A small team with big responsibility

Either it being student accounts or campus telecommunications, quality computer support is serviced by the San Jose Evergreen Community College District’s Information Technology Services and Support team.
SJECCD has a small ITSS team that maintains the technology used on both campuses and the district office.
Chief Information Systems Officer Michael Russell said there are 15 members in the ITSS, and he has about 30 major initiatives that do not take into account his everyday work.
“With the number of people and the number of tasks, it is incredible how everything works as well as it does,” Russell said.
He said that for every IT person, there are over 1,100 students, faculty and staff in the district that depend on the services and support the ITSS team provides.
“The folks here deserve a lot of credit for the amount of stuff that is getting done,” Russell said.
David Do, lead applications analyst, said his team does a lot of things related to students such as registration, admitting students, billing students for classes taken and helping students manage financial aid.
“I am with the application tasks,” Do said. “Doing custom applications, such as the online parking permit purchase.”
Do took part in the developing process for students to purchase parking permits online so it would be more convenient for students.
“Right now there are 15 people in ITSS and we are working on some 30 projects,” Russell said. “This does not include our typical daily tasks which include everything from running payroll to moving student enrollment into Moodle or the emergency management system to keeping phones, network and core systems functioning.”
When it comes to trying to predict the estimation of a project, various variables such as available staffing resources, current commitments, funding and complexity of projects must be accounted for, Russell said.
“We serve as their Internet service provider, an ISP, for their academic or student networks,” said Technical Services Supervisor Dan Hawkins.
The ITSS hosts Moodle, SJECCD course management system, Hawkins said.
Russell said it is hard to determine what is administrative or academic when it comes to categorizing the purchase of equipment or setting up of applications as they are not installing the technology for themselves or for technology’s sake.
“There are a lot of people and groups, committees and the like, that are involved in almost every IT decision,” said Russell. “We install everything for someone else to use to deliver or receive a service, so it is imperative that they be involved in the discussions on implementation.”
Russell considers the decision-making a group effort.
Do said from his experience he has come to know the people and his priorities.
“I enjoy working here, that is why I am here,” Do said.
Russell said students can email or call the ITSS help desk with comments or concerns at [email protected] or 408-270-6411.