About - All you need to know about the DoIT Departments

Client Support

Client Support provides customer support, documentation of Division of Information Technology services, installation and maintenance of administrative computers on West Campus. Client Support all supports student personal computers connecting to the campus network. Its mission is to assist faculty, staff and students with resolution of computing problems. To this end, Client Support provides:

  • Information concerning Stony Brook computing resources and facilities
  • Installation and configuration of software and hardware
  • Software application training and training manuals
  • Setting up printer and server shares on individual computers which enable users to access network resources and shared files
  • Assistance with backing up and archiving important files
  • Technical recommendations when it comes to equipment purchases
  • Responses to resident report calls concerning network trouble and other computing issues

Client Support works with other groups on campus that employ their own computer support staff by making them aware of the services offered by the Division of Information Technology, providing any necessary assistance, and generally encouraging the use of University-wide solutions.

Located on the fifth floor of the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library on West Campus, Client Support’s office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Client Support offers assistance and is accessible in the following ways:

  • By Telephone - Client Support Help Desk (631) 632-9800
    The Client Support phones are staffed and answered 18 hours a day, five days a week. All calls are entered into a ticketing system, so that technicians are able to call faculty, staff and students back as quickly as possible. Technicians manning the help-desk phones are required to get complete and accurate information from the caller, including full name, contact number, office information, and description of the problem.
  • Live Chat
    Members of the campus community can now contact a Client Support representative via an instant messaging service. Click on the "Need Help?
    Chat Live Now!" link located on the left side of the Division of Information Technology home page.
  • Remote Assistance
    With a customer's permission, Client Support technicians are capable of remotely connecting to a user's machine using Bomgar software to help resolve issues. A technician will determine if this is the best way to resolve a problem during the troubleshooting process.
  • In Person - Student Service Center/Drop-in Service
    Hours:      Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
    Location:  Fifth floor of the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library (room S-5410)
    This is the place where students, faculty, and staff bring their computers when they experience problems. For faculty and staff, this only applies to work machines. Client Support is prohibited from working on the personal computers of faculty and staff members. It usually takes between 3-5 days for a computer to be returned to a customer when they drop it off. During Client Support's busy time (at the start of each semester), it can take up to a week for a computer to be returned. Hand carts are rented out so that students can easily transport their machines to the Drop-In Center. Customers must fill out a form and show their Stony Brook ID card when they drop off and pick up their computers.
  • Room/Office Visits
    Technicians can be sent to a student’s room or an employee's office to provide computer support. All technicians carry official badges so that they are easily identifiable. Call Client Support at (631) 632-9800 to schedule a room or office visit.

The Client Support team uses tools such as SMS to remotely connect to users’ machines in order to distribute software packages and/or install updates to existing applications on campus. In addition, Client Support offers downloadable software to the campus community through a special Web site called Softweb.

Documentation and training about administrative applications and supported software used by campus members is provided through Client Support. Classroom training sessions are led by the training team. These sessions allow for hands-on practice of specific exercises. Class descriptions, dates and online registration can be found on the Division of Information Technology Web site. If you would like more information about training, please call (631) 632-1232.