VCS IT is here to serve all faculty and staff with outstanding support in the event of a technical issue.

These are some examples of the issues with which we can assist:

• laptop computers
• computer labs
• classroom AV
• iPads & Apps
• Google Workspace
• Office 365
• Moodle
• Backups/restores
• WiFi, ethernet, and general network connectivity
• software configuration, installation, troubleshooting
• computer hardware
• printer and errors (excluding consumables such as paper or toner)
• software licensing
• peripherals
• other technology-related needs and more

The only thing you have to do is decide whether your issue is either urgent or non-urgent prior to sending in a request for help, as this will determine the means of communication. 

What constitutes an urgent issue? Good question! An urgent issue is any issue that currently prevents a teacher from teaching. A non-urgent need is something that needs to be corrected, but does not impede teaching at the moment.  

Urgent issues are communicated in person. Faculty should call our urgent helpline at x2555, or stop by the ITC for immediate assistance, whichever is most convenient for you. Urgent items should never be sent via email, as this could delay a response.  

Non-urgent issues should be emailed to helpdesk@vcs.net. This creates a trouble ticket within Zendesk, our IT helpdesk system. The ticket is assigned to a technician for resolution and will be addressed as soon as possible. Faculty will typically receive a same-day response to non-urgent requests. Requests will usually be resolved within 48 hours, unless there is an extenuating circumstance such as the need to order a replacement part, issue an RMA, etc. Your technician may have some clarifying questions for you. Please do your part to help us help you by replying to your technician in a timely manner. If we don't hear from you in 3 days, we'll assume the issue has resolved itself or is no longer valid and the ticket will be closed. 

Basic Info: When communicating either an urgent need or a non-urgent need, we ask that you provide very basic information such as your location (location of the equipment needing repair/support), and a brief description of the problem as best you can. An example is "I'm in room E302 and my laptop can't connect to wifi."

NOTE: Work in the helpdesk queue is prioritized based on impact to the educational process/environment. Issues that affect the normal operation of the classroom are given the highest priority, with "annoyance" or "update" issues (those not affecting the normal operation of the computer or workflow) given the lowest priority, as well as those which do not affect the academic environment. Either way, most issues are resolved within 48 hours, many times sooner.

THINGS TO DO:

1. It is important that urgent needs be communicated directly to x2555 (please use the urgent hotline and avoid calling IT staff directly to report a new issue)
2. Unless there is an extenuating circumstance, call us yourself. Please avoid asking a proxy (such as front office staff or an assistant) to call IT or submit a request on your behalf; this merely introduces inefficiencies that cause delays in problem resolution as the proxy usually lacks needed information
3. If you have an urgent need, please contact x2555 immediately - don't suffer in silence
4. Please direct only IT requests to us. Your campuses have an established process for submitting maintenance requests that ought to be followed*  
5. Reply to your tech! Once work is assigned, it's our mission to get you back up and running quickly so don't leave us hanging! We often need your input to best serve you, so we thank you in advance for your prompt reply to our questions!

*Between IT and Maintenance, how do I decide which department gets the request?

Easy! Consider whether the item with which you need help is either directly attached to the facility or will affect the facility in some way. If you answer yes to either of those questions, these would be maintenance requests. 

Examples of maintenance (facility) requests include the following:

• IdeaPaint installation or repair
• projector installation or bulb replacement
• TVs (mounting, troubleshooting, etc.)
• amplified sound and speakers
• electrical issues
• heating/air conditioning issues
• plumbing issues
• furniture and fixtures

Since all of these items are installed directly onto the facility, they represent a maintenance request. In that case, the process is to send an email to operations@vcs.net