As a non-programmer but with years spent working with teams designing and developing software products across several industries it always amazes me at how people look at the outward appearance of software differently.  The graphical user interface (GUI) is always a point of interesting conflict and would probably rival most United Nations meetings on how much people disagree about the look, feel, and functionality.

We are working on a new integration into Microsoft Outlook and had a design meeting today where we sat around and discussed how the solution should look and feel.  When we came to the part on user interface, more specifically, the outward facing portion there was quite a few points of debate.  The two primary points were that software integrations should be completely embedded and only really visible at the point they are required.  The other is that there are certain levels of customer expectations to have the availability to features like toolbars in Windows products after the installation.

So, should software integration for a Microsoft office product, be completely embedded and basically hidden until the point the user requires that functionality?  Or should the software be a bit more obtrusive and sort of hang around in the toolbar all the time so that you know where to go and get it when you’re ready? 

Explanations from both groups:

Software hidden – If software is designed properly then there is no need for an obtrusive toolbar.  Especially when integrating into another product it should just work when required and only be visible when necessary.  A toolbar should only be necessary if that is the best way for the user to access the functionality.

Software visible – When people install a new piece of software there are expectations that the software is out and visible upon installation.  Yes over time as people become more comfortable with the application they may choose to hide or remove certain functionality like a toolbar.  But for marketing and customer expectations software should be as visible as possible during the initial installation.

What do you think?

Is it just me or do you think that organizations create new acronyms, catch phrases, and buzz words just to confuse the rest of us?  I mean how many different management solutions can we possibly have to run our organization?  Recently I came across two blurbs on the same page one about risk management and the other incident management; I was baffled they were utterly indistinguishable!  Anyone could have switched the titles and probably 90% of the people reading the pages would never have known. 

Definitions from Wikipedia:

Risk Management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events.

Incident Management (IcM) refers to the activities of an organization to identify, analyze and correct hazards. For instance, a fire in a factory would be a risk that realized, or an incident that happened. An Incident Report Team (IRT) or an Incident Management Team (IMT) specifically designated for the task beforehand or on the spot, would then manage the organization through the incident.

Ok there are some subtle differences but it still sounds very similar. Through a bit more research and a few phone calls I was able to start drawing a few lines in the sand but not very cleanly.  Often Incident management would be related to very specific divisional issues such as information technology (IT) or human resources (HR) while risk management would often be looked at more globally and holistically over an entire organization.  The terms probably mean something different to everyone but next time you hear someone mention risk or incident management ask them to explain the difference and see what they say.

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 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!