Customization allows the application to take on a wide range of scheduling functions. The application combines time management with a detailed resource database which allows for rapid communication across the cloud, which keeps every relevant party informed, and eliminates scheduling conflicts. Resources can be anything within an organization, from meeting rooms, to company cars, or even video projectors and copy machines. Some resources can be used by multiple parties simultaneously, and some cannot, and the NIM database establishes parameters accordingly.
INTERFACE:
Resources within organization sometimes have different levels of access security. For example, in order to access a company car a user may need access to a key card, or for access to a meeting room the user may require a passcode for the door. To accommodate these restrictions the application has three levels of access; user, manager, and administrator.
User: Regular users of the application have access to two main tabs within the application. First, they have access to a “My Reservations” tab that lists all the resource reservations they have made. Future reservations are displayed with green text, and confirmed reservations are highlighted for easy navigation. From this tab users can manage their reservations and create new reservations. The second tab regular users have access to is the “Resource Calendar” tab. The resource calendar has three parts, a menu of resources (such as meeting rooms or company cars) that the user has reserved, a calendar displaying time period over which each resource is reserved, and a map indicating the location of the resource.
Manager: Someone with “Manager” clearance is associated with the specific resources that he or she has jurisdiction over. In addition to “My Reservations” and the “Resource Calendar” a manager also has a tab that shows all reservations made of resources under his or her jurisdiction. This allows security personnel to efficiently approve reservations and share relevant security information, such as key codes, etc.
Administrator: Admins have full access within their domain. As such, the administrator’s user interface includes a tab with the entire list of invitations and reservations made within the domain. In addition, admins have a management interface through which they can designate which users have security jurisdiction, and also manage the level of access for regular users. Admins also have the ability to download the invitation/reservation lists as CSV files for reference.
Internal Communication: NIM leverages the Google Talk API for efficient communication, especially between security personnel and users making reservations of security restricted resources. Chat messages can be easily exchanged within the application to request access and approval.
External Communication: When a user creates a reservation, for example, of a meeting room for a meeting with an external individual, such as a partner or client, that user will include details of the time and location of the meeting, and any gate clearance or security codes required to access the meeting room. The application makes use of the Google Calendar and Gmail in order to automatically send notifications and invitations to attendees.
Mobile:
NIM integrates smoothly with Google Calendar, automatically logging reservations within users’ calendars, and making them easily viewable within a domain in order to eliminate double booking resources and other administrative problems. Google Calendar automatically updates across mobile platforms, making it easy for users to keep track of resources and scheduling on the go.
The Netkiller Invitation Manager application is also being developed to accommodate pure mobile functionality, as well as functions that allow outside customers to manage reservations of resources directly (such as the rental of office spaces and other resources).
About Netkiller:
Netkiller enables users to perform business activities on the cloud with heightened collaborative capabilities.
Using shared contacts on the cloud, users can simplify complex document workflows with a global, collaborative system, including workflows that include customers and partners.
All data is stored in Google’s Global Datacenters, which encrypt and distribute data in small pieces; this structure ensures both security, and global accessibility.
Netkiller products and custom Enterprise projects are open source; they make use of an A-GPL, which allows for a transparent development process and continuous upgrades by global developers.
Sign up here with your email