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New tool deploys IT resources to newly hired and moving employees quickly
I found a couple of new start-ups at NetWorld+Interop 99 that I want to tell
you about in this week's newsletters. Today, I'll discuss a product that can
help your company automate time-consuming tasks that need to be performed
when employees are hired, move, or leave the firm.
The Aberdeen Group, in its "Technology Viewpoint" newsletter for September
27, highlighted a new category of office-productivity applications called
e-Provisioning. This term refers to "an emerging, directory-guided IT
solution that automates the deployment of IT resources and services based on
business requirements."
What's that mean? It means being able to deliver, on time, the hardware,
software, resource access, and tools - in short, everything needed - when a
new employee comes on-board at the company, or when an employee (or whole
department) moves (or leaves).
There's only one firm active in this application space right now, a new
start-up called Business Layers. This firm's eProvision Employee software is
due to ship in the first quarter of next year. It is a browser-based,
rules-driven, directory-enabled form generator and processor that guides all
affected departments through the process of hiring, moving or terminating an
employee. Everything from network access to a telephone extension number is
either assigned automatically (based on rules and profiles you create as
well as standard business practices) or brought to the attention of the
right person, so that manual processes can be put into play.
But it doesn't end there. At any time, authorized people can check the
progress of the tasks that need to be completed so new or moved employees
can hit the ground running. It also ensures that no steps fall through the
cracks (leading to security risks) when an employee leaves the company.
EProvision Employee is simple and straight forward, and works with all major
directory services (NDS, Active Directory, Netscape Directory, IBM's
SecureWay) and most other LDAP-enabled directories, and can be easily
interfaced with most existing Help Desk, Human Resources and ERP
applications. Business Layers will even provide you (at least the company
gave them to me) with the startling numbers collected by knowledgeable
consulting firms showing the surprising costs associated with provisioning
new or moved employees today. For any midsize company with moderate
turnover, it seems that the package would pay for itself in six months or
less.
Check out the numbers, look at the product. Be a hero.
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