determine when changes are necessary to improve reliability of operations. There are many different triggers that a service provider can designate to predict what is going to happen in a network. Some specific examples of triggers include:

• Specific Event – A network may need to be modified and expanded temporarily to handle an influx of traffic during a special event. This event could be a major sporting event, a political event or a conference. All of these events would increase passenger flow through an airport causing a need for additional check in counters, baggage check stations, etc.

• Seasonal – Airport passenger flow can be affected simply by what season it is. Thanksgiving is a very highly traveled day causing a need to handle more passengers, or the airport could be located near a ski resort, causing an influx of passengers during the winter months.

• Environmental – Operations at an airport can be affected by a weather related event. A snowstorm will impact an airport differently than an earthquake or a tsunami.

• Report Driven – There are instances when operations are affected, but it is only apparent because of generated reports. It may be that the network is affected every time new trainees are introduced into the system, or during a particular shift change between two individuals. Thus, evaluating reports can determine the impact issues may have on a network.

Predictive maintenance is an important component to keeping outages from happening. When a service partner utilizes predictive maintenance potential outages are minimized and many times avoided. This is because potential problems are predicted and solutions can be put into place prior to any impact on the network.

It isn’t always possible to avoid outages, next time I will discuss a method of fixing problems prior to the end user being aware that the problem exists.

Chris Mackey, Product Services Manager

How do you avoid service interruptions?

What do you do to ensure your customers never experience problems? It is not possible to achieve this, however with preventive maintenance it is possible minimize service interruptions and in turn, customer problems.

What is preventive maintenance? Preventive maintenance is proactively servicing equipment and performing maintenance prior to equipment breakdown or failure. It is replacing parts of equipment that are wearing down prior to them failing. It is cleaning equipment to ensure moving parts stay mobile. It is updating software to maintain the most reliable system. These changes are done during a business’s non-peak or off hours to avoid impact on customers.
How does preventive maintenance work? A service partner will develop, document and implement a preventive maintenance plan, which specifies what needs to be done to each piece of equipment within the operations. This plan begins with manufacturer’s recommendation for the equipment, but also takes into consideration unique operating aspects. For example equipment that has very high usage or equipment that is exposed to the extreme weather elements will have additional service requirements

Preventive maintenance extends the life of the equipment, which minimizes costs for new equipment, or expensive repair. Please join us next time to read how predictive maintenance can help avoid interruptions.

Chris Mackey, Product Services Manager

This multifaceted approach will first attempt to avoid all service interruptions by properly following equipment standards and guidelines.  The service partner will also monitor the network and determine if there are any external factors that could potentially affect the service availability, these can be anything from weather to the system itself. The service partner will deploy appropriate measures to ensure system availability, and any scheduled equipment maintenance will be done off hours so that it doesn’t impact the airport’s operations.

It is not always possible to prevent service interruptions, however, if the end customer doesn’t know there is a problem then it is almost as good as having no problem at all. Monitoring a service both remotely and manually help achieve this. Remote monitoring enables the service partner to identify and address service interruptions as soon as they occur. In addition to remote monitoring, a strategic service partner will have staff on site who can perform visual checks. Once an interruption is identified, either remotely or visually, the service provider will determine the quickest way to resolve the issue. Many times the issue will be resolved prior to it affecting the end customer.

Finally, there are instances when an outage is unavoidable, and negatively impacts the end user. For example, if a paper jam occurs while a passenger is waiting for a boarding pass to print. This can’t necessarily be anticipated and can’t always be fixed prior to the customer knowing about it.  As a result, the only method for resolving this issue is through incident reporting.  Simply put, the customer lets an airport employee know they are having a problem printing their boarding pass and the airport employee files an incident report.

To summarize, the multifaceted system resolution approach can be broken down into three main categories, with a total of five distinct methods to avoid or repair interruptions once they occur.  The three categories and five methods are:

1. Interruption avoidance – A potential outage is avoided by making modifications or adjustments to the equipment or the network.  Two methods of interruption avoidance are preventive and predictive maintenance.
2. Interruption monitoring – A problem is fixed prior to the end user knowing it is an issue, this is done by monitoring all the services both remotely and/or on site.  Two methods of Interruption monitoring are remote monitoring and proactive maintenance.
3. Interruption resolution – a problem is fixed once the end user or customer reports the incident.  This is called incident report maintenance

Please join me next week to learn more about preventive maintenance and a discussion on how a service partner can deploy it to help improve your system availability.

Chris Mackey, Product Services Manager

However, often the airport faces the conflicting priorities of evolving their business model with new equipment and technologies while continuing to offer services on their current IT infrastructure. A key component of the migration and implementation of new systems is maintenance and support. As discussed in the AMS whitepaper

Airport IT – Finding the Cost and Service Balance

, there are several models an airport can deploy to meet IT support needs. These models are:

1) All functions owned, operated and maintained internally by the airport.
2) Outsource specific functions, but have the airport maintain overall control.
3) Engage a Service Provider and migrate to a partnering relationship.

AMS recommends creating a service partnership to support your IT needs. A service partner will ensure network availability by implementing a multifaceted approach to preventing and solving IT interruptions. Next week, I will discuss the types of interruptions businesses such as airports typically experience and how a service partner like AMS can help better manage and even eliminate some of the interruptions.

Join our four part series to gain a better understanding of the Service Desk, the Help Desk and the differences between them:

Chris Mackey, Product Services Manager

• What is a Service Desk and why is it important to your company? (Posted Nov. 19, 2010)
• What is a Help Desk and why is it important to your organization? (Posted Jan. 6, 2011)
• What are the critical differences between a Service Desk and a Help Desk?(Posted Feb. 4, 2011)
• When should you use a Service Desk vs. a Help Desk or do you need both?(See below)

Part 4: When should you use a Service Desk vs. a Help Desk or do you need both?

The previous posts explained in detail what a Help Desk is and what a Service Desk is. The posts explain areas where companies may perceive overlap and areas that companies see distinct differences. So, now for the tough question, should you use a Service Desk, a Help Desk or both? To answer this question, let’s review the highlights of each function.

A Help Desk is technically focused

As described in one of the previous posts, the Help Desk fixes problems that are taking place at that instant. Any time one of your employees is experiencing problems utilizing your Information Technology (IT) infrastructure the Help Desk is contacted to fix the problem and get your employee(s) operational as quickly as possible. For this immediate response to end user IT needs, the Help Desk must have employees technically trained in the appropriate technologies. The ultimate goal of the Help Desk is to offer first contact resolution as often and as quickly as possible.

A Service Desk is customer and process focused

As described in a previous post, the Service Desk is offers a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) and is focused on managing processes. The Service Desk is outward focused on the customer and inward focused on the day to day processes of the business. The ultimate goal of the Service Desk is to reduce costs by having the appropriate personnel working on problems, by monitoring trends and by managing processes.

Your business will benefit the most with both a Service Desk and a Help Desk

Why should you use both? The Help Desk and Service Desk serve different purposes and both add value to your company. It is obvious that a Help Desk is required; when something breaks you need to fix it. However, there are many instances when the Help Desk is getting a call and it is not of technical nature. At that time your company is paying premium dollar to a technical resource when one is not required, and that resource could be helping someone with a technical question.

This is where the Service Desk plays a key role in your business solution. The Service Desk will assist end users with issues that are not of technical nature. This allows technically skilled workers to stay available for the technical problems.

When done with ITIL v3 standards, the Service Desk will be the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) and route the call to the appropriate location for resolution. The Service Desk owns the call and will follow it through to ensure the customer who called in the problem is satisfied with the resolution. Having this SPOC and ownership of the call enables:

• Higher end-user customer satisfaction – The Service Desk is keeping the end-user well informed.

• Increased end-user productivity – The Service Desk is tracking the problem, enabling the end-user to continue with their daily work.

• Better cost control – The Service Desk ensures the call is being routed to the appropriate center within the company to be resolved.

The Service Desk also monitors all processes and trends. When the Service Desk notices problems within the processes or worrisome trends, they make adjustments to fix the problem before it is detected by the end-users.

To get the best, most cost effective service out of you IT infrastructure your company should utilize a Service Desk that has hooks into a competent Help Desk.

Join our four part series to gain a better understanding of the Service Desk, the Help Desk and the differences between them:

Chris Mackey, Product Services Manager

• What is a Service Desk and why is it important to your company? (Posted Nov. 19, 2010)
• What is a Help Desk and why is it important to your organization? (Posted Jan. 6, 2011)
• What are the critical differences between a Service Desk and a Help Desk?
• When should you use a Service Desk vs. a Help Desk or do you need both?

Part 3: What are the critical differences between a Service Desk and a Help Desk?

The difference between a Help Desk and a Service Desk became more concrete with the writing of Information Technology International Library (ITIL) v3 which was released in June 2007.  Prior to version 3 the Help Desk and the Service Desk were used interchangeably, thus no significant differences between the two of them were recognized within the industry.  ITIL v3 looks at the IT process from beginning to end and maps how it should be integrated into the overall business strategy.  The Service Desk is a key component of the management of the overall process.  The Help Desk  is a component of the end to end process that is focused on end user needs.

A Help Desk focuses on end user needs.

A Help Desk provides incident management to ensure customer’s problems are resolved in a timely fashion.  A best practices Help Desk utilizes software to track the incidents making sure that no trouble gets lost.  It manages a database that keeps track of the IT assets enabling access on a real time basis to information about software and configuration of the IT system.  The Help Desk has the ability to create monthly and annual reports on the number of troubles, the time to respond to the trouble, the time to fix the trouble which could all feed into a Service Level Agreement (SLA).  Some of the specific tasks a Help Desk performs include:

• Computer or Software consultations
• Change and Configuration Management
• Problem escalation procedures
• Problem resolution
• Single point of contact (SPOC) for IT interruptions
• Service Level Agreements
• Tracking capabilities of all incoming problems

A Help Desk is tactically focused and is most concerned about end user functionality.  One way of implementing a Help Desk is for the organization to meet minimum requirements to get an end user back in service once the incident is reported.  However, a best practices Help Desk utilizes processes and software to minimize the service interruptions both proactively and reactively.

A Service Desk focuses on corporate strategy.

A Service Desk is a Single Point of Contact between users and IT Service Management.    It manages information delivery by utilizing Information IT infrastructure Library (ITIL) v3 best practices to deliver these services both with software and defined processes. The Service Desk is the first contact in an organization for any and all IT questions.  Best practices Service Desks are process focused and company strategy focused.  The processes outlined in ITIL v3 are broken down into five ITIL Core Service Lifecycles.

• Service Strategy –Evaluate current services and ensure a plan is in place to, modify and implement new and existing services when required.
• Service Design – Evaluate and ensure a new service will meet current and future needs.  Ensure a new service can be introduced into the live environment.
• Service Transition – Define a plan that ensures no service outages or gaps during a service transition, thus the effects of the transition on the corporation are minimal.
• Service Operation – Responsible for the ongoing monitoring of a service that is used to deliver services.
• Continual Service Improvement – Review and analyze opportunities to improve all IT process and functions.

In ITIL v3 a Help Desk is a component of a Service Desk

A Help Desk with ITIL v3 best practices, is one component of the overall service management and will feed information to a Service Desk through software and process hooks.   Specifically, the functions outlined in the Service Operations section of the ITIL core service lifecycles are Help Desk functions.  These functions include:

• Event Management
• Incident Management
• Request Management
• Problem Management
• Access Management

These are not the only functions that a best practices Help Desk performs.  There are more Help Desk functions embedded in the other 4 segments of the lifecycle management (Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition and Continual Service Improvement).  For example, the Help Desk needs to be involved with any type of service transition to ensure the new service does not adversely affect the end users.

Many companies have a Help Desk without a Service Desk.

There are some instances where a corporation does not require or is not ready for the processes and service offerings of a Service Desk.  In that instance a Help Desk will meet the tactical needs of the corporation.  The Help Desk will give users a place to contact when they are having specific IT issues.  Thus, the amount of time an end user is out of service will be minimized by the Help Desk.

Very few companies have a Service Desk without a Help Desk.

The Service Desk is concerned with the overall IT process and the individual components that function and interact with each other on both a software and process level.   One area that is a must in any IT service offering is the ability to manage specific end user problems and issues.  Thus, a Service Desk either has to have Help Desk functionality embedded in their Service Desk infrastructure or has the ability to link into a Help Desk offering for the end user.  The Service Desk is focused on corporate strategy and ensuring all the IT functions are currently working and will work in the future, they must also have the ability to ensure all end users up and functioning.

Next post: When should you use a Service Desk vs. a Help Desk or do you need both?

Chris Mackey, Product Services Manager

Join our four part series to gain a better understanding of the Service Desk, the Help Desk and the differences between them:

• What is a Service Desk and why is it important to your company? (Posted Nov. 19)
• What is a Help Desk and why is it important to your organization? (See below)
• What are the critical differences between a Service Desk and a Help Desk?
• When should you use a Service Desk vs. a Help Desk or do you need both?

Part 2: What is a Help Desk and why is it important to your company?

The key to technology helping a company is keeping IT functions available and operational for use as much as possible.  It is not possible to have 100% operational up time, so what is the best way to handle the times when they are not working?  One very valuable solution is a Help Desk.

What is a Help Desk and how is it implemented?

A Help Desk is a resource designed for IT users to contact when they are having problems with their IT services.  Help Desks institute a multi-tiered trouble shooting approach by having personnel with extensive technical knowledge available.

Implementation of this multi-tiered support varies widely within companies.  In one company it may be one person with a wealth of knowledge carrying a cell phone.  In another company it may be several people who perform some of the support in house and several people from another company that are contracted for additional support.  In another company it may be a multitude of people within their own company performing all levels of support.

What standards should be implemented by a best practices Help Desk?

The most strategic method of implementing a Help Desk is to follow Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) best practices.  An ITIL best practices Help Desk must include:

• Single point of contact (SPOC) for IT interruptions
• Computer or Software consultations
• Tracking capabilities of all incoming problems
• Problem escalation procedures
• Problem resolution

Implementation of best practices for Help Desk services is outlined in the Service Management best practices section of ITIL version 3.  Specifically these areas include:

• Knowledge Management – A Help Desk should have a system that improves operational efficiencies by reducing the time spent to rediscover previous incidents or problems.
• Problem Management – A Help Desk should have a system that gathers information during incident management to help spot problems.  This system will identify the root cause of frequent recurring incidents by capturing information in a knowledge base.
• Access Management – A Help Desk should act as the keepers of the user accounts along with password resets.  Single ownership by the Help Desk will ensure quicker response time for end users with user or password problems.
• Service Catalog – A Help Desk should have a published service catalog, ideally with pricing information included and with detailed service descriptions.

A Help Desk will assist in enabling an enterprise to meet their strategic goals.

Help Desks are implemented in many different ways, however by following the best practices outlined in ITIL v3, the Help Desk will meet the most important need of the end user, it will get them operational as quickly as possible.  In addition, by following the best practices, the Help Desk will enable the enterprise to have a foundation for the IT department not only to meet the needs of the end user, but for the IT department to link into strategic areas within the company.   Thus, the Help Desk will be one component in enabling the enterprise to meet their strategic goals.

Next week: What are the critical differences between a Service Desk and a Help Desk?

Chris Mackey, Product Services Manager

Join our four part series to gain a better understanding of the Service Desk, the Help Desk, and the differences between them:

• What is a Service Desk and why is it important to your company? (see below)
• What is a Help Desk and why is it important to your organization?
• What are the critical differences between a Service Desk and a Help Desk
• When should you use a Service Desk vs a Help Desk or do you need both?

What is a Service Desk and why is it important to your company?

A Service Desk, understands that information offers companies strategic advantages and it ensures proper mechanisms are in place for the data to be analyzed, produced and distributed seamlessly. The best Service Desks manage information delivery by utilizing Information IT infrastructure Library (ITIL) best practices to deliver these services. The Service Desk is the first contact in an organization for any and all IT questions.

According to ITIL, the definition of a Service Desk is – A the single point of contact between users and IT Service Management. Tasks include handling incidents and requests, and providing an interface for other ITIL processes. The primary functions of the Service Desk are incident control, life cycle management of all service requests, and communicating with the customer.

Another definition of Service Desk is a center that provides a Single Point of Contact between a company’s customers, employees and business partners. The Service Desk is designed to optimize services on behalf of the business and oversee IT functions. Thus, a Service Desk does more than making sure IT services are being delivered at that moment, it manages the various lifecycles of software packages used to provide critical information flow by utilizing ITIL best practices.

These best practices enable an IT service provider to ensure end user data is being delivered consistently under many different scenarios. Since the Service Desk is a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) it understands that there are many reasons services can be interrupted. A Service Desk has the means within its hierarchy to monitor and manage each layer of service from beginning to end. These layers are classified by:

Network Operations: The ability to monitor all network devices and connections remotely. A Service Desk manages and monitors incident reports, traffic, performs network reviews, implements backups and manages change on the network. Thus, a Service Desk ensures the infrastructure of the network is optimized to meet the business needs of the enterprise.

Systems Operations: The ability to perform core systems management tasks. Core systems management include performance monitoring, installation of patches, change management, account management and support for specific platforms, Linux, Unix, etc.

Database Operations: The ability to maintain and optimize database tasks. Performance monitoring, fault monitoring, log reviews, access management, and change control for database software such at Oracle, DB2, etc.

Security Management: The ability to protect the enterprise from external/internal threats. A Service Desk will perform vulnerability scans, monitor IPS logs and map this data to the information security related regulatory mandates.

All of the functions above are delivered by utilizing various types of hardware, software and delivery process. All of these functions have to work together in a seamless manner and each has it’s own lifecycle and the Service Desk will manage them. Thus, when one hardware platform, software package or process needs to be replaced with newer technology or practices, the Service Desk will manage the transitions ensuring maximum data delivery.

By performing the tasks outlined above, a Service Desk improves user satisfaction by:

• Minimizing business impacts of service failures
• Proactively managing use of the IT network of ITIL best practices
• Resolving incidents and requests with minimal delay
• Communicating with the end user

As companies switch their IT service management from technology based to process based, the they are able to integrate their IT needs directly into the corporation’s overall strategic plan. The Service Desk plays a strategic role in this transition. The Service Desk allows companies to be less dependent on specific technology and enables them to easily connect with business partners moving forward by focusing on processes. By switching the IT focus on processes the infrastructure delivers value add to the corporate users and customers. Once the services and processes are defined, the Service Desk monitors them and the company focuses on it’s strategic and tactical business plan.

A good Service Desk improves a company’s customer satisfaction by allowing the company to implement their business plan. A good Service Desk improves a company’s satisfaction by managing IT costs while managing the lifecycles of the IT processes and by utilizing ITIL best practices. A good Service Desk communicates effectively and efficiently with each end user. There are many more things a good Service Desk does well, it is the next step in allowing your company to focus specifically on your business plan.

Next week: What is a help desk and why is it important.