December Monthly Staff Series: Service Management
A Christmas present from us to you fellow readers: an early monthly staff series blog. Read all about…
The Service Support Team (Service Management)!
What does the Service Support Team do?
We provide second line support and process service tasks for all of the central services run by the Service Management section. We also run the Managed Mobile, Service Alerts and Web Hosting services directly.
How does this work connect with other Application sections?
We work very closely with the Service Managers in other teams within Service Management, ensuring we stay up to date with changes to services and support procedures. We also work closely with the other support teams in Apps, such as Apps and Tech Man. Occasionally we’ll work with Dev and Project teams when helping with projects such as testing or helping pull together support procedures and documentation.
What is the Service Support Team working on that they are excited about?
Switch to the new Government Framework for Mobile Devices (Ongoing) – We’re looking forward to switching to the new Scottish Government framework for mobile devices, which will massively simplify our Managed Mobile service and reduce the number of complicated requests we deal with there. It will also bring substantial cost savings for the University.
Are there any favourite topics of discussion among the Team?
Greggs. Specifically the Steak Bake. Stevie’s Dog Ziggy and his Instagram account and Al’s cat, Lenny, and the ‘presents’ he brings to his Dad throughout the working day. Which local eateries to sample for lunch while we’re on our anchor day in the office. Oh yeah… Greggs.
Photo Credits to Steve and his dog Ziggy’s instagram account!
Has there every been a strange/funny moment that is still remembered?
We have a long-running theme about old TV shows and events being BW (Before Wassim) or AW (After Wassim). It’s our alternative to the Gregorian calendar.
If the Team were a song/film/TV show, what would they be?
Office space! Although we’re not assigning characters or fighting over who gets the red stapler. Our Team chat is currently called The Spice Girls. So I guess that’s also an option. Again though, no arguments over who’s who.
Are there any special/hidden talents members of the Team have?
Al plays the Bagpipes, although that’s too loud to be a hidden talent and I think it’s well known throughout Apps by now. Stevie is a classically trained chef and apparently knows how to make a Steak Bake. We’re definitely all crashing that Christmas dinner! Jack is a master at Karaoke. Apparently he has the voice of an angel but the rest of us are yet to witness that. Alisa is an awesome baker. We look forward to some great goodies when she’s in the office with us. Damen is a proper coder and great with automation. He’s even coded up a his own browser plugins to help with regular tasks and make us much more efficient.
If you could take a guess, how many cups of tea/coffee/hot chocolate does the Team get through on an average day?
I’d say at least 10 cups of coffee followed by another 10 cups of tea.
In a sentence, what makes this Team great?
Tell us what you want, what you really, really want and we’ll tell you what you need.
How can our readers get in touch?
Most of our work is carried out through the IS Apps Service Management Operator Group in UniDesk. Otherwise, you can contact our Manager Al Forrester on alain.forrester@ed.ac.uk.
We hope you all have a very happy Christmas, New Year, and a well deserved break!
