SupportConnect - Unicenter Service Management Newsletter, Version 05.01
  

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Computer Associates
E-News
Unicenter® Service Management Newsletter
Version 05.01
February 16, 2005

In This Newsletter
Product News
> Availability of Unicenter® ServicePlus Knowledge Tools 6.0 Trial CD
> Product Support Announcement for Unicenter® Argis® Change, Unicenter® Argis® Web Contract,
Unicenter® Argis® Receive, and Unicenter® Argis® Connect Users
> Product Announcement for Valued Former iCan Customers

Product Updates
> Unicenter® Service Delivery r2.2 Japanese Localization Patch Now Available in Windows Platform
> Latest Published Fixes

General Information
> Negotiating the Road to Demand Management
> Unicenter® Service Management Products in the News

Special Events
> Unicenter® Service Management Calendar

Product News
Availability of Unicenter® ServicePlus Knowledge Tools 6.0 Trial CD
Unicenter ServicePlus Knowledge Tools r6 is a part of Unicenter ServicePlus, a family of comprehensive customer service and support solutions that enable organizations to cost-effectively manage support requirements while providing outstanding service in a multi-channel support environment. A powerful knowledge management solution, Unicenter ServicePlus Knowledge Tools r6 provides customers with accurate responses quickly, reliably, and in a method best suited for the individual problem.

Self-Service Knowledge Capabilities:
  • Comprehensive knowledge life cycle management functionality including authoring, validation, retrieval, escalation, notification, and retirement
  • Import utility to upload third-party knowledge or in-house solutions
  • Multiple integrated search tools for rapid, accurate, and consistent answers:
    • Natural Language Search (NLS) - a self-learning knowledge tool with a natural language interface for problem resolution
    • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - browse all or part of the knowledge base from topics and sub-topics
    • Decision Tree - solution documents can be formatted as a Decision Tree to offer procedural guidance for virtually any support issue
    • Bookmark - supports instant retrieval of commonly used solutions
Click here to order your Unicenter ServicePlus Knowledge Tools r6 Live Trial CD: ca.com/registration/unicenter_serviceplus_knowledge_tool_trial_cd.htm.

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Product Support Announcement for Unicenter® Argis® Change, Unicenter® Argis® Web Contract, Unicenter® Argis® Receive, and Unicenter® Argis® Connect Users
Computer Associates International, Inc. is dropping support for the above products December 31, 2005, or the end of the customer current maintenance or licensing term, whichever is later. Jacki Williams, the Unicenter® Argis® product manager, points out the same functionality is bundled and available in Unicenter Argis Release 8.0, Gen level 0312. Customers with active maintenance contracts are entitled to a free software upgrade at no charge. Please see the full announcement on the Unicenter Argis product page on SupportConnectSM.

Users of previous versions should contact their local CA Customer Advocate or Sales Representative for upgrade information.

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Product Announcement for Valued Former iCan Customers
The Unicenter® Service Management Product Team has reviewed our support schedule for our former iCan Provider Suite of products and has chosen to discontinue support on January 31, 2006, for r1, r1.1, and r2 of iCan Assure, iCan Bill, iCan Meter, iCan Provision, and iCan View. Please see the Product Support Announcement posted on the product pages in SupportConnectSM by the Unicenter® product equivalent names. Customers with active maintenance are entitled to a free software upgrade to r2.2 as follows:

ICAN PRODUCT NAME UNICENTER NAME UNICENTER TOPSCODE
iCan View Unicenter® Service Catalog USVCT.99000
iCan Bill Unicenter® Service Accounting USVAC.99000
iCan Assure Unicenter® Service Assure USVAS.99000
iCan Provision Unicenter® Service Fulfillment USVFF.99000
iCan Meter Unicenter® Service Meter USVMT.99000

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Product Updates
Unicenter® Service Delivery r2.2 Japanese Localization Patch Now Available in Windows Platform
For Unicenter Service Delivery r2.2 customers, please note that patch QO63615 (2US1 UC2201) is now published and is available on SupportConnectSM. The patch provides Japanese language support for Unicenter® Service Catalog 2.2 and, in addition, addresses many support issues found in the GA release. The patch is only for Windows clients. The Service Management family of products includes Unicenter Service Catalog, Unicenter® Service Accounting, Unicenter® Service Assure, Unicenter® Service Fulfillment, and Unicenter® Service Meter.

CA's Unicenter Service Delivery solutions (formerly iCan products) enable you to manage the business of IT by streamlining and automating processes required to successfully deliver and manage IT services. It enables IT to define and publish service offerings in business terms, with appropriate quality attributes, through a service catalog. Ordered services are automatically provisioned and tracked in real time to enforce SLA commitments for effective service level management. It also allows you to monitor and manage contractual service quality commitments from your vendors and service providers. Please click here to see more information on the Service Delivery Solutions: ca.com/Solutions/SubSolution.asp?ID=321.

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Latest Published Fixes
For details of all the latest published fixes, please visit the support web pages and select the product(s) of your choice: ca.com/supportconnect/.

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General Information
Negotiating the Road to Demand Management
CA Technology Services Architect Stevie Sacks has written a series of articles for Computer World magazine our readers will appreciate to aid IT departments in negotiating the road to demand management.

Ten Steps to Modifying User Behavior and Reducing IT Costs
www.computerworld.com/printthis/2004/0,4814,96781,00.html

Step One: Documenting Services
www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/management/story/0,10801,98555,00.html

Step Two will be posted next week and Step Three in March.

Stevie is a software architect at Computer Associates International, Inc. who works extensively with clients to understand their needs and channels efforts to bring maximum value to their organizations in the areas of Unicenter® IT service management and server management.

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Unicenter® Service Management Products in the News

Volante Group Limited Works With Computer Associates in ITIL Implementation
Volante Group Limited is one of Australia's largest IT outsourcing companies with offices throughout the country. Responsible for supplying IT and supporting seven leading Australian government agencies, ITIL certification was a logical step to delivering IT service management at a very high standard. CA's Unicenter® ServicePlus Service Desk enabled Volante to employ the workflow rules included in the ITIL framework. Read the complete article at this link to learn more: ca.com/files/CustomerSuccesses/volante_bvstory.pdf.


DFS Cuts Outstanding Issues by 40% With CA's Unicenter® ServicePlus Solutions
"As our Users are from different geographic locations spread across various time zones, we wanted a web-based solution that is easy to use and support, not a client-based system," per T.M. Devanthan, Director of Business Support at DFS Ventures Singapore Limited. After two months of evaluation, the decision was to go with Unicenter ServicePlus Service Desk and with Unicenter® ServicePlus Knowledge Tools. The story spells success from that point. Read the rest: ca.com/files/CustomerSuccesses/25799_dfs.pdf.


African Bank Achieves 97% SLA Compliance With Its Suppliers Using Unicenter® ServicePlus Service Desk
Meeting SLAs was an important part of African Bank Limited's business challenge when burgeoning growth brought support calls to 22,000 per month. See how Unicenter ServicePlus Service Desk complemented by Unicenter® Asset Management and Unicenter® Software Delivery provided the keys to a perfect solution. Click here: ca.com/files/CustomerSuccesses/25583_africanbank.pdf.


CA Leverages Its Own Products to Manage Worldwide Help Desk: First-Call Resolution Up by More Than 20% and Call Volume Down by 42%
"Our first-call resolution rates have improved by more than 20%, from just under 50% to 70%, and the percentage of issues opened via the Web has risen to 70%. We know definitively that of those issues opened via the Web, 50% of them are submitted by employees who first search the knowledge base to try resolving their own issues."
     - Eve Beardsley, North American Help Desk Manager

See the details here: ca.com/customersuccesses/Details.aspx?CID=59328.

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Special Events
Unicenter® Service Management Event Calendar
HDI (Help Desk Institute) Annual Conference & Exhibition,
Venetian, Las Vegas, March 7 - 10, 2005

Conference Theme:
Discover new best practices. Zone in on proven solutions to challenges, and get a view into the future to foresee emerging trends and strategies. Learn, imagine, and dream of new ways to approach day-to-day dilemmas and long-term goals. Gain a new perspective and transform the way you do business. Renew your commitment to delivering excellent service and support to your customers, and improve your organization overall!

Tracks:
Essentials for New Support Managers - 2005
Executive Focus - 2005
Issues & Answers -2005
Product Showcase - 2005
The Human Factors - 2005
The Technology Zone - 2005


Speaking Sessions:
Getting on the IT Service Management Bandwagon Isn't as Scary as You Think
Wednesday, March 09, 2005 09:45 - 11:00 a.m.

Information technology is rapidly evolving and is a fundamental component in almost all business interactions. This evolution places tremendous pressure on IT to deliver services in a structured, cost-efficient, yet dynamic manner. As with most evolutions, it is critical to not constantly reinvent the wheel. This evolution has led to the emergence of IT service management to control the processes and to understand the costs and how they map to service levels. This session will discuss the changes in IT leading up to the adoption of Service Management and share lessons learned to make it a success.

Speakers:
Don McGinnis, Executive Director, itSMF USA
Robert Stroud, Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances, Computer Associates

Special Marketing Activities:
Customers coming to the exhibit will be offered a complimentary 15 minute gap analysis with the CA Profiler. Participants can choose from two different surveys: CA Service Delivery Profiler and/or a CA Service Support Profiler. There is also an opportunity for participants to be part of a post event analysis report which will compile all CA Profiler results collected at the show and a peers report will sent to those interested. Marla and Rich will be giving these surveys in a room next to the Exhibit Hall.

CA will also do 15 minute theater presentations every hour during the Exhibition: "Running IT as a Business: SLA Violation - Dashboard".

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