Server Administrator Skills

The server administrator role is a technical position that requires difficult IT skills and knowledge. Server administrators must have knowledge of TCP / IP, DNS, DHCP, LAN and WAN for troubleshooting server problems and problems. They also need to know firewalls, proxies and databases to maintain network security and user information. Server administrators must also be good communicators because part of their job is to help non-IT users with the same hardware and software problems. Here are the skills that most entrepreneurs look for in a server administrator candidate.

Use knowledge of TCP / IP, DNS, LAN and WAN to maintain server functionality

Use analytical and reasoning skills to solve and solve server problems

Communicate effectively with colleagues across the team and the management of the company

Trading tools

Server administrators use a variety of digital tools to do their job, which you can find listed below.

Security software: Server administrators use the brand of security software chosen to maintain the security of their company's digital information

Operating system: server administrators are experts in using their employer's operating system, which can be Windows, iOS or Linux

Computers, printers and related hardware: Server administrators are responsible for installing all hardware on the network, including monitors, CPUs, routers, printers, copiers and scanners

Administrator of Server Education and Training

Server administrators generally require a bachelor's degree in computer science, computer science or related fields to find work. The lessons followed during their training include information security, basic computer science principles and various programming languages ​​and system tools used by server administrators. In addition to an associate degree, some entrepreneurs may apply for certification from certain suppliers. The most common vendors are Redhat, Microsoft, Cisco and CompTIA.

Read More: windows system administration

Benefits of Help Desk

An effective help desk is an essential part of any IT organization and is primarily aimed at providing first contact resolution as quickly and efficiently as possible. The advantages of an optimized helpdesk are:

Client satisfaction:

A good help desk improves customer satisfaction if they are actively responsive, constantly assist users, and do their utmost to provide technical support. This supports the company's objectives and facilitates the growth of its activities by increasing the number of returning customers.

Improving product quality:

The helpdesk is the first place to record customer complaints, issues and problems. The helpdesk should not only try to resolve these issues, but it is also responsible for monitoring all complaints, the type and level of recurrence; they also intensify the summary of product problems and gaps for the development team. Therefore, the helpdesk is the main source of feedback for the development team who, by acting on these reports, can update and improve the product.

Productivity improvement:

In addition to registering complaints, the helpdesk also manages and resolves complaints. Using various procedures such as ticketing or the labeling system, they efficiently manage and direct complaints to the desired resolution centers. This brings clarity, avoids confusion in the workplace and also reduces the time it takes to resolve the problem. All of these factors increase uptime and efficiency and lead to higher productivity.

Cost reduction:

The implementation of a process or procedure is only worthwhile if it translates into long-term savings for the company. Running a help desk requires human resources, software and hardware with substantial additional costs. However, these explicit costs are offset by the higher implicit return through better productivity, better product quality, customer satisfaction, etc.

Also read : help desk outsourcing

Service Desk & its Importance?

What is a service desk?

ITIL's definition of a service center is as follows: “The only point of contact between the service provider and the users. A typical service center handles incidents and service requests and also manages communication with users. "

This definition may seem a bit formal and vague, so here is an easier way to express it: a service center is a communication center where customers (for example, employees or other stakeholders) can find the help of their IT service providers. As indicated in the ITIL service center definition, this help can take the form of resolving incidents or performing service requests, but regardless of the type of help provided, the purpose of a service center is to provide high-quality customer service. offer quality in a timely manner.

Service offices often also include various ITSM activities. For example, a service center typically includes ITSM activities, including service request management, incident management, knowledge management, self-service, and reporting. There are also generally strong links to problem and change management processes.

An IT service center helps clients resolve incidents or manage service requests, creates and manages service knowledge, offers self-service to customers who want to resolve incidents quickly and independently, and provides team statistics and tool effectiveness. Service desks can contain more or less, but the point is that they are a robust, service-oriented, customer-focused way of providing IT support to customers.

Read also : it help desk support

Difference between an IT Help Desk & Call Center?

Businesses often use the terms "call center", "helpdesk" and "service desk" interchangeably, which can be confusing. ITIL treats call centers and helpdesks as limited types of services, offering only part of what a helpdesk offers. With ITIL taking a service-oriented perspective and focusing on IT, it makes sense. For many companies, the ITIL definition does not correspond to operational practices, which makes the distinction much more complicated. Here are explanations on the functionality of the helpdesk and the contact center to help you contrast with an IT service center.

help desk

A help desk is a resource intended to provide the customer or the internal user with information and assistance relating to a company's processes, products and services. The purpose of a help desk is to provide a centralized resource for answering questions, solving problems, and facilitating solutions to known problems. Common examples of help desk services include: technical support centers, product / warranty support functions, service banks, and technical support centers. Helpdesk support can be provided through a variety of channels, including physical locations, toll-free numbers, websites, instant messaging, or email.

Call center

A call center or contact center is a central point for managing contacts and interactions with customers. office responsible for handling a large number of inquiries, usually by telephone (but may also include letters, faxes, social media, instant messages or emails). Incoming call centers are often used for services such as product support, customer support, order processing and 24/7 phone service. Outbound call centers are used for activities such as telemarketing, debt collection and research. market. A business can have multiple call centers that support different parts of business operations (including IT) and can be managed internally or through a third-party agency.

Also Read: remote help desk

What key functions separate help desk and service desk?

Help desks provide a single point of contact where users can commission IT to process requests and find solutions to technical problems, as well as resolve known problems with software and hardware that make up the company's IT infrastructure. Help desk software is generally quite simple compared to service desk software. Often, this includes creating an IT service catalog that users can access to review information about service offerings and request changes. The help desk software was developed primarily with the aim of processing tickets for requests and incidents. Their main function is to record the reported problems, assign them a tracking number and follow them until they are resolved.

IT help desks take care of meeting the immediate needs of the end user. They are usually configured as breakfix solutions. If something breaks, go to the help desk and register a ticket so that it can be repaired. The help desk software offers ticket management and tracking for IT and some self-service options for end users and is often integrated only to a limited extent in today's ITSM processes. Help desk agents can be divided into teams based on their technical specialty: one for computer problems, one for network problems, one for server problems, one for telecommunication problems, etc.

In contrast, service desks work best when a service catalog is created and offered to users. A service catalog lists the services provided by the department or organization, information about access to services and resources and can include automated and self-service options that users can "help" themselves instead of waiting for a response. The service catalog allows you to automate and accelerate certain types of service delivery and support so that members of the service desk team can spend time on strategic innovations for the company.

The main difference between help desk and service desk is that a service desk is integrated into other IT service management processes, including the organization of service level agreements, the integration of wealth management protocols and the five core ITIL processes. One thing that desks and service desks have in common is their role in facilitating communication. Both offer a central contact for IT problems and a communication platform between the IT department and the customer.

Also read: which is true about outsourcing service desk services?

What is Help desk?

In a commercial company, a help desk is a place that an information technology user can request assistance with a problem. In many companies, a help desk is simply a person with a phone number and a more or less organized idea of ​​how to handle problems that arise. In larger companies, a help desk may consist of a group of experts who use software to track the status of problems and other special software to analyze problems (for example, the status of a company's telecommunications network).

Usually, the term is used for centralized help to users within a company. A related term is call center, a place that customers call to place orders, track shipments, get assistance with products, etc.

The World Wide Web offers the possibility of a relatively cheap and standard new user interface to help desktops (as well as call centers) and seems to encourage more automation in the help desk service.

Some common names for a help desk include: IT Support Center, IT Response Center, Customer Support Center, IT Solutions Center, Resource Center, Information Center, and Technical Support Center.

Also read : help desk services