F@H help desk

[VijayPande]

I've started to switch over more and more functions from the scientists in my lab to IT professionals. This was started several years ago when sysadmin was transferred over. In 2008, I've started the transfer of non-science code development to a professional computer programming company. In 2009, I am in the process of transitioning more operations work to IT staff. The first step here is the implementation of a "F@H help desk" person to keep an eye on the forum. You'll see posts with this name from time to time. The goal here is mainly triage, sending the information to the appropriate staff person at F@H.

The next step, hopefully coming in a few weeks to months is getting a higher level of support for operations, i.e. not just doing basic sysadmin but all the tasks in between the science and installing Linux, such as handling stats issues, storage problems, etc.

As F@H continues to grow, these changes will be especially critical. However, even for our level right now, I think this will hopefully be an important change, with the goal of making donation to FAH easier, and hopefully helping connect donor concerns to the appropriate staff at F@H.