IT Support Specialist

IT Support Specialist

Title: IT Support Specialist
Location: North America-United States-Illinois
Other Locations:
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
* Responsible for providing PC technical support to Leica employees and its affiliates with the purpose of ensuring that customers needs are met and quality customer service is provided. Ensures compliance with Leica IT standards.
* Establish and maintain company-wide hardware and software standard for computers and related peripherals. Ensure standards compliance on all employee equipment. Maintain the systems and software image to support implementation and management of the standard.
* Responsible for day-to-day hardware and software technical support for Leica employees to provide customer service and solutions to technical problems. Applies tools and technology to fix the effect of the problem and identify and solve the underlying cause. Adjusts the standard as required. Maintains effective communications with employee during issue resolution.
* Monitor the status of employee's hardware and software installations, maintenance, and upgrades and PC life cycle in order to ensure that Leica employees have adequate equipment to meet Leica applications and computing needs. Ensure maintenance contract and repair plans are in place and up to date for all covered equipment. Facilitate the repair and replacement of equipment as necessary or strategically required. Identify and forecast phase-out and capital acquisition plans. Manage data backup and restoration (Disk-to-Disk / Tape-to-Disk).
* Manage the installation of licensed and third party software to ensure compliance with vendor requirements. Ensure upgrades and replacements of software are conducted in accordance the PC standards and configuration definitions. Report quarterly on installed base data.
* Evaluate emerging technologies and user requirements to identify more productive tools and applications in order to meet user needs. Provide vendor comparisons and evaluations to choose the most cost effective technologies available to meet their needs. Suggest modifications to the standard as appropriate.
* Provides remote employees with user friendly and effective tools for connectivity to Leica services in conjunction with defined security requirements (including PSTN dial-up, DSL, cable, calling cards, wireless and other 3rd party access methods), monitors utilization and costs, and recommends and establishes telecom standards in order to balance the most effective tools and process for the user community with the least amount of cost or investment.
* Tactically supports strategies for the usage, integration, and implementation of wireless voice and data services including cell phones, 802.11x, Voice-over-IP, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, etc. technologies in order to provide employees with increasingly productive tools to communicate voice and data, while minimizing complexity and cost.
* Assists in the maintenance of the physical plant infrastructures, including wiring and cabling for voice and data to central hub positions, punch-down panels, and switch/hub configuration and controls in order to ensure integrity and reliability of the telecomm infrastructure. Ensure wiring standards are maintained and upgraded as necessary. Implement physical wiring modifications for voice infrastructure. Ensure Leica standards are adhered to.

EDUCATION, SKILS & REQUIREMENTS:
* "A " certification from the PC consortium
* Microsoft certification (MCP, MCSE, etc) helpful
* High technical aptitude for both new and existing PC and applications technologies
* Solid understanding of PC computing concepts and basic networking technologies and wireless technologies
* Excellent problem solving skills, and ability to identify and implement creative solutions
* Analytical and detailed oriented to monitor utilization and cost effectiveness of services
* Excellent interpersonal and communications skills with both technical and business community members at all levels of management. Good conflict resolution skills.
* General and administrative skills and experience (helpful)
* Software Knowledge:
* Windows operating systems and Microsoft Office Applications
* Lotus Notes and administrative infrastructure
* Flexibility and the ability to multitask is an important skill to effectively the varying priorities and activities that often occur simultaneously.
* Employee should have self-motivation and ability to work independently with little supervision