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Mediachase Software

Instant Business Network

(IBN) Collaboration ServerWeb Based Project Management and Collaboration Solution

IBN-CS Web Portal:

User Guide

Version 4.5

28.02.2007


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Instant Business Network 2IBN 4.5 Whats new

Instant Business Network Copyright 2007 Mediachase, LtdCommunicate | Coordinate | Collaborate http://www.mediachase.com

Document history

Version Date of update Changes

V 1.0 9.02.2006


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Table of contents

CHAPTER 1 GENERAL CHANGES............................................................................................................... 5

1.1USER INTERFACE...........................................................................................................................................51.2CLIENTS/CONTACTS .....................................................................................................................................5

1.3INTEGRATED WINDOWS AUTENTIFICATION AND IMPORTING USERS FROM LDAP DIRECTORIES ......51.4PROJECT TEMPLATES SAVING .....................................................................................................................61.5E-MAIL BOXES ...............................................................................................................................................6

CHAPTER 2 HELP DESK MANAGEMENT ISSUE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM............................. 7

2.1ISSUE BOXES...................................................................................................................................................72.2E-MAIL CREATED ISSUES..............................................................................................................................82.3SPAM-FILTERS...............................................................................................................................................82.4CONFIRMING MESSAGES BY E-MAIL............................................................................................................92.5ISSUE MANAGING...........................................................................................................................................92.6FORUM..........................................................................................................................................................102.7INTERNAL E-MAIL ROUTING.......................................................................................................................10

CHAPTER 3 FINANCE AND BASE PLANS............................................................................................... 11

3.1FINANCE PLANNING ....................................................................................................................................113.2PROJECT PLAN BY MILESTONES................................................................................................................13

CHAPTER 4 CONTACTS AND SUPPORT................................................................................................. 14

4.1TECHNICAL SUPPORT..................................................................................................................................144.2CONTACTS....................................................................................................................................................14


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Introduction

This document is a detailed description of new features which have been implemented in

the new version of Mediachase software - Instant Business Network 4.5.

IBN 4.5 accentuates on Issue management - Help Desk Management. HDM changes areexactly the most radical and remarkable. To get more details regarding these changes see

the second document chapter. Besides evident modifications in Issue management there is

Integrated Windows Autentification and new Finance management system, which are

described in separate chapters, among fundamental changes of IBN 4.5.

This document has been prepared for users who have some knowledge about working with

the IBN 4.1 and 4.0 versions. We have tried to emphasize all the substantial points

connected with functional changes and present them in the form which could allow users

with some experience of working with IBN to learn quickly new features and go easily to

IBN 4.5 using.

The detailed description of working with functional changes are left out, the documentcontains just most substantial and crucial material. Therefore it is highly recommended

even for experienced users to see user and administration guides to get full information

regarding functionality of all the IBN 4.5 new objects, systems and services.

Note: The features described below are not final and can be modified in the process of

completion and testing of the commercial IBN 4.5 version.


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Chapter 1 General changes

1.1 User interface

There are no radical changes of design or interface in IBN 4.5 in comparison with the IBN

4.1 version. The reason of not making such changes was, on the one hand, the wish forconcentrating on the qualified realization of new functional features, and on the other hand,

providing users with an opportunity of easier and quicker learning of them using well

known interface.

1.2 Clients/Contacts

New section has been added Clients/Contacts. This section contains the list of

contacts and organizations, which are your company clients or can become them.

Organizations section has been created to provide keeping of the expanded information

concerning partner companies and their representatives.

In the IBN 4.5 version this section is the same as expanded dictionary. Nevertheless it is

the first step on the path to realization of CRM-system principles (Customer Relationship

Management), which will underlie the next version of our product - IBN 5.0.

Client can be related to any of projects, Issues, To-Dos and documents created in the

portal. Grouped By section enables to view Issues, projects, documents, and To-Dos

which the required client is related to.

Export and Import abilities simplify the procedure of client information input.

1.3 Integrated Windows autentification and importing usersfrom LDAP directories

In addition to ability of users conversion from Active Directory, which has appeared in

the IBN 4.0 version, the Integrated Windows autentification has been implemented in the

IBN 4.5 version. If the connection of this type exists, logging into the portal is automatic

and does not require login and password input.


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Portal administrator establishes the connection between Active Directory and Windows

users.

IBN 4.5 enables importing of users not only from Active Directory (as it was in the

previous IBN versions), but from any LDAP Directory either. The ability of IBN and

LDAP Directory users synchronization has been implemented. This has been made to

relieve the administrator from the necessity of manual user creating or import procedurerepeating every time when he has to add new user account. Synchronization function

enables to bring the list of IBN users into correspondence with Active Directory (or any

other LDAP Directory). The information about the results of all made synchronizations is

saved in the administrative report.

To get more details see IBN 4.5 Administration Guide.

1.4 Project templates savingThe system of project templates saving has been improved. IBN 4.1 templates could save

just the information concerning roles and task structure. New IBN version includes the

ability of Meta data saving, system project fields saving and team saving. User can define

by his own, if this new data is to be saved in the template or not.

1.5 E-mail boxes


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IBN 4.5 keeps just external file boxes. Mail processing for these boxes is run by

File.Pop3MessageHandler, which saves mail body and attached files in the IBN file

library.

Note: Use route template for choosing the folder where the message information will be

placed.

IssueRequest.Pop3MessageHandler, which used to convert messages into external incident

(Issue) messages, is refused. Now Issue external messages are run in another way. To get

more details see the following chapter.

Chapter 2 Help Desk Management Issue Management

System

Issue (Incident) Management System has changed significantly. As a result of fundamental

review of approach to Issue processing and working with them, some inconsistencies withprevious IBN versions have appeared. To remove these inconsistencies some functions

and elements of IBN 4.1 Issue management system were reserved. This will enable to

move painlessly the information during transfer from IBN 4.1 to IBN 4.5.

2.1 Issue boxes

Basic element of Issues processing is Issue box. Issue processing logic is set exactly

through the boxes. Every new Issue is tightly related to one box.

Issue box has one corresponding manager which is responsible for controlling the deadline

and quality of working with Issues.


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Portal administrator can delete (or modify) any of the existing rules of message check and

add new ones.

2.4 Confirming messages by e-mail

If the incoming message has not been confirmed automatically or deleted by spam-filter

rules system, it is being placed into the list of unchecked messages. Any user of Support

service group can delete or confirm this message manually. In case of message deletion e-

mail address is moved to the Black List, in case of confirming to the White one.

2.5 Issue managing

After confirming the external message is being converted into an Issue in the New

status.

Working with Issues is an activity of a responsible user, which is being selected from all

portal users. There are several ways of responsible assignment:

assignment by a manager; assignment for the whole Issue box ; selecting from the pool.


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Special feature is Assign a group of responsible. To save the accordance with previous

IBN versions, the ability of resources assignment has been reserved. This function is being

activated on the Issue box level.

2.6 Forum

The page of Issue view does not contain File library and Discussion tabs anymore.

There is a forum instead of them, which contains the whole history of working with an

Issue including comments, files, internal and external e-mail messages, and system

messages concerning Issue status changes.

You can point the rules of message output: place the decision above, possible decisions or

questions.

There is an ability of forming the list of external message recipients for the specific Issue.

Outcoming messages will be sent to the addresses of this list.

2.7 Internal e-mail routing

There is an absolutely new ability of working with e-mail. External e-mail messages,

which are sent to the internal e-mail box defined by an administrator, will be registered inthe system and sent to responsible users.


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In the IBN 4.5 version activated internal e-mail routing enables to work with mail either

through the portal page and common mail clients. In this case an external user sends the

message to the internal box pointing in the message theme the code of an Issue, and the

message is automatically sent to all the stakeholders. Special plug-in for Microsoft

Outlook enables to view the information concerning the Issue, in the context of workingwith which the message was received, to send the decisions for the Issue by e-mail and

change Issue status.

Such an approach can, for example, effectively organize the work of the support service.

Chapter 3 Finance and base plans

3.1 Finance planning

There are some remarkable changes of project finance managing. All the abilities of

finance account which were implemented in the IBN 4.1 version are reserved, however the

control system has changed significantly.

One of fundamental innovations is expense planning system. The structure of financial

plan is set using the one of four templates, which are defined by default in the portal. Portal

administrator can design and connect up additional templates by his own.


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3.2 Project plan by Milestones

The system of task stages planning is similar to the expenses planning system. By saving

base plan, you save in the plan both finance structure milestones.

Project analysis Plan/Fact (Management center in the left menu) enables to compare

plans by milestones of several projects with safe base plans.


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Chapter 4 Contacts and support

4.1 Technical support

If you have any difficulties connected with installation or working with our products,

contact us by sending an email to [email protected]

4.2 Contacts

If you have any questions concerning Mediachase products and services, please email us at

[email protected]

or phone:

PBX: +1 323-988-1071

Fax: +1 323-908-3960

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