From iPhones to Tasers: EasyVista Helps WADOC IT Support Their 8,000 Users

The best quote from yesterday’s InformationWeek article featuring our customer Washington Department of Corrections, didn’t make it to print. In fact, it was in our first meeting with Susan Nunziata, InformationWeek’s Editorial Director, who said: “This is one of our more unique end user customer stories of the year.” And it really is.

It’s always exciting to see how our technology is being leveraged in unique ways by interesting customers—and it doesn’t get more unique than working with the Washington Department of Corrections!

When InformationWeek heard about the story, they were quick to sit down with Michelle Greene, Systems and Applications Supervisor for WADOC, to get the full scoop on how they revamped their ITSM tools and processes to support 8,000 corrections offers and staffers and track 33,000 assets. Greene explained that in a lot of ways, a state prison system faces many of the same challenges as any large enterprise—servicing a dispersed workforce, managing user apps for efficiency, and tracking a growing and changing set of assets. What’s different in this case, is that assets don’t typically consist of things like video surveillance gear, GPS devices, and Tasers. Additionally, SLAs on some apps and services issues require a two-hour turnaround time due to the high stakes. For example, if video cameras are down, IT needs to respond quickly to restore visibility. This means that 24x7 support is essential and functionality like automation and self-service is important for WADOC’s IT team to stay ahead of the game.

With EasyVista, WADOC was able to implement or improve Incident Management, Change Management, Asset Management, and Configuration Management, introducing automated workflows and self-service options to its customers. Once staff members got the hang of the new, streamlined system, they were able to let it do the time-consuming work for them. So what is Greene’s team doing now that they have free time?

"Here's where documentation comes in, here's where continuous improvement comes in," said Greene. "Most IT shops experience an inability to document everything you do and keep that documentation up to date. We have more time now, and we have the ability to say, 'What next can we automate?'"

Check out the full story and hear about WADOC’s next EasyVista project which includes implementing custom service apps: Tech And Tasers: IT Support In Washington's Prison System

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Read more about WA DOC’s service management journey and why they chose EasyVista’s mobile-first platform in this customer success story.

Read about another interesting EV customer in this recent post: Domtar Keeps Users and Service Desk Staff Happy with EasyVista