The successful launch of USKO`s Fault Tracking and Operations Management System (F-TOMS) at Durban Metro Electricity means that relief is at hand for hard-pressed, large-scale service providers such as municipalities, ISP`s, cellular, TV and other networked systems.
The benefits of economies of scale can easily turn into an operational nightmare when managing high-maintenance, high-throughput networks that provide services to huge client bases.
Colin Wilkinson and colleagues, the software developers of F-TOMS for the USKO Group, should know. As electrical engineers, their experiences at Durban Metro prompted an intense longing for accurate fault-tracking and diagnostic information.
They wanted potential problems to be highlighted before they became an unpleasant reality. They also needed feedback on what actually happened, as well as the ability to accurately measure each element of the network`s performance. So, they got together with USKO and designed their dream system - F-TOMS.
The first major installation of USKO`s new F-TOMS suite has been running live at Durban Metro Electricity since February. The system, maintained by one system administrator, has in excess of 400,000 faults online, over 200 users (averaging 50 concurrently), and is smoothly handling 8,000 faults a month.
Automatic reporting is sent to 250 e-mail users and the system communicates with 5 remote sites and the Department of Finance, generating Works Orders for the financial system (MIMS). Pager and fax messaging are also available and the system will even assist non-technical personnel with diagnosis.
Aubrey Morris, Durban Metro`s Senior Project Control Officer, enthusiastically comments: "F-TOMS offers us a vast improvement on previous systems. Not only does it do what we wanted, it also provides us with substantial additional benefits."
There are over 60 reports, graphs and management information options to choose from, which cover all aspects of fault, out of commission and switching request scenarios, as well as complete histories of contractors or staff involved. Time periods can be selected for reporting purposes, and the system automatically date and time stamps all events.
Martin McLeman, director of sales at USKO Solutions adds: "USKO, which operates one of the largest distributed networks in South Africa, immediately saw applications for this outstanding product for any high-maintenance, high-throughput service provider, and we anticipate strong demand across a variety of sectors.
"The modular, open-systems design of F-TOMS enhances the ease of migration to the system, and makes it simple to customise the system. USKO Solutions is currently tendering F-TOMS for the Cape Town Municipality and we are operating a trial installation in Pietermartizburg."
The suite is written in Microsoft Visual Basic and runs on Windows 95, 98 and NT. Any ODBC SQL-enabled database is suitable. Currently, the system is running on Microsoft Access for smaller installations, and Oracle 7.3 for larger installations. The minimum hardware requirements are a Pentium 166 machine with 16Mb ram.
As developer Wilkinson explains: "F-TOMS provides up-to-the-second tracking of both planned outages and fault handling, helping to improve efficiency. The accurate monitoring of the use of precious resources - especially highly-trained technicians - is vitally inter-linked with meeting customer expectations of high-quality service."
USKO Solutions` Martin McLeman can provide detailed information and arrange demonstrations of F-TOMS. You can reach him on (011) 807 4581.
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