How Student Workers Saved the Day

Lehigh University currently utilizes a custom-built system to garner data on all active directory joined PCs owned by the University. This system replaced an antiquated login script based inventory system that was unable to accommodate a number of demands requested by our endpoint support teams and our management. This paper will focus on a few key areas, including why the need to start over was necessary and the original replacement that, while functional, still did not adequately meet the needs of our staff. The heart of this paper will cover the full revamp of the inventory, which included a full code rewrite of the front and back end. This will include brief discussions on what the project was previously built on (ColdFusion, HTML, JavaScript, and PowerShell) and what it was changed over to on the new system (Python, Flask, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and PowerShell). It will cover the pivotal role of student workers in making this project a reality and discuss how projects that lack feasibility with current staffing may be possible with the help of properly empowered student workers. The paper will also include interview data with current and previous student workers. This is to showcase the value that they find in working with a technology group and to ascertain if their student work enhanced their marketability when applying for jobs. Finally, an actual look at the final product will be demoed.