Who are the “Cyber Dawgs?” Published Feb. 8, 2008 By Lt. Col. Dan Liggins 319th Communications Squadron Commander GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- In the world of information technology, you may be familiar with some of the services offered by commercial retailers. Best Buy® has the Geek Squad™ and Circuit City® has the Fire Dogs™ to assist customers with computer-related issues. Now, Grand Forks AFB has its own team of IT specialists known as the "Cyber Dawgs." The concept is simple: instead of 140 Client Support Administrators dispersed throughout the wing, one work center was created in the network control center with a centralized team of 10 highly trained IT specialists who can provide better support to our customers. The Communications Squadron has "leaned" its processes over the past year and taken key steps to improve the quality of service to the wing. At the same time, we have met reduced manning and cost-saving requirements in accordance with Program Budget Decision 720, Base Realignment and Closure Committee guidance, and a transformation within the information management career field. The consolidation of information managers from 26 base units into an autonomous work section has led to drastic improvements in the Communication Squadrons' ability to rapidly respond to computer-related problems encountered by base users. The Cyber Dawg team is comprised of professional Airmen with significant experience and training in computer client support. Equipped with the latest network management tools, the team can now provide unprecedented and highly specialized service to the customer using remote desktop tools and on-site support when necessary. The days of additional duty CSAs are history. Today, Warriors of the North experiencing IT concerns can simply call the dedicated hotline 747-COMM (747-2666), Option 1, and be connected to a Call Center specialist. Network and e-mail problems can often be resolved over the phone in less than five minutes. If the problem requires more detailed troubleshooting, the Call Center technician will create a trouble-reporting ticket and provide the customer a ticket reference number. Trouble-ticket information is promptly sent to the Cyber Dawgs for swift action and customers can inquire about the status using the ticket number. Additionally, a special hotline is available to commanders for critical communications issues. Who are the Cyber Dawgs? They are a world-class team within the Communications Squadron that provides wing-wide support to resolve your IT-related issues. Please continue to provide us with feedback through the on-line Interactive Customer Evaluations (ICE) comment card so that we can make sure your experience is as positive as it can be--it is our constant goal to offer you the best support possible.