Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why are SLAs necessary?

A: ETS is formalizing the services it can provide and under what circumstances, so that everyone has the same expectations. All SLAs will list what services ETS will solely support, what services are shared, and what services are not provided. Some early draft SLA documents may contain undefined services and will be updated as agreements are reached.

Q: Can the SLA be customized for a particular department?

A: Some labs have additional detailed support processes already in place with ETS and they will be documented and added to the ETS SLA document. More will be added as necessary. However, the goal is to provide consistent service throughout the District. If every support request or process becomes an "exception," the result will be an unsatisfactory support environment for everyone. Our goal is to standardize our service much like we have standardized technology (for example, desktop computer configurations).

Q: Is there some intent to the SLAs that we are not seeing?

A: The intent is to publish support services currently provided by ETS. Communicating what ETS is providing for the District is key to arriving at a common understanding. SLAs may not be inclusive of all ETS responsibilities. For example, the SLAs do not list Measure E construction support, nor do they list background projects such as evaluating new equipment and software, which is a nearly constant task. Examples of evaluation tasks are testing software on the new Apple Intel platform Macintosh for compatibility with District standards, and testing a new version of Meeting Maker that will be available through the portal.

Frequently Asked Questions (continued)

Q: Will you further clarify "Shared Support?"

A: Examples of Shared Support:

• Tech Services creates a hard disk image per the specifications of the department/division for an Instructional Lab, and the Instructional Lab associate installs the image onto the lab computers.
• The Instructional Lab associate provides first-level troubleshooting (diagnoses the problem and takes initial steps to resolve). If the Instructional Lab associate is unable to resolve the problem and it appears to be a hardware failure or a network problem, the problem is escalated to ETS.

Q: When there is more going on with one campus than on the other, is it possible to move staff around where they are most needed?

A: Yes, this has been done in the past and the ETS manager and supervisors work together to use the staff resources as efficiently and as effectively as necessary. The most recent occasion was when Foothill had a vacant position during a time of increased workload. De Anza Tech Services loaned staff to Foothill Technical Services for a six-month period, rotating the staff on a monthly basis. The resulting team-building and knowledge-sharing benefited both campuses.

Q: There has been a lot of frustration on the De Anza campus with smart classroom (multimedia) equipment not operating properly early in the quarter. What is being done about this?

A: Prior to every quarter, ETS visits each classroom to ensure the equipment is running properly. However, there are several multimedia classrooms where the equipment is beyond the end of its useful life and ETS has been using a band-aid approach to keep the equipment running. Until recently, De Anza College had not designated ongoing funding to refresh equipment in these rooms. Now that there is ongoing funding, ETS is working with the College to purchase new equipment to replace the aged-out equipment.

Q: How often will SLA documents come up for renegotiation? How would faculty get to submit items for renegotiation?

A: This has not yet been determined. However, the documents will be reviewed at least annually. We are happy to receive any information about an item that anyone would like for us to review.

Q: Going through the process of creating an SLA seems like overkill. Is this document addressing an identified problem? Why can't we continue as is?

A: Most of the document reflects services already being provided by Tech Services on both campuses. With a previous reduction in workforce and the number of buildings, computers and 'smart' classrooms increasing, along with the additional burdens of Measure E, ETS needs input from the colleges to prioritize requests when ETS is unable to meet requested deadlines.

With a new bond and more construction on the horizon, prioritization of services provided by ETS will be critical. Producing SLAs is an important way to reach consensus on what services ETS should provide and under what conditions.