Hello, and welcome to the IT Integration Update,

As most of you know, the IS departments of CHM, COM, CON and the HealthTeam are merging into a new organization called MSU Health Information Technology. While these are exciting and challenging times, they can also be unnerving if you feel you don’t know what is going on. In the spirit of keeping you informed, I plan to email you frequently with a summary of relevant information regarding how the integration is progressing.

1. What has happened thus far?

a. Email. We are making significant progress on a common calendaring and email system. All users will have email addresses in the form “Firstname.Lastname@hc.msu.edu”. But your existing Pilot, MSU and HealthTeam email addresses will continue to work, so there is no need to have business cards reprinted to reflect a new address. (For example, you may email me at either “John.Ford@ht.msu.edu” or “John.Ford@hc.msu.edu, or fordjo@msu.edu.) When new Outlook users appear in the Global Address List, you may use Outlook’s email and calendaring tools to invite these users to meetings, etc.

b. Realignment of Support Staff. We have moved computer support staff to offices at three primary locations on campus -- Fee Hall, Clinical Center and Life Sciences.
(1) Why the Realignment? Mixing and matching support staff fosters cross-training, builds new relationships with users, and extends staff expertise to a wider spectrum of users.

(2) How will I know them? Although the faces have changed, the commitment to fast, friendly computer service has not. All HIT field personnel can be identified by their ID badges.

c. How do I get Support? As of Friday, January 8, 2004, all HIT network users can call either 353-8829 (A114 East Fee), or 355-6531 (A118 Clinical Center.) All support calls are logged in the central Service Request System and are sorted by priority. (Please visit our web page at “http://www.healthteam.msu.edu/infosystems/” and click “Online Requests” to access the Service Request System.)

We are currently working on an IT integration web site which will include status updates, frequently asked questions, action plans and a list of our staff and their locations. Look for more details and the web site address in the next integration update. Please send comments on the IT integration process to us at HIT.Feedback@hc.msu.edu.