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Owned by Susan Abrams
Last updated: Aug 03, 2023
9 min read

Draft Web Page - Private
https://laits.utexas.edu/services/computer-support-2/desktop-support/



Core Service Descriptions: LAITS provides computer support for university-owned computing devices used by faculty and staff.



Customer Support 

Desktop Support description - The Desktop Support team provides comprehensive support and technology services for university-owned computing devices.

The desktop support team provides comprehensive support for university-owned computing Devices and Technology Services, computing devices and associated technology services. assist with software setup, and end user configuration of University resources such as cloud storage, backup, email and calendaring systems. 

  • Desktop Support Options

  • Support Details
      • Delivers support during standard University business hours 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday
      • Supports faculty, staff and research lab computers (internet required)
      • Configures separate, local administrative accounts for each user (eid-admin)
      • Supports the following customers using a "reasonable effort"
        • Emeritus Faculty with UT-owned devices
        • Graduate Assistant or Research Assistants using UT-owned devices (GRA / GA / TA) 
      • Provide support to students (unless appointed to a staff position)
      • Deliver support in the evenings, on the weekends, or during University holidays or skeleton crew days
      • Provide staff for special events, or for events taking place during business hours unless previously arranged
      • Troubleshoot issues with a user's home network configuration
      • Travel to off-site locations for support, with the exception of specific UT buildings receiving support

        LAITS does not:

Reasonable Effort

LAITS team members may assist non-supported faculty and staff or non-supported computers within the following guidelines:

  • LAITS team members must have time available to assist with the request and work must take 30 minutes or less

  • Urgent in-scope issues will be prioritized over out-of-scope work
    • If the problem is not urgent, the customer may be asked to return at a later time
    • Tickets will be created and closed in the first interaction, even if the problem is not fully solved
    • If the problem cannot be resolved in a single support session, LAITS staff will attempt to point the customer in the direction of another unit better equipped to handle the problem
    • Assists with configuration or troubleshooting of hardware and software on personally-owned devices 
    • Student employees using UT-owned devices



Onboarding / Offboarding of employees

LAITS works with departmental administrative staff to effectively onboard new employees and offboard separating employees. The onboarding and offboarding of faculty and staff requires coordination among each of LAITS core teams. Our staff follow a step-by-step checklist to ensure the timely completion of tasks for new and departing faculty and staff.

Onboarding and offboarding employee requests begin with either a supervisor or department administrator sending an email to laits-help@utexas.edu. The request should include first day or final day of employment (as applicable).

Onboarding

Laits does:

  • Require a minimum of 5 days notice to ensure successful onboarding of new employees.
  • Configure a newly purchased or reassigned computer for a new employee prior to their start date
  • Deploy said computer to the new employee on (or near) their start date
  • Configure said computer for UTBackup and provides basic instruction to the new employee
  • Set up and configure the new employee's login, Email (Outlook), bookmarks, etc.
  • Configure WIFI and UT email on the new employee's personal phone (if requested)
  • Add computer to be able to print to appropriate departmental printers
  • Set up VPN access and provide basic instruction

LAITS does not:

  • Grant individual access to:
    • Mainframe
    • Departmental UT Box or SharePoint/ Teams/ OneDrive shares
    • shared calendars
    • mailing lists
  • Connect to personal data, personal email, etc.
  • Transfer data from personal computer hardware
  • Set up “vanity” email addresses such as @cola.utexas.edu


Offboarding 

    • The departing employee is removed from network resources
    • The department is responsible for collecting a staff computer for repurpose or surplus
    • Desktop support staff can assist retiring faculty with migrating data to a personal device


Office Moves

LAITS will assist with moves of up to 3 people without additional cost. This includes assistance with breaking down, moving computers, and then reconnecting devices. Moves of more than 3 people will be treated as projects and be subject to an hourly rate charge.



Desktop Support Services

  • Computer Support and Repair
    • Customers should contact the LAITS Service Desk with any computer issues and we will determine if the issue is software related or if a hardware repair is needed. 
    • Warranty Hardware Repairs
      • If the issue is determined to be hardware related, the computer can be dropped off with LAITS for repair
      • Dell hardware repairs can be scheduled to be done at the Service Desk or can be scheduled in the customer's home or office

      • LAITS supports UT owned iPads, but does not currently provide support for other mobile devices (iPhone, Android, Fire Tablet)

    • Non-Warranty Hardware Repairs
      • LAITS will facilitate a paid repair on a UT Device that is out of warranty 
      • Your department is responsible for payment to the Campus Computer Store for any out of warranty repairs
      • If available, our staff will provide a temporary loaner with standard software (except CrashPlan)
  • Loaners
    • Requests for loaners can be made by contacting the LAITS Service Desk
    • LAITS provides a faculty or staff member with a temporary computer loaner ** (trouble shooting or our for repair - web language) if one of the following conditions are met:

        • When the user will be without a computer due to troubleshooting or repairs

        • When deployment for a new employee is requested with less than 5 business days’ notice
        • If an end user has a computer on order, but it has not yet arrived

LAITS does NOT:

    • Loan computers or accessories to customers indefinitely (requires an end date)
    • Loan computers or accessories to students


  • Lost / Stolen Devices
    • Staff members must report lost or stolen equipment the UT Police Department and report to ISO
    • Contact LAITS to request a network search to determine if the device is on campus or online


  • Backup Management >  moved from EMP to Desktop Support
    • Control base configuration settings for UT provided campus backup
    • Assist the Desktop Support team as needed with individual backup configuration needs 
    • Managing Your Crashplan Backup
    • The core service is ultimately owned and controlled by UT central ITS, and as such we are limited in the scope of changes we can make


  • Printers

    • LAITS maintains a list of supported printers certified to work with UT networks and LAITS Supported Computers.

    • LAITS does not support the use of WIFI Printers on-campus

      • Recommended Printer Models 
      • Manages Printers> link  to EPM 
      • Installs and configures desktop (single-user) USB connected printers 
      • Troubleshoots printing issues


  • Emeritus Faculty Support:

      • LAITS assists Emeritus faculty by recommending computer models for personal use and will assist with transferring data from university-owned computer(s) to their personally-owned computer(s)


  • Operating System and Software Support (move to EPM?)
    • Support staff uses Beyond Trust as a standard tool to provide remote support to end users
    • Staff assists supported faculty, staff, and researchers with most issues related to computing devices, including, but not limited to:
        • Patching and Security > link  to EPM
        • Software Applications / Self Service > link  to EPM
        • Remote Access > link to EPM
        • Backup Management > link  to EPM 


Computer Lifecycle 

  • Computer Lifecycle description - The Computer Lifecycle team assists faculty, staff, and research labs with purchasing recommended computer models, receiving, inventory management, facilitating the deployment of computers, and with managing the end of life retirement of computers.
  • LAITS maintains lists of supported computers and printers
  • Computer Purchasing and Receiving 
  • Assists departments with computer lifecycle programs
  • Inventory and ISORA 
      • Computers delivered to BEL 228 will be tagged and added to DEFINE as part of our deployment process
      • Computers delivered to departments must be tagged by the owning unit and transported to BEL
      • LAITS registers all active networked devices (including printers and computers) in the ISORA inventory application, as required by Information Security Office (ISO) policy
      • LAITS regularly updates this inventory to ensure compliance with this policy
      • LAITS assists departments with annual inventory by providing a report of all known computers as well as registering them in the ISORA application.
        • (UT tagged devices registered in ISORA will be automatically marked as found in the annual DEFINE inventory)
  • Computer Deployment
    • LAITS provides curbside delivery at BEL, delivery to service desks and office delivery for desktop computers as needed
    • Provides remote or in-person configuration and data migration as needed

    • LAITS provides computers with standard software >link to EPM self service

    • Installs security and management settings >Link to EPM and department or end user specific software as needed. 

    • Provides UT backup configuration
  • Computer Repairs > link to Desktop Support




Fleet Management

  • Fleet Management description - The fleet management team ensures customer computers and printers are configured and maintained to meet ISO requirements including regular patches, malware protection, backup, and security.
  • Computer Provisioning/Imaging

    • LAITS configures computers with standard software, functionality and security settings as part of our computer deployment process

    • Maintains a standard software portfolio for recommended models 

    • Installs the latest approved Operating Systems (OS) 

    • Supports tablets and Mobile Devices
    • Devices must be purchased through Campus Computer Store
    • Apple devices must be enrolled in Apple School Manager to facilitate patch management

    • Staff assists with theft recovery / activation lock as necessary


  • Endpoint Management Enrollment
    • All supported computers and printers are required to be enrolled in the University endpoint management systems to ensure compliance with Information Security Office (ISO) requirements to ensure compliance with ISO Minimum Security Stands for Systems
    • Staff installs Beyond Trust as a standard tool to provide remote support to end users
    • Meets ISO requirements including regular patching, malware protection, backup, and security on supported computers and printers
    • LAITS will work with end users to remediate any ISO quarantines on vulnerable systems, and will assist with evaluating and requesting exceptions as required for business purposes
    • Follows ISO standard software policies on supported computers


  • Operating System Requirements
    • OS of supported computers must be within the top most recent two vendor supported versions
    • All systems will have OS updates enabled through Endpoint Management
  • Patching and Security Standards
    • Enrolled computers will receive regular patching, malware protection, backup, and security
    • standard software applications on supported computers   
    • Automatic updates of Antivirus applications
    • Critical security updates may be applied outside of the regular patch schedule, with a notice to the customer contact as listed on the SLA
  • Updates Antivirus applications automatically

Operating System and Software Support (question) ( no longer included as a stand alone section?)

      • Support staff users Beyond Trust as a standard tool to provide remote support to end users (add to DS page)
      • Staff assists supported faculty, staff, and researchers with most issues related to computing devices, including, but not limited to:
          • Patching and Security > link  to EPM
          • Software Applications / Self Service > link  to EPM
          • Remote Access > link to EPM
          • Backup Management > link  to EPM
  • Malware/AV
    • Installs Malware and Antivirus protection is installed on all computers to scan, detect, and remove viruses, and to safeguard devices
      • (removed from web page)
        Configures scanning exceptions to support business needs
      • Manages configuration Policies
      • When quarantined by ISO - Actively monitor and remediate vulnerabilities
      • File exceptions with ISO, when appropriate
  • Software Applications 
    • LAITS maintains and updates a portfolio of standard software available for all recommended computer models 
    • Provides MacOS Self Service guidelines to install applications 
    • Packages specialized software 
    • Updates specialized software upon request
  • Resource Accounts, Distribution Groups, Calendars and Cloud Storage
    • Provides support to set up and manage resource accounts, shared calendars and departmental mailboxes
    • Creates departmental shared UT Box folders, SharePoint sites, and OneDrive folders
    • Assists if a departmental representative leaves the university and remaining staff need access to mailing lists, distribution groups, shared calendars or resource accounts
  • Printers >  link to Desktop Support
    • Maintains a list of recommended printers that are supported and certified to work with UT networks and LAITS supported computers 
    • Creates and configures printer and print queues adhering to UT standard security settings
    • Installs and configures departmental network printers and Multifunction Printers (MFPs)
    • Configures color printing, if provided with the appropriate code
    • Install and configure desktop (single-user) USB connected printers (Move to DS page)
    • LAITS does NOT:
    • Support WIFI enabled printers
    • Troubleshoot printing issues from mobile devices
    • Perform printer maintenance or repairs, including replacing toner, replacing paper, installing maintenance kits, or fixing paper jams
    • replacing toner, replacing paper, 
    • Engage/escalate to vendors
    • Run printer usage/accounting reports
    • Maintain printer address books
    • Issue or escrow color printing codes



Onboarding new employees>  Link to DS page

    • (Lifecycle, DS, DE, Networking)

    • Purchase or reassign computer for new faculty or staff member

    • Configure and deploy computers to new faculty and staff on (or near) their first day

    • Include new employee in shared network resources 

    • contact incoming employees directly for scheduling deployments

    • Install non-standard software prior to deployment, if the software is provided ahead of time

    • Deploy computers with standard software

    • Configure VoIP Teams phone and / or physical telephone

    • Reset voicemail PIN

    • Clear voicemail boxes

      • Configure VoIP Teams phone and / or physical telephone
      • Include new employee in shared network resources

Offboarding Employees

  • Collect retiring faculty computer  repurpose or surplus> link to (DS) emeritus page
  • DS to assist retiring COLA faculty migrating data to a personal device
  • Remove employee from network resources


Network and Voice Management

  • Network and Voice Support description - LAITS staff assist units with the management of building wired and wireless networks, including moves/ adds/ changes, troubleshooting, managing cabling, work orders, purchasing network hardware, and the overall network lifecycle and budgeting. We also assist units with provisioning and troubleshooting phones, updating caller ID, and provisioning / resetting voicemail.
  • Remote Access >  link to Desktop Support
  • General Networks

    • Identify network hardware eligible for replacement

    • Liaison with ITS-Networking and Telecommunication planning and budgeting to estimate the cost of network hardware replacement

    • Coordinate work orders for new cables on behalf of customers (ITS fee involved)

    • Send outage notifications to specified departmental contacts
  • Device Management
    • VPN Access
    • Wireless
    • Routers
    • VLANS / Subnets
    • DHCP / Static IP Configuration
  • Phone Configuration

    • Reset voicemail PIN 

    • Clear voicemail boxes

    • Provision phones for new faculty or staff

      • Customer inventory will be used, LAITS does not provide free phones 

    • Coordinate with ITS to purchase or configure new phones

    • Answer basic questions and provide minimal training about phones & voicemail

Phase II


Project Management

  • Capital Project Support
  • Large Office Moves
    • As faculty and staff changes offices, LAITS can assist with creating work tickets and reconnecting computers, printers and phones 

    • Move Template.xlsx


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