Newcomer needs help with Helpdesk using web based email

[yabbadabba]

Hello to all,

Basically I need to setup a helpdesk A.S.A.P that can use web based email or some how be linked to web based email.

Some more useful info

Basically I am a newcomer too working as an IT Techie in schools and trying to learn as I go.

Some more info, at the school there is basically me, me and me as the head of ICT is a teacher and spends most of his working life teaching he doesnt really count . I only work 10 hours a week.

We have RM based servers.

Our ISP is SWGfL who provide our webased email.

We have no mail server, no time to build one at the moment along with no budget or kit.

The helpdesk is needed so end users can report a fault via a webpage or email and basically act as a buffer for myself, ie get rid of the stopping in the staffroom or scraps of paper left on my keyboard etc. Other uses for the helpdesk would be to keep a record of my job role and who the jobs get allocated too and who does them. This would help me in putting across a valid argument for the school to increase my hours and hopefully payscale also.

I have looked at GLPI and Spiceworks, I like both of them and have installed both at home and been playing around with them. Where I am stuck is getting it too work with the schools web based email.

Any suggestions welcome

Cheers in advance.

[FN-GM]

What e-mail solution is it? Exchange or something else?

You will probably have to make an SMTP account and use the username and password and put them somewhere in the helpdesk software.

[yabbadabba]

At the moment we have nothing setup internally for any type of email system at all for either Staff or pupils.
Staff have a web based email provided by South West Grid for Learning, pupils have nothing.

There is a massive todo list for the school, one of the reasons why trying to get some form of helpdesk up and running is priority for myself.

Qoute from the SWGfL core services,

Your service entitlement
Core service
As part of the core service, you are entitled to either:
30 SWGfL Mail accounts (mailboxes) and one calendar
account free of charge;
or
SMTP feed (for your own email server) at a
discounted price.

I would like to stay with the web based email if possible even if only for the short term as its not rocking the boat too much at the moment.
If I can get a helpdesk up and running and convert people to that and it works then converting them to other stuff at a later date will be easier such as a change in email.

[witch]

Hi
I am in the same situation and I couldn't get around it with SWGfL I'm afraid. They won't let you migrate away anyway and it is quite a good service.
Initially I have said that if a problem isnt either emailed to me or put in my tray on the proper form I won't be able to deal with it.
I know it isnt what you want, but it has helped quite a lot

[yabbadabba]

Yep, looks like the email and in try will be the way to go, even if I have to add the emails into a database once a day or something it would still give me a record of work done etc.
If by any chance I come up with a working solution using SWGfL I will let you know

[R.M.B]

If you want a quick, easy to setup web-based Helpdesk, you could worse than use Liberum (Liberum Help Desk).
It will link to an snmtp server and send e-mail through it (any server will do).
Fault reports are entered and updated through its own webpages.

[dhicks]

If by any chance I come up with a working solution using SWGfL I will let you know

Screen-scrape the web-based email system, dump the content in your own POP3 / SMTP server?

--
David Hicks