Invoq Systems Releases Study, Finds 86% of Enterprises Rate IT Event Resolution Process as ``Inadequate''.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 2004

Invoq Systems today announced the release of a study on IT Service Event Resolution and the role of interactive alerting as a critical component of an effective resolution strategy. Invoq Systems conducted the study of companies with more than 1,000 employees. The findings of the study conclude that 86% of the respondents rated their company's event resolution processes for IT events as inadequate.

"IT events occur whenever a system or service is interrupted. In today's IT service environment, effectively detecting, dispatching, resolving and communicating about events is paramount. Each second counts," says Troy McAlpin, CEO, Invoq Systems.

The study found that 92% believed that the services being managed were "mission critical" to the overall success of their Company, yet only 22% of the respondents have formally quantified the costs of a service outage. Given the importance of the business services under management the participants were asked to gauge their satisfaction with quality of the IT event resolution processes currently deployed by their firm. 86% of the respondents ranked the current process as inadequate.

Of the respondents qualifying the process as inadequate, the leading causes for the dissatisfaction with the process were as follows:

-- 18% Said the process is reactive not proactive

-- 13% Many of our IT Events go undetected or unassigned

-- 13% Noted that IT Events were often misdirected due to bad

data in the system

-- 13% Felt human error too often a factor

-- 11% Said the event is not realized until the end user calls

helpdesk

-- 9% IT Staff denies alert

Given the reactive nature of the processes, the study also found that 29% currently use an email "set and forget" alerting system, 19% use a similar "set and forget" process using pagers and an overwhelming 43% use manual dispatch to inform IT personnel of system outages.

"Event resolution can not be a passive process. In the past, companies have attempted the resolution process using inexpensive notification alternatives that do not provide for two-way interactivity or a web-based, self-service portal, which increases data integrity. Those firms are now suffering with undetected IT service outages, a lengthy resolution process and an expensive, ineffective manual dispatch system," says Desmond DosSantos, Vice President Product Management, Invoq Systems. "In today's real-time IT environment, set and forget, email and other short cut attempts do not ensure the events are resolved -- interactive alerting and resolution applications ensure IT services are delivered," concluded DosSantos.

"Today's Enterprise Management solutions require an enterprise-capable notification strategy. It's no longer an issue of sending a page or email based on an event identified by a management server. It's about confirmed message delivery and verification that remedial action is being taken. It's about the rapid restoration of service in the shortest amount of time and within the service levels that have been defined. It's also about incorporating notification requirements from the organization as a whole, not just IT," says Mike Battistella, Chief Technologist, Solutions(3). "Invoq Systems has addressed the complexity associated with notification products that do not scale to the enterprise. Invoq's AlarmPoint provides ease of use, intuitive configuration, and a large variety of integration points. AlarmPoint provides the features and flexibility required to establish a notification solution far beyond the simple functionality provided by other notification products," concludes Battistella.

To read the full White Paper titled "Interactive Alerting, a basis of an Adaptive Service Management Strategy" please visit www.invoqsystems.com or contact an Invoq Systems representative at 925-226-0300.

About AlarmPoint(R) by Invoq Systems

AlarmPoint(R) enables Enterprises to maximize their investment in Business Service Management. IT Customers and IT Personnel alike can now access AlarmPoint's Web Interface, subscribe to service events, manage their own calendars and communication devices and most importantly receive and act on critical service alerts. AlarmPoint captures system events from monitoring applications and Remedy Action Request System and routes the event in voice and text to any device, in any language, based on the preferences of the recipient. The recipient can update a ticket, take an action, escalate, or take other actions to cure the original event. AlarmPoint is a BMC Software Market Zone Direct product and IBM Tivoli Beacon Award Winner.

About Invoq Systems

Invoq Systems' AlarmPoint products enable leading Enterprises to maximize their investment in Business Service Management. The AlarmPoint products are the leading automated, interactive event notification and resolution software applications. These systems are used to enhance network, security, and emergency data center management, and to reduce operational inefficiencies. With its network of global partners, Invoq's products are now managing over 500 global installations including AT&T, Bank of America, Barclays Bank, Barclays Global Investors, BHP, British Telecom, Cable & Wireless, Consumers Energy, Deutsche Bank, McKesson, Pacific Gas & Electric, and the US Treasury. Invoq Systems, Inc. is headquartered in Pleasanton, CA with European operations headquartered in Richmond, Surrey, U.K. For more information, visit the Invoq Systems web site at www.alarmpoint.com or www.invoqsystems.com.

Invoq Systems, Inc.(TM), Invoq(TM), PhonePoint(R) and AlarmPoint(R) are trademarks of Invoq Systems, Inc. in the United States, United Kingdom and other territories and countries. All other product names, service marks, and trademarks mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.