“A Day In The Life” is a new feature for TechTalk.  Communications employee Dana Graham, once a month, will follow around two of DIT’s “front-line” employees in order to gain a better understanding of their unit and job functions.  This information will be shared with all of DIT’s employees in hopes that we can better understand the inner workings of the department, as well as seek out areas for improvement.  If you know of someone that should be featured, email Dana at grahamd3@michigan.gov

Have you ever wondered who is responsible for maintaining the state’s massive phone system?  It is DIT’s Telecommunications & Network Management Division, and people like Tom Hengesbach.  He is a Communications Network Installer (CNI) and the subject of this month’s “Day in the Life” feature on TechTalk.  As a CNI, Tom is responsible for phone, voice, data systems.  His background in this field has been mostly hands-on training.  He previously was a communications tech for a company that contracted with Lottery.  Tom was hired by the state in 1998 and was transferred to DIT last fall.  During the time that I spent with him, Tom was assigned to the trouble tickets that came in to the Telecom shop – meaning he was responsible for fixing any problems that were reported. These trouble tickets are usually resolved within 4 hours.

The first building we visited was Constitution Hall.  This is a “smart building,” meaning coordinators can move a phone and computer without needing a tech.  Tom had to verify the cable connection to the switch port for a computer so that the administrators could activate the port.

Our next stop was the Treasury Building.  Tom was replacing a phone for a customer who reported a problem – the buttons were sticking.  This call could have been as simple as installing a new phone and closing the ticket, but we found out Tom had the incorrect replacement model and had to go back to get a different phone.  He said this is a problem he runs into occasionally – tickets give incorrect or incomplete information.

Our next stop was the Computer Room at the Treasury Building.  The older LMAN network has been switched to LMAN 2 and Tom has been disconnecting all the old LMAN circuits.  This is the fiber that connects buildings like Treasury, Mason, and Baker-Olin, and controls the network or supplies data to servers and data switches.  Tom said it is important to be accurate in this type of work, because “one wrong move and you can put a lot of people out of business.”  The Computer Rooms are considered the “brain” of the state network.  They have a raised floor, which not only allows cables to travel under the floor, but also keeps the equipment cool.  Cold air blows upward from the floor into the machines, helping prevent overheating.

Tom also showed me the Switch Room at the Mason building, which is the heart of the downtown phone system.  He had to “pull” a cable, meaning he had to install a new line.  He also helps to pull cables at construction sites, for instance in the Treasury Building.  A floor of the building was gutted and is being rebuilt in order to bring equipment up to code and save money.  By installing new, more efficient equipment, the state saves money.

When assigned to trouble repair Tom could be in one any of over 100 buildings in the Lansing area. He could also travel to Saginaw, Grand Rapids, and Flint.  One of his favorite parts of the job is meeting new people.  “There are new personalities all the time,” he says.  Tom would also like to see a few things improve.  For instance, he’d like the network installers to have access to view the switch software.  Right now, the installers call the service center 10-20 times per week to check on information about a phone.  If they could view this themselves, it would take some pressure off the Telecom Service Center.  Also, Tom would like to have up-to-date detailed floor plans of moves and construction projects, so that the installers know exactly where data cables, phones and faxes are going.  Having this information would allow them to be much more efficient in providing service to DIT’s clients.

So the next time you pick up your phone and get right through to the person you are calling, thank Tom and his fellow Communications Network Installers!