I served as the Non-IT Admin for about 4 years for my organization before IT took over the program and can sympathize with much of what Connie expressed.  There were good points and some not-so-good points.  I ended up serving as admin by default when the previous admin was assigned a new position; I had only been scanning for a few months up until that point.  Talk about sink or swim!

Last year when we upgraded to Rio, IT agreed to take ownership of the program. It was a relief and a disappointment at the same time.  I didn't have the time necessary to devote to really expanding LF, but I very much miss serving as admin.  A downside now is that we are in the same catch that many organizations experience.  If IT didn't initially bring in LF and they haven't actively been using it, it's difficult for them to now administrate.  Sure they can restart servers and assign privileges, they can even have a good understanding of workflows, but they aren't really users which makes answering front-end questions hard to do. IT can be very involved with LF, but by nature of the program, it's not really a program that they would have to go in and use very often; not like a social worker who can see the significant decrease in paperwork, or an AR processor who benefits from an integration with financial software.  We're looking for expertise without experience, and if there's one thing I KNOW about LF it's that if you don't use it, you're going to have a hard time getting to know it.

I do believe that organizations need to invest in a full time position to administrate LF (be it IT or otherwise) if they really want to get the maximum benefit from the program.  Additionally, I do believe that person needs to be someone who has worked with all aspects of LF, from Capture up.  That's the best way to learn the program, and the best way to ensure that you can assist on every level.  And honestly, that's where you'll find your most passionate supporters.  Those folks WANT to get in there and do the work to maximize LF.  They want to see it grow to everything they know it can be. They'll constantly be drumming up the next integration, workflow and form because they know what it can do for other users.  I say, non-IT is a great place to look for administrators.  Go find a smart user and invest in some techy training to teach them the finer points on servers and back ups. They might just be the best Admin you could ever hope for.

Ha ha, I'll keep an eye on your job openings :) Is the IT firm you speak of your Laserfiche reseller -or- is there a separate entity? The reason for my asking is that 'usually' the reseller offers support for Laserfiche. If you are not certain, find a copy of the purchase agreement and see exactly what was paid for. Sometimes the reseller includes support for 'X' number of hours for assistance with new projects etc. That could help you out, I am sure.

My point is just that I would confirm what your arrangement is for support since you are not having your needs met with your current outsourced IT company.

Thanks you very much for the feedback. I can use all of it!

I am a non-IT LF Administrator. 

• I started this job Feb 2014 as Records Mgmt Clerk with my first task to create the repository for our staff and get them moved into LF, along with other more minor tasks.
• How is it working?  It's working; it's not ideal.  Need IT support and our situation is not ideal (out-sourced IT firm, located an hour away).
• Have you found that by having the Laserfiche admin outside of IT/IS, they can get more done? Or is the opposite true?  It's good not to have to worry about the IT side of things, however, with our IT staff not intimately involved in (or interested in) learning LF, there are problems.  There is a lot of learning involved for them to be able to properly look after us and they just don't have the time (or interest).  There is suspicion on both sides that the other side doesn't know what they are talking about.  I don't trust that they have everything set up right, but what do I know.  They don't think I need the things I ask them for, so I sometimes have to fight for what I need from them.
• How do you handle permissions and authority of the Laserfiche admin if they are NOT a formal member of IT/IS?  Currently, we have chosen not to keep confidential items in LF.  I have all rights, currently; no one else does.  I have set up security for a few folders, largely as part of my training but also in anticipation that we'll need some security eventually (we are still in the middle of getting all our departments into LF).
• If you had your choice, which would it be?    Ideally?  A very talented IT person with some specific training for LF, on site 5 days a week, able to tweak things for me when needed (reaching for the moon!).

I believe it's important to have a separate LF Administrator to set up the repository and take the corporation through the implementation plan, training of staff, and getting the departments into LF; then being available to sit with staff helping them out as they adjust; finally, reviewing all the staff's processes and creating new processes for them (using Workflows, Business Processes, LF Forms).  I see the last part possibly taking up their entire second year of working as the LF Administrator.  This person needs to be fully assigned to this work, without other responsibilities.  

Having your regular IT staff handling the IT end of LF helps to allow the Administrator to focus on the tasks I mentioned above.  That being said, after all those tasks have been completed, there is less need to have the two separate individuals.  I think I've accidentally made a case for hiring a consultant for a two year contract to accomplish all that is needed in the first two years after purchasing the LF software.

Connie Prendergast

Records Management Clerk/LF Administrator, Flagstaff County, AB