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IT Helpdesk Support – Tiers 1 & 2

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POSITION SUMMARY:

Are you a highly communicative, customer service oriented problem solver? We are a Los Angeles-based IT services company, focusing on small- to mid-sized businesses looking to grow our team.  You will answer incoming client requests, manage tickets, prioritize work and dispatch technicians to client sites. In addition to phone and email-based triage and dispatch, you will provide Level 1 and Level 2 support remotely or on-site as applicable. This is a contract to full-time position. This person will share after-hours and weekend on-call duties, but our clients rarely call outside of normal business hours.  This position is based in our West Hollywood office. You will be working very closely with the owner of the company.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Light Windows Server maintenance
  • Network management
  • Desktop support
  • Spyware & Virus removal
  • PC upgrades, reinstalls
  • Windows registry editing
  • Diagnostics and trouble-shooting
  • Blackberry, iPhone and Android support
  • Performance tuning
  • Printer, email, phone, camera, etc. support
  • Ticket system management

QUALIFICATIONS and REQUIRED SKILLS:

We’re looking for highly technical people with a gift for customer service. Our Level 1 and 2 technicians must have at least 5 years experience with servers, Macs, PC’s and other digital devices.  Our team members are:

  • Excellent communicators
  • Able translate technical jargon into layman terms
  • Methodical problem solvers
  • Thorough and detail oriented
  • Calm under pressure
  • Attuned to our clients needs
  • Punctual

Must be skilled in the following:

  • Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7
  • Mac OS X 10.x
  • Zen Desk ticket management system
  • A wide variety of desktop and server software
  • PC hardware diagnostics and replacements
  • MS Office & related software
  • Exchange server user management
  • Active directory user management
  • Windows & Small Business Server 2003, 2008
  • Remote support applications
  • Networking, wired and wireless, bonus points for Sonicwall and Cisco
  • Bonus points for phone systems, such as Avaya

Can you keep clients happy and relaxed while solving technical problems? Do you always put your best foot forward? Can you communicate difficult concepts in a user-friendly manor? If so, please send your resume and tell us a little about yourself.

Server Maintenance Tip: Windows Server 2008 Event Logs

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Ever wonder what your Windows Servers are doing when you leave the office? The answers are only a few clicks away located in the Event Logs! Combing the event logs should be part of your daily system checks as an IT Professional.

First go to Administrative Tools on a Windows Server and open Event Viewer. There are many categories in the Event Viewer depending on what is installed on your server. We will focus on Application, Security and System for now.

windows-server-2008-event-viewer
Windows Server 2008 Event Viewer

There are 3 types of events, Informational, Warning and Error for each category.

Most of the time the Information events are things to be aware of, but do not require action. An example of an Information event from the Application Log is Event ID 1704. This is stating that Group Policy Objects have been applied. Good information to know and no action required.

Also Read: IT Helpdesk Support – Tiers 1 & 2

windows-server-event-viewer-application-information-logs
Windows Server Event Viewer Application Information Logs

A Warning event is something to be aware of, look into and potentially act upon. An example of a warning from the System Log is Event ID 36. This warning event is one that is very important to be aware of and may actually require attention. It indicates that the Time Service has not synchronized in a certain amount of time. This may not sound important in the very beginning, but a Windows Domain requires Time Synchronization for many services to function. If the event is continually logged than action will be required. A slight delay in Time Sync can happen from time to time.

windows-server-2008-event-viewer-system-warning-logs
Windows Server 2008 Event Viewer System Warning Logs

An Error event is usually something that requires immediate attention and may be prohibiting the server from function normally. One example of an error message taken from the System Log is Event ID 1059. This error is referring to the DHCP Server not being Authorized. Definitely an important message to pay attention to, however this may not be an emergency. If a server has DHCP installed, but is not authorized because another server or device handles DHCP then this message can be ignored. If it is the only source for DHCP than attention is necessary.

Also Read: Cloud File Server For Small Business

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Windows Server Event Viewer System Error Logs

Another example of an error taken from the System Log is Event ID 5719. This is normally a critical error indication some type of network problem because the computer could set up a secure session with a Domain Controller. This will in most cases require immediate attention.

Windows Server Event Viewer System Error Logs
Windows Server Event Viewer System Error Logs

These are just a few among many Events from a Windows Server 2008 Event Viewer. To be an effective IT Professional you must know your environment; be aware of what services are installed on your network and what systems they reside on. Look at the logs each day to know what is going on within the environment. It’s all right there at your finger tips.

Brentwood – Local IT Support

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Brentwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California, United States.

Many small and large companies are now residing in Brentwood, therefore making it a rich and progressive region. There have been a lot of different local it supports today which have been provided to increase the company’s productivity and profitability, so that they can operate continuously and effectively.

Outsourcing IT support has been the trend today since it will not require a great amount of money especially for small businesses which need technical support from time to time.

This would discourage them from hiring or employing IT teams and paying them large salaries. If your business outsources its IT operations, it will be able to focus on that which will promote company growth.

But if your business’ outsourced IT support is located somewhere that is not local then this can cause a number of problems. Arising issues need to dealt with ASAP and therefore, accessibility to your IT support is of the utmost importance. despite the fact that there are various outsource IT services that can solve some problems remotely.

So many companies today are now offering local it support and services to small businesses within their area. They help other companies get reliable and fast support they can always have whenever they need these companies.

There are different ways by which these companies can do: minimize downtime by preventing any circumstances and problems before they affect the organization and its business; be always dependable for all IT needs while companies are busy on their own business; and also helps the company in budgeting for services and supports in technology. They also extend their help to clients better use their servers and computers.

Also Read:

Server Maintenance Tip: Exchange 2010 Event Logs

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Here’s a brief introduction to the Exchange 2010 Event Logs. If you haven’t already so, be sure to check out Windows 2008 Event Log post as well. Combing the event
logs should be part of your daily system checks as an IT Professional.

First go toAdministrative Tools on a Windows Server and open Event Viewer. There are manycategories in the Event Viewer depending on what is installed on your server. We will focus on Application and System for now.

Windows Server 2008 Event Viewer
Windows Server 2008 Event Viewer

There are 3 types of events, Informational, Warning and Error for each category. Below are some important examples to be aware of in the Informational and Error catagories.

Windows Server Exchange Event Viewer Application Information Logs
Windows Server Exchange Event Viewer Application Information Logs

Most of the time the Information events are things to be aware of, but do not require action. An example of an Information event from the Application Log is Event ID 2080. This is a very important Event. It indicates that the Exchange 2010 is able to contact and communicate with a Domain Controller on the network. The Microsoft Exchange Active Directory Topology Service is responsible for checking in on Domain
Controller availability. You can see particular service if you open Administrative Tools and Services. If Exchange cannot contact a Domain Controller than services begins to fail and mail flow stops and this Error will appear in the Application Log Event ID 2104. Topology discovery failed…. That means it’s time to act, as is the case with most Errors in the Event Log. Check to make sure that the Domain Controller is powered on, if it is on, can you ping it from the Exchange Server, possibly restart the Topology Service and see if the error logs again. There are many more potential troubleshooting techniques for this such as a checking DNS resolution or has there been an IP change as well among the many.

Windows Server Exchange Event Viewer System Error Logs
Windows Server Exchange Event Viewer System Error Logs

Another useful Error in the System Log to be aware of is Event ID 7022. This error lets you know when a service failed to start and what service it is; it is most commonly seen after a reboot or an application crash. In this case it is the Exchange Transport Service. The next move is to go to Administrative Tools/Service and attempt to manually start it. If it does not immediately start backup check for other dependencies that are required to be running and possibly log in accounts/passwords that are set up in the Service Properties.

Windows Server Exchange Event Viewer System Error Logs
Windows Server Exchange Event Viewer System Error Logs

These are just a few among many Events from an Exchange 2010 Server Event Viewer. To be an effective IT Professional you must know your environment; be aware of what services are installed on your network and what systems they reside on. Look at the logs each day to know what is going on within the environment. It’s all right there at your finger tips.

To Be or Not to USB?

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Printers. Scanners. Thumbdrives. Even mice and keyboards use them to communicate and allow you to interface with your computer. I’m talking about one of the most universally used and recognized computer ports—USB. USB took us from pins to painless by offering a simple, reliable connector for all of our high speed peripheral needs.

USB brought us the world of Plug and Play simplicity and with the ability to effortlessly install devices, the peripherals market exploded. Now you can use anything from webcams to coffee warmers and even charge your phone via USB.

But what happens when USB goes awry? What happens when your devices won’t install the way they should? Allow me to suggest a solution to a woe you may be experiencing.

What Happens When USB Device Goes Awry?

Generic USB devices rely on basic drivers that Microsoft builds directly into Windows. This driver is referred to as USBStor, short for USB Storage. Need to use a mouse, keyboard, external hard drive or various other common USB devices? USBStor has you covered on the driver front.  Unfortunately, USBStor can get corrupted just like any other driver on your computer. Where is the disc to reinstall the driver when that happens, you might ask? That’s the beauty of USBStor, you don’t need one. Read on.

Here’s a common example of when USBStor is corrupted. You plug your device in and are immediately greeted with Windows asking for an administrator username and password to install the device.

Every time you plug a device in, the same thing happens. You’re either in a position to continue entering the administrator password or you’re fed up and want to use your devices as effortlessly as they were intended.

You can resolve this issue by re-creating the USBStor drivers on your computer. Here’s how! If you’re not big on step-by-step processes, I’ve created a script that will automate the whole process that can be downloaded at the end of the article for your convenience.

Re-Creating the USBStor Driver:

1. Open control panel –> Administrator Tools –> Services (shortcut: Windows+R, services.msc)

2. Right click Cryptographic Services and Stop it

3. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32 and delete the catroot2 folder

4. Go back to the Services window, right click Cryptographic Services and Start it

5. Plug in your USB device

 

Here’s the script to automate the process, as promised: *script link*

Also Read:
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Before You Call – IT Checklist

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From both the service provider and the client side of the equation, everyone wants to save time and money in their business. Self-reliance and a bit of common sense can go a long way in making for an efficient organization in all aspects including IT support services.  Here is a short guideline on what steps you can do before contacting your IT service provider:

Before You Call – IT Checklist

Step 1 – Reboot

Rebooting your computer can solve a variety of problems including a frozen computer, unresponsive programs and weird error messages. Rebooting can also free up resources on your computer to make it run faster. Even as IT Professionals, rebooting a computer is typically our first step for resolving most computer issues.

To reboot your computer, click the start button and choose Shut Down. After the display turns black, power the computer back on by pressing the Power button on the front of the computer tower.

If the start button is inaccessible due to a frozen computer or other issue, pressing and holding the Power button on the computer tower for 5-10 seconds can shut the computer down as well, although this method should only be used in cases where the first method is completely inaccessible.

Step 2 – Duplicate the Issue

After your computer has been rebooted, it’s time to see if the problem has been resolved. Please check the status of the issue by trying to duplicate exactly how you originally encountered the problem.

If the issue cannot be duplicated, IT Support generally considers the issue resolved. Is the issue intermittent? Does it happen only once in a while? Please let us know and we’ll revisit the issue as it occurs. The key is to contact support as the issue happens.

Step 3 – Document the Procedure

Gathering information about the problem is best way to have your issue resolved quickly. The more information you gather, the faster your issue will get resolved. What task are you trying to accomplish?

What application(s) are you using? What steps do you go through that yield a problem? What do the error messages say when the pop up? Having this information readily available allows us to cut directly the heart of the issue and immediately begin implementing solutions.

Step 4 – Determine the Urgency

Is this problem an annoyance, critical to the function of your job or somewhere in between?

Please determine a time frame for when this issue needs to be resolved. The level of urgency will let you know if a call to our support line is necessary or if a ticket can be submitted via email to our help desk system. Regardless of the urgency determined, please make it clear as you contact us so we can best manage our resources in assisting you.

Also Read:

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