Features - Storage Innovations:

MOTIVE INTRODUCES ENTERPRISE SERVICE SOLUTION FOR STO NETS

Motive Communications Inc, a leading provider of intelligent service software, has announced the availability of its Enterprise Service Solution for Storage Networks. The solution enables storage vendors and service providers to offer remote service and support for storage area networks to improve service levels, uptime and customer satisfaction, while reducing support costs and total cost of ownership. Motive also announced that VERITAS Software has purchased the solution.

Today's enterprise storage environments are complex combinations of interconnected hardware devices and software applications, and when problems occur, it is challenging to isolate and solve them using the prevalent support vehicle, the telephone. Leading enterprise technology companies are seeking ways to improve their support processes, and increasingly, they are turning to remote support and management services to achieve these goals.

Motive's Enterprise Service Solution for Storage Networks is a comprehensive suite of remote service capabilities that enable technology providers to electronically guide enterprise customers through the entire service process -- troubleshooting, diagnosing, and resolving problems with storage networks -- while ensuring the security, privacy and integrity of the service transactions.

Unlike existing remote service solutions that rely on inflexible dial-up systems, are often costly to maintain and only address data collection, Motive's solution uses the Internet and existing Web standards to enable vendors to provide remote, secure, automated assistance at key points throughout the customer lifecycle. Motive electronically collects key product and environment data that the storage vendor uses to diagnose problems, provide self and remote support capabilities and deliver value-added services. Motive's solution enables vendors to differentiate their products and service offerings, lower total cost of ownership, increase customer satisfaction and loyalty and create additional revenue generating service offerings.

"The storage market is undergoing a period of significant growth, but with that growth come challenges," said Mike Maples, chief strategist for Motive. "Vendors providing service within these environments must keep pace with the increasing demands to lower their costs and yet continue to differentiate their products from their competitors. We are pleased to deliver a unique solution that enables leading storage vendors to not only reduce their support costs, but also provide them with a remote services platform for delivering value-added, revenue generating services."

Enterprise Service Solution for Storage Networks

The Motive solution consists of four service modules along with the Motive ServiceNet Infrastructure, enabling storage vendors to offer different service functions that automate key steps in the service lifecycle:

• Event-Initiated Support: intelligent service integration with event monitoring systems to eliminate "noise" coming into the support center and enable remote support to be initiated earlier in the service processes.
• Self Support: allows customers to troubleshoot and fix their own problems.
• Remote Support: enables providers to gather data from different devices and applications within a storage environment and use that data to diagnose and solve problems.
• Preemptive Support: enables support analysts to analyze data from the storage environment and recommend and deliver proactive services and support.

The ServiceNet Infrastructure provides the foundation for delivering service and contains three key capabilities that are requirements to drive adoption of remote services by enterprise customers:

• Service Process Control: single point of access and control for all service management processes that enables enterprise customers to approve all actions, define roles, and set policies related to service interactions.
• Service Transaction Management: ensures complete service transaction integrity across multiple interactions between the IT administrator and the vendor support organization and the security of these service transactions by leveraging industry standard security protocols.
• Flexible Service Logic: enables easy creation and dynamic distribution of diagnostics, resolutions, and processes to customers to allow the vendor or service provider to more effectively adapt to changing, heterogeneous environments.

Designed around the unique requirements of storage vendors and service providers delivering managed services into their enterprise customers, Motive's Enterprise Service Solution for Storage Networks combines these service modules and ServiceNet Infrastructure to deliver remote services that are a valuable addition into enterprise's IT environments.

Availability

The Motive Enterprise Service Solution for Storage Networks is currently available.

About Motive

Motive Communications Inc provides intelligent service solutions for the world's leading digital brands. Motive's industry-leading software and service expertise enable technology innovators to create a new generation of "smart products" that enable remote services as an integral part of the customer experience. Using Motive, world-class digital brands such as 3Com, British Telecommunications, Deutsche Telekom, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Hyperion, Lawson Software, Microsoft Business Solutions, Telewest, Veritas Software, Verizon, and Warranty Corporation of America are transforming their products and turning service from a cost center into a key competitive advantage. Motive was founded in May 1997 and is backed by funding from leading venture capital firms and private investors. For more information, visit www.motive.com.

Contacts: Claire Campbell-Seeger of Motive Communications Inc, 512-339-8335x2408, claire@motive.com.