Support and Documentation materials
This category covers support and documentation materials for HSC guidelines, adoption, implementation, support, and maintenance. Once in place, technology needs to be maintained or it will degenerate. The healthy and secure computing guidelines include support procedures and resources for the technologies included in the guidelines.
Helpdesk / end-user support
Any organization that uses computers needs to have some form of end-user support. This can be provided in a number of different ways, but this support needs to be available. Lack of this first-level support is almost certain to result in significantly more costs, in staff time and data loss, than it will cost to provide.
Desktop support resources should be able to provide assistance in using desktop software, basic desktop troubleshooting skills, and basic networking skills. Desktop support should also provide documentation of problems and solutions. This documentation can be as simple as a paper log, or as complicated as an automated trouble ticket system.
There are two main approaches for provisioning this support, internal support resources, such as an IT manager or accidental techie, and external support resources, from a volunteer / mentor or professional support organization.
Internal support
Any organization that makes significant use of computers should consider having at least some level of internal IT knowledge. Someone with basic computer support training can solve the majority of computer problems encountered by most computer users relatively easily. There also needs to be someone with the responsibility for coordinating additional support resources, as needed.
Smaller organizations may find their needs are best met by selecting and training an accidental techie, a staff member who has basic IT skills, but whose primary responsibilities are not IT related. This role can be very useful both as a first responder to IT issues and as an interface with external support resources
Larger organizations or organizations with significant investments in IT should make an effort to have a qualified IT manager on staff, who can handle both the basic helpdesk functions and maintain and manage higher-level IT resources, such as servers and network equipment.
External support
Most NPO’s need to have access to high-level IT expertise, for there are occasionally IT issues that NPO staff do not have proficiency in. Many organizations would rather not spend resources on internal IT, and look to external IT support providers for all support. In either case, organizations need to understand that the even though they do not have tech expertise, they need to maintain ownership of their technology and need to monitor the activities of external support providers.
Depending on an organizations needs, volunteers or mentors with good tech skills can be an adequate resource for many IT issues, though they are often not up to the task of providing immediate emergency support in most circumstances. Professional support organizations can usually provide fast and effective support, though often at a significant cost to the organization.
(Link to TechSoup consultant management articles)
Staffing
There are two common roles that IT staff fall into in non-profits, the IT manager and the accidental techie. An IT manager is usually a staff member who has an IT support background and whose primary job responsibilities include IT support for the organization. Often this role is responsible for most IT decision making for an organization. An accidental techie is a staff member with basic IT skills, but whose primary responsibilities are not IT related. Often the accidental techie works with management staff around IT decision making, as opposed to making decisions on their own.
Not everyone is cut out for a tech role. When deciding on how to staff IT roles, in general look for someone who is interested in technology. Not necessarily a “gear head� but someone who doesn’t mind digging into technical issues and who gets some enjoyment out of problem solving. As important, and often more important, are communication skills. One of the key functions of a technical person in a non-profit is explaining technical issues to non-technical people, and understanding non-technical peoples questions and concerns about technology. Rather than looking for someone who can address all the technical issues that might come up, look for someone who can listen and explain technical issues to both technical and non-technical people.
Sample job descriptions for both these roles are included in the supporting documentation section.
Training
Fancy IT systems won’t do an organization any good unless staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to use the systems, so it is important to make sure that resources are set aside to cover the costs of staff training. There are a number of ways to approach IT skills training, from very formal classroom lessons, to informal one-to-one knowledge transfer.
Here are some basic recommendations around IT skills training:
Basic IT training for all staff
Any staff member who uses a computer in their daily work should have some basic training in navigating and using the operating system, using the web and safe computing basics, and common productivity tasks (usually MS Word and MS Excel basics). Classroom training in these skills are available from organizations such as CompassPoint or CiBER. There are also self-directed training courses available on CD or online, such as Microsoft’s Electronic Learning Library (MELL), which is available as part of the Microsoft donation program from TechSoup Stock.
Training for specific procedures
Every organization has unique aspects to its IT systems, such as server data organization, specialized applications, and internal IT processes, such as backup system maintenance. Ideally, the documentation of these systems developed earlier in the HSC process can provide users with adequate training for most aspects of these sorts of procedures.
Training on specialized applications
Organizations using specialized applications will need to develop a process to train new users on these systems. Two common approaches to this training is providing access to external training resources around these applications, such as vendor workshops, and internal training resources, such as one-on-one training with a super-user. In instances where the cost of external training exceeds the available resources, we recommend that organizations choose a key user to become the trainer. This user, often the accidental techie, should receive “train the trainer� training on an application in question with the goal of allowing the recipient to train other staff members.
Role-based training
Often a role in an organization will have unique knowledge of the systems involved in that role. It is important for organizations to make an effort to transfer this knowledge to other staff in the organization, either through accurate documentation or through job shadowing or other one-to-one training.
Documentation
Adequate documentation is necessary for effective service and support of NPO technologies. The HSC program provides templates and guides for creating a set of documentation for your organizations IT systems. This documentation should be updated regularly, but does not need to be exhaustive, though some organizations with complex mission-critical systems may need to keep careful records for these systems.
Documentation should focus on the unique information about an IT infrastructure, including Internet service accounts and passwords, hardware configurations, software licenses, network configurations, server configurations, and application configurations. The key is that, starting from scratch, a competent techie should be able to recreate the environment from the information in the documentation.
There should also be documentation on common procedures, such as backup system use and management. This documentation should focus on how things operate, how to accomplish specific tasks, and how to respond to specific events.
Organizations may find they need to create customs end user documentation, procedures for logons, directions for using common applications, etc.
Good documentation requires consistency in documentation methods and terminology. It also requires a process for validating the documentation, to insure that users of the documentation will be able successfully complete the tasks they are working on.
(Link to information on writing documentation. )
Inventory
An important aspect of an HSC installation is an up-to-date inventory of hardware and software. An inventory does not need to be exhaustive, but should include the basics such as make and model, serial numbers, software titles and versions. It is also important to track licensing information, proof of purchase information, warranties, and support contracts. Often much of this information is already included in an organizations accounting system.
There are a number of different automated tools for inventory data collection, including TechSurveyor (a part of NPower’s TechAtlas planning tool), Belarc, and many more. These tools automate the inventory process, and allow for central data collection and analysis. For larger networks, these tools may be worth the costs, both financial and in staff time to configure and test the tools.
For smaller networks, these automated tools are most likely inappropriate. A manual inventory is just as effective, and less costly in the end. Both the Windows and Macintosh platforms have easy-to-use tools to assist in the inventory process. For Windows there is the System Information program that provides access to a wealth of information about a computer. The system information application is accessible at Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Information. For Macintosh, the System Profiler program provides in depth information about a computer. This application is located in the Utilities folder in the main Applications folder.
We have included an inventory worksheet for recording inventory information. This worksheet has fields for the information that HSC considers most useful to record.
Policies
Any organization using computers should have in place basic policies around computer use, so that users, customers, and clients understand how computers and information systems are being used. At a minimum, organizations should have an acceptable computer use policy for staff, and a data privacy policy for clients and customers. Examples of these policies are included in the appendix. Organizations may need to develop other policies to meet programmatic needs and/or legal requirements.
Budgets
All the tech know-how in the world won’t help an organization unable to fund the hardware and software it needs. Organizations need to include technology costs, hardware, software, training, and support, in their annual budgets as line items. Organizations should include the costs of purchasing and maintaining information systems necessary for programmatic success.
The financial and organizational costs of implementing a healthy and secure computing infrastructure can be very steep, and getting support for this work from funders, board members, and organizational staff can become a serious hurdle to moving forward. Below are some recommended strategies for gathering the resources and getting the organizational support you need.
Focus on how information technology will help your organization meet its mission. If you cannot show a funder or the board how new information systems will improve your organizations effectiveness, you may need to rethink your approach to technology. Remember, technology for technology’s sake, the “gee whiz� factor, is a losing proposition.
Examine how your organization uses data. Information technology is a great tool for gathering, analyzing, and communicating data. This is often the best place to start when thinking about how to use technology to further your organizations mission.
Incorporate your organization’s technology goals into the organization’s strategic plan. By having a plan in place that articulates specific needs, identifies costs, and ties them to program initiatives that support your mission, you can accomplish two things at once. First, you demonstrate due diligence in your management practices to funders. Second, you ensure accuracy and consistency in all your grant proposals.
Highlight the long term cost savings. If you are regularly spending a significant amount of money on outside consultant to support rickety old technology, show how spending more money now to replace that technology will end up saving significant funds over the long haul.
Work with your staff to determine how technology can make their day-to-day work more effective. Your staff can make or break any technology implementation, so including them early on, getting their input, and feeding their ideas back into the process can make the whole project more effective.
Focus on the necessity of a reliable IT infrastructure for reliable program effectiveness. This is especially true for organizations that have mandated data gathering and reporting, where one way or another the organization will need to process and report the data effectively. Without a reliable IT infrastructure, reliable collection and analysis of program data becomes difficult.
A healthy and secure infrastructure will allow an organization to get more out of every dollar spent on IT, more efficient use of an organization’s time, and creates a foundation for adopting technology applications that can further an organization’s mission. Healthy and secure computing can allow you to maximize technology spending.
If possible, account for the costs of a significant information technology failure. If a failure can have disastrous consequences, the costs of preventive measures are much easier to justify.
Find the low-cost vendors. TechSoup Stock has low-cost donated software and hardware. TechFoundation sponsors a number of non-profit discount programs, including discount hardware from Dell. Computer refurbishers, such as Retrobox provide fully functioning used computer systems at a fraction of the cost of new systems.
Remote Administration
There are a number of different technologies that can allow an authorized support provider to securely access systems on a network in order to provide end-user support and systems maintenance.
xVNC
Windows Remote Admin
Macintosh Remote Admin