Mohd Ali, Borhanuddin

Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository

ResearchDirectory: Part 1 ----Section!: R&D Products I Inj<mnntioll, Computer and COlllmunication Techno/aRiesInnoDesk-Research and Development of a World-class'off-the-shelf' System Management SoftwareInnoDesk is a powerful, integrated family of System Management and Helpdesk Softwareproduct that maximizes productivity of an organization. It enables the business owners,management personnel, IT administrators and end users to manage and solve various ITproblems, which in turn helps an organization to minimize 'down period' the computersand improve profitability (Since 'computers down' means no productivity for the em-ployee).InnoDesk allows the support team to remotely install or remove software, trouble shoot, restrict installa-tion and collect hardware and software information. It also automates the way all technical issues arehandled including workflow automation, 24X7 uptime through web self-service and intelligent self-diagnose. It enables organizations to rapidly and efficiently deploy complex mission critical applications tomultiple locations, providing cross-platform, enterprise-class inventory management, and facilitate betterdecision making by giving management a clear view of infrastructure and help establish better servicelevel agreement.Institute Multimedia and Application Layer.Software (IMP), UPM and(Where the differentmodules are buill to caterfor different needs in anInnodium have entered into organization)research collaboration todevelop specific modules userinterface study and advices,which would involve planning,product development andproduct testing. The 7 In-noDesk modules will be In-noDesk Software DistributionModule (SDM), InnoDeskSoftware Metering Module(SMM), Innodesk Support Automation Module (SAM), InnoDesk Self Service Module (SSM), InnoDeskRemote Control Module (RCM), InnoDesk IT Inventory Management Module (lTIM), and Innodesk OtherFunctional Object Layer.(Where various single- ~function-programs was bUild_to handle various different ----specific)Database Layer.(Where data is stored andretrieved)on going modules.InnoDesk Software Distribution Module (SDM) - SDM installs and updates software on all PCs over thenetwork (LAN, WAN or Dial-up) even in mixed Windows environments. It enables organization to centrallyinstall new software, update and repair existing software, and remove unwanted software.55Universiti Putra MalaysiaSDM does not require administrator to create, edit and validate complex scripts. It becomes fast, easy,reliable and highly repeatable. Detailed installation activities and status information are stored in databaseand hence various reports can be generated using our report writer module for various assessment pur-poses.InnoDesk Software Metering Module (SMM) - SMM gives control to organization in deploying softwarelicenses. It provides accurate application usage information by a high polling frequency to track the finedetail of application used. It is an analysis tool that makes the distinction between an application that isrLlnning and an application that Is only an active window. Using our report writers, It highlights applicationusage details, unused applications and summaries of .total activity by PC and by groups of PCs, givingdecision makers advanced management information for distribution. Information generated is used in thePOlicy Management Module (PMM) far various purposes, for example to reveal important applications thatare not running as expected (for example Anti Virus is supposes to be running at all time. Administratorwill be alerted If it Is not running appropriately in end user PCs). It also can be used to detect any groupof unauthorized installations of a package. SSM can be used to assess the actual usage. Administratormay need to launch a 'search and destroy' process (that is available in SMM) to clean up all the unneces-sary software In their network environment. Scheduler Is available here to perform routine checks to en-sure continuous compliance of policy.Innodesk Support Automation i"lodule (SAM) - It is a web-based system for centrally tracking and manag-Ing help desk issues and calls. It provides powerful workflow technology that can be customized to specificrequirements. It allows define custom process and notification rules that ensure every client calls andrequest gets the attention it deserves. Support staff will be alerted either thru email, SMS and etc. It pro-vides Web-based views of support Issues, customized to the specific needs of various types of users. ForInstance, Clmanager is only required to see summary information. Support staff needs access to all theissue detail information. It is highly self-customizable, enabling point-and-click editors to add fields, makefields mandatory, remove fields, change captions and value lists, Our pre-defined and ad-hoc reports givethe fiexlbility required for measuring calls, service performance, and goals in various formats, includingsummary, detailed, and trend Information about organization help desk.InnoDesk Self Service Module (SSM) - A Web based guided helpdesk module that reduces the volume ofincoming help requests. End-users will type in a problem using natural language, and the solutions data-base will be automatically searched in response. If the end-user is unable to find a solution, they canrequest help by cHcklng on a single button. All relevant data is entered into a work order and forwarded tothe Help Desk and support staffs. Support Automation Module (SAM) will start to manage it from thereonwards.rnnoDesk Remote Control Nlodule (RCl'l) - Support staff can provide on the spot support to end-userswithout leaving their desks. Thus helps to cut travel costs and wasted time, as service to eric-users isimmediate and responsive. End-User no longer required halting their usual operation In order to wait forthe expert to attend to their pes problems.56ResearchDirectory: Part 1 -- Section 1: R&D Products I Inj'rmlullio/l. COI1![>U1erand Cml1l11l1l1icGlioll Teclm%f.lie.'Innodesk IT Inventory Module (ITIM) - ITIM allows organization to centrally manage software and hard-ware inventory information for all PCs. Using combinations of different approaches to ensure high accu-racy. It collects hardware configuration and software installation data over the network and stand alonePCs. Other assets information can be stored in customizable tables too. Other than the various pre-defined reports, custom reports can be created using report writer. It allows define your users' softwarerequirements, helping compare your policies with actual inventory data. It helps you to find out unauthor-ized software, unused software, incorrect versions and missing mandatory packages. History ManagementFeatures provides reports on aspects of configuration change such as new/removed disks, memory up-grades/downgrades, change of ownership, change of applications software, incillding version changes andde-installs, and many other key events. Additional user-related information such as location, departmentand telephone number as well as other self-definable fields.Innodesk Other on going modules - Innodium will continue to perform R&D to identify more 'utility-based''off-the-shelf' niche software products to be available to corporate in order to be the leader in providingworld-class IT software product provider. We may need to research further into technology regardingNetwork Performance Management, Trouble Shooting Tools, Disaster Recovery and Securities and etc towiden our product offerings to the market.Software product development using different combinations of approaches including SDLC, Spiral Methodand etc. The architecture of our solutions is designed in 3 layers where Applications Layer will be on topwhere we will be using various suitable languages (Visual Basic .NET, C, C++ and etc) to create the appli-cations interfaces. We will be building many library objects (mostly single functions programs for Applica-tions to call) in the middle layer. The lowest layer should be where the data is stored using ODBC Compli-ance RDBMS. We will try to embrace Microsoft .Net concept into OUI- developments.For further information, kindly- contact:Prof. Dr. Borhanuddin Mohd AliDepartment of Computer and COlllmunications SystemsFaculty of Engineering/Institute of Multimedia and SoftwareUnivcrsiti Putra Malaysia43400 UPM, Serdang, SelangorMalaysiaTel: +603 8946 8421, Fax: +603-8948 3514E-mail: borhan@eng.upm.edu.my57

InnoDesk - research and development of a world-class 'off-the-shelf' system management software

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InnoDesk - research and development of a world-class 'off-the-shelf' system management software

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