During breaks, our IT coverage is limited so that staff can also take time to recharge. To make sure truly critical issues get immediate attention, please reach out directly for help when the issue meets the criteria below.
An urgent IT request is something that:
- Involves security concerns (account compromise, data exposure, suspicious activity)
- Involves physical concerns that would damage data or equipment (cooling failure, water leak)
- Stops instruction, research, or core operations from continuing
- Affects a large group of users, a lab, or shared system
- Prevents time-sensitive work with a hard deadline (e.g., submitting grades, scheduled exam, live event)
Examples of urgent issues:
- Security incidents or suspected breaches
- Loss of access to critical systems required before resumption of regular business hours
Not typically urgent:
- Routine software installs or upgrades
- Hardware requests or replacements
- General questions, training requests, or “nice-to-have” improvements
- Issues that can reasonably wait until resumption of regular business hours
- Not to be harsh, but regular stuff you forgot to ask for before the close of business. We love being helpful, but need to make sure the staff gets some downtime.
If you’re unsure whether something is urgent, the best first step is to submit a ticket through the normal IT support mechanism of wsehelp@jhu.edu. It is monitored regularly and helps us prioritize work fairly and efficiently. In the response to regular requests you get the contact information if something needs to be escalated (which we’re not putting here so spammers can’t find us).
Thank you for helping us support the Whiting School of Engineering community while also respecting coverage limits during breaks. We truly appreciate your understanding and partnership.