Performance Experts Offer GÉANT's Users Full-time Support Service

On 28 February 2005, GÉANT2's Performance Enhancement and Response Team (PERT) successfully completed the pilot phase of its performance
support and troubleshooting service for users of the pan-European research network GÉANT. The move to a full production service represents a significant milestone in European research networking, and a resounding endorsement of a team that began life staffed by a few enthusiastic volunteers.

The sophistication of the researchers and projects that are making use of GÉANT is continuing to grow. The PERT is offering a unique support service - giving users the opportunity to communicate their needs, and to see real results.

Since 1 March 2005, the virtual team of networking experts has offered a full production service to users of the GÉANT network. During normal working hours (09:00-17:00 CET), at least one dedicated Case Manager is busy initialising investigations from user requests, overseeing and managing their progress, and closing cases once users are satisfied with the outcome.

Previously the causes of network performance problems could be obscured by the distributed infrastructure of the GÉANT cloud. The PERT offers the possibility of efficiently localising the troublespot and solving the real source of any problem. An end-user who experiences a network performance issue can log a problem via their normal IT support channels, who can then escalate it to the PERT. During normal working hours (09:00-17:00 CET), at least one dedicated Case Manager is available to act as the collecting point for these customer enquiries. Case Managers initialise investigations, oversee and manage their progress, and close cases once users are satisfied with the outcome.

To complement the broad range of network expertise possessed by the Case Managers, the PERT also includes a number of subject matter experts (SMEs). Case Managers can turn to these experts for their detailed knowledge and experience of specific network performance tools and techniques. The team has access to a number of online support tools, including a specially-developed ticket system, a knowledge base, and a shared team diary to ensure visibility of the work that is being done across the PERT.

The launch of the PERT reflects GÉANT2’s clear focus on supporting the real needs of its end users, and another success for the project’s vision of end-to-end networking provision.