Georgia Infrastructure Transformation (GAIT) 2010 Update
Issue No. 9
May 22, 2009
In This Issue
Preparations intensify as Consolidated Service Desk
launch gets closer
Customers see room for improvement in tech services
Quick Links Previous Newsletters
We are strengthening network management
Bringing new capabilities to the enterprise is one of the primary aims of our IT transformation. With the transition of managed network services to AT&T just a few weeks ago, we are already introducing ways to strengthen and improve network management.
Preventing problems is the name of the game in network management, and AT&T is able to identify issues before they result in network interruptions. The system automatically generates a ticket. In fact, 92 "proactive" tickets have been generated already. This means issues were anticipated, addressed and even resolved before they disrupted the network. And that has a positive impact on productivity and reliability. For example:
GTA Website GAIT FAQs Milestones
q A network problem was detected at the Department of Human Resources (DHR) Office of Child Support Enforcement's Warner Robins location after business hours on a Tuesday. Service was restored that evening, and the problem was resolved before the customer was even aware it existed.
q A ticket was automatically generated on a Saturday when a faulty device was detected at a DHR DFCS office in Nahunta. The problem was addressed during the weekend, and a technician was dispatched to the office to replace the device on Monday. The outage time was much shorter than it would have been if AT&T had waited for a call from the customer.
q A T1 line at a DHR Public Health office in Jonesboro failed on a Sunday afternoon. Automatic detection enabled technicians to test the line and pinpoint the problem. By Monday morning, a technician was onsite to repair the line.
While this capability is not groundbreaking - this is how network monitoring should have been done all along - it is another example of how the transformation is making a difference and producing results.
We will continue to keep you posted.
Patrick Moore State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director
June
Consolidated Service Desk launches with 24/7/365 coverage and toll-free number: 1.877.482.3233
Maximo for service ticket tracking launches on GETS portal
Point-of-service surveys begin for Consolidated Service Desk
IT asset inventory continues
Chargeback (invoicing) for Managed Network Services launches on GETS portal
July
IT asset refresh planning continues, pilots begin
Server and storage consolidation planning continues
Preparations intensify as Consolidated Service Desk launch gets closer
Disaster recovery planning continues
Initial results from point-ofservice surveys available
Initial MNS management reports available
View All Milestones
Preparations continued throughout the past week for the June 1 launch of the Consolidated Service Desk, and more activities are scheduled for the upcoming week.
With the launch of the Consolidated Service Desk, GTA customers will be able to call a single, toll-free number - 1.877.GTA.3233 (1.877.482.3233) - to receive 24/7/365 support. Between now and June 1, customers should continue to use their current process to request support or report service issues.
Many of the activities are occurring behind-the-scenes to get service desk analysts ready to take calls, but those preparations also include the start of one-on-one meetings with agencies receiving both IT infrastructure services from IBM and managed network services from AT&T.
Although the Consolidated Service Desk is the focus of the one-on-one meetings, they include updates about other process changes that take place on June 1 and affect incident, problem, change and release management.
Other topics are:
q ongoing inventories of data center and end-user computing (EUC) equipment,
q planning for EUC equipment refreshes, q information security controls, q planning for storage and server consolidation, and q what GTA and our service providers need from customer agencies.
Advisory Council to tour service desk facility
The Consolidated Service Desk will operate from an IBM facility in metropolitan Atlanta, and members of the Agency Advisory Council are scheduled to tour the facility prior to the June 1 launch. The council is part of the governance structure for the state's technology transformation and includes representatives from customer agencies, GTA and our technology service providers.
Awareness campaign is underway
As part of a comprehensive communications effort, employees in customer agencies can expect to begin seeing posters and receiving e-mail announcements about the launch of the Consolidated Service Desk and the new toll-free number. GTA will also provide customer agencies with limited numbers of magnets and telephone stickers with the toll-free number printed on them.
Back to top
Survey confirms it: Customers see room for improvement in tech services
The results of GTA's baseline customer satisfaction survey are in, and they confirm that there's lots of room for improvement in the way technology services are delivered to state agencies.
The baseline survey, conducted in March 2009, was sent to agency heads and 150 business unit managers, those who make up leadership in the 12 agencies that receive both their IT infrastructure and managed network services through GTA. It measured their satisfaction levels and perceptions about service delivery, regardless of the service provider, for the 6- to 12month period prior to the transition of services to IBM and AT&T.
How agency heads responded
On average, agency heads rated their overall satisfaction with IT infrastructure services at 6 on a 10-point scale. Significantly, overall service satisfaction received the lowest rating of all ITIS-related areas surveyed. Meanwhile, managed network services received an average rating of 7 from agency heads. Satisfaction with meeting commitments received the lowest rating - 6.3 - from agency heads of all MNS-related areas surveyed. The response rate for agency heads was 83.3 percent.
How business unit managers responded
When it came to business unit managers, their overall satisfaction with IT infrastructure services rated an average 6.9 on a 10-point scale. Managed network services received an average rating of 6.7 from business unit managers. Their lowest ratings - 5.9 - went to both Wi-Fi and videoconferencing services. The response rate for business unit managers was 58.7 percent.
Areas identified by agency business managers as top priorities for improvement were:
q network reliability, speed and remote access q new equipment q service desk q equipment support q bandwidth q Internet capacity
The survey results do not represent satisfaction levels across entire agencies, but they will be used as a baseline for comparing the results of future surveys of customer satisfaction at all levels in our customer agencies. The surveys are one of several ways we are measuring the performance of the state's technology service providers. They also support Governor Perdue's customer service initiative.
GTA worked with the University of Georgia to develop the baseline survey. UGA also administered the survey.
For detailed findings from the baseline customer satisfaction survey, visit GTA's website.
Learn more about our commitment to customer satisfaction.
Back to top
We welcome your comments and questions about service transition and the state's IT transformation. Submit your comment or question
Email Marketing by