That means crunch time for Tech Services.... there's so much involved in a new branch that most people (even people at the CU) don't even think about or know about. There's ATM's... which have to have dedicated tie-lines, support and specific programming. There's PC's, which have to be loaded from scratch with about 16 different applications and have to have a horde of settings changed, there's printers which have to be deployed. There's the T1 and the MPLS Frame which have to be ordered and scheduled..
Once you get all this stuff arranged; then you've gotta _depoly_ it all.. which means you've gotta drive there... pull cable under desks, behind teller lines, under carpet. Set all these PC's out, run thru all the Apps and make sure they work. Set the printers out and make sure they work and they print to the right trays... not to mention all the Symitar-side stuff that you have to do; with Adding the instituion, modifying reports, creating GL's, creating consoles and printers and their queues.
So basically; opening a branch is a MASSIVE undertaking that should be appropriately planned; with not only branch people, HR and the employees going there being intimately involved... but Tech Services too. We got basically a weeks notice on the final date... we found out the final date the same time the membership did. But in *true* CU tech services fashion... we came thru in a clinch. Despite having a TON of system issues this week (omg was up at 1am every night babysitting the host).. we made it all happen. Tech Services was at the branch for 10 hours Saturday **&** Sunday making sure the branch is ready to roll... we'll tie up loose ends on Monday, and be at the ready for Tuesday whenever everyone starts using all the systems for real. Then if something goes wrong, we'll be the first ones to hear it from every side.
Tech Services; such is the life... whenever we do our job best, is whenever no one knows were there. Cause we're there... making sure your Home Banking is up at 3am in the morning; Making sure your deposits actually DO post at the right time, making sure every time you log into your computer, that your email comes up, Office works and all your files are there... People don't think about that every time they sit in front of their office / home computer, or log into their email account or home banking.. whenever it's broke tho, everyone knows right where to point the finger.
Don't take this as a rant on Tech Services or about how people suck and are thankless; this is just the way it is... it's just someone from a Tech Services perspective explaining it. It may be different in various organizations too.. thats just kinda how it is here. Tech Services is a pretty thankless job...but whenever we do good; we know it. And we take pride in the fact that really, most of the time... our stuff works like it's supposed to.
(oh; the 14-straight is the number of days we're having to work to make this happen... from last monday straight thru for two weeks.)
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