Save the sprint across campus: bring the classroom to the helpdesk

At the University of Rochester, Classroom Technology is responsible for technology support for over 80 rooms, as well as computing/printing support for more than 400 computers and 24 printers spread across 15 buildings on two different campuses. All of this is accomplished by a small compliment of staff that at any given time answer the phones, deliver equipment, offer "walk-in" support, and provide the more time-consuming support "in the field". As the technical complexity of the teaching environment has increased, we are faced with the challenge of how to remain available to provide support without adding staff. The solutions have all involved reducing the need to run across campus for routine support matters such as turning a projector on, or installing software. Most supported rooms are part of a centralized system that allows our helpdesk staff to monitor and control key room functions, such as turning the projector on, controlling volume, and switching between media types. Most of the tools used for this integration were built in-house and work seamlessly with existing commercial packages to allow for a consistent interface, regardless of how the rooms are actually configured. In a similar vein, all of the computers we support can be accessed and monitored centrally. We know what software is being used, patches and entire software packages can be deployed on the fly, and the integrity of the machine is maintained. The result is an (almost) magical 'immediate' response, regardless of the problem.