D R A F T of discussion about new forms of "primary support"
for computing at Penn

The "primary provider" will reside in and be employed by individual units. (Small schools may choose to contract that service in from "service bureaus" and the like, but the appearance will remain the same.) The primary provider will support the desktop computer and its relationship to the network, plus whatever local processes, services, and innovations are required. The primary provider will be the end-users point of contact to the whole network of services and suppliers on the Penn campus. Because the role of primary support is key to our model, we have described it in some detail.

Primary support is accessible:

The primary support provider is known and readily accessible to the end user. In many cases, the primary provider is physically co-located with his/her users. In other cases, for example, when users are remote or distributed, the primary provider is accessible by email, telephone, pager or other means of communication. Primary support providers know the problems occurring among their end user clients.

Student support: Support for undergraduates should be primarily through the emerging Residential College System. Such support would be residence-based, with special support requirements of programs being the responsibility of the appropriate program unit (department, school, etc.). Undergraduate students living in campus housing would have the maximum convenience of support in their residence.

In general, according to a new model for computing services at Penn: Our principle is that end users of computing service are central to the way services are provided. Each end user ideally will know who his or her primary support person or office will be and will take all computing questions to that location.

Support and support decisions should be located as close as possible to users.