Hello Everyone,
I'm interested in finding out how other institutions handle staffing for wireless support. I
noticed a correspondence from September 2004 on the matter, but it looks to have been quiet for a
long while and wanted to get some more current feedback. If any of you would be willing to chime in
on any of the below questions with regard to how your institution approaches planning, deployment,
and support considerations for your wireless network it would be very much appreciated.
1). What is the size of your currently deployed wireless network (either in average users, AP count,
covered buildings, etc)?
2). How do you allocate staff to wireless support? Do the same support members also divide their
time between wired network support? What factors were involved in sizing your support team?
3). Have you implemented tiered support response levels, for example a first response help desk,
then more in-depth remote troubleshooting, and finally a field response team, or is your model
closer to a one-stop shop for wireless support?
4). How have network monitoring software packages affected your staffing considerations (example:
more people dedicated to wifi in the absence of a network monitoring system, no change, or less
people with the added implementation of a wifi-related monitoring system)?
5). With the assumption that wireless deployment has taken place after/on top of the traditional
wired network, has your institution grown its support team with the addition of a wireless
implementation?
Feel free to comment on any related topics I might have missed above, lessons learned, etc. Thank
you in advance for any and all feedback.
Justin Gilmore
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