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New Version of FootPrints Asset Management Helps Automatically Capture IT Configurations Over the Web and Significantly Improve Help Desk EfficiencyEDISON, NJ (September 4, 2002) – UniPress Software, Inc., a leading provider of help desk and customer problem management software, today announced a new version of FootPrints® Asset Management, which offers expanded functionality to automatically capture desktop hardware and software configurations via the web and use this information to significantly improve support operations. Additionally, the new version includes advanced software recognition enhancements, such as auto-detection reporting and alerts, as well as other capabilities to manage license compliance. FootPrints Asset Management is fully integrated with UniPress’ FootPrints web-based help desk software, enabling organizations to link asset inventory information and reports to support tickets, and resolve technical issues faster.The new version of FootPrints Asset Management offers a centralized tool to track and manage corporate assets, enabling organizations to gain control of IT resources, reduce total cost of ownership, optimize spending, and improve efficiency. FootPrints Asset Management can also be used in conjunction with FootPrints, delivering real- time configuration information about desktop and network assets to drive help desk and support activities – saving time, ensuring accuracy, and speeding problem resolution. Powered by Discovery technology from Centennial, FootPrints Asset Management offers a web-based inventory tracking tool to automatically capture and document company-wide desktop and network resources. The tool provides a way to dynamically inventory the different types of IT assets that are deployed, identify where they are physically located, determine how they are configured, and notify appropriate personnel if any changes have been made to them. With an accurate inventory of hardware and software assets, IT groups – specifically the help desk – can improve the quality of their support operation. At the same time, they can track software license compliance and actual software usage. This helps IT groups to manage change and control costs more effectively by giving them current, accurate asset data to make more informed business decisions related to software upgrades, maintenance contracts, new purchases, and license compliance. FootPrints Asset Management now features enhanced speed and performance, plus automation for a range of activities. Expanded software recognition capabilities includes the automatic detection of installed assets, including Microsoft® Windows products, in-house developed systems, and other off-the-shelf or Internet-delivered applications. Assets are dynamically identified by type, and sorted by primary and secondary use. FootPrints Asset Management also makes it easier for organizations to coordinate software license management. It automatically identifies files that require licenses (such as Adobe fonts), marks files that do not require licenses (such as Acrobat Reader or Macromedia Flash) as re-distributable, embeds purchase order and date information into license details, dynamically links licenses to PC serial numbers and organizational units, and provides reporting on actual usage versus quantity purchased. “FootPrints Asset Management has automated our entire asset tracking process. We used to send half our team out for a week to manually inventory assets from PC to PC, then enter information into a Lotus Notes database that quickly became outdated. Now, we can run a complete, up-to-date report of any user’s PC configuration in minutes,” commented Brian Prell, Network Supervisor, Information Services at University Medical Associates (UMA), the physician group practice of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE. UMA uses FootPrints to support its help desk operations, and deployed FootPrints Asset Management to help its IT department gain control of PC assets for more than 250 employees at its corporate office and 13 clinics around the city. “Now, we can quickly assign cost values to each PC, and easily make purchasing decisions, assess insurance and licensing requirements, and roll out new applications and upgrades as needed,” said Prell. “As a result, we’ve become more efficient – saving both time and money.” Extend Asset Management to the Help Desk According to recent industry research from Gartner, Inc., 50 percent of help desk time is taken up by trying to gain an understanding of the user’s hardware and software configuration. FootPrints Asset Management automates this process, allowing help desk technicians to more quickly understand and address support inquiries. Desktop configurations, including platform, hardware and software information, are recorded and linked directly from FootPrints Asset Management to FootPrints tickets. As a result, organizations can speed issue resolution, increase support capacity, reduce costs, and improve satisfaction with the help desk. As a web-based solution, FootPrints Asset Management makes all information centrally available via the Internet, so support teams can share information, track histories, and identify support trends and patterns on an ongoing basis. Pricing & Availability FootPrints Asset Management is an integrated add-on module to FootPrints’ web-based help desk software. Available today, FootPrints Asset Management is typically priced under $20 per PC being tracked, depending on volume. For a limited time, new customers who purchase a FootPrints starter pack at $3,995 will receive a 25-user license of FootPrints Asset Management for free. A standalone version is also available. Contact UniPress at 800-222-0550 or info@unipress.com for additional details and volume pricing information. About UniPress Software, Inc. Headquartered in Edison, New Jersey, UniPress Software, Inc. is a developer of web-based help desk and customer problem management software. The company’s FootPrints® product line includes FootPrints and FootPrints for Exchange, along with integrated, dynamic asset management, support for direct access to contact records in LDAP-based corporate directories, change & configuration management and live eSupport & diagnostics add-on modules. The products have over 125,000 active users at corporate organizations, government offices and educational institutions worldwide. UniPress has been developing and marketing software for 19 years, serving more than 20,000 customers since its inception in 1983. For more information, contact UniPress at 732-287-2100, or access the company’s web site, www.unipress.com. Editorial Contact: Kevin McLaughlin Springboard PR 732-863-1900 ext.103 kmclaughlin@springboardpr.com top of page |
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