Client Services & Support

Client Services & Support (CS&S) is IS&T’s primary client-facing department, and consists of five teams with approximately 100 employees all dedicated to providing Best-in-Class support for the BU Community, focusing on a culture of service.  CS&S provides service ownership for ten services and forty service components within IS&T’s service catalog, and owns nine processes/practices within IS&T’s IT Service Management framework (ITSM).   CS&S handled over 130,000 inquiries via our IT Service Management system in 2020.  Detailed descriptions of each department can be found under the org chart.

Under the purview of Client Services & Support is a support center for the BU Community, called the IT Help Center, which features two walk-up locations where faculty, staff, and students can visit to receive IT support for the 200+ services that IS&T provides to the enterprise. At the primary IT Help Center location (179 Amory Street) you may also check in computers for hardware repair.  A third walk-up location is solely dedicated to faculty members and IS&T’s Classroom Technology and Support service.  In addition to full-time staff, the Client Services & Support bolsters its team with student employees who often move on to find jobs within IS&T after graduation.

 

 

Service Management

Assistant Director: Katie DeMore

The Service Management team (SM) focuses on implementing ITIL and IT Service Management (ITSM) across all of IS&T. Their team is comprised of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) that serve as practice owners and provide guidance to other practice owners, service owners, and IT Leadership across the enterprise. Service Management takes care to ensure our processes translate into an excellent client experience.

 

Service Desk & Support Operations

Assistant Director: Jim Moran

The Service Desk (SD) serves as the BU community’s primary point of contact into IS&T, leveraging enterprise knowledge and technical expertise to assess client needs and address all inquiries with the appropriate solution or escalation.  The Service Desk provides Tier 1 support for all services, and Tier 2 or 3 support for many services such as Blackboard Learn, the primary Learning Management System (LMS) leveraged at BU.  Open between eight and 15 hours a day, seven days a week, the Service Desk also is responsible for the Major Incident process, housing incident coordinators and operating 24 x 7 when a Major Incident is underway.  Service Desk staff serve as subject matter experts (SMEs) for many technology concepts, applications, systems, and services, and spend their time resolving incidents, fulfilling requests, and participating and/or leading service, platform, or project teams.

You may reach the Service Desk by calling 3-HELP (4357), e-mailing ithelp@bu.edu, submitting a ticket through TechWeb, or visiting one of its two walk-up locations.  The Service Desk will escalate tickets as needed to the other four Client Services & Support teams.

Manager, Operations: Peter Cataldo

Operations (OPS) is a small internal escalation team, primarily focused on creating efficiencies within CS&S and managing the myriad of processes and procedures it takes to operate the physical IT Help Center locations.  Operations handles responsibilities such as CS&S student recruitment, scheduling, hiring and training, a Unified Command Center for CS&S, oversight of the Amory Street check-in software/hardware service, and more.  Operations has process and procedural oversight for all branches of CS&S, and also runs the Terrier Tech Career Explorer Program, handles the broadcast e-mail service, provides software licensing, and operates the University switchboard for the University.

 

Client Technology Services

Executive Director: Mark Kimionakis

Client Technology Services (CTS) serves as a liaison between the BU community and IS&T, leveraging technical expertise to assess business needs, advocate for, and implement technology solutions.  CTS staff use their deep technical expertise to serve as subject matter experts (SMEs) and participate or lead service, platform, or project teams.  They frequently collaborate with other IS&T staff.

Director, Engineering: Michael Harvey

CTS owns and operates many key enterprise services for the University, such as e-mail, telephone services, printing, asset management system, endpoint security, digital signage, and the virtual desktop environment.  CTS staff act as Application Administrators for these services and ensure all of these services are maintained to be efficient and effective for the University.

Director, Field Services: John Bodi

Many CTS staff act as Primary Responders (PRs) for specific departments or schools on the Charles River Campus, and are required to become familiar with all aspects of each site.  Most are physically located within their supported units across the campus, which means the team is distributed across the enterprise, in order to ensure a quick response for desk-side visits and to strengthen and maintain IS&T’s relationship with our client representatives.  PR responsibilities include on-boarding/off-boarding, desktop asset management (procure, deploy, maintain, support, retire), advocating for and ensuring the implementation of IT projects, acting as or assisting the IS&T’s Relationship Manager for their site(s), and handling the IT budget as needed for each school/department.

Client Technology Services serves as Primary Responder for ~94 schools and departments.  Some key sites include the School of Law, Questrom School of Business, Sargent College, the College of Fine Arts, Healthway, Development & Alumni Relations, the Boston University Police Department, and the President’s and Provost Offices.

Platform Services Manager: Ken Weeden

CTS also owns and supports the next generational collaboration platforms provided by IS&T such as Microsoft 365 and Google Cloud solutions.  This dynamic space is ever-changing, especially due to the world’s increasing reliance on cloud technologies.

 

Learning & Event Technology Services

Executive Director: Linda Jerrett  Assistant Director: Dave Kolar

Learning & Event Technology Services (LETS) serves as the BU Community’s primary point of contact for support in all classrooms owned by the Office of the University Registrar.  LETS is open whenever classes are scheduled, and also is available seven days a week to provide support for meetings and events, including large-scale events such as Commencement.  Additionally, LETS is an escalation team that specializes in existing and emerging educational technology.  Learning & Event Technology Specialists act as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to participate or lead service, platform, or project teams.

LETS owns and is responsible for several key services for the University, including webcasting, A/V technical support and repair, and consulting and design for classrooms, meeting, and event spaces that require A/V technology.

Learning & Event Technology Services has its own hotline for classrooms, (617) 353-3227, and may also be reached via the classrooms@bu.edu e-mail address.  The LETS walk-up location, which dedicated to classroom support, is located at 725 Commonwealth Avenue, room B05.