XDS

XDS automates the process of collecting and delivering data to remote places. Transfer data at specified times to specified places with guaranteed delivery.

Success Story: German Public Healthcare System

DAK which means : Deutsche Angestellten Krankenkasse

16,486 employees, $16 billion, 6 millions members

Deutsche Angestellten Krankenkasse, DAK, which is one of the largest health insurance companies in Germany, with over 6 million members strong, has introduced a new telephone service. DAK has always placed special emphasis on member service and customer response. DAK’s definition of member Service is to quickly answer the phone during normal business hours and provide fast response with complete and thorough answers to all general and specific questions for members and prospective customers.

To maximize the efficiency and reliability of the PBX, the DAK network must be administered, controlled and optimized within the context of recognized standards. Using only XDS, DAK can monitor the entire telecommunications network from one central point. This is accomplished by using the next generation of tools created for enterprise data communication management. These tools are based entirely upon XDS and were developed with a multifunction capability. All network traffic is thoroughly monitored, queried and summarized, in order to generate a complete and total view of the network performance. DAK receives detailed reports of the distribution of calls, the origin and destination of the calls and the utilization of the automatic calling distribution (ACD), and much more. These reports allow DAK to best utilize its resources to continue to maintain the highest standard of member service.

Throughout the various distant locations throughout Germany a multiplicity of PBXs are used. Based upon DAK requests, XDS schedules the daily polling of various remote PBXs, either on an hourly basis or during peak times (event-controlled). Thus crucial information is supplied for the most effective management of PBX resources. The pathway or route to the distant PBX can be assigned by XDS intelligently in several different ways: by the use of direct ISDN links, over IP-Routers connection, over DAK’s independently owned data network or the Internet. At each distant location an ACD workstation is installed and its operating system depends entirely on the attached PBX.

For example in the case of the Philips Octopus PBX, (supplied by German Telekom AG) the ACD System runs under OS/2. For a Lucent PBX the ACD System is implemented on a SUN Unix platform. However, this quite heterogeneous landscape does not represent a problem for XDS due to the common standard TCP/IP protocol throughout. The XDS server, implemented on the Windows NT platform, and located in DAK’s headquarters manages all compression and editing of the automated data communications. The data generated by all the remote locations and branch offices of DAK is gathered and collected by XDS from all DAK branches and headquarters, after conversion, is stored directly into a central IBM DB/2 database. By using a special Report Generator the following data reports can be created:

• Configuration of network devices
• Long-term trend investigations
• PBX performance statistics
• Port blockings
• Long term reports on utilization of phone line groups
• Reports on utilization of the entire PBX network
• Processor utilization
• Reports on network traffic

The report generator capability facilitates the transformation of raw data into individual reports. The data can then be analyzed to study, monitor and anticipate trends in order to help locate potential sources of failures. Utilization of this data also allows for the best economic decisions on the communications network structure.

A major benefit and component of the total XDS Communication Solution is the ability to remotely control the distant locations (branches), where the ACD systems are located. NetOp, the well-known remote maintenance software, is used for this propose. Authorized users can log in into a distant PBX, to perform administrative or maintenance functions. Problems can be diagnosed from one central location and solutions can quickly be implemented.

This project was executed in close cooperation with DAK, DeTeSystem (German Telekom system house), Institute for Telecommunications (IFT) and Xnet Communications GmbH. Not only did the engineers of Xnet completely design and develop the data communication solution for DAK, they were also responsible for installation and the pilot phase of the project. Currently the first results are analyzed and a nation wide implementation of the solution is prepared.