Remote support has evolved considerably since the early days.  Firewalls, NATs, and various incompatibilities presented stumbling blocks, frustrating the customers.  Mature remote support products overcame these hurdles leading to very impressed customers.  More often than not, customers verbally express their surprise at how quick we are able to establish a ScreenConnect session-- from the point of the customer typing in a URL until full screen control, we often are connected in under 20 seconds.  I expect competitive products deliver nearly as solid experiences.

So who gets the credit?

In most cases, the remote support vendor. Whether it be intentional, or just overlooked, most remote support products plaster their branding throughout the user experience. Even when the vendor advertises "branding" and "customization", generally they find a few places to sneak in their company and/or product name. Just ask anyone who uses Bomgar how many times they've had to explain to a customer what the "Orange B" is for!

We have taken a bit of a hybrid approach with ScreenConnect. Admittedly, the "vanilla" ScreenConnect installation has a healthy display of our logo, our brand name, and even with a link back to our homepage. However, from the start, we have provided a very straight-forward customization panel in our administration area. This has led to some very "unique" installations, and in many cases we don't even recognize our own product!

We took customization a step further in 1.8. The Host and Guest Clients--the applications that run on the computers--are now able to be completely branded. Wherever we displayed "ScreenConnect" before, can be replaced with your company or service name. Check it out (image to the right)!

So what are the chances that this will happen-- The "mystery" as to which remote support software is used will generate more buzz for ScreenConnect than plastering our logo everywhere. We don't like our odds with this, but at least our customers will be happier with our own anonymity.

Using Built-in Automation Features of IssueNet

This month’s Tech Tip focuses on the use of IssueNet Monitor jobs to run scheduled jobs such as sending email notifications based on a set of criteria. The Tech Tip explains how to configure a monitor job using an XML file and how to schedule the job using Windows Scheduler.  Monitor jobs are one of the many useful features designed to help you manage projects more proactively and help you manage your issues instead of the issues managing you.

Using monitor jobs will cut down on the drudgery of repetitive tasks, though we admit it may not entertain the cat.

Tech Tip 74 - Running Scheduled Monitor Jobs (elsitech.com)

What is ScreenConnect?

ScreenConnect is the upcoming remote assistance/screen sharing product from Elsinore Technologies.  The product is a slim and effective remote assistance product that is easily self-hosted and will be priced to disrupt the current marketplace.  The product is targeted at both customer support operations, as well as internal employee desktop support. 

ScreenConnect Applications

1. Remote Technical Assistance
2. Help Desk 1 to 1 Support
3. Screen-sharing Presentations
4. Product Technical Support
5. Ad-hoc Screensharing

How does ScreenConnect work?

ScreenConnect is hosted in your own environment.  All operations are browser-based.  Individuals needing support are provided a link by a technician in order to initiate a session.  Once accepted a straightforward screen sharing session where the technician is granted remote control is initiated. 

Is ScreenConnect part of IssueNet?

ScreenConnect is not a part of IssueNet.  It is a separate product with a completely separate code base.  However, Elsinore Technologies will be providing ScreenConnect free of charge to all IssueNet customers on active support and maintenance!  We appreciate our loyal customers and want to put this valuable tool in their hands as soon as possible.  This should allow many of our customers to discontinue monthly subscriptions to services like GoToAssist and Webex, saving several thousand dollars a year for their departments.

ScreenConnect is an extremely complimentary product to IssueNet.  IssueNet is widely used by customer support departments and help desks for computer software - the same place that remote support/screen sharing tools are typically found.

When can I start using ScreenConnect?

ScreenConnect is NOW available as a Technical Preview release.  This is a fully functioning release that we are actively using internally at Elsinore.  It is not a final commerical release, so there are still bugs to be resolved and features to polish, but we are very excited about the current state of the product.  To receive a copy of the technical preview release please contact sean.white@elsitech.com . 

The official commerical release will go live in Q1 2009.  An exact date has not yet been set. 

ScreenConnect Mentions/Articles

ScreenConnect Remote Assistance - Tech Preview Available - 11/18/2008

ScreenConnect Remote Assistance Product Announced - 10/17/2008

This month's tech tip is an indispensable one - be sure to have a look! 

Over the years Elsinore has built into its products a number of features designed to streamline common tasks and enhance your productivity. Many of these features have been included in Elsinore products for years while a few new ones have been introduced as of the IssueNet 5.0 release. Because many of these features are so tightly integrated into the product, some go unnoticed by even highly experienced users. In this month’s tech tip we will review the Top 10 IssueNet productivity features.

1. Quick Edit Window
2. Bookmarks
3. New Item Context Menus
4. Save Search as Query
5. Mass Update
6. Window Docking and Pinning
7. Save, Restore, and Reset Workspace
8. Spell Check on Update
9. Update on Form Close
10. Column Layout Options 

This announcement has been covered in several other mediums over on elsitech.com and through the official press release, but I did want to cover it at least briefly over here on blogs.elsitech.com.

Relevant Links:

• Elsinore Technologies Release Version 5.0 of IssueNet Enterprise Issue Management Software - Elsitech.com
• Official Press Release on PRWEB
• IssueNet 5.0 Release Notes
• Download IssueNet 5.0 from support.elsitech.com
• IssueNet 5.0 Online Demo Environment
• Live Webinar Sign-Up Form

We're certainly excited to have this release completed and available to the users. As a reminder, both major and minor releases are freely available for download to IssueNet customers on active support and maintenance. (Does not apply to VI to IssueNet upgrades.) The 5.0 release can be downloaded from support.elsitech.com.

Congratulations IssueNet for reaching the big five-O!

As the developers of IssueNet, we are often asked how we use the product internally. There are two answers to that question, the operational answer and the practical day-to-day answer. Operationally we use IssueNet for many core functions: software defect tracking, external customer support, internal IT help desk, CRM, and miscellaneous issue tracking. But what people are usually asking is: in the practical course of our days, how do we interface with the system most? It varies some from department to department, but our favorite interface is the Microsoft Outlook integration.

Let's face it, these days, we all spend a great deal of time in our email, so working directly in that environment makes us more productive. How you might ask?

• IssueNet integration to Microsoft Outlook is achieved via an unobtrusive toolbar
• Quick access to creating all types of issues and viewing existing issues and tasks
• Special functionality to easily create issues from mail messages and append messages to existing issues.

The ability to quickly create issues from email messages is extremely important, because invariably, most issues are first reported through email. The quick ability to turn those random emails into trackable, actionable issues in the issue management system means less issues fall through the cracks.

We love the integration because it is easy to use on a daily basis, but that ease of use also serves a very important role in user acceptance during a new deployment. Making issue tracking available via the user's email application dramatically increases uptake for new deployments. Email clients are typically open all day so elminating the need to launch a separate application or browser tightly integrates IssueNet into the daily routine. All this adds up to an easy, low-overhead way to manage issues.

Additional Information on Outlook Integration

• Short Video Demonstration (Elsitech.com How-To Videos Section - Video titled: "Workspace Integration to Microsoft Outlook")
• Detailed Feature-by-Feature Documentation of Outlook Integration (help.elsitech.com)

Elsinore is pleased to announce that the Beta period for the upcoming 5.0 release of IssueNet is now open. The open Beta period runs until June 9, 2008, when IssueNet 5.0 will be officially released.

As detailed in last month's preview article for the upcoming release, the focus has been on improvements and simplifications over "checkbox" feature adding. The most visible changes in IssueNet 5.0 are to the toolbars and standard views - creating a familiar MS Outlook-style view. Simplifications to certain aspects of workflow and notifications have been implemented based on specific user feedback, while updates to the main solutions reflect our continued commitment to provide best practice configurations out-of-box. The full release notes are available here.

Eligibility and Sign-Up

The IssueNet 5.0 beta program is open to all IssueNet customers with current support and maintenance. If you are interested in participating in the beta program, please contact Elsinore support . If you need to confirm whether you have active support and maintenance, please contact sales@elsitech.com. Elsinore also runs a regular live webinar schedule, which allows a full look at the new release in an hour.

Elsinore is pleased to announce that the second quarter of 2008 will see the release of IssueNet 5.0! With the 5.0 release, we have placed a dedicated focus on improvements and simplifications, while resisting the temptation to simply tack on features.

Major IssueNet 5.0 Improvements

1. UI Overhaul - Toolbars and Preview Pane
2. Workflow and Notifications
3. Wiki-based Web Help System
4. Updates to the Intercept, Assist, and Oversight Solutions

The main emphasis has been on distilling and perfecting core parts of the user experience over “checkbox” feature adding.  IssueNet is an extremely powerful product and has only become more so over the 2 years since it replaced Visual Intercept as the flagship.  Simplifying the user experience to best facilitate the use of all that power represents the essense of the 5.0 release.  We certainly kept the dreaded "Featuritis" curve in mind with this one:

The most visible changes in IssueNet 5.0 are to the toolbars and standard views - creating a familar MS Outlook-style view. Simplifications to certain aspects of workflow and notifications have been implemented based on specific user feedback, while updates to the main solutions reflect our continued commitment to provide best practice configurations out-of-box. 

Stay tuned to this space and www.elsitech.com for the official beta schedule, release date, screenshots, and comprehensive release notes!

Version 4.8 of IssueNet is now available for download through support.elsitech.com by all customers with active support and maintenance. This is a relatively light release that focuses on bug fixes and improvements to drag and drop capabilities on forms. Full details can be found in the Release Notes on elsitech.com. As you may have noticed, we have picked up the pace on releases, with two in the last two months, and three over the past five months. This is a result of two factors:

1. A commitment to quickly addressing any pain points encountered by users
2. The shift to a more agile approach in our own development process

The Elsinore product team is committed to this more frequent release cycle, as we feel it ultimately raises the quality of the product and incorporates customer feedback at a more rapid rate.

An IssueNet system is very accessible. Options such as a full .NET API and a SOAP API provide limitless integration options for those with the time and expertise. However, a quick-and-dirty option is often preferable. With the absence of an industry standard .NET scripting platform and the general inflexibility of a command line interface, another option is needed. This is where the IssueNet tasks for MSBuild come in. Don't let the name fool you-- MSBuild is as useful for common scripting as it is for building projects.

MSBuild tasks are compiled in .NET dlls, then configured in XML project files, and can be executed from the command line. Standard tasks include Touch, MakeDir, and FindUnderPath. 3rd parties have implemented task libraries with functionality ranging from file access to XML manipulation. IssueNet tasks include the following:

• ExecuteIssueNetQuery - Execute a stored query in an IssueNet system. The results will populate an MSBuild item.
• CreateIssueNetObjects - Creates one or more objects in an IssueNet system. The objects are passed in as MSBuild items.
• UpdateIssueNetObjects - Updates one or more objects in an IssueNet system. The objects are passed in as MSBuild items.
• LinkIssueNetObjects - Links together two objects in an IssueNet system.
• TransitionIssueNetTasks - Transitions one or more tasks in an IssueNet system. The objects are passed in as MSBuild items.

These tasks accomplish 90% of what our customers are doing with the full API, and getting up and running is a bit simpler.  The following MSBuild project file executes a query in order to transition tasks:

   1:  <Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">

   2:      <UsingTask TaskName="Elsinore.Engine.MSBuild.Tasks.ExecuteIssueNetQuery" AssemblyFile="Elsinore.MSBuild.dll" />

   3:      <UsingTask TaskName="Elsinore.Engine.MSBuild.Tasks.TransitionIssueNetTasks" AssemblyFile="Elsinore.MSBuild.dll" />

   4:   

   5:      <Target>

   6:          <ExecuteIssueNetQuery ConnectionName="$(IssueNetConnectionName)" UserID="$(IssueNetUserID)" Password="$(IssueNetPassword)" QueryName="MyTaskQuery">

   7:              <Output TaskParameter="Results" ItemName="QueryResults" />

   8:          </ExecuteIssueNetQuery>

   9:   

  10:          <TransitionIssueNetTasks ConnectionName="$(IssueNetConnectionName)" UserID="$(IssueNetUserID)" Password="$(IssueNetPassword)" Objects="@(QueryResults)" TransitionName="Start" />

  11:      </Target>

  12:  </Project>

The following occurs in the execution of this file:

• Line 1 is the standard outer Project tag for an MSBuild project file.
• Lines 2 and 3 declare that we are using two tasks from the IssueNet library, ExecuteIssueNetQuery and TransitionIssueNetTasks.
• Line 5 delimits the beginning of our target. This file only has one target. However, MSBuild allows multiple targets to be defined and selectively evaluated.
• Line 6 executes a query named "MyTaskQuery" and Line 7 stores the results in an item "QueryResults".
• Line 10 executes a transition "Start" on each task in "QueryResults".

We've even released a MSBuild HTTP Gateway for those adventurous enough to expose the functionality over the web.  If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments.