Help and Support

The Service Desk is your first point of contact for IT support at the University of Aberdeen.

How to Contact Us

Telephone: +44 (0) 1224 27-3636

• When all telephone operators are busy, you will be put through to voicemail.

Email: servicedesk@abdn.ac.uk

Opening hours

Edward Wright Building, Old Aberdeen (Room G83)

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 09:00-17:00
• Wednesday 10:30-17:00

Polwarth Building, Foresterhill (Room 1:122)

• Monday-Wednesday, Friday 09:00-17:00
• Thursday 09:00-16:00

The Sir Duncan Rice Library, Old Aberdeen (Information Centre)

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10:00-16:00
• Wednesday 13:00-16:00

An out-of-hours helpline operates from 17:00 to 08:00 weekdays and provides 24 hour cover over weekends and public holidays.

Web Self Service

If it’s not convenient to visit the Service Desk in person, or if our phone lines busy, you can use our Self Service web facility instead. Use the Web Self Service to:

• log a new call with the Service Desk
• update your call with new information
• check the progress of any open calls you have logged

• Login to the Web Self Service System

Note: Login requires a valid university computing username and password.

Off campus access to this service requires the proxy to be set.

The Relationship Management team focuses on strategic IT development, change management and internal project management, as well as ensuring IT Services provides an effective and timely operational service.

The team comprises

• Relationship Management
• Program and Project Management and
• the General Office

Contact us if...

• You are planning to make any business change that may affect your IT service requirements, eg business process development, teaching initiatives, restructuring of areas, new buildings, new equipment etc
• You are applying for funding for non standard IT equipment
• You have a suggestion about our services - we welcome your suggestions, which help us improve standards

For operational support or standard requests please contact the Service Desk.

Relationship Management

The Relationship Managers work closely with colleges, schools, disciplines, and departments to ensure that IT Services provides you with the IT services and support you need to achieve your organisational aims and objectives.

• Dean Phillips - Head of Relationship Management and Relationship Manager for Admin and Library
  G40, Edward Wright Building
  d.phillips@abdn.ac.uk, ext 3666
• Russell Moffatt - Relationship Manager for CoPS
  177, Fraser Noble Building
  r.moffatt@abdn.ac.uk, ext 2685
• Alison Povall - Relationship Manager for CLSM
  0:057, Polwarth Building, FH
  a.povall@abdn.ac.uk, ext 7080
• Gail Smillie - Relationship Manager for CASS
  A03, Powis Gate
  gail.smillie@abdn.ac.uk, ext 3778

Program and Project Management

The Program Manager and Project Managers develop and deliver University-wide IT projects - see the IT Services website for list of current and previous projects.

• Mike Whyment - Program Manager
  G54, Edward Wright
  m.whyment@abdn.ac.uk, ext 4487
• Kenny Bruce - Project Manager
  G54 Edward Wright
  k.d.bruce@abdn.ac.uk, ext 3723
• Debbie Connon - Project Manager
  G54 Edward Wright
  d.connon@abdn.ac.uk, ext 3332
• Julia Lawrie - Graduate Trainee Project Manager
  G54 Edward Wright
  julia.lawrie@abdn.ac.uk, ext 3366
• Joseph Sparshatt - Graduate Trainee Project Manager
  G54 Edward Wright
  j.sparshatt@abdn.ac.uk, ext 3249

General Office

• Lynne Kirton - Office Manager and PA to IT Services Management
  G40 Edward Wright
  l.kirton@abdn.ac.uk, ext 3368
• Julie Forbes - Clerical Assistant
  G40 Edward Wright
  j.forbes@abdn.ac.uk, ext 3371
• Nicola Gray - Clerical Assistant
  G40 Edward Wright
  nicolagray@abdn.ac.uk, ext 3344
• Irene Milligan - Switchboard Operator
  Reception, University Office
  i.milligan@abdn.ac.uk

The University of Aberdeen offers a range of assistive technology that may be useful for disabled students. All classroom and library PCs have assistive software, available through shortcuts along the top of the classroom Desktop.

In addition to the computer classroom and library Assistive Technology Provision, there are nine Assistive Technology Booths (ATBs) across the campus. The ATBs are single-user computer rooms which have more specialised assistive software in addition to that which is installed in the classrooms. All equipment is located on electrically-operated height adjustable desks, and a scanner is provided in each booth.

All booths may be booked online via the form on the Assistive Technology website.

For more information about Assistive Technology, including documentation and guides, a list of available software and equipment, and an online booking facility for the ATBs, visit our Assistive Technology website.

The Training and Documentation (TaD) Team provides documentation and user guides supporting the use of University IT systems and services.

• Workbooks for self-study - MS Office applications and more
• Fact sheets

Change Your Password

We strongly encourage you to change your computing password at least once per year.

We have designed a simple utility to guide you through the password changing process quickly and easily.

• www.abdn.ac.uk/local/passwd

Why change your password?

You use your password to login to classroom PCs, networked departmental PCs, University email, some local web services (eg exam database, web proxy), central UNIX systems, MyAberdeen, and the University’s wireless service. To ensure that your information is secure, you must change your password regularly.

Subversion

Subversion (SVN for short) is a version (or source) control system (see Wikipedia: Revision control) mainly intended as an aid to software development. Subversion lets you store your source code (mainly, but any file type can be used) in a central location (a repository) that you can share with other developers. Subversion tracks each change made to the repository and allows you to revert to any previous version of a file you've stored there.

For full details of what subversion can do for you, visit the svnbook.red-bean.com website. See www.abdn.ac.uk/local/subversion for details.

Streaming Media

Stream your own video or audio clips using this service. It is based around Adobe’s Flash Media Server and offers video streaming for Flash and mp4 files (see www.abdn.ac.uk/local/streaming). Self-registration is required to use the service. Also available is audio-only streaming via the Icecast package - contact the Service Desk if you want to use this service.