Aircraft software developer uses TOPdesk
Neil Roberts is Information Systems Manager at Ultra Electronics Datel, located in Preston, in the United Kingdom. Ultra Electronics Datel, a software systems house, is involved in the development of software solutions for defence and government sectors. We wanted to find out a little more about how TOPdesk is used in an organisation in which security is a key issue.
What does your company do?
We deliver high integrity systems and software to the aerospace, defence and government environments. These include embedded systems and software for avionics systems, health and usage monitoring systems for military land applications, government accredited secure networks and secure collaborative working environments.
What is your role at the company?
As Information Systems Manager I’m basically responsible for almost anything with a plug on it including computers, servers, telephones, projectors, video conference, etc.
Which version of TOPdesk do you use? Which modules do you use?
TOPdesk Professional IS and the Web interface module. We use TOPdesk primarily for problem reporting and problem resolution. It’s an easy way to keep track of assets within the organisation. We use the Event management module to mostly send emails.
When did you begin using TOPdesk?
We’ve been using TOPdesk for about two years now. Two major upgrades have taken place since TOPdesk was first installed.
How big is the service desk in your organisation?
Twenty people look actively at the incidents every week, but a group of four of us receive and respond to most of the calls. The service desk respond to around 150 calls each month, ninety per-cent of these are from callers who log their incidents via the self service help desk.
For what purpose was TOPdesk installed in your organisation?
TOPdesk was installed to replace a small, local help desk to run on Windows XP and as part of a general network upgrade. We were also looking for an application that was web-based, which is now 90 percent of it’s use.
What is an example of a typical call at your service desk?
No single common problem stands out. We use it to record things such as malfunctions and when software needs to be installed. The service desk is used for everything, from buildings management and health and safety, to information systems.
Any further comments?
Last year we underwent a Microsoft audit and we couldn’t have done it without TOPdesk. TOPdesk saved us time and effort and I think it ended up paying for itself after the first three or four months. Occassionally messages in Dutch used to pop-up on our screens, but that doesn’t seem to happen anymore!
Plans for the future?
We currently use TOPdesk in combination with a number of other applications such as our network inventory and monitoring package and Active Directory. We are considering using TOPdesk Professional ES for external use, and are also looking at purchasing additional modules, but have no solid plans as yet.
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