Tech Support As a Safety Net

If only I had followed my first instincts I would have been much less stressed out, frustrated, and pushed to the limit. A wise man, Rich Molettiere of Omaha Public Schools, once said, "Never make major changes right before a day out of the office or before a vacation." I wish he had said this just a few days earlier for my benefit!

We all fall into this category of bad decisions when it comes to our work lives. We want to get as much done as soon as possible... or just in time... whichever fits your personality or situation. Making major purchasing decisions, fixing large components of your network, finding accounting errors, fixing code in programming, adjusting the filter, or resetting workgroup manager settings that effect all the users in your network is not a good plan right before you are gone. Not only do these changes stress out your users if they don't go smoothly, but it can also stress you out when they are calling (while you are gone) and trying to troubleshoot over the phone.

For example... you were waiting for the example weren't you?...

A couple of weeks ago, we had a Friday off from school. Our football team had to travel over 4.5 hours west to play a game, so to show support of our new CO-OP team, the administration let out school for the day to attend and support our Bobcat team. I had the brilliant idea that if I went to school really early that morning I could get the new switches put in and running while no one was around, and then leave for the game. I thought the task would only take about an hour since I have put in new switches to the network in the past. I methodically went through the process. I put the new switch at one end of the network. Tested the connection and it worked. I put in the other switch at the other end and all the connections worked. Then I realized that I forgot to replace the old orange fiber wires and put on the new ones. You would think that this would be an easy task... but not today.

As soon as I tried to put in the new fiber, the connection failed and the entire high school wing of our network down. Not a good option for a 1:1 school. So then process of methodically changing the fiber connections began. Time slipping away... I tried putting on the other end, to no avail. I called tech support in Kearney and they tried to talk me through the mess, gain to no avail. So then I thought I would just put the old fiber back on and deal with the new later... to no avail. It wouldn't work either.

So now I am stuck. I am supposed to leave for the game (which my son plays on the team so I really don't want to miss it), and time is really starting to run out. Another call to tech support, and more troubleshooting. I am now starting to panic! I am frustrated, rushed, and ready to cry. I suppose the word "cry" is now making you wonder... why would she "cry"? It's simple. I was also planning to be gone for the entire next week to have some extensive tests run at a hospital 4.5 hours in the opposite direction. I am now officially caught in the middle.

I couldn't just leave the network down for a week and I am the only one that could fix it. I call tech support again trying to maintain my composure. Luckily the man was going to work in a neighboring school (35 miles away) and he said he would come over to fix it.

• Problem: I have to leave in 10 minute and it is a 90 minute drive from where he was at that moment.
  
• Solution: I left my school keys in my car, parked at the school and he opened the doors, worked on the network and locked his way back out! How's that for service. Then he even called me on the cell phone to say everything was working and not to worry!
  
• Lesson to learn: You need to skip the major change and wait until you have the time and patience for a potential disaster. (You probably won't have trouble if you don't have the pressure.) OR... you need excellent tech support to be your safety net and they are not busy.
  
• Moral of the story: The rush makes it difficult to do the job correctly and the pressure can kill you if it doesn't go smoothly.