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Office of Development Alumni Affairs Assistant Treasurer
IMS has multiple support specialists whose duties include maintaining the software and hardware utilized by the user community and providing a point of contact for problem resolution. These personnel monitor the Ethernet LAN network, which interconnects the personal computers in the Offices of Development and Alumni Affairs. They oversee security for both the Windows operating system and the LAN. They configure desktops and laptops for users and ensure that industry-leading products, such as the Microsoft Office suite and Norton’s anti-virus software, are installed properly. The IT specialists maintain an inventory of computer accessories. Perhaps their most valuable service to users, however, is their Help Desk support. Whether a question arises about the functionality of a PC software product or a user reports that a network printer is malfunctioning, the Help Desk team is available to assist. Often, advice given by phone is adequate, and the issue is addressed. If needed, a member of the support staff will visit the user directly and devote whatever time is required to answer specific questions, or to diagnose and correct an operational failure of equipment or software.
The Technical Services personnel apply updates to the systems platform, including the main operating system and the database engine, to maintain software at current or near-current version levels and to make better use of the architecture, providing a direct benefit to Development Officers as they seek to contact alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations. Capacity planning is a key component of the job responsibilities, too. The department maintains the sufficiency of the AS/400 computer environment in light of increasing activity levels, augmenting equipment capacities as required to meet changing resource demands. IMS computer operations include the monitoring of equipment in the machine room and the overseeing of jobs running on the AS/400 and Widows platforms. Nightly backups and tape rotation ensure the preservation of valuable data as tape copies of the database and system files are created and stored. An operator maintains a check on the computer room’s environmental equipment, including fire suppression gear and the special cooling unit required for the system hardware, and reports any changes in the status of the equipment. Presently, Technical Services manages two primary operating systems: OS/400 on the IBM AS/400, and Windows 2003 on all IBM and Dell microcomputers, including servers. Solaris on the Sun Microsystems platform is also deployed, but use is limited to non-production tasks..
Technical Services Staff
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Auburn University | IMS Department | 1907 South College Street | Suite 208 | Auburn, Alabama 36832
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