Our IBM Education Assistant has some good presentations and information available to learn more about the CEA Feature Pack. I wish I could embed it here, but after trying to figure out their nested frames I gave up and thought it would be better just to link to it.
Here is the feature pack overview narrated presenation (around 15 mins long)
Also, here is the main page which also has a link to the PDF version of that presentation.
Showing posts with label Overview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Overview. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
CEA FEP will be available tomorrow!
Recently, we sent out an announcement about the availability of the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Communications Enabled Applications (CEA) V1.0 . I wanted to highlight some of the points in the announcement..
We were so excited to have gotten this release out the door and into our customer's hands. The entire team did a great job innovating throughout this product and we did a significant amount of test against the platform even testing against Cisco and Avaya infrastructures. We plan to have more information on our testing and usage of the product now that we are generally available but go on and download the feature pack and try it out for yourself!
Planned availability date
July 31, 2009
The WebSphere Application Server family is an innovative, performance-based application foundation for building, deploying, and managing all types of applications, and for ensuring they deliver on business objectives regardless of the situation. At its core, it provides a highly-effective performance foundation for creating and implementing agile and re-useable SOA applications and services. This Smart SOA Application Foundation can help you to deliver on business objectives and contain or even reduce cost across mainframe and distributed applications and all interaction modes (for example, Web 2.0 or voice).
Only WebSphere Application Server has the three foundational attributes to enable robust and agile business applications:
- Efficient development and management
- Highly effective performance
- Application innovation
The WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Communications Enabled Applications (CEA) V1.0 helps simplify development of innovative applications by offering an SOA-based programming model to add multimodal communications capabilities such as Click to call, Cobrowsing and Two-way Synchronized Forms, to existing and new applications using existing Java skills.
WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Communications Enabled Applications V1.0 is a product extension available to WebSphere Application Server V7.0 customers that:
- Delivers an innovative programming model that simplifies the addition of communications capabilities into existing and new applications by leveraging existing Java skills
- Provides Web services and REST services-based APIs which enable a richer user experience and increases user interaction effectiveness
- Delivers customizable and extensible multi-modal communications widgets: Click to call, Contact Center Cobrowsing, peer-to-peer Cobrowsing and Two-way Synchronized Forms
- Provides a unit test environment to prototype and test applications without the need to access the corporate Telephony/Unified Communications network
- Provides third party Telephony/Unified Communications support and an on-ramp to CEBP (communications enabled business process) solutions
- Supports the latest Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Servlet 1.1 standard (JSR 289)
Telephony interoperability -- Tested with leading Telephony/Unified Communications solutions:
- Avaya Communication Manager
- Cisco Unified Communications Manager
We were so excited to have gotten this release out the door and into our customer's hands. The entire team did a great job innovating throughout this product and we did a significant amount of test against the platform even testing against Cisco and Avaya infrastructures. We plan to have more information on our testing and usage of the product now that we are generally available but go on and download the feature pack and try it out for yourself!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Your applications need a dose of CEA - Peer to Peer Scenario
In my previous post I mentioned that the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta can help you create some pretty awesome user experiences for multi-modal online interactions. Well, what does that really mean? I've already covered the Contact Center scenario. Now, let's discuss a Peer to Peer scenario.
Your loyal customers, Savio and Hilary, always use your travel planning website to decide on itineraries and book travel.
Savio is away at IMPACT for a week. This leaves Hilary alone with their two month old. Erik, Savio's wise friend suggests Savio take Hilary on a vacation as a "thanks for putting up with me and rearing our child while I travel". Hilary loves to be involved in vacation planning. But Savio's in Vegas and Hilary's in Toronto (See P.S. below). Savio IM's Hilary and proposes the vacation idea. She's in. Now the tough part. Deciding where, which flight, hotel and car. It's made tougher by the fact that their multi-modal interaction is not linked in any way.
If Savio and Hilary continue the interaction over IM, they're forced to send URLs back and forth to keep track of the itinerary item that the other person is looking at. But then, they'd also have to type "flight #348 will get us in on time" and similar information into the IM application. But switching over from IM to the phone is no better because they still have to describe which page each person is on, (spelling out a URL over the phone...FUN!?!?), and which flight they are looking at etc. Savio and Hilary are in for a poor user interaction no matter how you slice it.
We designed the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta to address a scenario of two users trying to jointly make a decision through a multi-modal interaction.
Peer to Peer Cobrowsing
Let's start the same scenario off with a Peer to Peer Cobrowsing Web Widget that is delivered in the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta. Savio would click on the "Invitation Link" button on your website and IM it to Hilary. Once Hilary clicks the link, Savio and Hilary would be in a shared session together. There's not software for Savio or Hilary to install to enable this shared session. In fact, Savio and Hilary have individual sessions with WebSphere Application Server, so there's an added layer of security. Calling this feature Peer to WebSphere Application Server to Peer, while perfectly okay with the IBM Naming Police, seemed cumbersome. Ease of use and security? Check.
With this shared session both Savio & Hilary can take control and direct what is shown on the other person's browser window. Both can highlight elements on the page for the other person to see. Vastly improved user experience? Check.
And of course, if either needs more information before deciding, they could use the Click to Call feature enabled by the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA and enter into a joint session with one of your customer service representatives. I described this scenario before.
Want to learn more?
Get the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta here and the Getting Started guide, part of the Library materials, here. Also, here's a good description of the widgets from Erik. Finally, if you need a copy of WAS V7, you can get a trial here.
Let us know what you think!
P.S.: Hilary and I planned our last trip sitting beside each other, with our individual laptops scouring Expedia for info. It was painful to keep track of the itinerary item that the other person was suggesting. So, while the scenario above describes two geographically separated users, I'm certain it'll apply to two users sitting beside each other on a couch! What that says for our society is a different story ;-)
Your loyal customers, Savio and Hilary, always use your travel planning website to decide on itineraries and book travel.
Savio is away at IMPACT for a week. This leaves Hilary alone with their two month old. Erik, Savio's wise friend suggests Savio take Hilary on a vacation as a "thanks for putting up with me and rearing our child while I travel". Hilary loves to be involved in vacation planning. But Savio's in Vegas and Hilary's in Toronto (See P.S. below). Savio IM's Hilary and proposes the vacation idea. She's in. Now the tough part. Deciding where, which flight, hotel and car. It's made tougher by the fact that their multi-modal interaction is not linked in any way.
If Savio and Hilary continue the interaction over IM, they're forced to send URLs back and forth to keep track of the itinerary item that the other person is looking at. But then, they'd also have to type "flight #348 will get us in on time" and similar information into the IM application. But switching over from IM to the phone is no better because they still have to describe which page each person is on, (spelling out a URL over the phone...FUN!?!?), and which flight they are looking at etc. Savio and Hilary are in for a poor user interaction no matter how you slice it.
We designed the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta to address a scenario of two users trying to jointly make a decision through a multi-modal interaction.
Peer to Peer Cobrowsing
Let's start the same scenario off with a Peer to Peer Cobrowsing Web Widget that is delivered in the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta. Savio would click on the "Invitation Link" button on your website and IM it to Hilary. Once Hilary clicks the link, Savio and Hilary would be in a shared session together. There's not software for Savio or Hilary to install to enable this shared session. In fact, Savio and Hilary have individual sessions with WebSphere Application Server, so there's an added layer of security. Calling this feature Peer to WebSphere Application Server to Peer, while perfectly okay with the IBM Naming Police, seemed cumbersome. Ease of use and security? Check.
With this shared session both Savio & Hilary can take control and direct what is shown on the other person's browser window. Both can highlight elements on the page for the other person to see. Vastly improved user experience? Check.
And of course, if either needs more information before deciding, they could use the Click to Call feature enabled by the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA and enter into a joint session with one of your customer service representatives. I described this scenario before.
Want to learn more?
Get the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta here and the Getting Started guide, part of the Library materials, here. Also, here's a good description of the widgets from Erik. Finally, if you need a copy of WAS V7, you can get a trial here.
Let us know what you think!
P.S.: Hilary and I planned our last trip sitting beside each other, with our individual laptops scouring Expedia for info. It was painful to keep track of the itinerary item that the other person was suggesting. So, while the scenario above describes two geographically separated users, I'm certain it'll apply to two users sitting beside each other on a couch! What that says for our society is a different story ;-)
Your applications need a dose of CEA - Contact Center Scenario
In my previous post I mentioned that the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta can help you create some pretty awesome user experiences for multi-modal online interactions. Well, what does that really mean? Let's start with a common scenario.
While searching for a life insurance policy online a user might want to call a customer service representative (CSR) about discounts since her mortgage is held by the bank. More often than naught, the CSR wants to point the user to more information on the bank's website. But here's the dilemma. The user and CSR are involved in a multi-modal interaction, but there's no synchronization between the two modes of communication. If the CSR wants to direct the user to a specific page on the site, he must tell the user "okay, go to the homepage, on the left navigation bar, click Other Offers and then scroll half way down the page, look for a link that says...." Agreed, that's an ugly interaction.
When the user decides to purchase life insurance, the interaction is no prettier. While the user and CSR are speaking on the phone and both have browser windows open, there is no linkage between the two modes of communication. The user still has to speak certain information which the CSR must transcribe into the application form. There's no visual way for the user to verify that the CSR has transcribed the spoken information properly. Try saying "Savio Rodrigues" and the person on the other end of the phone not transcribe "Fabio Rodriguez" or "Flavio Rodriguez" or "Sabio Rodriguez". Not cool.
We designed the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta to address a scenario in which a user and CSR are involved in a multi-modal interaction prior to the user making a decision.
Click to Call
Let's consider the same scenario with a Click to Call Web Widget that you can embed in existing and new web applications.
Unlike third party hosted Click to Call offerings, the Click to Call feature in the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta can be completely integrated into your application. No need to spawn another browser window or advertise your hosted provider's service. Integrated and consistent user experience? Check.
Next, our Web Widget is integrated with your telephony infrastructure (so far, Cisco & Nortel). Why pay a third party Click to Call hosted provider per minute fees for calls when you can leverage your existing telephony infrastructure? Lower costs and driving higher utilization of existing resources? Check.
Finally, any information that you want to share between the user and the CSR through the Click to Call session, such as login information or account numbers, does not have to go through a third party. Increased privacy & security? Check.
Contact Center Cobrowsing
Okay, you added a Click to Call widget to your application, now what? Well, your customer enters her phone number and clicks on "Connect". The result is a shared session between the user and the CSR (through WebSphere Application Server). Oh, and there is no software for the user or CSR to install. Security and ease of use? Check.
With this shared session both the CSR and the user can take control and direct what is shown on the other person's browser window. Both can highlight elements on the page for the other person to see. No more having to say "scroll half way down the page and look for the link to the right of the picture of a monkey". Improved user experience? Check.
Two Way Forms
Next up, the dreaded filling out of forms over the phone. But have no fear. Since you have a shared session between the user and CSR, there's no reason that the form can't be displayed to both parties. But why stop there? The Two Way Forms feature of the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta lets both parties enter data into various elements of the form. You can even restrict the data shown in a form field between the CSR and user. For example, the user could type in and see their full credit card or social security number, while the CSR would only see the last 3 digits. The user can even click to confirm that individual form field data was transcribed correctly by the CSR. Fewer frustrated users? Check.
Want to learn more?
Get the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta here and the Getting Started guide, part of the Library materials, here. Also, here's a good description of the widgets from Erik. Finally, if you need a copy of WAS V7, you can get a trial here.
Let us know what you think!
While searching for a life insurance policy online a user might want to call a customer service representative (CSR) about discounts since her mortgage is held by the bank. More often than naught, the CSR wants to point the user to more information on the bank's website. But here's the dilemma. The user and CSR are involved in a multi-modal interaction, but there's no synchronization between the two modes of communication. If the CSR wants to direct the user to a specific page on the site, he must tell the user "okay, go to the homepage, on the left navigation bar, click Other Offers and then scroll half way down the page, look for a link that says...." Agreed, that's an ugly interaction.
When the user decides to purchase life insurance, the interaction is no prettier. While the user and CSR are speaking on the phone and both have browser windows open, there is no linkage between the two modes of communication. The user still has to speak certain information which the CSR must transcribe into the application form. There's no visual way for the user to verify that the CSR has transcribed the spoken information properly. Try saying "Savio Rodrigues" and the person on the other end of the phone not transcribe "Fabio Rodriguez" or "Flavio Rodriguez" or "Sabio Rodriguez". Not cool.
We designed the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta to address a scenario in which a user and CSR are involved in a multi-modal interaction prior to the user making a decision.
Click to Call
Let's consider the same scenario with a Click to Call Web Widget that you can embed in existing and new web applications.
Unlike third party hosted Click to Call offerings, the Click to Call feature in the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta can be completely integrated into your application. No need to spawn another browser window or advertise your hosted provider's service. Integrated and consistent user experience? Check.
Next, our Web Widget is integrated with your telephony infrastructure (so far, Cisco & Nortel). Why pay a third party Click to Call hosted provider per minute fees for calls when you can leverage your existing telephony infrastructure? Lower costs and driving higher utilization of existing resources? Check.
Finally, any information that you want to share between the user and the CSR through the Click to Call session, such as login information or account numbers, does not have to go through a third party. Increased privacy & security? Check.
Contact Center Cobrowsing
Okay, you added a Click to Call widget to your application, now what? Well, your customer enters her phone number and clicks on "Connect". The result is a shared session between the user and the CSR (through WebSphere Application Server). Oh, and there is no software for the user or CSR to install. Security and ease of use? Check.
With this shared session both the CSR and the user can take control and direct what is shown on the other person's browser window. Both can highlight elements on the page for the other person to see. No more having to say "scroll half way down the page and look for the link to the right of the picture of a monkey". Improved user experience? Check.
Two Way Forms
Next up, the dreaded filling out of forms over the phone. But have no fear. Since you have a shared session between the user and CSR, there's no reason that the form can't be displayed to both parties. But why stop there? The Two Way Forms feature of the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta lets both parties enter data into various elements of the form. You can even restrict the data shown in a form field between the CSR and user. For example, the user could type in and see their full credit card or social security number, while the CSR would only see the last 3 digits. The user can even click to confirm that individual form field data was transcribed correctly by the CSR. Fewer frustrated users? Check.
Want to learn more?
Get the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta here and the Getting Started guide, part of the Library materials, here. Also, here's a good description of the widgets from Erik. Finally, if you need a copy of WAS V7, you can get a trial here.
Let us know what you think!
Your applications need a dose of CEA
As Erik posted on Friday, the IBM WebSphere Application Server V7.0 Feature Pack for Communications Enabled Applications Beta (WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta) is now live.
Why should developers care?
Skills Reuse, Improved User Experiences & Lower Costs:
Well, with your existing Java skills, the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta can help you create some pretty awesome user experiences that improve the effectiveness of multi-modal online interactions and reduce costs. The WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta targets scenarios where users are interacting with each other through multiple modes of communications.
We've all been on a website, or for that matter, any web-based application, trying to find the right information before making a (purchase) decision. Often, multiple modes of communications (i.e. phone & website; instant messaging & website, etc.) are needed to obtain the information and make the decision.
Over the next two posts (here & here) I'll discuss two key scenarios where the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta shines. Saddle up...
Why should developers care?
Skills Reuse, Improved User Experiences & Lower Costs:
Well, with your existing Java skills, the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta can help you create some pretty awesome user experiences that improve the effectiveness of multi-modal online interactions and reduce costs. The WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta targets scenarios where users are interacting with each other through multiple modes of communications.
We've all been on a website, or for that matter, any web-based application, trying to find the right information before making a (purchase) decision. Often, multiple modes of communications (i.e. phone & website; instant messaging & website, etc.) are needed to obtain the information and make the decision.
Over the next two posts (here & here) I'll discuss two key scenarios where the WAS V7 Feature Pack for CEA Beta shines. Saddle up...
Friday, May 1, 2009
IBM Impact 2009 Sessions
We have multiple sessions at IBM Impact 2009 to talk more about the features in the feature pack. Below are some of the session numbers and their abstracts that you attend to learn more:
Monday, May 4, 2009
Session #1697 Revolutionizing Web-Enabled User Communications
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Sessions #2219 Adding Interactive Communications to a IBM WebSphere® Commerce Deployment
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Session #1694: Lower Costs, Improve Satisfaction with Communications-Enabled Applications
For all of our Inner Circle participants, we also have a session on Thursday entitles "Introducing the new Communications Enabled Applications programming model and Futures." That is session #3147.
I hope to meet you there!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Session #1697 Revolutionizing Web-Enabled User Communications
This session details how Communications Enabled Applications (CEA) can improve Web application user experience for customers, partners and employees. It also discusses the revolutionary capabilities surrounding CEA that will be introduced in a Feature Pack for IBM WebSphere® Application Server Version 7.0. These new capabilities, and an innovative programming model, will enable developers to create applications exploiting dynamic Web-enabled communications while leveraging their existing skills. This session will cover the Web and RESTful services-based APIs and widgets that make up this exciting new programming model. It will cover how to use these capabilities to create voice and data sessions between users, and some of the innovative user experience benefits possible.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Sessions #2219 Adding Interactive Communications to a IBM WebSphere® Commerce Deployment
IBM WebSphere® Commerce can be enhanced by utilizing the Communications Enabled Applications functions that will be introduced in a Feature Pack for IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 7.0. These new capabilities will enable the users of your online store to interact with one another and your representatives in a unique and innovative way. Learn more about these new features and how to integrate them into your IBM WebSphere Commerce store to provide your customers with a new and improved shopping experience.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Session #1694: Lower Costs, Improve Satisfaction with Communications-Enabled Applications
Communications-Enabled Business Processes (CEBP) addresses your quest to do more with less in a SOA environment. Learn how Communications-Enabled Applications (CEA), a key aspect of CEBP, can help lower costs while improving customer, partner and employee satisfaction. Learn about the revolutionary capabilities surrounding CEA that will be introduced in a Feature Pack for IBM WebSphere® Application Server Version 7.0. These new capabilities, and an innovative programming model, will enable your developers to build multi-modal Web-based applications without having to become experts in communications technologies or specifications. Learn how your developers can leverage their existing skills to build innovative CEA that significantly improve user experience and revolutionize the ways that users interact with one another.
For all of our Inner Circle participants, we also have a session on Thursday entitles "Introducing the new Communications Enabled Applications programming model and Futures." That is session #3147.
I hope to meet you there!
Communications Enabled Applications on WebSphere
Great news! The IBM WebSphere Application Server V7.0 Feature Pack for Communications Enabled Applications Open Beta has begun. That means we can finally start talking about the many exciting features in the beta.
First, I thought it would be useful to define what a Communications Enabled Applications are. As defined by Wikipedia, Communications Enabled Applications are:
This feature pack has a lot of exciting capabilities including:
Stay tuned over the next couple weeks and months as we will be talking a lot more about our IBM WebSphere Application Server V7.0 Feature Pack for Communications Enabled Applications.
First, I thought it would be useful to define what a Communications Enabled Applications are. As defined by Wikipedia, Communications Enabled Applications are:
A communications enabled application (CEA) is a set of information technology (IT) components and communication technology components that are integrated using a particular service-oriented architecture (SOA) to increase the productivity of an organization and/or improve the quality of users' experiences.
Communication enablement adds real-time networking functionality to an IT application. Providing communications capability to an IT application:
- removes the human latency which exists when (i) making sense of information from many different sources, (ii) orchestrating suitable responses to events, and (iii) keeping track of actions carried out when responding to information received;
- enables users to be part of the creative flow of content and processes.
What distinguishes a CEA from other software applications is its intrinsic reliance upon communications technologies to accomplish its objectives. A CEA depends on real-time networking capabilities together with such network oriented functions as location, presence, proximity, and identity.
Another distinguishing characteristic of a CEA is the implicit assumption that network services will be available as callable services within the SOA frameworks from which the CEA is constructed. To provide callable services, the network services which are available today must be made virtual and component-like.
CEAs apply to business processes as well as instances where no obvious business process which requires improvement exists (e.g., games, entertainment video). CEAs that apply to business processes are referred to as communications enabled business processes or communications enabled business solutions.
This feature pack has a lot of exciting capabilities including:
- Web services & REST services-based APIs that
- build on existing Java skills for simplified creation of, and access to, communications sessions
- enable a richer user experience for two parties inputting and reviewing data, and while browsing web content
- build on existing Java skills for simplified creation of, and access to, communications sessions
- Widgets such as Click to Call, Contact Center Cobrowsing, Peer to Peer Cobrowsing and Two-way Synchronized Forms
- Unit test environment to prototype and test communications enabled applications without the need to access corporate Telephony network
- Sample reference application to speed learning
- Access to standards-based Telephony infrastructure
- Support for the latest SIP Servlet 1.1 standard (JSR 289)
- Asynchronous Invocation API for accessing remote SIP sessions
- Telephony interoperability testing with Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Nortel Communications Server 1000 in conjunction with Cisco & Nortel respectively
Stay tuned over the next couple weeks and months as we will be talking a lot more about our IBM WebSphere Application Server V7.0 Feature Pack for Communications Enabled Applications.
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