Great Lakes Data Systems (GLDS) has introduced its new WinWatch outage detection module, and the company said it has been deployed at two customer sites.
The WinWatch application allows users to define triggers for outage alerts, including time frames, call types, franchises, controllers, headends, hubs and nodes. By analyzing service call patterns, the company said, WinWatch can identify outages and alert the operator sooner.
The outage detection system, which is compatible with both standard and enterprise versions of GLDS’ software, is not intended to duplicate network monitoring products. WinWatch is fully integrated with the WinCable billing and provisioning system.
“Customer service personnel are often the first ones to know that there’s an outage,” said Mary Armstrong, GLDS’ technical support manager. “If CSR’s don’t spot trouble immediately, a single headend problem can cascade into a huge backlog of unnecessary truck rolls and unhappy customers. Because the outage module is fully integrated with subscriber management, CSR’s are aware of problems sooner. They can serve customers better, initiate repairs sooner and prevent unnecessary truck rolls.”
Meanwhile, GLDS has signed a long-term billing, subscriber management and provisioning agreement with NuLink Digital in Newnan, Ga.
“NuLink needed a comprehensive triple-play platform to support digital video, data and phone services,” said Garrick Russell, GLDS’ vice president of operations. “We were able to provide them with a much lower-cost solution that included everything they need.”
Additionally, GLDS and PeakView Solutions have announced a development agreement, whereby PeakView will become an approved interface vendor for Workforce Management (WFM) for GLDS.