What I need to know about IT as a Program Director?
As a Program Director, you will want to familiarize yourself with some IT basics. We are here to help you through any issues or confusion... so do not feel overwhelmed.
1. IT recommends that any PD, AD or Office Manager familiarize yourself with all the FAQs on the IT Help Desk web site. Also read the IT Orientation PowerPoint presentation for an overview of items you should be familiar with. Here is a link to the IT Orientation PowerPoint:
2. We recommend appointing a "Junior Admin" or IT Liaison at your facility. This usually is an AA, Office Manager, or Assistant Director. The role of the "Junior Admin" will be the following:
A. Act as a liaison or buffer between staff requests and IT. Many staff members have similar questions that can be answered by the junior admin such as:
1. How do I access the Intranet from home?
2. How do I access to ESS or Timesheets?
3. How do I print to another printer besides my default?
4. How do I access email from home?
5. How do I create a shortcut to a folder on the G: drive?
the Junior Admin can help educate the staff on basic IT issues and create a unintimidating environment for your staff.
B. The Junior Admin can open tickets through the help desk for your staff. Your staff is busy providing behavior health assistance to your clients. The Junior Admin can communicate directly with IT to help provide support and solve issues for your staff. This "get help from junior admin first" protocol helps stabilize your environment and makes supporting your facility much easier and efficient for the IT Department.
3. Become familiar with the Intranet
The Intranet contains a wealth of information such as:
A. Documents and Forms used by Central, county and other entities
B. Detailed documentation on department processes required by CRF
C. Detailed contact information for different facilities and Central Office
D. Policies and Procedures
E. Employee Manual
F. Department FAQs
G. Workspaces designed for team collaboration, task assignment and document storage
H. Advanced functionality such as electronic workflow and database connectivity.
The more you know about the Intranet and its' resources, you will realize that you have a wealth of information at your fingertips. See the General FAQs for more information about Intranet usage.
4. Equipment Purchases
All computer/printer purchases should be initiated through IT. Please see the "Equipment Purchases" FAQ for more information. This is mainly because IT equipment is vetted to make sure compatibility and security is taken into account. IT also inventories all equipment at the Central office before deploying to the facility.
5. Become Familiar with the Electronic Policies and Procedures.
The 1400 section covers electronic policies and procedures. Many important policies are covered such as general computer usage and security, password policy, laptop usage, etc.
6. Become familiar with the "network" at your facility
A. Know what the G: and U: network drives are for
1. The G: drive is more for "general" staff usage. Although by default, all staff have access to folders on the G: drive, subfolders can have "explicit" permissions assigned. For example, a subdirectory can be created on the G: drive that only the PD and AD have access to.
2. The U: drive is dedicated to user folders. Each user only has access to their own folder. The PD should have access to all user folders.
B. Know the functionality of your copiers/printers (or your Junior Admin). Scanning to a folder, Scanning to email, secure printing, etc.
C. Know the contact information for your Internet Service Provider and phone system vendor.