How do I get help?
VERY IMPORTANT: The most important function we aim to provide is to be an outlet for when you don’t know who to ask. Ask us anything! IT services at Hopkins come from a complex web of overlapping providers. Even if what you need isn’t something we normally would provide in-house we’d appreciate the opportunity to help you navigate the options at JHU.
What we DON’T do
We’ll answer any question but it’s easier to list the few things we don’t do rather than those we do.
- We don’t do the CONTENT on web pages, either original or migrating from old to new templates. We absolutely will run web servers that publish your content (more than 350 of them!), do web security assessments, ensure the bits are delivered quickly, and all the other technical work. Content is art and the art of communications, not technical, so you wouldn’t want a bunch of geeks doing that anyway.
- We can’t make JHED accounts. They’re actually created automatically out of various HR and student information systems. Once they’re created we can help make them useful — assign permissions to file shares or websites, things like that.
- We don’t like requests outside our ticketing system. Please route all questions through email to [email protected]. It makes us much more efficient and accountable, and lets us provide better service to more people. Thanks.
Staff inside WSE IT
We’re broadly organized into teams inside WSE IT, though all the teams are accessible by the same email message to [email protected]. The teams are:
- Desktop Team. Also known as the help desk, this is the group that is our first responders for questions. They get the first look at tickets and respond to questions about things like desktop OS, mobile OS, email, productivity applications (Microsoft Office, etc), networks / wifi, network shares, and printers. They also answer many questions about software licensing, and support Windows Servers. Office moves and changes and procurement of IT gear also fall under this umbrella.
- Linux Team. This group supports many of the operational and research systems inside WSE that run the Linux OS. They consult on projects that require more specialized infrastructure for computing, network, or security.
- Development Team. This team takes on development projects around the school needed to support our operations. Most of the work goes into web applications and the system integrations required to support them.
- Web Team. WSE operates a large WordPress infrastructure with hundreds of websites. The web team keeps that infrastructure available and secure.
Sample IT Services Facilitated by WSE IT
We don’t actually own all of these services, but will help you work with those that do. The idea is that it doesn’t matter who does what, but that you can come to us and we’ll get you happily doing what you need to do.
- Antivirus
- Backup for Servers and Desktops
- Calendaring / Scheduling
- Computer Purchase Recommendations
- Database Help
- Email Support
- Bulk Email
- Spam Filtering
- Mailing Lists
- Shared Mailboxes / Calendaring
- Enterprise Directory Services
- File and Print Services
- Laptop / Desktop Encryption
- Network Consultation
- Remote Access Support
- Research computing advice
- Security Assessments
- Software Distribution
- Software Licensing Questions
- Vendor Negotiations (you determine the business requirements, we help you work with the vendor to ensure your requirements are met by their technical solution)
- Web Publishing and Applications (from simple pages to complicated systems)