Thursday 30 April 2020

Life as a NOC Technician: What to Expect in Your Role


A NOC (articulated thump) is shorthand for a Network Operations Center. A NOC is typically designed as a solitary enormous space for remote observing and the executives of IT framework. A NOC generally resembles the "war room" from the film WarGames. A mass of huge screens shows continuous information at the front, and lines of workstations where specialists watch the vitals on their relegated endpoints, making a move as fundamental. 

In case you're considering taking an occupation a NOC professional or NOC engineer, it's insightful to acquaint yourself with the jobs, obligations, and the workplace. It takes an exceptional style of IT expert to fit into the NOC stream. Peruse on to decide whether a profession in Network Operations bodes well for you. 

What Is a NOC?

Such a refined checking activity is unmistakably not something each organization has or needs. In any case, organizations that straightforwardly deal with a basic IT foundation will very likely have a NOC. Subsequently, you could most likely hope to work for one of the accompanying: 

A huge endeavor that deals with its own IT frameworks 

A Managed Service Provider 

A Third-Party NOC Service Provider 

An ISP, satellite interchanges supplier, or other telco 

A strategic government or military division 

There's a lot of space for specialization among those business classes. For example, a satellite correspondences supplier would look for initiates with an alternate range of abilities than a money related organization. There are, in any case, numerous basic aptitudes that are looked for after in many NOCs, for example, information on organize investigating instruments and scripting. 

Positions in the NOC use the layered framework that we generally find in IT work environments, just as most assistance work areas. Most occupation postings look for experts to start at the base level. In any case, on the off chance that you have the correct aptitudes you may find that advancement is quick. 

The layered work environment may give the feeling that a NOC is simply a celebrated assistance work area, yet nothing could be further from reality. In an appropriately actualized arrange activities focus, experts never communicate with the client. They are a totally inner office who proactively screen and investigate frameworks without the client's mindfulness. 

In spite of this standard meaning of a NOC, know that a few businesses mess around with the term, expecting their NOC specialists to perform twofold obligation as help work area support. Ensure you comprehend what you're getting into before you make all necessary endorsements! 

Life as a NOC Technician

Except if you have some propelled abilities that are in quick need, a NOC tech by and large enters at the most reduced level. Open doors for advancement can be very continuous as your experience, range of abilities and preparing increment. The work routine is move situated and works 24×7. During your first months, you may need to bring your internal evening person. Be that as it may, as you assemble position, you'll have more chances to pick your own works day. 

A NOC tech's main responsibility is to screen an appointed endpoint for wellbeing, security, and additionally limit. At the point when an issue is distinguished, you will regularly have the ability to determine it yourself. If not, you will make a pass to raise the issue to a higher level or to tell an outer division. In either case, cautious documentation all things considered and work exercises is normal. All NOC specialists, architects, and bosses are generally expected to counsel and keep up an information base as issues emerge and are settled. In the event that documentation isn't your solid suit, you have to catch up on those abilities. 

With regards to the proactive idea of NOC work, specialists for the most part have the opportunity to freely inquire about system or framework action to recognize possibly irksome setups or security concerns. An assortment of data sources should be persistently observed. Notwithstanding dissecting both live information and log records, outer sources can be similarly as significant, for example, monitoring the news and climate. Basic framework in every case needs to remain at any rate out in front of debacle. 

In a genuine Network Operations Center, specialists will have next to no connection outside of their quick coworkers. This sort of work environment can be speaking to a few, while loathsome to other people. Working in the NOC can be an incredible profession for the individuals who lean toward innovation in little gatherings to huge groups and delicate abilities. 

System Operations Roles and Responsibilities 

All NOCs are not made equivalent, so your job will differ contingent upon the association. To get your foot in the entryway, you should bring some broad system or frameworks ability to the table. Employment postings much of the time refer to CompTIA Network+, Cisco CCNA, or ISC(2) CISSP affirmations as necessities for new NOC specialists. 

Contingent upon your range of abilities and the position you apply for, you might be allocated to screen and investigate at least one framework classifications. Some normal models are servers, email frameworks, reinforcements, stockpiling limit, organize wellbeing, firewall attacks, QoS arrangements, malware diseases, or execution detailing. Every ha its own way of wanted understanding and information. In this manner, there is no cutout NOC affirmation, yet rather NOC specialists are chosen from a various scope of IT skill holders. 

Ventures will have the vastest scope of separation among NOC specialists. Monetary establishments may require consistence officials, database designs, or even bookkeepers in the NOC. While a web facilitating organization might be all the more firmly centered around Linux server organization and system wellbeing. 

A NOC inside a Managed Service Provider (MSP) will require specialists who are answerable for the uptime of its oversaw applications and foundation. There could be a broad preparing period where you find a workable pace on the operational parts of their specific contributions. An ISP or telco, by correlation, will vigorously concentrate on organize experts who are knowledgeable about the frameworks they use, regularly Cisco or Juniper. 

Outsider NOC suppliers could be viewed as the catch-all NOC boss, as they essentially give arrange activity redistributing administrations to any or the entirety of the above associations. One can hope to locate a wide scope of controls working inside the redistributed NOC. 

As should be obvious, while the set of working responsibilities is comparable for most NOC positions, the individual jobs fluctuate dependent on the kind of association. Make certain to look into the organizations you apply to and discover precisely what you will screen and overseeing. You would prefer not to oversell yourself to an association whose necessities are not inside your wheelhouse. 

Your NOC Career Path 

Your time spent working in the NOC doesn't need to be a venturing stone, as you can without much of a stretch form a profession around framework observing and the board. The principal rungs on the stepping stool comprise of progressing through the levels. Past that, you might need to prepare for a building, administrative, or the executives job. The most senior positions regularly require a professional education or broad experience alongside cutting edge confirmations. 

Working in the NOC can be the perfect fit for specific subsets of the IT workforce, regardless of whether they incline toward the single office condition, the war-room style air, or night or end of the week move work. Forthcoming candidates ought to choose if a profession in organize activities would be a solid match for their character and work style — and afterward handle the preparation and accreditations important to get in the entryway. 


Tuesday 28 April 2020

What is the Difference Between an IT Service Desk and a Help Desk or Call Center?


Businesses often use the terms "call center," "helpdesk," and "customer service" interchangeably, which can be confusing. ITIL considers call centers and support services as limited types of services, offering only part of what a support service offers. With ITIL taking a service-centric perspective and focusing on IT, it makes sense. For many companies, the definition of ITIL does not correspond to operational practices, which makes the distinction much more complicated. Here are explanations of the helpdesk and contact center features to help you create a contrast to an IT service center.

Help desk

A help desk is a resource intended to provide the client or the internal user with information and assistance related to the processes, products and services of a company. The purpose of a help desk is to provide a centralized resource for answering questions, help desk problems and solutions. Common examples of help desk services include: technical support centers, product / warranty support functions, benefits offices, and facility service centers. Technical support can be provided through a variety of channels, including physical locations, toll-free numbers, websites, instant messaging, and email.

Call center

A call center or contact center is a central point to manage contacts and interactions with customers. office responsible for handling a large number of requests, usually by phone (but may also include letters, faxes, social media, instant messages, or emails). Inbound call centers are often used for things like product support, customer service, order processing, and 24/7 phone service. Outgoing call centers are used for things like telemarketing, debt collection, and market research. A company may have multiple call centers that support different parts of business operations (including IT) and can be managed internally or through an external agency.

As you can see, there are many overlaps between the definitions of helpdesks, call centers and IT departments. The distinction between them really centers on the scope of what the function covers and the way they are structured:

A helpdesk is focused on providing "help" and "fix" assistance. Help desks do not need to be IT-centric and can be used to handle exceptions to normal operations that take place across the enterprise. These can be physical locations that interact directly with applicants in person or remote / virtual locations using technologies such as phone, email, chat, and other technologies to facilitate virtual interaction.

Call centers are the largest in the scope of the problems they cover, including technical and non-technical issues. Call centers do not interact with applicants in person and always involve some form of intermediate technology to facilitate participation.

IT service centers only focus on taking care of IT services, but they handle both responsive "help" services and routine tasks like resource provisioning, access management, etc. . IT service desktops can be physical locations that users can visit in person, or they can be remote operations, such as a call center. Those familiar with ITIL may say that the help desk is tactical while the help desk is strategic; This may vary from one organization to another.


Monday 27 April 2020

Performing Wireless Site Surveys


On-Site Surveys are essential for optimal WLAN performance. Here's how it goes.

Pre-Deployment Wireless Site Survey 

Before deploying a new wireless network, a site survey must be conducted prior to deployment to begin developing a wireless network project based on requirements collected by corporate stakeholders. You can perform a pre-deployment site survey in two ways: AP-on-a-stick or predictive modeling.

AP-on-a-stick that consumes more time. This involves setting up a WLAN and WLAN access to associate with a laptop. The laptop is equipped with Wireless Site Survey software and is used to collect information such as signal strength, data rate, and overlapping channels. It's called AP-on-a-stick simply because an access point is mounted on a pole and raised to where the access point will be installed. The wireless engineer then analyzes the access point, collecting the data needed to determine cell size, signal propagation, and other information.

In the site survey software, the engineer freezes the access point on the floor plan so that he can move the access point to another location and inspect a new area. In this way, an engineer can find the edge of each cell and plan the appropriate cell overlay for roaming and secondary coverage and other requirements.

Although still used by wireless engineers, the AP-on-a-stick method isn't used very often today. It takes too long for an engineer to run, and for some companies, this cost is a high hourly rate. However, some scenarios, such as external distributions, lend themselves well to the method.

A faster and more efficient way to design a wireless network using site detection software is to create a predictive model. The result is a floor plan with strategically simulated access points positioned with an appropriate channel plan based on coverage and capacity requirements.

The site detection of the software performs all these calculations with special formulas based on the provider's access point and on the antenna chosen for the predictive model. The engineer imports a floor plan into the software and tracks the wall materials through the floor plan based on the expected dB loss.

To return to coverage requirements, the software will take into account the minimum configured requirements such as:

·       Interference in the same channel or overlapping channels
·       Signal strength
·       Data rate
·       Packet loss

The software can also take capacity needs into account by configuring the number of devices and their types expected on the wireless network. Devices are determined during the requirements collection phase and added to the site detection software.

As a reminder, this method is exactly what we call it: predictive. It is the process of predicting signal propagation, data rates, channels, access point transmission power and other mathematical and attenuation data.

Post-Deployment Wireless Site Survey

Post-distribution surveys are also often called validation surveys. The purpose of a validation survey is to ensure that the distributed wireless network meets the customer or customer's requirements. The validation survey must be compared with the predictive model previously performed. In some scenarios, a pre-deployment detection may not have been performed prior to installation. A post-distribution survey can be conducted at any time and is also part of the iterative process of a wireless distribution.

The process of conducting a validation survey begins with importing a floor plan. The next step is to measure a long wall, which is needed to crumble the numbers used to calculate the RF characteristics. One of the benefits of validation surveys is to skip the layout of the walls on the floor plan.

With the validation survey ready, it's time to take the laptop, start the survey, and walk slowly and steadily. It is important to walk slowly and steadily so that the external adapter passively collects wireless information from all the necessary channels. The adapter scans all frequencies in the 2.4 GHz spectrum and all channels in the 5 GHz spectrum. To maintain performance, you can select which channels to scan.

After exploring and collecting this data, it is time to analyze and validate. At a minimum, determine if the cell size of an access point is within specification. Identify if the transmit power level is configured correctly. Secondary coverage from other access points will be essential to validate compliance with roaming requirements, if necessary. This can be viewed with site survey software, such as Ekahau Site Survey. The secondary cover will display the overlapping cells.

Verify that the channel widths are appropriate. In most environments, the 20 MHz change width will provide maximum efficiency. Anything bigger will result in improper reuse of channels and could cause channels to overlap. If the validation survey indicates that 40 MHz channel widths are usable, do so. But I strongly advise against using channel widths of 80 MHz or 160 MHz.
Speaking of overlap, another fundamental measure is the overlap of channels. Although secondary coverage is crucial, channel overlap should be kept to a minimum. Having two or more access points operating on the same channel in the same area will create the capacity of an access point. Not only will the devices share the same conflicting domain, but the access points will also compete for the airtime.

Go through the validation survey and determine if optimization is needed. If so, revalidate the project with another survey and compare it to the customer or customer requirements. It is only when these requirements are met that distribution can be considered complete. Keep in mind that wireless environments and requirements are changing, which can trigger the entire Wireless Survey cycle again.

Wireless Site Survey Software

You may be wondering what software is available to conduct predictive and validation surveys. Fortunately, there are a few options available; the list below is not exhaustive. Do your due diligence and request a demo to find out which works best with your workflow.

·       Investigation on the Ekahau website
·       iBwave
·       AirMagnet of Fluke Networks
·       WiFi acrylic
·       TamoGraph
·       VisiWave

Thursday 23 April 2020

Are Wireless Site Surveys Worth The Cost?


At the time of wireless network design: there weren't many wireless network planning tools. So, to design wireless for a new building, we took a floor plan and literally plotted the locations of access points, power settings, channel settings, etc. A wireless engineer should always be on site. They were about to install a Wireless Site Survey Cost that included the access point model they had planned to use, antennas and some software running on a laptop. Then they physically walked around the building to test the coverage area in the real world. Needless to say, it was a very long but necessary process to ensure that the system had the coverage it needed and that the system did not actually interfere with itself (which can happen when two access points in the same area use the same channel).

The world of wireless design is different today: For example, most wireless networking solutions for a university or hospital campus wireless network will automatically adjust power and channel settings so you don't have to set everything up manually. This makes the planning process much easier. Another tool we have now that we didn't have in the old days is a fantastic wireless planning software that will fill a floor plan with access point locations, expected coverage and also tell you the angles of the signal transmitted by the antennas ... interesting things for wireless network fanatics like us.

Here are some reasons why I think you will need a wireless engineer to work with you in the design:

1) Devices and applications are complex: wireless planning is no longer just about covering an area. It is about being able to support the capacity of devices on the network, sometimes 3 to 5 devices per user. And it's about being able to deliver the performance levels required by applications. Even if you are using predictive wireless planning software, most are based on coverage only. You need to have a plan that also includes capacity and performance.

2) Wireless networks are essential: when SecurEdge started implementing the wireless infrastructure years ago, most of the systems we were installing were primarily for accessing wireless access points. Like wireless student networks in schools or guest access in retail stores. Of course, since then, wireless speeds have become faster and faster (wireless gigabit is coming) and everything becomes mobile. Today we have hospitals with wireless insulin pumps, nurse call systems and barcode scanners for prescription drugs, all over Wi-Fi. These same school systems that we started implementing years ago now stream video wirelessly and many test systems use Wi-Fi. Today's wireless networks are not pleasant, it is a critical system that can never fail.

Wednesday 22 April 2020

10 most common it help desk problems and solutions


As each organization is different, each IT service center has a unique list of "Top 10 Tickets". While these lists are often sources of sarcastic office humor ("Hi Bill, try the power cord"), they can also help your organization save time and money on service delivery. Additionally, it is easier to provide your employees with a positive service environment if you can identify problems that occur over and over again.

For example, password resets are among the top 10 help desk requests for many help desk technicians. With the appropriate service center software, you can create an employee service portal where employees can enter authentication information to reset passwords themselves. When your employees are used to submitting requests through the portal, you can even show them a list of issues, linking them to troubleshooting articles that they can try for themselves.

Here is a list of 10 common types of IT help desk problems and solutions. How does this compare to your list?

1. I need to reset my password

Sometimes people just forget their passwords, go back to work from an absence license to an expired password, or think they know it, but get kicked out after three unsuccessful attempts. Service offices that accept telephone requests have the burden of determining whether the person requesting a reset is who they claim to be to prevent unauthorized access to the system. Resetting passwords through self-service can save time and help prevent security breaches.

2. The printer is down

Some organizations require the IT help desk to monitor printer supplies in order to control costs. Printers may get worse and stop working unexpectedly. When new employees need access to a network printer, they often need to be granted this access through the IT Helpdesk, which will install the drivers and grant access. Guiding them through the service portal for these requests will help you create an efficient workflow to quickly resolve printer issues.

3. Adobe Acrobat Reader needs to be updated again

In some organizations, employees do not have administrative rights to change settings or perform updates. There are all kinds of updates that employees need, and one of the most common is Adobe Acrobat Reader. Switching to cloud-based dishwashing software reduces these calls because updates are automatically installed. You can also publish official announcements and notifications of future software and / or application changes via the portal.

4. Videoconference error

Video conferencing software has become an essential tool for a large number of employees. Many sales and marketing teams depend on it. Remote employees and large multi-site organizations depend on it. Self-service for simple issues is critical because employees will only encounter errors at the worst possible time, just when they log into a virtual meeting. If there are frequent tickets for a particular conference software, it may be time to implement a modification of the tools.

5. My voicemail password needs to be reset

Many service centers also deal with telecommunications issues. When someone moves to another physical location, the IT help desk helps you set up your voicemail on your new office extension. In addition, as more and more organizations switch to VoIP systems, support services are often responsible for helping employees set up new VoIP systems. Connecting employees to a simple solutions article could detect many of these requests before submitting them.

6. The network is slow

When a network spans multiple floors of a building or across multiple sites, access speeds vary, and this is especially true when an organization uses multiple cloud-based software applications. Some problems are due to the physical location in relation to network nodes or the building materials that affect the signal. Network updates often temporarily slow things down in exchange for faster access after the update is complete. Plan and execute these changes with minimal service disruption through an appropriate IT change management process.

7. I cannot access my documents

Sometimes the documents "disappear", which naturally annoys the employees. With more documents stored remotely, employees must learn to save documents simultaneously on local and remote workstations. However, this synchronization can have problems. For example, when organizations change hardware or applications, employees need to know how to access their documents in the new hardware / software environment.

8. Third-party software problems

Most companies have written policies on installing third-party software on employee workstations. Installing unapproved third-party software can cause conflicts with previously installed hardware and software, as well as security issues. To avoid these problems, many organizations deny administrative rights to employees who wish to install their own third-party software. In addition, we recommend that you track every detail of each device with a comprehensive IT asset management strategy.

9. My computer freezes

Some employees leave their computers on all day and when they freeze inexplicably, they can submit a ticket from the help desk instead of restarting or restarting. Actual parts failures are relatively rare, but when they do happen, it's down to the help desk to send a technician to fix the equipment. Everyone is better off if the employee has tried a few simple troubleshooting methods before requesting a hardware repair.

10. BYOD network connection

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environments exist in various industries. The amount of BYOD assistance to be provided by the service desk is a matter of debate and depends on the security and mobility needs of a particular company.

When your IT service center uses advanced IT service management software like Samanage, you have self-service options, remote desktop access, a knowledge base, and mobile apps that make the work of the service center technician very complex. more practical. Enabling service center technicians to work efficiently and empowering employees to solve some of their own problems are keys to better first-contact resolution rates and better resolution time statistics, especially if your service center is supported by BYOD employees.


Monday 20 April 2020

10 Most Common Helpdesk Problems and Solutions


My Password is lost, need to Reset

People most often forget and forget their account password. Take for example the G-suite.

In some organizational configurations, G-suite is configured so that only an administrator can reset a user's password. In this case, people go directly to the help desk and create a ticket every time they forget their password.

One of the main features is to automate recurring tasks through automation of workflow. That is why a user does not have to manage a wave of such tickets.

A technician would create a service catalog item, specifically for a password reset, and combine it with workflow automation, which will automatically route tickets to the appropriate technicians who will perform the reset.

My Wi-Fi keeps dropping

Today, all work is done in the cloud using mobile devices; and Wi-Fi ensures that we are connected at all times.

When someone can't connect to your Wi-Fi access point, they can't work, which is a problem that ends up at the help desk.

The problem is usually related to the unique strength of the closest router or Wi-Fi interference.

A user can merge tickets linked to a single router. He / she can find the details of the CMDB router and create a problem ticket for a permanent solution.

My USB devices aren’t working

People act fast. When a USB device is not recognized, it goes directly to the help desk without proper verification.

The best thing to do is to prevent applicants from completing such tickets by telling them that there is a help article on this topic.

It has an integrated knowledge base, where technicians can write informative articles on different topics, and knowledge base articles can be viewed on the customer portal. The idea here is to allow applicants to try to solve their problems on their own; in case of failure, deposit a ticket.

Spilled Coffee on my laptop

People love their coffee at work. This gives them the boost they need to get the day going.

Sometimes coffee accidents happen and their laptops become the victim.

A technician can create what to do and what not to do after a spill, and automatically send it every time someone submits a ticket talking about a wet laptop

Can’t seem to use my department’s printer

Very often the solution to a problem is simple; people tend to ignore the obvious and complicate things.

The printer problem is one of those problems. Where the solution can be as simple as turning on the printer or putting paper in the tray.

The  administrator can create a workflow in which an automatic email is sent every time a printer problem is submitted. The email would contain common problems and their solutions to allow the applicant to resolve the problem on their own.

Faced with a blue screen of death

Normally, a blue screen during work scares a user and puts them in panic mode. Then call the helpdesk and ask a technician to deposit a ticket.

But not with  ITSM; Here, users have access to a compatible mobile application on Android and iOS, where they can search for a solution in the knowledge base and submit a ticket.

Computer continues to shutdown

A problem likely caused by a hardware failure. These problems can be quickly resolved if the technician is prepared with the replacement equipment.

It has a CMDB capable of storing information about non-IT assets. In such a failure, a technician would link the incident ticket to the appropriate hardware entry in the CMDB and initiate a change immediately after diagnosis.

Lost access to shared drive

A problem that can be solved with instructions and with minimal intervention.

The administrator can create a separate category for these tickets and an SLA. The service agreement will guarantee that little time will be spent on these tickets. Resolution can be done first via automated email and then, if not yet resolved, via remote desktop.

Computer has a virus

Such problems can be symptoms of a serious breach of security and require serious attention from computer technicians.

Here, a technician can use the agent application, with which he can do the following:
  • Correct Windows Defender with the latest definition.
  • Access the affected machine remotely and run an antivirus scan.

The mouse is dead

The most common problem and the most broken device in an office is the mouse.

An administrator can create a service item in the service catalog accompanied by workflows and SLAs for quick replacement.

Conclusion 
I hope you enjoyed our compilation of the top 10 most common It help desk problems and Solutions. If you have your own Top 10, share it with us in the comments section