SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RESPONDING TO THE OCCURRENCE OF AN EVENT

• US 20080208605A1
• Filed: 10/20/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Sinha, Amitabh, Kovalenko, Andrey, Madishetti, Shiva, Subramanian, Navaneetha, Pare-Mayer, Dashiel
• Application Number:
  US11/875,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208605A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

The system and method provide a business continuity application to a portion of a displaced workforce of an organization when an event occurs. The business continuity application, executing on a server within a data center, is used to define a response scenario to the occurrence of an event. The business continuity application allows for notifications to be sent to the workforce using a notification service that interfaces with the server, and further provides remote-access to computing resources via a remote access server that interfaces with the server. A communication gateway installed between the server and a private branch exchange further provides a portion of the business continuity application. Displays of portions of the business continuity application after the occurrence of an event are sent to end-users that can access the computing device. The computing device is further in communication with a portable memory device.

Claims

1. A method of providing a business continuity application to a portion of a displaced workforce of an organization in response to the occurrence of an event, the method comprising:

providing a server computing device at a data center, the server computing device executing at least a portion of a business continuity application, the business continuity application including an application for defining a response scenario to the occurrence of the event;

interfacing a notification service to the server computing device, the notification service issuing a notification to at least a portion of the workforce in response to the occurrence of the event;

interfacing a remote access service to the server computing device, the remote access service providing access to computing resources associated with the workforce during the occurrence of the event;

interfacing a communications gateway to a private branch exchange of the workforce and to the server computing device, the communications gateway providing at least another portion of the business continuity application; and

displaying, to an end-user of a computing device having a portable memory device in communication therewith, portions of the business continuity application after the occurrence of the event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a business continuity application via application streaming.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a business continuity application via an remote display protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a business continuity application further comprises providing the business continuity application as a service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing a notification to at least a portion of the workforce further comprises:

placing a call to a number designated by a caller, to establish communication between a first endpoint and a second endpoint;

receiving feedback information indicative of the failure to establish communication between the first endpoint and the second endpoint;

;

redirecting the call to a portion of the notification service;

retrieving, from a storage element, contact information associated with the caller designated number and indicative of a third endpoint; and

placing a call to the retrieved contact information, to establish communication between the first endpoint and the third endpoint.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein placing a call to a second endpoint further comprises placing a call to a member of the workforce.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein retrieving contact information further comprises retrieving an emergency number associated with the member of the workforce.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein retrieving contact information further comprises retrieving an email address associated with the member of the workforce.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein placing a call to the retrieved contact information further comprises placing a call to the retrieved contact information using one of either of the private branch exchange and a public switched telephone network.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein placing a call to the retrieved contact information further comprises placing a call to the retrieved contact information using a virtual private network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to computing resources associated with the workforce further comprises providing access to information on a client machine using a remote display protocol.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying portions of a business continuity application further comprises displaying a graphical user interface representative of a status of the occurrence of the event.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying portions of a business continuity application further comprises displaying a graphical user interface representative of a directory service that accesses information of the workforce.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying portions of a business continuity application further comprises displaying a graphical user interface for establishing and interacting with an audio communications session.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying portions of a business continuity application further comprises displaying a graphical user interface for establishing and interacting with an instant messaging system.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein interfacing with a communications gateway further comprises interfacing with a workforce gateway within a workforce continuity system.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein interfacing with a workforce gateway further includes establishing a connection via a network installed between the computing machine and the private branch exchange.

18. A graphical user interface displayed on a computing device for use in providing continuity to an employee of workforce in response to the occurrence of an event, the graphical user interface created by a program stored on a portable memory device, the graphical user interface comprising:

a first portion displaying, by a first portion of the program stored on a portable device associated with an employee of the workforce, information related to the status of the occurrence of the event;

a second portion displaying a plurality of business tools available to the employee, each business tool being represented as icon and associated with a computing device providing the respective business tool;

a third portion providing a directory service to the employee, the directory service associated with directory information of the workforce; and

a fourth portion displaying a list of at least a portion of the employees of the work force and a status related each of the employees listed and a providing a mechanism for establishing at least one of an audio communications session and an instant messaging session.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 18, wherein the portable memory device is a universal serial bus device.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 19, wherein the universal serial bus device further comprises:

a first reported volume configured to store data, a portion of the data including the program stored on the universal serial bus; and

a second volume configured to store a bootstrap loader application, the bootstrap loader application further configured to update and execute the stored program.

21. The graphical user interface of claim 18, wherein business tools include a remote access application providing remote access to a server in communication with the computing device.

22. The graphical user interface of claim 18, wherein business tools include a remote access application providing remote access to a second computing device in communication with the computing device.

23. The graphical user interface of claim 18, wherein the directory service is further in communication with a storage element configured to store workforce member contact information.