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Posted: May 1, 2009

We are excited to announce the launch of a new Vsystem intranet tool, the Varsity Knowledge Center. Varsity Knowledge Center is a wiki application that allows for self-service management of web site content. It can be accessed by clicking on the new Varsity Knowledge Center Icon in the Varsity University panel of the Vsystem.

Given the company’s priorities for growth, retention and JanOPS implementation, Varsity Knowledge Center will be release with a soft implementation. A soft implementation means there will be no organized support or usage requirements coinciding with the implementation. Users are free to self-discover and learn the system at their leisure. Support will be provided to those who request help. You can contact the IT department for any training requests related to Varsity Knowledge Center.


Applications

Anticipated uses for Varsity Knowledge Center include:

  • Replacing the existing Policy and Procedure manual on the old intranet. Current policies have been migrated and will gradually be updated. In addition to policy, departments will have the ability to post non-policy knowledge to this site. (i.e.Instructions, guidelines, reference content, spreadsheet template instructions, etc.)
  • Replacing the existing Forms section of the old intranet. Most of the existing forms have been migrated. To ease the transition, links have been temporarily placed on the old intranet to direct users to the proper location for forms on Varsity Knowledge Center.
  • Replacing existing Reference Centers. The Kronos Reference Center has been migrated. Migration of the remaining reference centers will be coordinated with the departments or individuals responsible for the content on those reference centers.
  • Providing vendor, partner, and customer portals. Specific branches of Varsity Knowledge Center can be used for file and information sharing with vendors, partners, and customers. Vendors, partners, and customers can be given a varsitycontractors.com username and password which will take them directly to their section of Varsity Knowledge Center. For help with setting up portals, contact IT at 208-232-8598 ext. 3035 or at techsupport@varsitycontractors.com.
  • Providing regions, districts, areas, or project groups a private wiki site for coordination and collaboration. Private branches of Varsity Knowledge center can be created as needed. For help with setting up private Varsity Knowledge Center branches, contact IT at 208-232-8598 ext. 3035 or at techsupport@varsitycontractors.com.

Features

Varsity Knowledge Center’s features include: Google-like search, topic bookmarks, topic subscriptions, automated approval workflow, record level permissions, topic version retention, topic level discussions, and many more. You can click on the “Quick Tips” link at the top right section of Varsity Knowledge Center to get a preview of Varsity Knowledge Center features.

Who Can View and Add Content?

Varsity Knowledge Center provides extensive flexibility on who can view, add, edit, approve, review and delete topics. Varsity employees can add content to Varsity Knowledge Center by default, and they can be restricted from doing so if needed. Other users like customers, vendors, or subcontractors can be given permission to add content to a topic as well, and they can be restricted from view topics unrelated to them. The system requires that (before the topic goes live for everyone to see) each topic be approved by the person who is assigned as the owner of the topic. For first level topics, the default owner is the functional manager or regional manager responsible for the topic (e.g., Accounting=Cathy Judge, Pinnacle Region=John Kelly etc..). Owners may allow others to approve subtopics if needed.

Where to get help

Instructions for basic Varsity Knowledge Center Tasks can be found in the Knowledge Center How-To’s branch of Varsity Knowledge Center. Additional questions or suggestions can be directed to the IT department at 208-232-8598 ext. 3035 or at techsupport@varsitycontractors.com.