Technicians per PC ratio gudielines?

[kilroy79763]

Used to, moved out of education now - software is only an issue if its a: setup wrong b: just rubbish software c: user incompetence.

 

It was a school with 900pcs (19 suites) 120 projectors about 80 IWB's. 12 MFD's, 30 odd printers. 35 servers mix on Linux and windows. using kvm for hypervisior. voip ip phone system.

 

We had a set policy that your machines got replaced on a schedule. No individual user in a dept got new pc before another. therefore they only see other subjects getting them and complain less.

 

Fog for deployment so if a machine was broken refog and it's back online within 40mins.

 

Hmm fog? Like Ghost? Where the servers or the workstations virtualized?

 

Our PCs are replaced on an age basis, only thing is our administrations does not a lot the money needed so we end up replacing most PCs 6 or 7 years later with those that holler the most or depending on rank up the later sooner...I had to tell my supervisor that we NEEDED to replace a bunch of lab PCs ( due to age) before some of the staff PCs that he wanted to replace...personally I wish they would say - we need to replaced them all and keep them no more that 4 years - which was the original plan, however it never happened (money being the excuse - lack there of)

[glennda]

Hmm fog? Like Ghost? Where the servers or the workstations virtualized?

 

Our PCs are replaced on an age basis, only thing is our administrations does not a lot the money needed so we end up replacing most PCs 6 or 7 years later with those that holler the most or depending on rank up the later sooner...I had to tell my supervisor that we NEEDED to replace a bunch of lab PCs ( due to age) before some of the staff PCs that he wanted to replace...personally I wish they would say - we need to replaced them all and keep them no more that 4 years - which was the original plan, however it never happened (money being the excuse - lack there of)

 

Fog is an open-source automated deployment system (you can remotely image machines as you set all pc's to boot to the network and if there is a job waiting they do it if not they boot normally). Only half the server's where virtual. Didn't have a big enough SAN to Virtulize file servers (needed about 1.4TB). So FS where still physical most others where Virtual Bar a Physical Web server (this was used heavily by both internal and external users as we sold SAAS to other schools which funded a wedge of the budget). We had a yearly budget of around £140,000 ($215,000) though so could afford 4/5 year cycle (where moving to a 5 year cycle as hardware had 5 year warranties).

 

EDIT: The reason the funding is high as well if beucase the school previously had 6 technicians, a senior tech and Net Manager and we moved (agreed with SLT/Govenors) to a model with less staff but more funding. So actually the school is saving around 50-60k pa.

Edited July 8, 2012 by glennda

[Arthur]

I think there should be a distinction between desktops and laptops because the latter take up significantly more time than the former.

 

Technicians who manage 300+ desktops have it easy.

[kilroy79763]

I agree with you Arthur if you have to de-case them etc...fortunately our laptops are under warranty so the vendor gets a call and they come fix them ;-) we do however have 500 PCs at least per tech...Thanks for the info Glennda!

[twin--turbo]

1600 students

200 staff

1000 End user Devs,

30 Servers on Vmware/Xen/Hardware/

Wifi,Pcounter,Securus,Websens, Digital Signage, IPTV, VOIP, Cashless Catering, Visitor Syste, Door Acess, Ocasional AV Support, Projectors , IWB's, RFID laptop Lockers, etc.....etc...etc.. VLE, Websites......

 

Across 2 sites 5 Miles appart.

 

 

Was 6 of us..

then 4 of us..

soon 3 of them.

 

That's 1 Tech per site and the NM roaming between the two and trying to do meetings too.

 

Rob

[jonnykewell1]

Are you guys nuts? we have about 1:433 (3 technicians) I can't imagine having 10 or more technicians in this office haha.

[januttall]

can i ask how many education techs are term time only?

Just becta suggested that it should be 1:100, Full time, Full year (if working on machine calculations) Or 1:101~, Full time, Full year (If working from the number of users).

 

we currently run 1:137 term time only, and have to support and clean the network, projectors, pc's, all the other maintenance. and SLT wont give us full year job's, not to mention there upping our workload buy a lot we will be 1:235~ in September fun times.

[januttall]

Are you guys nuts? we have about 1:433 (3 technicians) I can't imagine having 10 or more technicians in this office haha.

 

So u support 1299 Pc's are you the only techs there or is there a front line if you will. and how do you go about maintenance. this really does sound a silly amount.

[localzuk]

Becta didn't recommend those ratios from what I remember - they were a guide with the proviso that ever school and network is different. On a well maintained network 1:400 might be fine, but on a pooly configured and maintained network 1:200 might not be enough... Here, we have about 1:300 and we manage, just. But its increasing steadily - it'll be about 1:350 after summer.

[kilroy79763]

So u support 1299 Pc's are you the only techs there or is there a front line if you will. and how do you go about maintenance. this really does sound a silly amount.

 

Maintenance...ah I knew we were missing something.

We normally don't do any preventative maintenance - everyone is normally too busy trying to "put out fires" to actually go clean up a lab.

Or similar project. Until we HAVE to.

 

I think our 500:1 is way to much so maybe 400:1 or 300:1 would be better.

Our 3 techs do over 3000 incidents (service calls of all magnitudes) a year as it stands.

 

Although they say our "fleet" we won't expand, we are getting more buildings. We shall see.

[ricki]

Becta didn't recommend those ratios from what I remember - they were a guide with the proviso that ever school and network is different. On a well maintained network 1:400 might be fine, but on a pooly configured and maintained network 1:200 might not be enough... Here, we have about 1:300 and we manage, just. But its increasing steadily - it'll be about 1:350 after summer.

 

Hi the ratio was variable but for a well maintained network was 1:100 ref becta see ICT service provision

http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1427/1/becta_2006_bectareview_report.pdf

[localzuk]

Hi the ratio was variable but for a well maintained network was 1:100 ref becta see ICT service provision

http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1427/1/becta_2006_bectareview_report.pdf

 

Can't see that at all. I can see their statement saying that in 2005 the median provision in further education was 1:100. Where in that document are the recommendations?

[Spectoron]

1 High School, 1 Freshman Center, 2 Middle Schools, 6 Elementary Schools, and 2 Administrator Buildings

 

Over 5,000 Computers (Mostly Laptops, Only a few Desktop Labs). Projectors in ever room. Smartboards, Mimios, and clickers all off over the place. One on One Initiative for 9,10,11 every student has a laptop all the time and they take home. Kids at home using cyber program with district laptops. Every teacher has a district Laptop.

 

3 Techs ( 2 techs are 1:1900 Computers, the 1 tech is 1:1300 computers Plus help desk. I don't have final numbers with the other hardware.)

2 Network guys

 

Will be adding another 2,000 Laptops and 500 ipads this summer and will have 9.10.11. and 12 grades all with one for one and no we are not hiring anyone.

 

 

Edited February 15, 2013 by Spectoron