Primary Efforts

Requirements Gathering, Task Analysis, Interface Design, Prototype Development and Testing, Template Development

The Challenge

The RemoteView portal was based on an integration a number of best of breed tools including HP OpenView’s Network Node Manager, WebQos, ServiceDesk and Norton AntiVirus. Each of these applications ran in different environments and on different platforms, making the cost of implementation prohibitive for smaller firms. In addition each of the applications had their own unique look and feel as well as their own distinct workflows. The challenge was to unify these applications into a common user interface and to ensure that common workflows and messaging were used without compromising functionality.

The Process

A core set of functional requirements was identified through market research and customer interviews. The functional requirements were then mapped to existing solutions and grouped into discreet product offerings. In this way an SI could subscribe to only the application components he needed in order to manage a client’s system. Since SI users tended to manage multiple client systems concurrently, they required a unified monitoring system in addition to individual client level detail.

The product offerings where prototyped and tested with SI users to ensure that the individual application components met functional requirements, and that the suite of components was felt to be complete and robust.

The Solution

A component based application architecture was decided upon in order to enable system integrators to subscribe only to the services they required for each of their individual clients. Because an average system integrator managed up to 50 client networks at any one time, a multi-tiered interface frame work was developed giving an overview of all clients at a glance in addition to client specific views.

Some management applications - such as ServiceDesk Manager - included functionality which allowed the system integrator to provide clients with an online tool for client employees to report issues and receive technical support. In addition all of the tools provided functionality which allowed client users to monitor their relationship (budget or service level agreement) with the system integrator through reports and high level status indicators.