Latest AMT-SYBEX News

Our 2007 Roundtable events series

Ellipse Update

Support Services

AMT-SYBEX Customer Update Issue 1 April 2007

AMT-SYBEX (NI) LtdEdgewater Office ParkEdgewater RoadBelfastBT3 9JONorthern Ireland

Tel: + 44 28 9078 1616Fax: + 44 28 9078 1717

AMT-SYBEX (Software) LtdLeopardstown Office ParkFoxrockDublin 18Ireland

Tel: + 353 1 295 8988Fax: + 353 1 295 8990

AMT-SYBEX Ltd.The Spirella BuildingBridge RoadLetchworth Garden CityHertfordshireSG6 4ETUnited Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1462 476400Fax: +44 (0)1462 476401www.amt-sybex.com

welcome

from

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Across our traditional corecustomers we have had a highlevel of activity with clientsimplementing Ellipse ormigrating from earlier versions ofMIMS to Ellipse.

Most encouraging has been thereaction of our clients in buildingon these projects throughadditional contracts and activityaround Mobile Working andInformation Management.

Mobile Working activity in itselfhas grown significantly in recentmonths through growingrecognition of our expertise andproject successes in this area.

To ensure our continued ‘Know-How’ in meeting the EssentialIndustries’ challenges, we continueto build on our superior skills basethrough both recruitment andongoing development of newskills. This yet again shows howimportant and beneficial it is for usto use that real culture of ‘can-do’and flexibility that has always beena strength of AMT-SYBEX.

I would like to thank you for yourcontinued support and loyalty andwould like to welcome our latestnew customers – AlfredMcAlpine, BBC, AustalianDefence Force, Otis Elevadoresand E.ON.

Over the last quarter we have continued to take thebusiness forward both with our traditional and longstanding customer base, whilst expanding not only ourportfolio of services, but also diversifying into newcustomers and sectors.

Andy Miller, Managing Director

“To ensure ourcontinued ‘Know-How’ in meeting theEssential Industries’challenges, we continueto build on our superiorskills base through bothrecruitment andongoing developmentof new skills”

Dear CustomerFirst and foremost, as AMT-SYBEX’s new Customer Services Manager, I would like towelcome you to the inaugural edition of our customer newsletter – The KnowHow.

The KnowHow aims to encourage best practice between our customers through knowledgesharing of our project successes, and by providing key solution and service updates.

Taking on the role as Customer Services Manager, my primary objective is to maintain continuousimprovement of our post-sales approach. As a necessary first step, I have now met with the majority ofour clients to fully understand their perceptions of our service and the every-day issues they encounter.

This has proved an interesting exercise with three common messages emerging:

1. Communications – Quite simply, our overall communications approach could be more frequent, informative and relevant to all business levels.

2. Usability – Many organisations are not making the most of their solutions, both functionally and technically.

3. The Business communication gap – There is an apparent communication gap amongst some of ourCustomers between Business Management and Users.

We are working to address these issues through a number of initiatives. TheKnowHow newsletter is the firstof these and we are also introducing a series of roundtable seminars, enabling our customers to communicateon specific themes (see Roundtable Series on page 5 for details). Jon Simon, our Marketing Manager iscurrently looking into establishing an Extranet (customer web portal) as another vehicle for sharinginformation amongst out customers and we are also introducing a new Support Services programme toaddress usability issues (see Support Services on page 10 for more details).

On a personal note I would like to thank you for your support and co-operation. Input has been frankwhilst extremely objective. Without your input we will not be able to effectively enhance our services andsupport, so please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be pleased to hear from anyone who has anythoughts or ideas around Customer Services within AMT-SYBEX.

We intend to publish The KnowHow three times a year. I welcome any suggestions that any of you havein relation to the content of The KnowHow.

I look forward to growing our relationship and meeting more of you throughout this year.

Thanks all

Lester Bayford – Customer Services Manager

lester.bayford@amt-sybex.com

the editor MD’s update

contents

Andy Miller, Managing Director

Page

2-5 ........................................................Latest News6-7 ........................................................Five Top Tips for Successful Mobile Working8-9 ........................................................Ellipse Update10-11 ........................................................Support Services12 ........................................................AMT-SYBEX Partners / Meet The Helpdesk

In 2006, Marrakech, a leadingsupply chain consultancy andeProcurement solutions providerbecame a wholly owned subsidiaryof AMT-SYBEX.

As part of the transfer ofownership, Marrakech hasrecently undergone a fullprogramme of alignment with theAMT-SYBEX corporate business,exploiting synergies within theareas of Mobile Working andInformation Management.

Marrakech has also been fully re-branded, to ensure allcommunications reflect thecompany’s expertise and leadingsolutions for optimising supply chainoperations. In February, we officiallyre-launched Marrakech at theeWorld Purchasing & Supply event.

As a proven solutions providerfor enterprises of all sizes,Marrakech works with morethan 20,000 procurement and

supply chain professionalsworldwide to transact millionsof documents each year. Itscustomer base includes manywell-known retail brands andgovernment agencies.

Marrakech focuses on two mainareas of operation:

Following the re-brand, Marrakechnow offers two main solutions suites:

Mpro offers buying organisationsan integrated, end-to-end productsuite to automate, analyse andoptimise the procurement lifecyclefor goods and services.

This means procurement, suppliermanagement, sourcing, contractmanagement and analytics areintegrated in an easy-to-use, easy-to-manage, web-based application.

Mcel enables suppliers to fullycontrol and manage productinformation from a single sourceand provides customers with highlyaccurate and timely product data.

Andy Hamlyn, Group Directorsaid: “It is an exciting time forMarrakech. We are confident thatwe have the best solutions availablein the market today, and ourposition is strengthened throughour new association with AMT-SYBEX. As the industry specialistin a number of areas including dataquality management and mobileworking, AMT-SYBEX has greatsynergies that sit well withMarrakech’s unique and highlycompetitive supply chain offering”.

Handheld PDAs mean fewer forms to fill for thoseissuing fixed penalty notices.

Daunting, towering mountains of paperwork couldsoon be a thing of the past for officers in the Met’snorth-west traffic region, after it began using personaldigital assistants (PDAs) for driving offenders.

Around 80 officers from the Alperton Traffic Unit aretesting the hand-held PDAs as part of a one-year pilotintroduced by Ian Kemp , head of the Traffic CriminalJustice Unit (TCJU), and are among the first police inthe country to trial them. During the first six weeks ofthe pilot, 1,500 offenders were penalised, compared with1,072 during the previous six-week period, when papertickets were being issues.

In the past officers issuing fixed penalty notices (FPNs)would have to fill out witness statements back at their

units. These were then forwarded to staff at the TCJU,who would have to check the tickets and file them.

“With the PDAs, officers just input the details once”,explains Niki Manson, FPN Operations Manager.

“The officer can print the ticket to give to the offenderand send the details of the FPN directly to the backoffice. In the past, tickets have taken anything from twoweeks to three months to reach us. Now they arriveinstantly. They free up staff and officers, giving us allmore time to do other jobs.”

Early research shows the introduction of the PDAs hasalso reduced the number of “spoilt” FPNs, loweredcosts and streamlined the process, Niki adds.

FPNs can be issued for all endorsable and non-endorsable fixed penalty driving offences.

latest news

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AMT-SYBEX to enable mobile workmanagement at Northern IrelandWater Service Northern Ireland Water Service will implement a dedicated mobilework management solution for use by 600 Northern Ireland WaterService staff.

The project in which AMT-SYBEX is a partner in the Xansa ledconsortium coincides with Northern Ireland Water Service gearingup for a radical change in the provision of water to consumers in

Northern Ireland. In June 2006,Government published draftlegislation that will alter the waywater and sewerage services aredelivered across the country. Overthe next three years, domesticcustomers in Northern Ireland willbegin to be billed for water usage.The resulting monies will help fundvital upgrades to the country’s ageingwater infrastructure.

Based on AMT-SYBEX’s established Mobile Working solution, theresulting work management system will enable Northern IrelandWater Service to be more accountable to its customers. It will alsoassist with compliance for water quality standards and willfacilitate more effective reporting and communication methodsbetween call centre staff and mobile field engineers.

Explaining what the mobile work management system will mean forthe water service, Phil Barker, Operations Director at NorthernIreland Water said, “The introduction of a mobile work managementsolution will be the biggest single change to how we operate in thefield. The technology will give our field teams the tools and skills tocomplete the right job, in the right location, at the right time. It is anessential building block in enabling us to work more effectively andwill provide a standard of service our customers will demand once westart changing. I am convinced the solution will benefit ourcustomers, the water service teams using it and our business.”

AMT-SYBEX’s solution will enable location-based planning teams tooptimise the workload of field service personnel, schedule routinemaintenance programmes on the company’s existing assets andprioritise call outs to emergency incidents. In parallel, field staffprovided with mobile devices will use the system to report back to callcentre staff on the status of jobs. The technology will enable them toaccess, store and update project and asset maintenance details directlyback into the Northern Ireland Water Service central infrastructurecreating a real time flow of information back to customers.

AMT-SYBEX’s solution will also be capable of producing accurate job andasset costing information and will be integrated with other core NorthernIreland Water Service systems for GIS and Financial Management.

digestsNational GridMobility Update

National Grid have built ontheir Work Management / FieldData Capture mobile solution –‘Office In The Hand’. A fieldforce of over 1000 staff nowreceive and return work andasset information electronicallyusing the latest wireless mobiletechnology (including TabletPCs equipped with GPRS), andalso have the benefit of animproved infrastructure atNational Grid operational sites.

The project has also allowed forimproved risk-based decision-making within Asset Strategyand Planning through storage offield data in the central AssetManagement system (MIMS).

A Point of Work initiative hasstarted which will provideOffice in the Hand to field userson hand held devices. Fulldeployment is planned for July2007 to 240 users in OverheadLine and Substations roles.

Otis ElvadoresOtis Elevadores is thePortuguese division of Otis,who are the world’s largestmanufacturer of lifts, escalators,travelators and other horizontaltransportation systems. In apilot project, supplied anddelivered through CIL, aPortuguese partner, AMT-SYBEX will roll out its mobilitysolution for safety criticalinspections of lifts andassociated equipment. Ifsuccessful, the pilot will lead tomore than 300 inspectors usingour solution for inspectionsthroughout Portugal.

Piloting Mobility at the Metropolitan Police

A Brand New Marrakech

Transport for London (TfL) hassuccessfully implemented a newmobile working solution from AMT-SYBEX to improve travel conditionsand enforce traffic regulations moreeffectively on London's Red Routes.

The TfL Road Network, known as theRed Routes, accommodates one-thirdof all road journeys made in London.

As part of a contract, which will runto the end of the decade, AMT-SYBEX has provided a turnkeyMobile Working, solution usingwireless GPRS infrastructuretechnology from T-Mobile to enablereal-time flow of information to andfrom the streets.

Replacing traditional paper-basedsystems, on-street enforcement staffare now equipped with handhelddevices, which feature built-incameras and are supplied withBluetooth-enabled printers.

The solution will enable TfL to keepLondon's most important roads clearby providing on-street enforcementstaff with a PDA-based system thatenables them to issue Penalty ChargeNotices as well as the delivery of real-time information back to supervisorsat the TfL Control Centre via ahosted data warehouse.

This can include vital managementdata on areas of congestion, broken

down vehicles and damage to roadsigns and Red Route markings.

The PDAs can also capturephotographic evidence ofcontraventions, which will assist inthe event of a dispute.

A phased training and roll-outprogram has been successfullydelivered to 850 users, and thesolution forms a key part of the driveto 'Keep London Moving’.

There is need for asset centric organisations, in both theUK and overseas markets, to adopt best practice assetmanagement in order to meet the increasing requirementsof their stakeholders.

The Publicly Available Specification 55 (PAS 55) on AssetManagement has quickly become a key agenda item forAsset Managers in both regulated and non-regulated UKinfrastructure management companies.

The document has quickly gained a reputation forproviding a robust framework for best practice assetmanagement serving to clearly define what a joined-upphysical asset management system needs to include. PAS55 is already being adopted by industry regulators as achecklist for good governance and all electricity and gasdistributors must be PAS 55 compliant by 2008.

As with all frameworks the devil is in the detail and it isin this area which we have received a number ofcommissions to help unlock the potential added valuethat PAS 55 holds. We have found that the potential valueadded differs from one company to the next dependingon current practices and how stretching their vision ofasset management is.

Taking time out to challenge your strategy will providefor a significantly higher return on investment indelivering business objectives within the PAS 55framework.

For more information contactjohn.murphy@amt-sybex.com

Join us at the Institute ofDirectors, Birmingham onthe 6th June 2007E-mail jill.budge@amt-sybex.comto reserve your place now.In preparation for this eventwe have compiled a surveyto help us to fullyunderstand your situationand needs as we strive tohelp you meet your currentand future challenges. Thesurvey is also anopportunity for you toinfluence our future productand service strategy.We would appreciate yourtime to complete this survey.Please contact Jill Budge(jill.budge@amt-sybex.com) who willactivate your email addresspassword and give you theweb link for the survey.

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The Centre for Essential Industries(CEI) is an information and learningcommunity formed to tackle currentissues and increase ‘know-how’ withinthe essential industries.

The CEI has been set up byAMT-SYBEX as a response tothe common challenges facingour clients within theirindustries. With a firm emphasison the application of creativityto cross-industry problems, thecentre will act as a hub forthought leadership.

AMT-SYBEX has committedsignificant resources to thisinitiative and throughout theyear will be addressing thechief concerns of our clientbase through:

• Hosting a series of cross-industry events

• Commissioning research on key issues

• Building on our library of whitepapers

• Informing you about key industry topics as they happen

AMT-SYBEX will be bringing its longexperience of providing topical andinformative events to a structuredprogramme for the CEI. Each of theseevents will feature high level speakersfrom within the relevant industries andregulators, an informative agendageared towards interactive input fromdelegates and, on occasion, inputs fromsenior figures from politics and thewider business world.

Increasing Adoption of PAS 55

Ellipse – “Sweatingthe Asset”

AMT-SYBEX Keeps London's Red Routes Moving

“The Centre for Essential Industries is a real contribution to key national debates onissues that matter”

This year we are staging a series ofindividual roundtable seminarstargeting specific themes includingEllipse, Mobile Working, ManagedServices, eProcurement andKnowledge Management.

Our first planned event will examinethe topic of driving benefits fromEllipse. Significant investments havebeen made in enterprise systems tosupport critical business activities.User communities and Ellipse systemshave now reached a level of maturity.Organisations are looking to sweat theIT assets in the same way as they dophysical assets.

Areas explored in this seminar willinclude:

• Reviewing how the benefits realisedto date can be evaluated

• How to continue to drive out furtherbenefits as both businesses andbusiness drivers change

Using the experience of key figuresfrom across the industry we will behearing first hand the views of speakersfrom leading Utilities and Transportcompanies on this subject. We willlearn how these organisations arecontinuing to deliver significant returnon the investment already made in theirAsset Management systems, and see ifthey are indeed “Sweating the Asset”.

This promises to be a stimulating andilluminating day for all concerned. Ifyou would to join us please e-mailjill.budge@amt-sybex.com

Roundtable Series Features:• Informal to maximise two-way debate

• Wide variety of topics based onclient suggestions

• Located at various venues around the UK

• Excellent networking opportunities

Steve Norris - Chairman AMT-SYBEX

In partnership with Mincom, we are currently trialling ourmobile working solution with the biggest MIMS customerin the world - the Australian Defence Forces (ADF). Lastyear a team of AMT-SYBEX Consultants put corks intotheir hats and went off to help Mincom conduct mobileworking trials at various army bases. These went well butADF weren’t entirely convinced by the PDA hardwarewhich the mobility scripts were installed on. However, theywere certainly happy enough with the mobility software towant another pilot, this time trialling mobile working onvarious sorts of ‘ruggedised’ laptops and tablet PCs.

The pilot involved army craftsmen servicing M113A1

Reconnaissance Carriers whilst using the mobility script tomanage the task list and enter details of faults found. As aresult of feedback from the first trial, mobile working wasbeing trialled in combination with Mincom’s LinkOneviewer. The users were very enthusiastic about the resultingimprovement . The combination of heat (35 degrees plus!),workshop conditions and the army users’ ‘delicate’approach to data entry all served to give the various PCs asuitable hammering.

Since the trial, ADF have confirmed that they want toimplement mobile working and we are currently workingwith Mincom on how and when it will be deployed.

AMT-SYBEX Mobilise Australian Defence Forces

Roundtable Series

5 Top Tips for Successful Mobile WorkingMobile technology is helpingchange the face of businessesthroughout the world today. Fromordering dinner at a restaurant tosigning for a package from adelivery firm, many organisationsare replacing the traditional‘paper-chain’ with mobile workingsolutions that claim to maximiseefficiency and effectiveness ofeveryday business processes. As organisations become increasinglyperformance focused, it is no longer acceptablefor manual processes to take several weeks toupdate records. It is also becomingincreasingly critical that all work carried out inthe field is recorded accurately and used toupdate asset or customer information in atimely manner. As a result, there is now agrowing and urgent need for organisations tomake sure they have a mobile strategy in placeto capitalise on new developments and outpacetheir competitors, whilst keeping up withadded regulatory pressures.

It is also pressure from industry bodies andorganisation’s customers that often necessitatesignificant changes to business processes andthe adoption of innovative software-basedsolutions to ensure business objectives are met.

There is no doubt that the promise of mobileworking can be tempting – seamless dataexchange, real time scheduling, dramatic costsavings plus reductions in frustration foremployees and customers. However, whenimplemented incorrectly, many organisationshave found mobile working simply doesn’t work.

The implementation of effective mobileworking practices can be complex and ifprocesses are not managed correctly, problemscan quickly arise.

Some organisations underestimate theintricacies of mobile deployments and for this

reason find mobile working solutions aresimply not performing as they should. It is notenough to simply extend existing applicationsout to the mobile worker. Mobile solutionsneed to be primarily about the people in thefield and their jobs, and secondarily aboutdevices and networks.

Many organisations havefound mobile workingsimply doesn’t work.

This is where a number ofsolution providers fall over.They attempt to squeezeambitious and over complexamounts of corporate datainto networks and devicesthat can barely cope, thenput them in the hands ofpeople who aren’t ready touse them. This traditional‘inside-out’ approach resultsin inefficient use of an organisation’s networkand poor user experience – a critical factor inuser acceptance.

What is noticeable of late is that there has beena quantum shift. Organisations are beginningto realise mobile technology can definitelywork. As a result, many are now consideringhow technologies might be brought to bear onbusiness problems to maximize the efficiencyand effectiveness of their business processes.

What is needed to help mobile solutionssucceed is a complete end-to-end system, inwhich data flows both ways and is perfectlysynchronized. By connecting the field and thecentre through an outside-in approach, datacan be shared, exchanged and used to providebenefits to all parties.

So if your business is looking to makingmobile working a reality, where should youstart? We advise following the five steps tohelp maximize return on investment andensure the seamless integration of mobileworking with standard business practices:

1. Understand the role of the fieldworkerFieldworkers’ needs should be at theheart of any mobile working solution.Failing to get the field worker on boardfrom the start can result in the uptake ofany mobile working solution sufferingand projects can be doomed to fail.

2. All other parties need to be on-boardas early as possible if the requiredchange is to be embraced.Mobile working often bringssubstantial shifts in existing workingpractices and it is important allstakeholders are happy and confident inthe chosen mobile solution.

3. It sounds obvious, but make sure allmembers of the workforce who will beusing the solution are trained. New technologies, hardware andpractices can mean there is huge scopefor error, especially if used by the under-trained or under-guided.

4. Fully understand the potential impactmobile working will have on theorganisation’s business processesincluding IT.Ensure these changes are highlightedand discussed at an early date so theycan be managed appropriately.

5. Understand the total cost ofownership from the outset.Defining a clear, decisive and single pointof accountability will reducecomplexities if problems and issues arise.

Following the five tips we have providedand using our ‘outside-in’ approach canhelp any organisation implement the rightapplication framework; making it easy tosynchronize data, implement changes andupdates, optimise connectivity and derivereal business benefits. The result can be asolution that is not “always on”, but“always active” - enabling the organisationand its work force to become not justreactive, but adaptive and responsive tobusiness change.”

AMT-SYBEX: Making mobile working work

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In the last two years we havegrown our mobile solution froma handful of customers to beingthe clear leader in mobilesolutions across the UKinfrastructure industries.We have adopted a unique‘outside in’ approach that isproving a real success story...

We connect the field and thecentre with what each needs and

can cope with. Data can beshared, exchanged and used.More of it and faster. You canintelligently manage, scheduleand automate work in real time.The possibilities of saving time,cost and frustration are endless.

We “make mobile workingwork”. This is summed up inthree key stages:

Working peopleMobile working is about people and their jobs, and then about devicesand networks. We’ve seen how success can stand or fall with the enduser experience. So we get out a bit more than your average integrator.

Working businessThere are real savings in time, cost and frustration to be had. But you getthese only when you genuinely understand the business and processyou’re trying to accelerate.

Working systemsMobile integration needs first class technical ability and middleware toorchestrate the business and its people.

Put these three together and you start to make mobile working work.

Our extensive experience of delivering large-scale mobility solutions hasbeen called upon by some of the UK’s largest companies. Within asset-intensive industries in particular, our mobility solutions have played avital role in maintenance and inspection processes. We have now takenthis experience forward across a range of industries where theintroduction of new mobile working practices have realised significantimprovements in efficiency. Whatever the industry, our customers allbenefit from increasedworkforce productivitywhilst getting morefrom existing systemsinvestments.

See this issue’s LatestNews section to seehow we’ve beenworking with ourMobility Clients overthe last quarter.

Field ServiceManagement

Field Force ManagementFiled Asset management

Dispatcher/Scheduler

Field Detail Manager

Oracle DB2 MS SQL

MINCOM SIEBEL MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONSBIZ TALK SAP ORACLE RAPID SYSTEMS

WEBSPHERE SOFTWARE AMDOCS REMEDY SUN MS SQL

Schedule/Optimisation

Any WiFi Enabled Device+ FDCS/Dexterra+ Mobile Device+ Mobile Device Management+ Windows

Intelligent High-Speed Communications Hub+ ILM-W+ Geo-Location+ Vehicle Diagnostics+ Driver Safety+ Asset Management

TransactionalApplications

WirelessNetwork

Internet

For further information, please contact your Account Manager.

EllipseUpdate

Version 5.2.3.7 saw theintroduction of significant newfeatures including EllipseEnterprise Services, MincomWork Planner and MincomEllipse Reporting (MER).

With version 6 bringing furtherenhancements in these areastogether with more newfunctionality, Ellipse maintainsitself as the leading EnterpriseWork and Asset Managementsystem available today.

Version 6.1 (released May 2006)Features include:

Features• Mincom Desktop

• Work Planner enhancements

• Mincom Ellipse PerformanceSupport (SupportPoint)

• MER GL Report Writer/MER

• Approval Manager

• Funds Sufficiency Checking

• Benefits Administration

• Accounts Payable Field LengthIncreases

• Enhancements to Permit ToWork Module

• Delphi .Net Upgrade

• IBM Websphere 6 only

Note: Ellipse 6, customers will needIBM Websphere 6.

• Permit to Work enhancements

• Supplementary enhancements

• Long term asset strategyenhancements

The highlights are:Ellipse Enterprise Services

Ellipse Enterprise Services exposethe business logic of Ellipse as WebServices using open standards. Thisinterface allows Ellipse to operatewithin a customer service orientedenvironment.

Usability improvements are made toboth the WinView and WebViewinterfaces and there are securityImprovements including support forLDAP and Active Directory.

Mincom Desktop

Easy access to information is at thecore of every organisation. WithMincom Desktop yourorganisation has the means to makeit happen. The new MincomDesktop featuring an intuitive userinterface delivers information morequickly to end users by enhancingaccess to business applications. Byproviding a single integrated

view of applications, the solutionhelps organisations realisesignificant business benefitsthrough improved productivity.

This new user interface will form thebasic starting point for all Mincomapplications in the future providinga consistent user experience.

Mincom Work Planner Suite

Mincom Work Planner is apowerful suite of tools thatsupports short and long term assetstrategy and work managementscheduling process in three ways:

Mincom Work Planner to manageactivities including the planningand scheduling of ad hoc andpreventative jobs, linking jobs intological groupings and planning andscheduling plant outages

Mincom Work Progress tographically monitor and managework in progress

Mincom Estimate Scheduling tographically schedule job estimates aswell as display ad hoc andpreventative work for a completeview of all potential activity for anyfuture time period.

With the Mincom Work PlannerSuite, organisations will benefit from:

• Increased asset life

• Minimised asset downtime

• Increased asset productivity

• Reduced maintenance costs

• Optimised outage scheduling

• Maximised strategic use ofplanning function

• Decreased capital tied up in operating assets

Mincom Ellipse Reporting (MER)

Mincom Ellipse Reporting (MER),powered by Business Objects ™, isthe new integrated reporting andbusiness intelligence solution forEllipse.

MER enables organisations to track,analyse, understand and manage theirbusiness in order to improveenterprise performance.

MER is totally integrated withMincom Ellipse with the ability torun and schedule reports using theexisting interfaces and mechanisms.

Customers can view their reports viaBusiness Objects ™ InfoView to usinga browser interface or through theintegrated view built into the MincomEllipse Explorer. Reports leverage theformatting capabilities available tobrowser based viewing mechanisms. Inaddition to HTML, customers can viewreports using PDF, Microsoft’s Exceland in CSV formats.

Customers are able to customisereports to their own specific needs andquickly generate sophisticatedprofessional reports for all areas of thesystem with the one tool and skill set.

Employee Performance Support

Do your employees know how tofind the most accurate, up-to-dateinformation on Ellipse and yourcorporate procedures? If they knowhow to find this information, dothey know what to do when Ellipsestandard procedures differ in subtleways from your organization’sinternal procedures? The MEPS(Mincom Ellipse PerformanceSupport) Product has beendeveloped to allow you tocustomize the base-line Ellipse Online Support for the real-worldenvironment of your workplace.Your internal procedures andprocess flows can be added tostandard Ellipse content and youremployee’s help queries willseamlessly show both your criticalbusiness procedures integrated withEllipse standard business processesand procedures. Context sensitivityand a robust search engine also makeit easy to find related topics.

This just-in-time performancesupport tool designed usingPanviva's SupportPoint Product willmake it easier for your employees todo their daily jobs and easier for youto roll out new procedures to youremployee base while eliminating thehassle of republishing, the cost ofdistributing materials, and the riskoutdated materials. MEPS can beyour one source for Ellipse processand procedural information.

8 9

The Ellipse product has a rich history of over 25 years as an enterprise solution for the Energy,Utilities and Transport industries. Specifically designed to meet the challenges of these industriesthe Ellipse solution is unrivalled in terms of depth of functionality and integration capability.

• Recoverable VAT• General Ledger Sequential

Voucher Numbering• Document Type• Purchasing Bulk Changes• Ad Hoc Quoting• Receipt Price Inventory

Calculation• Display Plant Number • Copy Supplier Information

between districts• Award Interpreter• Timekeeping• Alignment of Auto Paid

Employees• Flexitime• Labour Costing• Leave Requests• Higher Duties• Advanced Rostering• Training Administration• Self Service• Workflow• Position Templates• Security Enhancements• Employee District Overrides • Deductions ProcessingSupported PlatformsThe supported platforms forEllipse 5.2.3.7 and Ellipse 6 arenoted in the tables below.

Version 6.2 (available April 2007)

Features

Ellipse 5.2.3.7 PlatformsHP-UX 11i Oracle 9i TX-Series 5.5.1 Mincom

/Tuxedo 8.1 Scheduler

Solaris 8/9 Oracle 9i TX-Series 5.5.1 Mincom/Tuxedo 8.1 Scheduler

AIX 5.2/5.3 Oracle 9i TX-Series 5.5.1 Mincom/Tuxedo 8.1 Scheduler

Windows Oracle 9i TX-Series 5.5.1 Mincom2003 SQL Server /Tuxedo 8.1 Scheduler

WebSphere / Weblogic as appropriate

Ellipse 6 PlatformsHP-UX 11i Oracle 10g TX-Series 5.1 Mincom

/Tuxedo 8.1 Scheduler

Solaris 9/10 Oracle 10g TX-Series 5.1 Mincom/Tuxedo 8.1 Scheduler

AIX 5.2/5.3 Oracle 10g TX-Series 5.1 Mincom/Tuxedo 8.1 Scheduler

Windows Oracle 10g TX-Series 5.1 Mincom2003 SQL Server /Tuxedo 8.1 Scheduler

WebSphere / Weblogic as appropriate

SupportServices

We have used our considerable specialistexperience of the Essential Industries to develop atoolkit of competencies, methodology, andworld-class applications and solutions. Ourofferings reflect our innate strengths in people,know-how and our ability to deliver.

Our core capabilities focus on driving realperformance increases through the delivery offaster, more flexible access to asset, customerand eGovernment information. They includeconsultancy and innovative solutions that dealwith:

• Enterprise Asset Management

• Information Management

• Mobile Working

• Supply Chain Management

Why not visit our website to see how we deliverthese solutions? – www.amt-sybex.com

You’ve gone live… So now what?Time and time again, the key message emergingfrom our customer base is “Usability”. Oursolutions are a major investment for anyorganisation, but all too often our customers arenot getting the most out of them in terms offunctionality and performance.

Usually, once any system has gone live, theinvestment diminishes. The full benefits of thesoftware may subsequently not be realised andtechnology may not be used to best effect. As aresult, management information could suffer.

The three primary reasons for this are:

• Lack of Training and ongoing employeeperformance support.

• Resource and Skill shortages

• Lack of Investment

Cognisant of these challenges we have put together asuite of service programmes designed to ensure thatyou derive maximum benefit from your business.

A pamphlet introducing this issue will be hitting yourdesks soon. If you recognise any of the symptomsoutlined in the pamphlet within your organisationthen you should react. A small investment now couldrealise you significant returns in the future. Please lookout for it and call your Account Manager or LesterBayford to discuss.

A Managed Service Proposition Could Save You Money

It could be cost effective to include these ServiceProgrammes as a Managed Service whereby the cost isfixed and spread over a contracted period of timeworking to specified service levels.

Our Managed Service solutions will help you achievebusiness objectives through a partnership which includes:

• A tried and tested implementation methodology

• Flexibility to facilitate business change

• Partnership with an experienced andknowledgeable organisation

• Tailored solutions to our customers and theirmarket’s needs

• Solution options to manage risk and cost. technicaland functional advancement

• Future proofing to ensure technical and functionaladvancement

• Remote support to reduce the need for on-site support

We look to work in partnership with our clients andview Managed Services as a way to achieve businessobjectives without compromising our customer’s corebusiness resources or focus.

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Fundamental to our success is our understanding that delivering the rightsolution requires an intimate knowledge of the industries we serve.

Our Service Programmes...

Business Process Reviews• Technical, Functional and Process & Control

Technical Support & Administration• Database Management• Operating System Management• Technical Application Management• System Performance• Automated Processing• Housekeeping Routines

Application Support• Functional Optimisation• Application System Management• Software Upgrades & Version Control• Report Management

Service Transformation• Training – Classroom & Customised• Change Management• Communications• Knowledge Engineering• Employee Performance Support• Authoring & Publishing

Information Management• Data Quality Audits, Strategy & Architecture• Data Extraction, Cleansing and Transformation• Data Management• Data Profiling, Scorecarding (KPIs) &

‘Dashboarding’

AMT-SYBEX Managed Service OptionsBase ServiceSupport of applications softwareand associated configuration

Selected Managed ServiceProvision of solutions from a hostedor in-house data centre. Thecustomer manages infrastructuresand 1st Line Support

Fully Managed ServiceFull end-to-end service; includingprovision of hardware, software,technical and application serviceswithin a secure hosted environment.

We have proven pedigree in meeting our Customers’ Managed Servicedemands through the application of a tried and tested process:

DUE DILIGENCEA detailed assessment iscarried out to validateour proposed ManagedService approach.Assumptions and Servicemetrics are confirmed.

TRANSITIONExisting and newprocesses are transferredto operate and begoverned by AMT-SYBEXunder the agreedManaged Service scope.

SERVICE DELIVERYThe ongoing servicecommences, nowmanaged by AMT-SYBEX. Includes committment tofurther improvements.

For further information, please email Lester Bayford at lester.bayford@amt-sybex.com

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As part of our Mobility offering we have now enteredinto an agreement with @Road, a Trimble company, tobecome a reseller and implementation partner of theirproducts initially in the UK Utilities and Transportsectors. There are a number of synergies in ourproduct portfolios and we aim to leverage these todrive more sales in the Mobility area.

The Mobile Resource Management is divided intothree areas of focus:

Field Force Management

GPS Tracking - To capture position, velocity and timeinformation via communications with multiplesatellites from hardware within the vehicle.

Mobile Hotspot - Enables the engineer or fieldoperative to work within range of the vehicle in WiFicoverage.

Reports - Provision of a comprehensive set of reportsaimed at measuring the performance of both vehiclesand mobile workers.

Field Asset Management – Managing the MobileWorker’s Assets

This includes RFID solutions to link vehicles to assets,such as equipment; vehicle maintenance schedules;driver safety solutions and sensor solutions.

Field Service Management – Managing the MobileWorker’s Work

Jobs are scheduled based on a series of complexparameters. Accurate calculations are made todetermine the best jobs available at each point in theday for each engineer.

@Road is a leading, global provider of end-to-end solutionsdesigned to automate the management of mobile resources and tooptimize the service delivery process. @Road uniquely combinethe three essential elements of effective Mobile ResourceManagement (MRM): Field Force Management, Field ServiceManagement, and Field Asset Management to create solutions fora variety of industries.

AMT-SYBEX partners with @Road

The front line of our Support division is the Help Desk.

They are responsible for dealing with System Problem Reports(SPR’s) for all our customers. They control and monitor the SPR’sfrom inception to closure and are responsible for issuing theweekly SPR reports.

We thought it would be nice to put a face to the name for you.

You all talk to them, joke with them and we trust you don’t moanat them!

So here they are…..Catherine, Jean and Sarah take a bow.

Email: helpdesk@amt-sybex.com

Helpdesk Tel: +44 (0)1438 748555Helpdesk Fax: +44 (0)1438 747574

Meet the Help Desk

CatherineDooley

Jean Higgins

Sarah Byrne

For further details, please contact your Account Manager