1.3 Help Desks Flashcards
1.3.1 The Security Policy
The “Security Policy” document contains policies that inform users, IT staff, and managers of the requirements for protecting technology and information assets. As shown in the figure, there are policies for:
Specifying how users are identified and authenticated
Setting password length, complexity, and refresh interval
Defining what behavior is acceptable on the corporate network
Specifying remote access requirements, etc.
The Security Policy document is a constantly evolving document that reacts to changes in the threat landscape, new vulnerabilities, and business and employee requirements. The Security Policy helps the IT team understand what they must do to keep the network operational and secure by using:
Standard operating procedures (SOP) - These define step-by-step actions that must be completed for any given task to comply with a policy. There are SOPs to follow when replacing network devices, installing (or uninstalling) applications, onboarding new employees, terminating existing employees, and more.
Guidelines - These cover the areas where there are no SOPs defined.
When users encounter a problem or need network support, they must contact a “help desk.” The help desk assists users by following the defined SOPs and guidelines. The help desk will use a ticketing system to manage the steps within the troubleshooting life cycle shown in the following figure.
1.3.2 Help Desks
A help desk is a specialized team in an IT department that is the central point of contact for employees or customers.
When users requires support, they must contact the IT help desk. This may be done by using an online reporting tool, live chat, telephone, or email.
Help desks often use a “shared” email account. This means that all helpdesk technicians can see the email requests and respond to them accordingly.
Note: The online reporting tool could be integrated into the ticketing system.
Often, the help desk technician may be able to quickly answer or solve user issues.
However, if the request for support is valid, then the technician will create a “trouble ticket”. This is done using special ticketing system software to manage requests, incidents, and reported problems. These “tickets” can be created by the user using a ticketing system dashboard or by a help desk technician. Typically, a user initiates the ticket, and the help desk technician validates it.
The help desk technician may have to gather additional information about the request. When questioning users, use effective questioning techniques and listen carefully to the user answers. You may also have to physically investigate the device or connect remotely to replicate the problem, execute commands, and check configurations.
The technician would then analyze the collected data and either:
Solve the problem - Once the user problem has been addressed, the technician would update and close the trouble ticket. Updating the ticket solution is important because it can populate the ticketing system database. Therefore, if the same problem is reported by another user, the responding technician can search the database to quickly resolve the problem. In addition, administrators can analyze the tickets to identify common issues and their causes in order to globally eliminate the problem, if possible.
Escalate the trouble ticket - Some problems are more complex or require access to devices which the technician has no credentials for. In these cases, the technician must escalate (i.e., forward) the trouble ticket to a more experienced technician. It is important that all documentation captured from the user is clear, concise, and accurate.
1.3.3 Ticketing Systems
Help desk ticketing systems help organizations manage user problems or requests. Ticketing software is specifically designed to ensure that corporate users or clients receive support in a timely and systematic manner. They also ensure that all tickets get noticed and addressed.
A shared mailbox is an alternative method that can be used by an organization to support user requests. Help desk technicians would all share the same mailbox and respond to emails to solve problems.
Ticketing systems vary depending on the need of the organization.
1.3.4 Question End Users
When entering the trouble ticket, the help desk technician must discover the “who”, “what”, and “when” of the problem.
Always be considerate and empathize with users while letting them know you will help them solve their problem. Users reporting a problem may be under stress and anxious to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Never talk down, belittle, insult, or accuse the user of causing the problem.
Speak at a technical level they can understand. Avoid using complex terminology or industry jargon.
Always listen or read carefully what the user is saying. Taking notes can be helpful when documenting a complex problem.
Good interpersonal skills are an asset to the helpdesk technician. It is important to develop this skill set to better serve and communicate with users and peers.
The table summarizes three general guidelines that help to develop the know, relate, and understand skill set.
Open-ended questions - These types of questions allow users to explain the details of the problem in their own words and are useful to obtain general information.
Closed-ended questions - These are simple yes, no, or single word answers that can be used to discover important facts about the network problem.
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1.3.6 Active Listening
Tips for Using Active Listening with a Customer
Allow the customer to tell their problem.
Occasionally interject some small word or phrase such as “I understand,” “Yes,” “I see,” or “Okay.” to let the customer know that you are listening.
Summarize the customer’s problem when they are done so that you both are certain that you understand.
Ask clarifying questions.
Do not interrupt the customer the moment you realize you have a question.
1.3.8 Gather Information for Host-Related Tickets
Useful host-related information include:
Host manufacturer, model, serial number
Operating system version
Network environment (i.e., wired, wireless, …)
Network connectivity test results (ping, tracert, …)
Additional information that can be captured from a host include:
Beep codes
Event Viewer logs
Device Manager settings
Task Manager data
Diagnostic tool results
1.3.9 Gather Information for Cisco Device-Related Tickets
To gather symptoms from a networking device that is suspected to have issues, use Cisco IOS commands and other tools such as packet captures and device logs.
