This book focuses on the technology, tools and techniques involved in running an effective help desk. A Guide to Help Desk Technology, Tools & Technology takes a look at the many software options available for tracking and managing the massive influx of data that come into a help desk daily.This title also details the types of tools specific to staff, management and customers alike.

Complete, detailed preparation for the Intermediate ITIL Service Lifecycle exams ITIL Intermediate Certification Companion Study Guide is the ultimate supporting guide to the ITIL Service Lifecycle syllabus, with full coverage of all Intermediate ITIL Service Lifecycle exam objectives for Service Operation, Service Design, Service Transition, Continual Service Improvement, and Service Strategy. Using clear and concise language, this useful companion guides you through each Lifecycle module and each of the process areas, helping you understand the concepts that underlie each skill required for certification. Illustrative examples demonstrate how these skills are applied in real-life scenarios, helping you realize the importance of what you're learning each step of the way. Additional coverage includes service strategy principles and processes, governance, organization, implementation, and technology considerations, plus guidance toward common challenges and risks. ITIL is the most widely adopted approach for IT Service Management in the world, providing a practical, no-nonsense framework for identifying, planning, delivering, and supporting IT services to businesses. This study guide is the ultimate companion for certification candidates, giving you everything you need to know in a single informative volume. Review the information needed for all five Lifecycle exams Examine real-life examples of how these concepts are applied Gain a deeper understanding of each of the process areas Learn more about governance, organization, implementation, and more The Intermediate ITIL Service Lifecycle exams expect you to demonstrate thorough knowledge of the concepts, processes, and functions related to the modules. The certification is recognized around the world as the de facto standard for IT Service Management, and the skills it requires increase your value to any business. For complete, detailed exam preparation, ITIL Certification Companion Study Guide for the Intermediate ITIL Service Lifecycle Exams is an invaluably effective tool.

A combination of art and skill that results in the balancing of project objectives against restraints of time, budget, and quality, effective project management requires skill and experience as well as many tools and techniques. Project Management Tools and Techniques: A Practical Guide describes these tools and techniques and how to use them, giving students the strong foundation they need to develop the skills and experience needed for a successful career in project management. The first five sections discuss a typical project life cycle, and beginning with an introduction to project management in terms of the role it plays in the organization and how a business case drives the process. From this starting point, the various planning and control-oriented techniques described evolve this process through the life cycle from scope development to completion. The final section closes the discussion with a group of more contemporary topics labeled "advanced." These are essential tools that need to be in wide use but are still evolving in practice. Most of the chapters supply sample questions and exercises to help with a review of the material. Each of the authors has extensive real-world experience in her or his respective professional areas with a combined experience of about 100 years. They have selected topics based on their valuation of the tool and its project management value. They present the material in such a way that the concepts can be applied to any project. Once this material is mastered, students will have a good overview regarding the basic planning and control actions required by a project manager. Also, this book will make a great reference guide that can be used by project managers and team members for years to come.

Today many companies are employing a user-centered design (UCD) process, but for most companies, usability begins and ends with the usability test. Although usability testing is a critical part of an effective user-centered life cycle, it is only one component of the UCD process. This book is focused on the requirements gathering stage, which often receives less attention than usability testing, but is equally as important. Understanding user requirements is critical to the development of a successful product. Understanding Your Users is an easy to read, easy to implement, how-to guide on usability in the real world. It focuses on the "user requirements gathering" stage of product development and it provides a variety of techniques, many of which may be new to usability professionals. For each technique, readers will learn how to prepare for and conduct the activity, as well as analyze and present the data —all in a practical and hands-on way. In addition, each method presented provides different information about the user and their requirements (e.g., functional requirements, information architecture, task flows). The techniques can be used together to form a complete picture of the users' requirements or they can be used separately to address specific product questions. These techniques have helped product teams understand the value of user requirements gathering by providing insight into how users work and what they need to be successful at their tasks. Case studies from industry-leading companies demonstrate each method in action. In addition, readers are provided with the foundation to conduct any usability activity (e.g., getting buy-in from management, legal and ethical considerations, setting up your facilities, recruiting, moderating activities) and to ensure the incorporation of the results into their products.·Covers all of the significant requirements gathering methods in a readable, practical way·Presents the foundation readers need to prepare for any requirements gathering activity and ensure that the results are incorporated into their products ·Includes invaluable worksheet and template appendices·Includes a case study for each method from industry leaders·Written by experienced authors who teach conference courses on this subject to usability professionals and new product designers alike

This first-of-its-kind legal guide showcases how to use the latest Web-based and software technologies, such as Web 2.0, Google tools, Microsoft Office, and Acrobat, to work collaboratively and more efficiently on projects with colleagues, clients, co-counsel and even opposing counsel. The book provides a wealth of information useful to lawyers who are just beginning to try collaboration tools, as well as tips and techniques for those lawyers with intermediate and advanced collaboration experience.

The instant New York Times bestseller. From Microsoft's president and one of the tech industry's broadest thinkers, a frank and thoughtful reckoning with how to balance enormous promise and existential risk as the digitization of everything accelerates. “A colorful and insightful insiders’ view of how technology is both empowering and threatening us. From privacy to cyberattacks, this timely book is a useful guide for how to navigate the digital future.” —Walter Isaacson Microsoft President Brad Smith operates by a simple core belief: When your technology changes the world, you bear a responsibility to help address the world you have helped create. This might seem uncontroversial, but it flies in the face of a tech sector long obsessed with rapid growth and sometimes on disruption as an end in itself. While sweeping digital transformation holds great promise, we have reached an inflection point. The world has turned information technology into both a powerful tool and a formidable weapon, and new approaches are needed to manage an era defined by even more powerful inventions like artificial intelligence. Companies that create technology must accept greater responsibility for the future, and governments will need to regulate technology by moving faster and catching up with the pace of innovation. In Tools and Weapons, Brad Smith and Carol Ann Browne bring us a captivating narrative from the cockpit of one of the world's largest and most powerful tech companies as it finds itself in the middle of some of the thorniest emerging issues of our time. These are challenges that come with no preexisting playbook, including privacy, cybercrime and cyberwar, social media, the moral conundrums of artificial intelligence, big tech's relationship to inequality, and the challenges for democracy, far and near. While in no way a self-glorifying "Microsoft memoir," the book pulls back the curtain remarkably wide onto some of the company's most crucial recent decision points as it strives to protect the hopes technology offers against the very real threats it also presents. There are huge ramifications for communities and countries, and Brad Smith provides a thoughtful and urgent contribution to that effort.

The topic of project management is truly an evolution of art seeking science. This activity involves balancing project objectives against the constraints of time, budget, and quality. Achieving this balance requires skill, experience, along with the use of many tools, and techniques which are the focus of this book. This new edition provides updated content to incorporate examples from Microsoft Project 2016 and material from the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), sixth edition. The chapter structure includes step-by-step instructions regarding the basic mechanics and various software tools that can be used to assist in the processes. To reinforce the textbook’s learning objectives, extra material is provided on the textbook website. This includes mechanical tool examples and lab assignments representative of the chapter topics. An external video tutorial library is available to help with various mechanics related to Microsoft Project mechanics. An instructor manual is available for qualifying adoptions for classroom use. Features Illustrates the use of Microsoft Project throughout the project life cycle Offers templates as productivity enhancement tools Includes supplemental material for students and instructors Provides assignments for hands-on experience Follows the PMI PMBOK ® Guide model structure that will support a better understanding of the model and help prepare students for PMP and CAPM certification Illustrates both traditional and contemporary management techniques

Describes the individual capabilities of each of 1,900 unique resources in the federal laboratory system, and provides the name and phone number of each contact. Includes government laboratories, research centers, testing facilities, and special technology information centers. Also includes a list of all federal laboratory technology transfer offices. Organized into 72 subject areas. Detailed indices.

Even leading organizations with sophisticated IT infrastructures and teams of lawyers can find themselves unprepared to deal with the range of issues that can arise in IT contracting. Written by two seasoned attorneys, A Guide to IT Contracting: Checklists, Tools, and Techniques distills the most critical business and legal lessons learned through the authors’ decades of experience drafting and negotiating IT-related agreements. In a single volume, readers can quickly access information on virtually every type of technology agreement. Structured to focus on a particular type of IT agreement, each chapter includes a checklist of essential terms, a brief summary of what the agreement is intended to do, and a complete review of the legal and business issues that are addressed in that particular agreement. Providing non-legal professionals with the tools to address IT contracting issues, the book: Contains checklists to help readers organize key concepts for ready reference Supplies references to helpful online resources and aids for contract drafting Includes downloadable resources with reusable checklists and complete glossary that defines key legal, business, and technical terms Costly mistakes can be avoided, risk can be averted, and better contracts can be drafted if you have access to the right information. Filled with reader-friendly checklists, this accessible reference will set you down that path. Warning you of the most common pitfalls, it arms you with little-known tips and best practices to help you negotiate the key terms of your IT agreements with confidence and ensure you come out on top in your next contract negotiation.

The LITA Guide to No- or Low-Cost Technology Tools for Libraries provides a practical guide on how to find and use technology tools for a variety of purposes in libraries and, more broadly, in education. Each topic showcases two technology tools in detail and discusses additional tools and provides examples of how librarians or educators are using them in libraries and schools. Types of tools covered are: Video creation tools, such as PowToon and Animaker, can be used to create animated videos to tell patrons about a new service or teach students about search strategies. Screencasts includes tools like Jing or Screencast-O-Matic, which can be used to show how to use a new library database or service. Collaboration tools, including tools such as Padlet or Lino It, can be used for student collaboration or teamwork with colleagues and sharing project ideas quickly and easily. Assessment tools such as Quizizz and Kahoot allow for gamified assessment of student or patron knowledge.