Your Proposal for SIGUCCS XXIV

Thanks for your proposal. It has been mailed to the SIGUCCSProgram Chair. We will notify those with accepted proposals by May 15,1996. Hope to see you in Chicago at SIGUCCS '96.

Name: Roman Olynyk
Title: Manager, Information Services
Institution: West Virginia Network for Educational Telecomputing
Address: 837 Chestnut Ridge Road
City: Morgantown
State: WV
Zip: 26505
Office Phone: 304-293-5192
FAX: 304-293-5540
E-mail Address: roman@wvnvms.wvnet.edu
URL (Personal Page): http://wvnvaxa.wvnet.edu/~roman
Suggested Title of Presentation: Help Desk Evolution: The Mouse Killed the Dinosaurs
Appropriate Format: Paper Presentation
Suggested Audience: Help Desk managers
Presentation Outcome:
1. stand up
2. plan for change
3.
Presentation Materials:
1.
2.
3.
Presentation Content:
This is a story of survival amidst change.  In 1995, the National Science Foundation awarded to WVNET a $740,000 "Connections to the NSFNET" grant.  WVNET used the funds to upgrade network access and to provide Internet dialup modems throughout the state's higher education system.  Now, in addition to supporting a multivendor mainframe environment, we face the task of supporting a variety of microcomputers and an even wider variety of modems.  Our calls have more than doubled.  The average user is less experienced.  However, their expectations and need for assistance have increased.  Like our mainframe dinosaurs, the Help Desk at WVNET faces a changing  environment.  This presentation tells the story of our experience, the mistakes we made and the lessons we learned.