Geek Speak – November 3rd, 2017
Technology Services News and Updates – November 3rd, 2017
Happy Friday! Welcome to our weekly Technology Services newsletter for Hammersmith®! We hope you all had a good week and fun Halloween!
It’s been another busy week for everyone. Here are some updates for this week and heading into next.
WEEK IN SUMMARY
- Our new rental management system for Summit County is operational!
Thanks to everyone who helped push this over the finish line. We now have a clean, modern, and up to date rental management system with Streamline. Check out our new website for rentals at explorethesummit.com.
- Testing and use of Pilera Activity Logs has begun
Our year end goal of being completely out of RUN is fast approaching. As part of this we are now working in Pilera for Activity Logs that were previously in RUN. Community Care is actively working on this. To that end:
With all of the changes and upgrades to the various systems we are using it is CRITICAL that we work as a team and make sure we are updating Pilera and Jenark with the most current information on our clients and processes. PLEASE make sure we are partnering together to have the most recent information in these new systems.
UPCOMING PROJECTS
- Regular Friday maintenance tonight, November 3rd, 2017
We are continuing our regular, calendared maintenance on systems and network tonight from 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM. By working on a consistent and standardized basis we will be able to get in front of any updates, issues, and preparation for new projects. The items for this week are:
- Virtual Server updates for upgrades
- Server 2012 upgrades to servers – 3 servers
- Continued Active Directory cleanup in anticipation of upgrades to our Domain Controllers
- General windows and server software updates, patches, and cleanup
- Gate and Security system updates and resolutions
During our maintenance window servers, data, and connections to the network will be unavailable. EMAIL AND PILERA WILL CONTINUE FUNCTIONING AS USUAL.
- SmartWebs transition of Associations beginning
SmartWebs, our new, mobile, and user-friendly system for managing and communicating architecturals, violations, and work orders, is in the process of being setup for live use. The data for our first group of Associations will be in SmartWebs next week with November 17th being the first official go live. As our Associations move over to SmartWebs, we will be removing edit access for users to those Associations in RUN.
- New Technical Support and Business Center ticketing system, Samanage, beginning on November 15th
Next week we will be sending out demos of the new system to everyone for this platform. The most important aspect for all of our staff to know is that moving forward tickets and requests will be submitted through a web page. This helps make the process more efficient by ensuring we receive the most accurate information we need to troubleshoot and allows you to review past tickets, check status, and comment on your tickets.
- Server Upgrades
We are in the middle of our server upgrades to Server 2012! Tonight we continue on our upgrade path with three additional servers. We will be communicating with everyone regarding the upgrade of our HMI-REM servers and Domain Controllers as this will change some of the look, feel, and function of those environments. Those changes are schedule to take place the third week of November.
- OFFICE 365
We are narrowing down the field of outside assistance for our 365 project and have also begun to prepare for this big move. As a reminder, we will be:
- Upgrade of all computers to the most recent version of Office 2016
- Cloud storage of K Drive documents for better use of our internal data storage environment
- Skype for Business Instant Messaging for internal communication
- Office 365 Email with better security, tools, and appearance
Preparation for removal of RUN by end of 2017!
With the upgrades and changes taking place with the above-mentioned systems and software, we are beginning the preparation of our systems for the removal of RUN from production! As we progress we will keep everyone informed. The data and information will continue to be available for some time but the active use of RUN will cease by the end of 2017.
MAKING TECHNOLOGY SERVICES MORE EFFICIENT
With the continued volume of projects and activities going on in our systems and environment it is critical that we are able to focus on the necessary tasks and items of these projects in order to complete them in time.
To that end we are asking for your partnership in helping us more efficiently help you. PLEASE make your requests for assistance to Technology Services to helpdesk@ehammersmith.com or the help line at 303-980-7499. Calling individual team members or emailing directly will only delay the time of getting you the assistance you need and creates more work for the Technology Services team to manage all of these individual requests.
Thank you!
As we continue with the changes and improvements here at Hammersmith®, we want to keep the Technology Services Mission in everyone’s mind:
Technology Services provides secure, reliable, and integrated technology solutions in alignment with Company goals,
while delivering excellence in customer service. In support of this mission, we will:
Partner with the Hammersmith® community to understand the information technology needs of staff and clients.
Provide leadership and planning for the effective and strategic use of emerging technologies.
Demonstrate technical and operational excellence through a commitment to professionalism and continuous improvement.
We hope you all have a great weekend!
