[ale] IT Staffing Issues - does the OS platform matter?

[rhiannen]

Rehash: Thompson Freeman's inquiries:

"For the various computing platforms &
applications, what are current industry practices for support staffing?
Failing that - the recommended levels?

What I'm curious about, for an office doing office stuff, how many
support people are needed when the office is MS based? How many when Mac
based? How many when Unix/Linux based? Likewise servers."


It was suggested that I compile the more relevant or interesting links
I'd uncovered (some already posted, sorry), add some reference
commentary, and present them to the list to see if anyone else had any
further/better ones to add, or just in case anyone else could find them
handy.  So, for your enjoyment, listed in descending order of most
topically relevant to least...
('ware the long url wraps)
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Investigating the Effects of Organization Size, Industry, and Workgroup
Size on Workgroup Server Administration Time and Downtime.
"There are many TCO comparisons pitting Linux against Windows NT, or
Unix against Windows NT. The goal of this study was to determine the
least expensive server with regard to the total cost of ownership and
the effects of workgroup size, enterprise size, industry and system
administrator's perceptions."
http://www.georgetoft.com/thesis/results/chapter1.html


Margevicius, M., 1999, PC Staffing Guidelines - taking out the
guesswork; Gartner Group.
"PC staffing ratios are most often determined by organizational
structure and complexity, roles and SLAs of help desk, Level 2 and Level
3 support, and the use of tools and processes for automated/remote
support." 
http://www.its.qut.edu.au/policy/DSS_review/83792.pdf


Linux, OpenBSD, Windows NT / 2000 Server Comparison
Staff Issues; ... "What matters is not the salary of a single staff or
average salary of staff that support a platform, but the average support
cost per machine or user." 
http://geodsoft.com/opinion/server_comp/


A strategic comparison of Windows vs. Unix
"The real question is not "which is cheaper" but "which is smarter?"
http://www.linuxworld.com/site-stories/2001/1018.tco.html


Is It Time for Linux
"Administrators who prefer granular but less polished control may prefer
Linux. Others who'd rather rely on a vendor-supplied GUI environment may
want to stick with the more polished solutions."
http://www.networkcomputing.com/1011/1011f1.html

 
Lessons Education Can Learn From Business
"This paper intends to review the methodology used and best practices
developed by business as they implemented and managed their Help Desk
support system."
http://ctap.fcoe.k12.ca.us/helpdesk/helpdesks.html


Desktop Support  Services Review, Recommendations from the Review Panel 
(Some specific recommendations for revamping Desktop Support at
Queensland University of Technology)
"The review was informed by a number of sources from within DSS, within
ITS, within QUT and external to QUT including interviews, focus groups,
best practice research and an overview of financial records."
http://www.its.qut.edu.au/policy/DSS_review/Condensed%20DSS%20Review%20Report.doc


More Staff, Less Downtime
(The hidden costs of downtime)
http://www.cio.com/online/083101_35cents.html


Microsoft Enterprise Services White Paper
E-Commerce Technical Readiness
Identifying Staffing Roles for E-Commerce 
"This paper describes the team roles played and the goals of the teams.
Whether an organization decides to outsource or to manage in-house, the
roles played to keep the operation running smoothly are the same."
http://www.microsoft.com/italy/startup/pianificazione/Ident.doc

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-- 
rhia
knowledge is power - arm yourself

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