SERVICE PROVIDED BY A SINGLE ENTITY FOR ALL APPLICATIONS

• US 20080168167A1
• Filed: 01/04/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: CALRSON, MICHAEL P., RHEINHEIMER, MICHAEL R., RODRIGUEZ, HERMAN, LISLE, LINDA A.
• Application Number:
  US11/619,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168167A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Provided is a system that enables a computer user to purchase and maintain installed operating systems and applications. Also provided is a method and system that detects and installs updates to programs and operating systems (OSs) on a computing system and ensures that the upgrades are compatible with existing software. A method is provided wherein a computer environment is scanned for all installed software and supporting files and logic such as libraries and OSs. A detected configuration is transmitted to a service provider who generates a service and support plan. The plan is offered to the administrator of the computer environment as an alternative to vendor-supplied plans. Thus, an administrator of a particular computing environment is able to centralize the maintenance and upgrade of installed software. The claimed technology provides access to a single-source pricing and support structure and enables the service provider to negotiate and purchase bulk upgrade packages.

Claims

1. A method for providing support to a computer user, comprising:

scanning a computing system to determine a computing system configuration;

generating an inventory of applications on the computing system based upon the scanning;

creating a service and support bid for remotely maintaining the computing system based upon the inventory and the configuration; and

providing support to the user of the computing system based upon the bid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system configuration includes information from a list comprising:

library files;

operating system; and

installed software.

3. The method of claim 1, providing support comprising:

detecting conflicts between applications; and

resolving the detected conflicts between applications.

4. The method of claim 1, providing support comprising:

detecting an update corresponding to an application listed on the inventory;

determining potential conflicts between the update and non-corresponding applications on the inventory;

resolving the potential conflicts; and

implementing the updates on the computing system.

5. The method of claim 1, providing support comprising modifying applications associated with unrelated software providers to redirect support requests and help queries to a single remote service center corresponding to the support provider rather than to a software provider of the unrelated software providers.

6. The method of claim 1, providing support comprising:

monitoring software providers corresponding to applications listed in the inventory for upgrades to the applications;

notifying the user of the computing system of a detected upgrade; and

installing the detected upgrade on the computing system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

grouping a plurality of supported users corresponding to a plurality of computing systems into a pricing group;

negotiating a bulk upgrade price for an application associated with multiple users of the plurality of supported users; and

pricing an upgrade of the application associated with multiple users based upon the bulk upgrade price rather than an individual upgrade price.

8. A system for providing support to a computer user, comprising:

a service computing system for implementing the system;

logic, executed on the service computing system, for querying a computing system corresponding to a user to determine a computing system configuration for the user'"'"'s computing system;

logic, executed on the service computing system, generating an inventory of applications on the user'"'"'s computing system based upon the query;

logic, executed on the service computing system, creating a service and support bid for remotely maintaining the user'"'"'s computing system based upon the inventory and the configuration; and

logic, executed on the service computing system, providing support for the user'"'"'s computing system based upon the bid.

9. The system of claim 8, the computing system configuration information comprising:

library file information;

operating system information; and

installed software information.

10. The system of claim 8, the logic for providing support comprising:

logic for detecting conflicts between applications; and

logic for resolving the detected conflicts between applications.

11. The system of claim 8, the logic for providing support comprising:

logic for detecting an update corresponding to an application listed on the inventory;

logic for determining potential conflicts between the update and non-corresponding applications on the inventory;

logic for resolving the potential conflicts; and

logic for implementing the updates on the user'"'"'s computing system.

12. The system of claim 8, the logic for providing support comprising logic for modifying applications associated with unrelated software providers to redirect support requests and help queries to a single remote service center corresponding to the support provider rather than to a software provider of the unrelated software providers.

13. The system of claim 8, the logic for providing support comprising:

logic for monitoring software providers corresponding to applications listed in the inventory for upgrades to the applications;

logic for notifying the user'"'"'s computing system of a detected upgrade; and

logic for installing the detected upgrade on the user'"'"'s computing system.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

logic, executed on the service computing system, for grouping a plurality of supported users corresponding to a plurality of user computing systems into a pricing group;

negotiating a bulk upgrade price for an application associated with multiple users of the plurality of supported users; and

pricing an upgrade of the application associated with multiple users based upon the bulk upgrade price rather than an individual upgrade price.

15. A computer programming product for providing support to a computer user, comprising:

a memory;

logic, stored on the memory, for scanning a computing system to determine a computing system configuration;

logic, stored on the memory, for generating an inventory of applications on the computing system based upon the scanning;

logic, stored on the memory, for creating a service and support bid for remotely maintaining the computing system based upon the inventory and the configuration; and

logic, stored on the memory, for providing support to the user of the computing system based upon the bid.

16. The computer programming product of claim 15, wherein the computing system configuration includes information from a list comprising:

library files;

operating system; and

installed software.

17. The computer programming product of claim 15, the logic for providing support comprising:

logic for detecting conflicts between applications; and

logic for resolving the detected conflicts between applications.

18. The computer programming product of claim 15, the logic for providing support comprising:

logic for detecting an update corresponding to an application listed on the inventory;

logic for determining potential conflicts between the update and non-corresponding applications on the inventory;

logic for resolving the potential conflicts; and

logic for implementing the updates on the computing system.

19. The computer programming product of claim 15, the logic for providing support comprising logic for modifying applications associated with unrelated software providers to redirect support requests and help queries to a single remote service center corresponding to the support provider rather than to a software provider of the unrelated software providers.

20. The computer programming product of claim 15, the logic for providing support comprising:

logic for monitoring software providers corresponding to applications listed in the inventory for upgrades to the applications;

logic for notifying the user of the computing system of a detected upgrade; and

logic for installing the detected upgrade on the computing system.