Newsletters - Volume 53

The National Service Desk

Article written by James Stonehouse, NSD Agent

“Good day, you have reached the Canadian Forces Network Operations Centre, how may I help you?”

Although the call response may be generic, the nature of our calls varies from the simplest password reset to troubleshooting complex circuits and their systems on a daily basis.

The National Service Desk (NSD) is an integral part of the CFNOC Watch and is made up of 12 individuals with various experiences in the field, consisting of both civilian and ex-military IT professionals, giving it a well rounded base of expertise. As the single point of contact for our many commands, operation centres and other agencies, CFNOC deals with a wide array of communication problems including classified and unclassified networks and their associated systems. This includes ensuring the connectivity integrity of our many systems on a global level, being domestic, international and on the deployed operations front.

“Working on the National Service Desk is truly a team effort. We’re continually working with and learning from each other, whether it be explaining how a particular system is deployed overseas or ensuring that everyone maintains situational awareness of an ongoing incident” -- Norm McCarvill, NSD Agent

Our team uses a multitude of applications and tools in order to effectively monitor our networks, pinpoint problems, access knowledge bases and provide information to other organizations as necessary. We work hand-in-hand with the military in providing technical co-ordination with the many service providers and also play a part in the situational awareness to their commanders. We are also responsible in the distribution of work requests fielded at the desk to the various support departments within DND and ensure the quality control of the incidents reported. The service desk also has the added protection of having the military controllers providing the business continuity for the watch, as well as the authority for calls and incidents that require escalation.

“We here at CFNOC are continually striving to improve our capabilities as well as create a comfortable liaison environment with our clients. Our helpdesk is unique to the CF and our possibilities are ever evolving, so call our magic number of quadruple seven (613-945-7777) and any one of our agents will be happy to assist you”. – Michel Boivin, NSD Agent

If you’d like to learn more about the CFNOC National Service Desk or think you may have what it takes to become a member of our team, please feel free to contact either of the following personnel:

Maj Greg Holman, CFNOC DCO (greg.holman(at)forces.gc.ca); or
CPO1 Mario Racicot, CFNOC CWO (mario.racicot(at)forces.gc.ca).