Sandia’s IT bar adds second location, storefront option

Imagine returning to work after a lovely vacation and trying to reboot your computer, only to be greeted by a black or blue screen. Now what?

If you have an unclassified laptop and are in the Albuquerque area, you can bring it to one of the two Swift IT Bar locations for in-person assistance. One is at the Innovation Parkway Office Center, and the other is on base in Building 801. In California, the Swift IT Bar is in Building 915. For classified systems or heavy desktop computers, it’s best to call the Corporate Computing Help Desk, commonly known as CCHD.

“Swift is an IT walk-up facility where you can get support for your Windows, Macintosh or Linux computer, as well as your iPhone and iPad,” said Goldie Mitchell, service manager for Swift. “You can get hardware and software support, and peripherals. It is first-come, first-served, so no appointment or prior ticket is needed.”

When you arrive at the Swift IT Bar, you’ll check in with the concierge, who will record your issue and add you to the queue. You can have a seat on the couches until a technician is available. The team aims to keep wait times below five minutes, though mornings and noon wait times can be a bit longer, said Christian Orehek, Encantado team lead. Wednesdays and Thursdays are typically less busy, he added.

The computer support technician will take you to the sunlit laptop service room, diagnose and fix your computer and address any other IT concerns. If your Sandia iPhone is malfunctioning, a Mobility technician can look at it. If your password has expired, a Password Administration satellite office within the IPOC Swift IT Bar can help.

“If it’s broken, you can just walk in and we’ll cover it,” Christian said. “We’re a one-stop shop for phone problems, new computers, and expired passwords. We do it all. It takes some of the guesswork out of getting IT support.”

The two Swift locations in New Mexico are staffed with subcontractors from Encantado Technical Solutions.

Speedy shopping at Storefront

The Swift Storefront, located at the IPOC location, opened in June 2024. In partnership with Sandia’s approved small-business vendors Holman’s Inc. and Wildflower International, the storefront offers about 10 models of desktop computers and laptops from Dell, HP and Apple, as well as peripherals like headsets, webcams, badge readers, keyboards, mice, docking stations and monitors.

“You can come in, look at the options, buy one, and get set up usually the same day,” Goldie said. “If you come in at 4 p.m., we’ll need overnight; if you come in at 8 a.m., you’ll usually have your new computer by lunchtime. This is especially beneficial for remote workers or folks visiting from the California site.”

A technician at each Swift IT Bar specializes in setting up new computers and reimaging old ones for new users. All equipment is pre-approved and meets Sandia requirements, with pricing the same as through the Just-In-Time vendor system, but without the wait, Mitchell said.

“Having on-site inventory and not needing to wait for vendors to process orders really helps reduce downtime customers would otherwise experience,” added Amanda O’Neill, manager overseeing Swift.

Janet Laros, an office administrative assistant and recent Swift IT Bar customer, praised the prompt service.

“The Swift IT Bar is an amazing resource,” Janet said. “When my laptop died, I went to the Swift IT Bar and walked out 30 minutes later with a brand-new laptop ready to use. I’ve since sent two employees to them.”

Excellent service at a second location

While getting to touch a new laptop or headset before purchasing it is a clear perk, the main mission for Swift is solving Sandians’ IT problems.

“I’m really proud of the service we offer,” Christian said. “We strive to make this a comfortable place to learn. Half of what we do is fixing and the other half is educating. We’re here to help and make it comfortable and sometimes fun. I’m glad we can take some stress out of people’s day.”

Goldie agrees.

“People appreciate the face-to-face interaction and having techs there to help them get up and running,” she said. “We have an amazing group passionate about customer service. CCHD and Computer Support Unit technicians are excellent, but face-to-face interaction with IT is a real winner.”

A second New Mexico Swift IT Bar, in Building 801, opened in December 2023. In February, this location began offering support for Linux computers, Goldie said.

“Getting a second, on-base location is a huge accomplishment,” she said.

According to Amanda, in January, the Swift IT Bars in New Mexico and California assisted more than 900 people with their IT issues.

Service hubs during CrowdStrike

Exceptional IT service isn’t just the objective for ordinary days at Swift; it’s also the mission during major incidents.

For example, the Swift IT Bars served as hubs during the CrowdStrike outage, a faulty security update that caused millions of Windows computers globally to be stuck on a blue screen of death, which Goldie described as “the Super Bowl of IT.”

On Friday, July 19, and over the weekend, remote and telecommuters were instructed to bring affected laptops to the nearest Swift IT Bar, which were staffed with technicians from across the IT service center. Other IT and cyber professionals also picked up thumb drives with the fix before walking the Labs and restoring computers in unlocked offices and cubicles, Amanda said.

“It was an all-hands-on-deck situation,” Orehek said. “I’m really proud of how the Swift team and the greater service center pulled together. Nobody was having ‘fun’ turning on their computer to a blue screen, but we tried to serve with a smile and turn it into a positive experience.”

According to Goldie, the Swift IT Bars and the exceptional teamwork restored more than 14,000 computers, enabling Sandia to get back to work faster than any other DOE lab.

Goldie and her team are working to soon allow administrative assistants to purchase from the Swift storefront on behalf of the staff they support and are exploring how the Swift IT Bars can best serve new employees.

“I can’t wait to see where it goes in the coming years as we continue to innovate,” Goldie said. “We have reduced procurement time by weeks and are getting customers up and running much faster.