TechRepublic Resources
- Assigning priorities: Which really is top priority?
- We used to have an engineer at our office who would always turn in work requests claiming his job was the top priority. He would even evoke the name of the boss to give credence to his sense of urgency. However, I would never succumb to anyone's priority claim (especially...
- Tags: Priority, Request, Productivity, Operational Accounting, Finance, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-05-06
- Treating users equally, but differently
- I try to treat all my users with equality, but sometimes equal doesn't exactly mean equal. What I mean is that I treat them all equally depending on the level of support required. One type of person, for example, might approach me and describe a problem or issue, and I...
- Tags: Recruitment & Selection, Human Resources, Workforce Management, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-04-28
- What's in your desktop support toolbox?
- What are your most vital tools for providing desktop support? And I mean any kind of tool - literal, figurative, hardware, software, etc. Hand Tools: Of course, we all have the typical tool pouch with the screwdrivers, nut drivers, and those chip pullers - you know, the...
- Tags: Desktop, DOS, Tool, Productivity, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-04-15
- Don't make assumptions when giving phone support
- During a brief visit to my hometown recently, I built a computer for one of my brothers. Actually, I instructed him on how to build it, since I wanted him to have a better understanding of his own computer. He and I went to the local computer mega-store armed with...
- Tags: DVD-drive, Phone, 64-bit, Microsoft Windows Vista, Computer, Productivity, Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Operating Systems, Microsoft Windows, Software, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-04-08
- Helping a user with his home computer - a confusing conclusion
- An interesting discussion ensued when, in my last blog, I wondered about helping a user with a problem on his home computer (his wife's computer, actually). I also voiced my displeasure with a technician who charged him for two hours of time ($150), but couldn't fix a problem which was...
- Tags: Home PC, Password, Computer, Productivity, BIOS, Hardware, Components, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-03-31
- Do you ever help a user with his home computer?
- There's a person working at our firm who asked me for some advice concerning his home computer - his wife's computer, actually. For some context, I'll say that he's a retired gentleman, a World War II veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, and an absolutely wonderful human being with a huge...
- Tags: Home PC, Computer, Productivity, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-03-24
- Does your Desktop Support department offer flex time?
- The notion of the typical 8-to-5, forty-hour work week seems to have gone by the wayside with most Desktop Support departments. This seems to be the case regardless of whether the support is provided in-house or is outsourced. Personally speaking, my hours don't always fall into the 8-to-5 range, but...
- Tags: Hour, Flex-time, Desktops, Hardware, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-03-19
- Supporting users' e-mail and hosting your own e-mail server: pros and cons
- My e-mail provider recently had to shut down their servers so they could install some major upgrades to both their hardware and software. It was supposed to be a three-hour task, one they planned to perform between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. on Monday morning. By noon...
- Tags: Server, E-mail Server, E-mail, Online Communications, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-03-11
- Reasons to have dual monitors
- In a recent blog in which I wondered about TR members' most common desktop support issues, I made a passing comment about how a user request for dual monitors might be one of those less serious ones, even suggesting that it might have been made in jest. Several TR members...
- Tags: Desktop, Monitor, Monitors & Displays, Real Estate, Hardware, Components, Business Operations, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-02-29
- Help prevent users from stealing mouse balls and keyboard keys
- I recently wrote a blog on the subject of Desktop Support issues, and one TechRepublic member, Jessie, left a reply that I wasn't quite expecting. She provides support for an urban school district, and some of the students apparently haven't been taught that stealing and destroying things isn't appropriate behavior....
- Tags: Mouse, Wireless, Keyboard Key, Keyboards, Mice, Hardware, Peripherals, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-02-22
- What are your most common desktop support issues?
- Every once in a while, I'll walk through the office and ask everyone how their computers are behaving, if the network is working all right for them, if they have any ideas for improving things, or if they need anything, in general, to make their computing business life any easier....
- Tags: AutoCAD, Request, Desktops, CAD, Hardware, Software, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-02-18
- How invested are your users in their own computing experience?
- Joe Rosberg is a prince for drawing attention to Jessie's problem, and the challenges faced by the techs who provide support to schools. Let's face it, whether they're raised in an urban or rural setting, whether they attend a public or a private school, kids can be a handful. Even...
- Tags: School, Laptop Computer, Computer, Joe Rosberg, Help Desk, Productivity, Call Centers, Notebooks, It Operations, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, William Jones
- Blog posts 2008-02-28
- IT pro can't keep a job – Are poor communication skills at fault?
- I recently received an e-mail from a TechRepublic member who was looking for some help and advice on how she could improve her personal performance in the workplace. It seems that she's having trouble holding onto a job, finding herself being dismissed from several positions for any number of reasons,...
- Tags: Job, Information Technology, Communication Skill, Self-analysis, Recruitment & Selection, Leadership, E-mail, Strategy, Human Resources, Workforce Management, Management, Online Communications, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-02-13
- My main server crashed the other day
- I'm not sure how long it was down before I became aware of the failure, probably somewhere between one and sixteen hours. I wasn't the first one to notice there was a problem; one of my users approached me at about 9 AM to say that he was having trouble...
- Tags: Backup Server, Backups, Servers, Hardware, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-02-11
- How many users can one person support?
- As a one-man IT department, I sometimes feel overwhelmed with all of the things to do, the number of support requests, and so on. In addition, keeping abreast of all the changes and nuances in this ever-changing industry can only add to the challenge. Included in my support efforts, I...
- Tags: Information Technology, AutoCAD, Industry, Strategy, Software Upgrade, Management, Enterprise Software, Software, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-01-31
- People who drive slower or faster than you
- Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anybody driving faster is a maniac? – George Carlin How true this is – regardless of the (figurative) vehicle we might be driving. It illustrates how people, as a rule, tend to...
- Tags: Knowledge, Speed, Computer, Productivity, Strategy, Management, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-01-27
- Ten IT challenges for the 21st century
- I recently attended a meeting of the Rocky Mountain chapter of the AITP (Association of Information Technology Professionals), and the speaker for the evening was Mr. Thomas C. Staab, President of Wind Ridge International LLC, a resource management firm in the Information Technology arena. He outlined what he saw...
- Tags: Information Technology, Quality, Challenge, Business Structures, Outsourcing, Recruitment & Selection, Workforce Management, Strategy, Finance, It Operations, Business Operations, Outsourcing & Subcontracting, Human Resources, Management, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-01-24
- Having a good outside support team behind your support efforts
- We all know the importance of having good people on your support staff, but the support team outside the company is just as important – that is, vendors and suppliers, as well as consultants (if you use them). Vendor and supplier loyalty can be just as important as being loyal...
- Tags: Team, Brand, Supplier, Channel Management, Branding, Marketing, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-01-21
- Warn your users about static electricity
- Just as he did hundreds of times before, he sat down at his desk and reached for the mouse. This time, however, instead of taking the computer out of its sleep mode, a snap of static current was discharged between his finger and the mouse. Just that fast, the computer...
- Tags: Electricity, Mouse, Computer, Mice, Productivity, Plotters, Fax, Networking, Hardware, Peripherals, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2008-01-14
- Your biggest challenge of 2007
- Well, now that the year has drawn to a close, it's a natural time to look forward to what the next year may bring, or perhaps to look back and recollect the accomplishments and challenges of the previous year. There's certainly a lot from which to choose, but I'll take...
- Tags: System Requirement, Microsoft Windows Vista, Training, Future Blog, Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Operating Systems, Microsoft Windows, Software, Joe Rosberg
- Blog posts 2007-12-31
Harnessing the power of waves
Planting solar gardens
Fill your car for $1.10 a gallon?