Network managers and organisation of IT support staff

[featured_spectre]

Current structure

 

IT Manager

Network Engineer (Me) / Software Developer / Website Developer

IT Support / Junior Software Developer

[Sagima]

Manager shares office with 3 techs. Database and Training Manager has her own office and just looks after those two things and pupil reports.

We all have our specialties so we pick up on jobs that suit us primarily but the apprentice and junior technician do most of the quick stuff while the manager and senior tech do the harder things.

We've tied to organise our training so that any two of us can do everyones work if necessary.

We have a phone each.

Apprentice - Tablets, System monitoring, Assists Senior Tech with projects, general in person support

Technician - Phones, Cabling, Resource allocation (rooms and equipment), Audio/Visual, Printers, Door access, CCTV, general phone support

Senior Tech - Email, Firewall, Switches, Wifi, software updates, purchasing, AD, DNS, DHCP, Project managing, backups, general server work, anything mac-based.

NM - SQL, MIS, Budgets, Meetings, Door Access, Project Management, Web based services

 

If a ticket comes in that noone seems to want to do with the senior tech or NM will ask one of the others to do it.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Sagima

[ctstone]

My response to this in my head is "If you know you should have done that, then do it!"

[zoohead]

Myself as the NM and 1 IT Technician supporting 1900 users in total and approx 700 desktops and 200 ipads. We used to be a team of 3 but when my assistant NM moved on she was not replaced. Jolly days!

[vizubeat]

General roles:

 

Network Manager - budgets, finance, ordering, planning, strategic stuff

Assistant Network Manager (me) - servers, switching, wireless, email, print, VLE, databases, inventory, Macs, AD/DNS/DHCP/CC4, backups, filtering, software updates, limited CCTV stuff

4 ICT Technicians - cameras, projectors, keyboard replacements, hardware upgrades, rebuilds, software development, software packaging, visualisers, PC installs, network cabling, printers, toners, general support.

 

We're all in one open plan office. We support about 1800 students, almost 200 teachers and about 100 support staff. We manage 500 desktops, 600 laptops, 120 tablets, 60 cameras (somehow!), 3 VMware servers + SAN, 5 other servers, 30 switches, 60 access points, 80 printers and everything else that comes with it. One technician generally deals with the day-to-day customer-facing stuff, the other three technicians split between them the hardware duties, one has a particular penchant for software development. Nothing's cast in stone though, so we all pitch in with various different things all the time.

 

Hope that helps!

Edited May 21, 2015 by vizubeat

[ThatBoringBloke]

My Place - Just me, the NM. I do everything.

 

I used to have a technician, but he left over a year ago and wasn't replaced. I have the biggest office in the school with the exception of the head.

 

I get to share my office with a server cabinet and some switches.

[mbuk70]

Slightly different for me as I work for an Academy Trust as Strategice Lead, each Academy has 2 techies, Senior and a junior. Works ok at the moment but I'm looking at reviewing the setup.

[nathan]

Slightly different for me as I work for an Academy Trust as Strategice Lead, each Academy has 2 techies, Senior and a junior. Works ok at the moment but I'm looking at reviewing the setup.

 

i take it they are mainly secondary schools or a mixture?

[mbuk70]

Sorry yes, all secondary schools, at the moment anyway.

[adamholt1]

Me (the NM) and a technician for a large special needs school with a lot of different technologies which is always fun!!

 

I understand there is a hierarchy and needs to be but where possible the 'rubbish and annoying' jobs I try to dish out fairly.

 

If I was to give him all the rubbish, simple tasks like unjamming a printer or replacing a mouse he wouldn't develop and his morale certainly wouldn't be high. By doing this I ensure that he is happy in his work and continuously motivated. I was a technician once where the hierarchy didn't move out their seats all day and I resented it. Most definitely don't want my technician to feel that way. We were always at their level once upon a time.

 

And I get a great buzz when he can then accomplish a more technical problem / project / task than he could of 6 months ago.

 

Anyone agree / disagree with my approach?

[richbrowncardiff]

Me - Director of It (Network Manager)

Tech

Both of us look after 1600 Students, 200 staff 600 desktops, 50 laptops, 100 iPads etc. We do everything,

12 servers 50% physical 50 % Virtual.

Share 1 very small office

[Sagima]

Me (the NM) and a technician for a large special needs school with a lot of different technologies which is always fun!!

 

I understand there is a hierarchy and needs to be but where possible the 'rubbish and annoying' jobs I try to dish out fairly.

 

If I was to give him all the rubbish, simple tasks like unjamming a printer or replacing a mouse he wouldn't develop and his morale certainly wouldn't be high. By doing this I ensure that he is happy in his work and continuously motivated. I was a technician once where the hierarchy didn't move out their seats all day and I resented it. Most definitely don't want my technician to feel that way. We were always at their level once upon a time.

 

And I get a great buzz when he can then accomplish a more technical problem / project / task than he could of 6 months ago.

 

Anyone agree / disagree with my approach?

 

Pretty much how I work as well. Although I also do it to make sure that if there's a problem while I'm away someone can have a reasonable crack at it before bothering me on a day off.