K12 Technology Summers

Ever wonder what a tech department for K-12 does all summer. FREAKING WORK! We stay busy with various projects, updates and tasks. Here is our summers

1. Summer 2011 (please remember, there are only 10-12 people total do these things. This is in addition to typical work orders which usually drop to 75% of our end of the year daily average.)
• Change out our imaging and desktop management software
• means re-imaging labs and libraries (2000+ devices)
• pushing apps
• Change out our help desk software
• redesign layout
• change categories (hardware, software, blah blah)
• add/modify required fields (name, phone, etc)
• anything else that needed to be visited
• test the thing
• re-write rules for assignment of work orders
• re-train staff
• Pick up all local printers (yeah, we are going to be popular next year)
• change out our hardware web load balancing appliance and ssl box
• Upgrade vmware esxi to 4.1 on 8 nodes. Rolling upgrade
• fix veeam backups due to change of ip...grrr
• change out backup software
• e911 configuration and setup
2. 2010
• open a renovated school -- fyi renovations suck. reusing parts and pieces from before is ok, but sometimes it adds labor, the wonderful hidden cost. Materials go down, labor goes up.
• site visits to locate technology pathways
• work with GC to find solutions to interesting challenges. It is amazing what is on the as-builts versus what is actually in the wall/ceiling.
• open 3 partial renovations and changed schools. Almost worse than a fully renovated. Frankenbastard schools for both cabling and physical infrastructure. Have to do some calculations...if we do it 100% right it'll cost x. if we do the way they meets code, but isn't so pretty, it cost x/2 or x/4. How long will this have to work? 1 year, 2, 3...5, 10? closer it gets to the bigger number is the closer to 100% right.
• clean up lingering AD migration from 2009 items
• share permissions & layout
• email archives
• Upgrade 3000 switches OS to support SSH and current code. Not hard, but requires some attention
3. 2009 -- almost the death of me and my group. Never again.
• Migrate from eDir to AD and Groupwise to Exchange
• prep work with the contractor doing the move. Contractor was successful. Took care of our issues generally. Nothing is perfect, but the issues were acceptable. Plus, I know what 2 items i missed in my RFP. Damn. More GPOs.
• Actually move all items. This was done over a 2 week period. Pretty much threw a switch for about 3500 accounts. Friday you have Groupwise. Monday you have Exchange. email will back fill. Important people's email moved first, obviously -- like mine!
• Open several new schools
• 1-1 high school (yes, my group did all the items below except where noted)
• manage all cabling installation
• Includes data, fiber, Teacher AV, outside plant fiber...
• Vendor did the cabling, switch mounting, & AP installs
• install & document switches
• deliver, image, and install 1000 computers
• Teacher station
• student stations
• install ip phones
• configure, design and implement wireless for 1-1
• open renovated ES (see above for how much of a pain these are)
• Assist with Business and Student information systems change
• Install servers
• Deploy BIS and SIS apps on workstations as selected

So, summers are usually filled with projects. The only consistency is change.

Slacker

Wow. I've been slacking in my duties to post. Had vacations and momentary lapse in interests. I'll get back at it. I don't think the daily thing is working. There'll just be posts.