ISG Blog

Due to the work related to change of appointments over the coming weeks in December and January, Team iSG will be implementing a change freeze from the 7 December 2015 through to 15 January 2016.

What this means is that we will continue to provide support for any tickets logged with us, but any requests for equipment or new mobile phones or telco connections will not be attended to until the new year (15 January) as our suppliers will be unable to attend to this, and we will be trying to connect Officers to their new appointments..

Feel free to continue to log your tickets through the supportal (support.sarmy.net.nz) and we will attend to these as soon as we are able.

Thanks for helping us help you.

Occasionally we need to convert files from one format to other. Example from a word document to pdf or pptx. Here is a website that can do the job for you. http://www.zamzar.com/

Its fairly simple to use and you don't have to register or pay anything. Its free to use. All you need to do is choose the file you want to convert from your computer and choose what format you want it to convert. It requires for you enter your email to which a link will be sent to download the converted file.

And so it is that today marks the start of the Christmas season (well for us it does). December is a time when in addition to the end of year tasks and Christmas events, ISG works with all of the change of appointments while also trying to squeeze some holidays.

Please remember that over the Christmas and New Year period, iSG operates a skeleton team. They don't work any of the public holidays and are onsite purely to monitor backups and reset passwords. So if you have any requests please send them through sooner rather than later so we can do our best to assist you before Christmas Eve.

Many of you will be aware that one of the many advantages we have of being with Vodafone is that you as the user can now call Vodafone direct to discuss issues you may be having with mobile phones, or landline connections.  

A big plus is that you are the one that knows whats going on, and you are the one on site that can assist the Vodafone support desk by doing the checks they request to assist in getting you back and running.

So whenever you have a problem with landlines or mobile connections the number to dial is 0508 725 2769 (or 0508 SALARMY) and make this your first port of call for telecommunication assistance.  Make a note (or even a poster) with this number and place it on your desk as a reminder.  Add it to your phone for future reference.

ISG are still happy to help, but we would simply ring them and they will ask us questions that we then have to go back to you on for answers, so we would ask that calling ISG for these types of problems be a last resort for you.  ISG is your escalation point.  If you believe Vodafone are not providing satisfactory assistance then let ISG know, and we will escalate via the proper channels with Vodafone.

Thanks for helping us help you.

If you didn't see TV3 news on 30 June, then have a look at the link below.  Some of you may remember that the THQ phone system was subject to toll fraud a few years back.  We have had a number of instances over the last few months of voicemail accounts being locked out for no apparent reason and I can only assume that the hackers are attempting to do the same thing again.   And THQ are not the only TSA centre with a VoIP phone system so we thought it was relevant to make you aware of this article.

Now is a good time to remind you all that you should have a PIN number on your voicemail and it should be a decent PIN not something simple like "1234" or "0000".   If you need any help changing your PIN contact ISG or your centre manager.

http://www.3news.co.nz/Phone-hack-leaves-man-with-26k-bill/tabid/423/articleID/350806/Default.aspx

At times we think its important to give all TSA users a big picture of what happens within our department and so today we wanted to make you aware of some of our work related stats for your information.

Here are the stats from the previous 2 months

We also send on occasions random emails to users for jobs that have been recently closed, and ask people to rate ISG's service on a scale of Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent.  Here are results for the overall results so far compared with last month's results as scored by our users:

Overall Total

May 2014 Total

Thanks for keeping us busy as we continue to work towards 'enabling the mission'.

If you have ever had your phone lost, stolen, or damaged only to find you have to re-enter all your contacts onto a new phone, then today's blog is short, simple and very effective.

When entering contacts onto your phone, store these either using your Gmail account, or using Lotus Notes Traveler.  Don't save it on the phone or the SIM!

This means, that if you have to replace your handset, all you will need to is sync it to your Gmail or Lotus Notes account and all your contacts will automatically synchronise to your phone.

Last Saturday Nic Roser, our ISG service desk analyst, did the shave off, and as promised we now attach the before and after photos.  If you would like to support Nic's cause, CanTeen, you can still do this by making a donation via Givealittle (www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/scshaveoff).  This event has donor validation and all donations made go to CanTeen Wellington division.  So far Nic has raised close to $1,000.  Well done Nic.

And now as promised the Before and after pics.

On Saturday 22nd March Nic Roser, our ISG service desk analyst, will be doing the shave off.  We know some around the territory have already been involved in this (Well done Major Suzanne Stevenson), but if you would like to support Nic's cause, CanTeen, you can do the following:

1. Make a donation via Givealittle (www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/scshaveoff), this event has donor validation and all donations made go to CanTeen Wellington division.

2. Support Nic at The Great Shave Off by cheering Nic on! If you happen to be in Wellington tomorrow, come along and watch the afternoon unfold… you can even join in and also shave off your beard and/or hair too, but no pressure.

More Info: March 22 at 2pm Watch Nic shave off his mighty beard and luscious, luscious locks! The Great Shave Off is being hosted by Southern Cross (located just around the corner from THQ, on Abel Smith Street) and the event raises funds for the local members of CanTeen as well as providing the opportunity of raising awareness of young people aged 13 – 24 living with cancer. 

This is the BEFORE pic and we'll upload an AFTER next week.

Thank You (in advance) for your support.

If you are wanting someone to have access for the first time to any database that you may use at your centre, then this is a very easy process and may not require you to contact ISG for action.

It pays to note that some of TSA Lotus Notes applications/databases are open to any staff member, and some are set up with security access that requires prior approval by the relevant line managers, so you will need to ensure that the person has access to this and if not, a request is sent through to ISG.  

However, giving them the link to the application is a simple process and you can do this yourself by emailing them a link for their workspace. 

Go to your workspace and select the required application.  Then right click on it, and highlight 'Application' , then 'Copy as Link'.

You can now paste the copied link into an email and send it to the appropriate person. The link will look like a small book icon.

They simply need to click on the icon and the link will be automatically added to their workspace.  If they have not been granted access, then when they click on the link Notes will give them an error message stating they are not authorised access.  If this happens, then get the centre manager to send through a request for access to ISG.

Did you know you can search My Details for any TSA employee who has a Lotus Notes account?  And when you find them you will find all the information you need on them.  Full name, the centre they work at, their line manager, relevant phone numbers and address.

And all this is at your finger tips.  We have posted about how to find this through a smart phone (see Searching for a number?).  Today we show you how to find it using your web browser.

Log in to My Details on the QuickLink menu.  On the top far right corner of the window you will see a search field as per the picture below:

Simply search by first name, or surname, or centre name, or job title and My Details will provide you with a list of whomever matches your search criteria.  By selecting the name (highlighted in blue) this will open up the individual's details and give you all the information you are looking for.

I use this all the time, and I would encourage you to do the same.

We have had a few requests recently from some of our users asking for various printers to be connected to their machines.

Did you know the Salvation Army currently has a nationwide Service and Rental Agreement with FujiXerox for all our printing needs?

We understand that a $100 printer from the local IT store can look attractively cheap while on the shelf, but when you calculate all the ongoing costs of such a machine plus take into consideration the quality of printing etc, you will find it very hard to beat the competitiveness of a FujiXerox machine.

All you need to do is complete the FujiXerox - Printer Request form found on the intranet under ISG Forms, and then submit this through your relevant Divisional or Nationally Managed Management Board.  We will then submit to FX who will find the 'best fit' machine according to your need and volume.  There is no cost to getting the machine, and the agreement is for payment on a per copy/print basis.

This is 3 cents ($0.0345) per A4 black, and 15 cents ($0.15) per A4 colour copy.  This includes the service agreement which means when your machine needs to be looked at, it just involves a call from you direct to FX to send their technician out to you.  The only other cost is the cost of the paper you use.

It couldn't be simpler, so next time you are needing a new printer for your Corps/Centre... think FujiXerox !!

Congratulations to all officers who have recently moved to new appointments.  We pray God's richest blessings on you as you prepare to serve Him in a new appointment.

We thought it appropriate to bring your attention to some things that would be good to be told or reminded of, specially, but not specifically, as you move to a new Corps/centre.  So here's a condensed list below:

Access to Lotus Notes Applications and Server Drives

ISG don't have a list of how every appointment works, so unfortunately we don't always know what access you need. After you've familiarised yourself with your brief (where it should say what you need) if you don't know how to access things, or don't seem to have permission simply contact ISG. We'd like to be able to do this automatically as part of the COA (change of appointment) process, so a project is in place to gather this information.  However it's a long process!

Contacting ISG

ISG can be contacted in a variety of ways. You can either log a job using MyDetails, email ISG or phone the help desk on (04) 802 6262.  If you use these methods then you can be sure the ISG team will see your job.  If you email a service desk member direct, you may not get the prompt action required as they may be away, and only the individual will look into their Inbox.  Following the above process ensures a job is logged and anyone in the ISG team can see and action your request.

We would recommend any password issues be looked at by calling the help desk on (04)802 6262.

ISG Rental Machines

ISG rental machines (laptops, desktops) are replaced before the warranty expires. This means that if you're warranty expires 1/1/2015, your machine will be replaced sometime during 2014. This is done with a number machines around the territory to take advantage of specials and allow us to bulk buy machines where possible. 

If you have a machine on site, and are NOT using this machine, you can send it back to ISG at any time to stop the monthly rental charges! Just email ISG to confirm how to go about this. 

Getting a new rental machine is done through your local DHQ, as they require sign off. However the forms are available on the Intranet, under Departments & Services > ISG Forms.

Data Locations

For those of you in a rental site which has a rental server, the following information ensures everything is backed up in the correct location here is a brief look at what each drive is for. 

Shared Drives

G Drive - Group drive. Anything shared within your department (or specific roles) should be saved in here. Access is limited to the folders. If you require a new folder setup or a report of who has access to a particular folder this can be arranged.

H Drive - Home drive. This is your personal drive for your work files. Everything on your H: is stored on the server. Whilst some personal documents are allowed to be stored here we ask you keep these to a minimum. 

P Drive - Public drive - Everything on this drive is accessible by everyone. Do not store secure or confidential data here. 

M Drive - Media drive.  All media (videos, audio files, large amounts of photos or pictures) should be stored on this drive. 

Local Drives

C Drive - System Drive. Anything stored on this drive is NOT backed up on the server. This drive is primarily for storing application Data. (this is where your programs are installed)

D Drive - Data Drive. This is a local 'data' drive. If you save things here they are NOT backed up on the server. 
* Not all of you will have a D Drive. Also if you have a laptop a copy of your 'H Drive' data is stored here so you can access it off site. 

Remember, the backups can only work as intended if data is stored in the correct drives. 

In regards to personal media (specifically music or videos)...

Due to legal reasons any personal media cannot be stored on Salvation Army infrastructure. You cannot store your personal music or videos on your Home Drive or the Media Drive due to copy right laws. Even though this music has been purchased by you as an individual the Salvation Army cannot risk being seen as partaking in unintentional Piracy.   If you believe you need to (or really want to) have music on your computer for listening to at work this can be placed locally on your machine. 

Other personal media

Personal data can be stored on your machines BUT we'd ask you save them somewhere other then your H: Drive. (ie create a personal folder on the D: drive for best use of this). 

This is basically so personal data doesn't get backed up (causing a bunch of intellectual property dilemmas and possible copyright infringement).

It also stops the servers getting clogged!

 If you have any queries about the backup system, or where you should be saving data please contact ISG on 04 802 6262 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We trust this is useful information for you.