Georgia Infrastructure Transformation (GAIT) 2010 Update Issue No. 19 September 3, 2009 In This Issue Service delivery lead times make planning easier Help for Service Catalog users with IE8 GTA furlough on September 4 Briefly... Supporting your continuity of operations planning The potential seriousness of this year's flu season and the impact of the H1N1 virus remain unclear, but one point is clear: Government agencies must be prepared. In follow-up to a survey many agencies received from State COO James Lientz, GTA is helping agencies that receive IT services from IBM to determine their capacity for teleworking as part of their continuity of operations planning. We also are asking these agencies to confirm their priority business applications so we can make that information part of our planning with our service providers. Because of time constraints and the state's financial limitations, we all must work with existing technology resources. Internally, GTA is conducting business continuity planning sessions specifically Quick Links Previous Newsletters GTA Web Site GAIT FAQs GAIT Activities focused on the pandemic and developing staffing plans to ensure that we can continue to serve our customers even if many of our staff are ill. We are setting priorities for supporting first responders, IBM customer agencies and our other customers. Our service delivery consultants are talking with your agency leads about how we can work together most effectively. We will communicate further as planning progresses and needs become more clearly defined. Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation. Patrick Moore State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director September True Up Additional usability enhancements to Service Catalog (OrderNow!) Maximo self-service for entering trouble tickets Server and storage consolidation planning Service delivery lead times make planning easier How much time should you allow when ordering a router? How long is it likely to take to fix your laptop or move a workstation? We want to be sure you have useful information to assist you in planning projects or meeting your office needs. IBM and AT&T have prepared general guidelines for some of the most frequently requested services. Estimated times are listed in business days. Infrastructure Services q Create Time Sharing Option (TSO) user IDs (mainframe access), 2-3 days q Create Virtual Private Network (VPN) user IDs (remote access), 2-3 days q Workstation break/fix, 2-4 days q Create mappings to workstation printers or file systems, 3-5 days q Install new workstation software after procurement, 3-5 days q Single workstation office move, 3-5 days q Project (more than 9) workstation office move, 8-12 days q Implement firewall change, 8-12 days Managed Network Services q Simple voice line moves/changes for up to 19 lines, 7-10 days q Simple telecom software changes (such as features, configuration), 5- 10 days q Simple LAN port activation, 5 days q Complex technologies (such as ISDN) up to 5 lines, 17 days q Complex data software changes (such as static route, IP addressing), up to 30 days q Hardware orders (routers, switchers), 30-45 days q Circuit or transport orders, 25-45 days The lead times are given as a planning tool and are estimated from the time an order is accepted. It is important to remember that typically the more complex the requested service, the longer the necessary lead time. Times are affected by a variety of factors, including the number of lines or locations, the area being served, bandwidth required and quantity needed. Need more info? Agencies' authorized users can access more information on service delivery lead times online using the Service Catalog (OrderNow!). Information is also available through your GTA Service Delivery Consultant. If you don't know your SDC, go to www.gta.georgia.gov and click on Find Your Service Delivery Consultant in the right hand column. Back to top Help for Service Catalog users with Internet Explorer 8 If you use Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), you may have experienced some difficulty accessing the Service Catalog (OrderNow!) because of compatibility issues. Although the Service Catalog is currently supported using Internet Explorer 6 and 7 only, a workaround has been developed to resolve concerns for IE8 users. If you are unsure which version of Internet Explorer is loaded on your computer, launch Internet Explorer and click the "About Internet Explorer" option under the Help menu. Back to top GTA furlough on September 4 The Georgia Technology Authority is closed on Friday, September 4, as one of our employee furlough days due to the state's budget situation. The state's technology service providers are not affected by the furlough and are operating as usual on Friday. If you are a customer and need assistance, please contact the Consolidated Service Desk toll-free at 1.877.GTA.3233 (1.877.482.3233). GTA has two additional furlough days scheduled for November 25 and December 23. Back to top Briefly... GTA and the state's technology service providers have completed a series of disaster recovery workshops with agencies receiving IT infrastructure services through IBM. The one-on-one workshops allowed for the review of draft disaster recovery plans and incorporation of additional recovery procedures identified in the meetings. Work will continue in the months ahead on finalizing disaster recovery plans and developing a strategy for testing them. These efforts advance a key GAIT objective: Building more robust disaster recovery capabilities. Ever wonder about the most common problems reported to the Consolidated Service Desk? The list includes issues with local and network printers, such as basic "how to" questions and installing drivers. Service desk analysts frequently get questions related to end-user hardware like hard drives, system boards, memory, power supplies and monitors. Accessing applications, performing virus scans or reporting a virus, and connectivity issues are also near the top. Operational metrics reveal at least 80 percent of all data tickets are being automatically generated. Constant monitoring of the state's data network and automatic generation of tickets mean agencies don't have to report these service problems. Technicians can be onsite or service restored often before an agency knows about a problem. Back to top q September 28 and 29 in Atlanta q Governor Sonny Perdue will deliver opening remarks on September 28 q Only $25 for public-sector employees q For breakout session topics, keynote speakers and registration information, visit the Summit Web site We welcome your comments about service delivery, the state's IT transformation and related topics. You can submit comments online or call our toll-free number to leave a recorded message. Email Marketing by