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Network World Category Breaker Award
Business Layers' eProvision Employees not only sets a
standard, it creates a whole new category of application -
"eprovisionware."
But what is eprovisionware? Typically, the successful
integration of new employees requires the completion of a
wide variety of provisioning activities: equipment
procurement, password allocation, security clearances,
application setup, Internet access and much more.
Traditionally, this is handled -
or, more often, mishandled -
by interminable memos,
phone calls and ad hoc
meetings in the hallway. Too
often, a new employee shows
up on the first day of work
and is less than productive
because of missing
components in the
provisioning activities.
Eprovisionware automates
most of these tasks.
EProvision Employees ties together an enterprise's directories,
databases and "people-centric" applications, such as help desk, human
resources, enterprise resource planning systems, network
management systems and electronic software distribution systems,
through a browser-based application centered on forms and forms
processing. The forms are then tied directly to the directory service,
the databases and the applications using standard interfaces (such as
LDAP and XML) or through direct hooks to APIs. The software is
modular, letting the enterprise centralize some parts of the
provisioning process while decentralizing those that work best when
distributed.
While eProvision Employee automates much of the provisioning
process, enterprise network managers will still need to do a lot by
hand (such as physically installing the hardware). Fortunately, the
package comes with a built-in reporting tool that can be used to ensure
that manual processes are being completed as needed. Business
Layers' software doesn't stop being useful once the new employee
starts, either. It's an ideal tool to handle individual or departmental
moves quickly and efficiently.
And when the day comes that an employee leaves, eProvision
Employee can be used to remove or disable accounts, find the keys,
cell phones, laptops or other business accessories the employee has
been using.
This package isn't cheap: at $30,000 plus $30 per provisioning
profile, cost can add up quickly. But in today's fast-paced business
world, with companies quickly merging and as quickly spinning off
new divisions, subsidiaries and joint ventures, provisioning
employees can cost in the millions of dollars each year. By automating
much of this process, eProvision Employee can shave a huge
percentage of that cost while at the same time getting the provisioning
done more quickly and accurately.
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