Pages loading empty fix applied

As I reported in a prior post that we were experiencing problems with certain pages loading without any content within the ITSO application.  Tracking down the problem has not been easy but I’m happy to report that the ITSO Development Team has succeeded once and again and the issue is now resolved.  Of course we will be keeping a close eye on the application for this popping up in the future, however we believe it is fixed for good.

We rely heavely on our users for feedback to help us continue to improve the ITSO app, so please inform us of any issues you may be facing by clicking on the “We value your feedback” link that is featured on all logged in pages.  We take all issues seriously and strive to fix them immediately, we will also make sure we always write you back as long as you leave a valid working email address.

ITSO project count update… we’re growing!

Today I’m happy to announce that we now have a total of 32,608 projects in the IT Solution Optimizer site!  As you may already be aware, it is this data that’s used to determine the budget and timeline peer comparisons and also benchmark the likelihood of success for your projects in the upcoming Success Metrics feature (more on that shortly).  The way we do this is to take all projects that are similar to the one that you are working on within ITSO and apply a set of algorithms to the data to produce these results.  Of course we never share ITSO member data with anyone as peer comparisons are used only on aggregate, ensuring your confidentiality.

The more projects in ITSO equate to more accurate results that will drive our users project success, so please remember to use the site for all of your IT projects both large and small, it is users like you that have helped build this truly unique resource for the IT community.

In addition to the features I’ve already mentioned we also use project data for other neat peer comparison features within the site and will be building on this capability over time to add more value to the ITSO community of users.  As always I will post updates to this blog to share new features that are downstream.

If you would like more information on the how we collect and use project data for your benefit, take a look at the post below labeled “Ensuing Data Excellence”.

“Ensuring Data Excellence” document now available

Because of popular demand we have published the “Ensuring Data Excellence” document for download on the new ITSO website as a PDF.  The document answers commonly asked questions such as: how do you collect peer data? and what kinds of peer data do you collect?  We also illustrate confidence intervals and discuss the validity and accuracy of the data used in bringing you the peer benchmarking features on the site.

A New Standard for Data Quality
IT Solution Optimizer™ (ITSO) raises the bar for data excellence in the market research industry. Our goal is to provide IT decision makers with peer data that is representative, accurate, and reliable. By implementing rigorous data quality standards and testing methods, we provide an unmatched database of unbiased, objective data about real world IT solutions. Our users get actionable data so they can plan with confidence.

It’s available for viewing here.

The new IT Solution Optimizer public homepage launches today!

As we anticipated we have successfully launched the new and improved IT Solution Optimizer public WWW homepage today!  The much improved site features a fresh design and refined messaging to make it easier for new users and first time visitors to grasp the value of the ITSO application.  As always we welcome your feedback and look forward to hearing how we can make this even better in the future.

Check it out: www.ITSolutionOptimizer.com.

Peer Data views now load (much) faster

In the past the Peer Data charts have been very slow to appear on the pages that utilize them.  This has been a known issue for a while but since there have been so many other pressing issues that have been keeping us awake at night we simply haven’t had the time to make improvements in this area…. Until recently, with the arrival of our new DBA, Eric that is.

Eric has been a massive help in assisting us in enhancing the efficiency of our database views and in this particular area his presence on the team has resulted in drastic decreases in page load times.  We have sped up the Peer Data charts from 4.0 seconds to 0.05 in some instances!  We are still working on speeding up the Final Project Report but I expect good things there too!  Of course, I’ll keep you posted.

New homepage coming soon!

We’ve realized that an area we have overlooked in the past is the main ITSO homepage.  The current page was put up to mostly communicate information about the last version release back in January of this year.  In the hurry to get the application nailed down and as water tight as possible we sadly overlooked the need for an aesthetically pleasing homepage to attract new users and give existing users something nice to look at when they return to log back in.

We think we’ve fixed that now with the all new ITSO homepage (sneak peek above).  The site will be going online this Friday – August 8th, and we look forward to hearing your feedback.

Finally… the ITSO Product Search Engine

I know, it’s been a long time coming but finally it’s (almost) here…  I am happy to announce that soon you will be able to use a simplified text search to locate products within the ITSO product database.  It’s been a chore at times to find products in the masses of spec sheets that the ITSO site houses, with well over 200,000 products it’s very understandable, so we’ve finally got around to developing a robust and easy to use search engine that will take the edge off any frustration caused by the huge product database.

We’re currently testing the functionality and making a few minor tweaks to the database to facilitate better result, however I should be able to announce the launch soon.

Some pages loading empty

We’ve recently made some changes to the site that have resulted in some unforeseen quirks in certain environments (browsers/OS platforms).  Some pages are loading empty when navigating from certain areas of the site.  Although it’s a rare occurrence and only noted in a handful of tests, we are working diligently on a fix which should be made live very soon.

If you have experienced this issue I offer my appologies for the incovienence but rest assured, as with all bugs on the ITSO site this one will be resolved ASAP.

Fresh new features arriving in time for Fall

In addition to the many updates related to speed and reliability, the ITSO development team have also been working away to the wee hours of the

morning on some features that we think will be great additions to the already jam packed and feature rich ITSO site.

Here’s a quick overview of what we have been working on:

1.    Solution Provider Database

This feature will be very similar to the Hardware and Software product research feature, allowing users to search for Solution Providers for their projects by filtering on criteria like: geo location, services provided, partner programs, etc.  This will be a fantastic addition alongside the product research functionality and based on focus group feedback we already know it will be a welcomed addition by the users of the ITSO site.

2.    Project Success Metrics

Here’s a feature we anticipate being one of the real pulls of the ITSO site in the future, the Project Success Metrics feature.  This feature will bring together all of the data points that are currently used in the peer data comparison areas to estimate an overall success score for your project.  Using this feature will hopefully help you guide your project towards greater success, gauge how you align with your peers and empower you to make better project decisions.  I can’t wait to see how people use this feature and I keenly anticipate your feedback.

These additions will be available around the middle of September and we’ll post a note here to announce their arrival.

New and improved Final Project Report

We’ve made a few changes to the Final Project report in ITSO.  The old report served a great purpose by standardizing commonly used project reports and capturing all of the project data in one convenient and printable outline, but it wasn’t the best organized or prettiest thing on the site.  We’ve taken several steps to fix this by improving layout, font, readability and organization of the data used in the reports.  You can still export to PDF and email as an attachment to team members and project sponsors, so there’s nothing but upside here.

Check it out; I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s much improved.