How is iServer different to other leading Enterprise Architecture tools?

iServer extends the Microsoft Office ® & Visio ® interfaces

For the first time, customers have the option of remaining in Microsoft Office and Visio whilst gaining the full functionality of an Enterprise Architecture tool.

Most other Enterprise Architecture tools have proprietary interfaces, and any information stored in Visio and Office must be (at best) imported or even reworked.

iServer is Low Cost

iServer is typically only about 40% of the cost of other leading Enterprise Architecture tools. This means that the return on investment is faster, and it is also viable to engage in a cost-effective proof of concept deployment prior to investment in wider-scale EA initiative.

It is not just the software that is inexpensive. iServer users can be trained in a few hours, and familiarity with Microsoft Visio means that much of the system is already known.

iServer provides a very quick start to Enterprise Architecture

For a number of reasons, iServer can be deployed & used productively quicker than any other EA tool:

• iServer allows you to get started with the information you have now
  Many other tools require a lengthy data-migration exercise, with decisions to be made up-front on metamodel and standards.
  
  Your diagrams and documents may not be perfect, complete, or consistent (for example in use of notations), but this information can be imported immediately into iServer. Of course standardization and consistency are important, but this does not have to be achieved on day one. Use of templates/standards/metadata can be enforced within iServer as usage evolves, but at the start it can be very useful to have an initial view of "where we are today". This can be published to the intranet (with all its problems) and discussed online, leading to immediate improvement.
• iServer provides pre-packaged "quick start" solutions
  Orbus provide quick start solutions for TOGAF and the Zachman framework for Enterprise Architecture.
• Training is quick and painless - users can be productively using iServer within a few hours.

iServer manages Visio Shapes

Visio shapes and Office document components become the repository artifacts (objects, building blocks) stored within iServer. Examples include: applications, services, processes, organizational units and network artifacts.

iServer is different from a document management system because functionality such as versioning and audit trail, permissions, relationships and metadata is provided for the artifacts (Visio shapes), and not just for documents.

And.. iServer is different from other EA tools because it uses Visio, rather than a proprietary interface.

iServer is Easy to Use

Microsoft Visio and Office are easy to use, and because iServer extends these environments, a large proportion of the interfaces are already familiar to new users. iServer is not just a tool for architects (see below), so appropriate levels of functionality and complexity can be turned on for different groups of users.

The best way to see this for yourself is to arrange a demonstration or to sign up for a proof of concept where you can see the benefits of iServer first-hand.

iServer is not just for Architects!

The cost and complexity of most Enterprise Architecture tools means that other users are often excluded. iServer's continued use of familiar MS Office products allows artifacts to be managed in the tools best suited for the job, whilst providing an appropriate set of functionality for each level of user.

Architects
A repository, a range of analysis tools, a customizable metamodel, stakeholder-driven views and out-of-the-box solutions for a quick start (such as TOGAF).

Contributors (eg. business managers, service managers, network managers, business modelers, systems developers, project managers)
An easy to use modeling environment, picture-driven stakeholder views, synchronization with other data sources (for list-based management of artifacts), configurable extensions to BPMS & simulation environments, reports in Excel & Word, model comparison and search capabilities.

Consumers (eg. general business users, senior managers, customers, suppliers)
Picture-driven access to EA information, simple feedback mechanisms.