In business, efficiency drives everything. When processes are more efficient, more gets done. When data access is efficient, better decisions can be made.
Improving efficiency is at the core of the Winter 2023 update of the SOTI ONE Platform, which includes new features in SOTI Snap and SOTI Connect.
Let’s dive in.
SOTI Snap
Get Approvals Done in a Snap with Workflow
The What
When approvals need to happen quickly – and the approvers are scattered throughout multiple locations, such as in the field, at head office or at a satellite location – Workflow in SOTI Snap makes it easy to digitize approval processes to ensure the right information gets to the right person at the right time without delay.
The Why
For an astounding 92% of workers, approval delays are the top reason deadlines are missed. This is because the traditional methods of collecting approvals (verbally or through email) aren’t very effective:
- The problem with verbal approvals: Unless a verbal approval is recorded (a manual process) and shared (another manual process), it isn’t documented or referable. This leads to a lot of inaccurate back-and-forth about who said what and when, which slows things down.
- The problem with email approvals: Globally, 36% of workers want to increase efficiency by automating approvals. Users must send approval emails (yet another manual process). For 90% of all emails, the average response time is two days.
Sending approval requests and waiting for a response is a big bottleneck and something 43% of organizations struggle with. This is where Workflow in SOTI Snap helps.
Building apps in SOTI Snap is done using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. If the data the app collects must be approved or rejected, the Workflow automates that process, also by drag-and-drop. For example, an inspection app to approve pallets are stacked correctly before being loaded onto a truck.
Once approvers are identified, they can be added to a Workflow process. This ensures that the right person is brought into the process and that they receive a notification the instant an approval request is ready for them. There’s no need to manually reach out and send follow-up reminders; Workflow takes care of that automatically.
Workflow automates business processes with precision by moving data from one stakeholder to the next after approval or rejection. Workflow provides notifications when an approval or rejection is received, ensuring everyone who needs to know is informed and in the loop.
Faster and Easier Data Editing via Easy-to-Use Tables
The What
The updated Table Widget will let a SOTI Snap app perform Create, Read, Update and Delete functions to or from any REST API connection. Tables are easy to read and understand and can be formatted to fit most handheld devices. Remote workers in the field can make changes directly to a table without needing to first save to a third-party system - even bypassing SOTI Snap’s cloud network. The Table Widget uses SOTI Snap’s Blockly scripting engine to establish REST API connections and removes the need for time-consuming back-end connectors.
The Why
End users need fast access to data on their mobile devices, and status updates regarding that data need to be communicated as they happen. On a smartphone or tablet, tables are an efficient way to display and access many data records. For example, a delivery driver relies on tables organized in the following way:
|
Delivery Number |
Address |
Customer Name |
Item |
Status |
That information is pulled from a REST API service and then presented as a table. As the driver makes deliveries, they can modify or delete information as needed to track their progress directly from the table. It’s easy, fast and more accurate to delete or update specific rows on a table. Being able to update tables also ensures the organization has total visibility into worker progress in real-time without having to wait for IT to update the back end at the end of a shift.
SOTI Connect
See and Control Your Printers as If They Were in Front of You
The What
IT administrators are empowered to design their own custom interface for easier access to printer performance data and to troubleshoot issues faster to reduce downtime further. All the controls and data you need to effectively manage and support your printer deployments are right in front of you in a configuration you can design using a simple drag-and-drop interface. It’s total control and visibility over printers as if they were right in your hands. Customize SOTI Connect your way, so everything you need is exactly where you want it to be - more accessible, faster than ever.
The Why
When IT is located on one side of the country and the business-critical printers they must manage are on the other, having access to as much visual and performance-based data as possible is critical. But the only way to get it is to either physically visit the printer and extract it, or have someone do it for you. Neither scenario is ideal, and by the time the printer data is available, it may already be out of date or obsolete.
The SOTI Connect Visualization Design Studio lets you build customized visualization tabs to deliver the essential printer performance information you need in a way that best suits you. Are you a visual person? Create custom charts and upload custom images to quickly see and understand what’s happening with your printers. Are you information driven? Have all relevant printer information, such as model, manufacturer, darkness levels, Bluetooth stats, etc., grouped together. Want to focus on device actions? Put essential device actions wherever you want them to be for easy, quick access.
It’s always easier to be more efficient when you know exactly where everything is. The SOTI Connect Visualization Design Studio helps organizations keep printing and keep working by giving IT administrators the flexibility to view pertinent printer data in a customized format; all done using the intuitive drag-and-drop interface the SOTI ONE Platform is known for.
See All the Connected Devices in Your Network
The What
Printers, cameras, sensors, trackers, etc. All these connected devices are part of your network. But do you know how many or what types of devices you have? If someone in a remote location, say, a retail store, independently purchases a printer, how would you know about it? Network Inventory gives you visibility into all connected devices within your network to enhance security and improve asset management.
The Why
Enterprises across all industries are incorporating connected devices as part of their business-critical operations.
- 93% of all enterprises have adopted connected device technology
- Cost-savings drive 54% of connected device initiatives within the enterprise
- 80% of senior executives say connected device technology is critical to some or all lines of their business
Businesses recognize the value of connected devices and are investing accordingly. What businesses aren’t always aware of is how many devices there are and where they’re located. If a device joins a network without being properly configured first, it could lead to a security risk.
Network Inventory in SOTI Connect solves this issue by searching for and capturing basic information on all devices on a network using a MAC address. If devices are managed by SOTI Connect, SOTI MobiControl, or if they’re unmanaged, Network Inventory will detect them.
Network Inventory also provides information on whether a detected device can be managed by SOTI Connect or SOTI MobiControl, giving you the option to bring it under management.
What Else is New in SOTI Connect?
- Device Logs: SOTI Connect can now reach out to a printer and retrieve detailed logs. These logs can be imported and stored in SOTI Connect or shared with other stakeholders or manufacturers via API, email or export. Allowing remote access to logs provides greater analysis into printer performancefor better and faster support to be delivered.
- Protocol Adaptor Clustering: Grouping protocol adaptors together into a virtual cluster that can be spread across different machines and locations. This allows for load balancing to support more capacity for devices and automatic failover for resiliency.
- Clustering with Automatic Failover for the Management Servers: Group a series of management services for automated failover to ensure you always have access to your system. This allows for more resiliency and protection against failure.
- Group Access and Functional Permissions: Control access to devices by role to restrict user capabilities based on a user group of which they are a member. For example, users in the Toronto Support group have read-write access to the Ontario Device Group but not the Quebec group.
Coming Soon: Updates to SOTI XSight
The next version of SOTI XSight includes new features to provide superior support to minimize device downtime, resolve issues faster, help make better use of the business-critical apps workers rely on and give you more visibility into the status of devices. Be sure to check back in February to see all the new features in SOTI XSight.
Get Your Business on the SOTI ONE Platform
The best way to see the impact, efficiency and effectiveness of the SOTI ONE Platform is to experience it yourself, and SOTI makes it easy to do just that:
- Start a free trial: Try the SOTI ONE Platform FREE for 30 days with absolutely no obligations or strings attached.
