Metastorm Global User Conference Update – Differentiators and “Unexpected Value”
One of the themes of the 2010 Metastorm Global User Conference was “Unexpected Value”. The concept is that customers who have leveraged Metastorm solutions and services into their environment have realized unexpected or unanticipated value from their investment… Many customers were highlighting this theme throughout the show in their presentations.
I had to chuckle as with so many traditional ITIL/ITSM process projects, there always seem to be “Unexpected Costs” and “Unanticipated Outcomes”. And these are becoming more and more talked about at conferences as well…
Much of this “unexpected” value comes from the process DNA that a BPM process orchestration technology such as Metastorm inherently provides throughout their solutions. Oddly enough, Metastorm’s partner program is called the Metastorm Partner DNA program. Thanks to a core process engine, core modeling and architecture technology, and various other solutions, it’s virtually impossible to create disharmonious solutions. Why would ICCM be at this conference as not only a contributor and sponsor? Simple – e-Service Desk, our industry recognized and ITIL v3 “Certified” solution is built on the Metastorm BPM platform.
Unfortunately, there is not enough room in a blog to highlight all Metastorm DNA partners. They can be found here; http://www.metastorm.com/partners/partner_locator.asp
I thought the following Metastorm partners have offerings that can substantially enhance the value of an ICCM e-Service Desk implementation simply from having a common process platform and integration technology;
Nymbul BPM
From Business Transformation Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. BTI have developed an Apple™ iPhone®, iPad®, iPad® client application for Metastorm BPM. While the mobile technology works on iPhone’s, Droid, some Blackberry’s and Window’s Mobile as a web application, the “App” provides location and rotation to the interface. Planned enhancements include support for the Droid market and end user customization of the interface. http://www.nymbulbpm.com/
ITSM Application: Engineers can register, update, and close Requests, Tasks, Incidents from their mobile device. Managers and Directors can approve requests or changes from their mobile device.
Smart Pen BPM
From Aura Q of Manchester, England. A number of my colleagues and I use Smartpen technology for taking notes and recording audio from meetings with customers (Lightscribe). We affectionately call them “Geek pens”. It’s a slightly larger than normal pen with an Infrared “eye” that reads special Microdot Technology paper (that can be printed on a standard laserjet printer). I always felt this technology has so many other applications. Aura Q now offers a Smart Pen enhancement to Metastorm BPM technology that allows any process (including e-Service Desk) to incorporate forms and data originally handwritten on a piece of paper to be incorporated into a process and through OCR, drive the flow of a process. http://www.auraq.com/pages/procedures/Digital%20Pen.aspx
ITSM Application: Where e-Service Desk is used “outside” of IT, Field Service Agents can provide customers with paper based documents while keeping identical copies (including signatures) associated to the process artifact, without the use of fax or scanner.
SAP Integration
EPO Consulting have created a Metastorm BPM / SAP Connector that enables bi-directional web service integration for Metastorm BPM with any SAP solution. This complete web service integration solution comprises two independent, but perfectly aligned products: a) EPO XML Connector for SAP, and b) B2B WS Integrator for Metastorm BPM. The EPO XML Connector is a SAP certified ABAP add-on product from EPO Consulting. It is a complete integration solution for SAP and can be used for all SAP integration requirements. The B2B WS Integrator enables calling SAP web services from any Metastorm BPM process. http://www.epoconsulting.com/_en/index.html
ITSM Application: Business processes incorporated within SAP can be linked to IT Service processes eliminating manual process integration steps between IT Service Management and Business Applications.
With these and the many other options available for Metastorm customers (ICCM customers are essentially Metastorm customers as well), you can’t help but wonder what is not possible by leveraging BPM technology in the form of Metastorm BPM?