Integrated customer interface for web based data management

• US 6,615,258 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1998
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Barry, B. Reilly, Chodoronek, Mark A., DeRose, Eric, Gonzales, Mark N., James, Angela R., Levy, Lynne, Tusa, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US09/159,505
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223-224, 709/217-219, 709/229, 713/151, 713/154, 705/40-44, 705/63, 705/75, 705/77, 379/112, 379/114, 379/140, 379/201, 379/265
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0775 Content or structure details of the error report, e.g. specific table structure, specific error fields
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/202 where processing functionality is redundant redundant communication control functionality G06F11/2005, redundant storage control functionality G06F11/2089
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/32 with visual or acoustical indication of the functioning of the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/324 Display of status information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 : Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 : Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 : Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 : Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 : insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 : Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 : Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 : Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 : Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 : Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 : Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 : Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1428 : Invoice generation, e.g. customization, lay-out, database processing, algorithms for calculating the bill or formatting invoices as WWW pages invoicing in general G06Q30/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 : Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 : Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/024 : using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 : using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 : Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 : Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 : Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 : Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 : Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 : Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 : of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 : using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 : Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 : Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 : Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 : by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 : Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 : Generating service level reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 : characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 : Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 : Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 : Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5083 : wherein the managed service relates to web hosting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 : wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 : Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/024 : by adaptive sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 : for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 : Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 : related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 : related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/067 : using time frame reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 : by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 : by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 : by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 : Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 : Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 : Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 : Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 : Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 : Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/091 : Measuring contribution of individual network components to actual service level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 : Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 : using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 : Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 : User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 : Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 : using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 : for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 : Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0218 : Distributed architectures, e.g. distributed firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 : Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 : Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 : Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 : wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 : using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 : using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 : providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 : using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 : using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 : at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 : at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 : above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 : using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 : Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 : wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 : Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 : Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 : Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 : Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 : for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 : based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/705 : Account settings, e.g. limits or numbers or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/721 : using the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 : Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 : Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 : Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 : Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8351 : before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 : Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 : Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 : Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 : General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 : Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 : On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 : Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/018 : On-line real-time billing, able to see billing information while in communication, e.g. via the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 : Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 : Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 : Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7009 : Account settings, e.g. users, terminals, limits, numbers or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7045 : Using Internet or WAP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 : Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 : Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8108 : before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8129 : Type of notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 : Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 : Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 : interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 : Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 : Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 : Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 : Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 : Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 : Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/969 : Network layout and operation interface

Abstract

An integrated data management system for providing data management services from an enterprise over the Internet is described. A user interface executable in a customer workstation authenticate the customer'"'"'s access to the system and presents one or more data management services according a customer entitlement, for the customer to select. Client applications representing the data management services re initiated by the user interface in response to customer selection. Consequently, the customer is enabled at the customer site to request and receive the data management services according to the customer'"'"'s entitlements in a secure Internet-based computing environment.

Claims

1. An integrated data management system for providing one or more data management services from an enterprise over the Internet to a customer having a workstation at a customer site, comprising:

a user interface executable in a customer workstation located at the customer site for authenticating the customer'"'"'s access to the integrated data management system, the user interface further presenting one or more data management services according customer entitlements, for the customer to select, wherein the customer entitlements include a subscription to one of the data management services;

one or more client applications representing the one or more data management services, each of the client applications initiated by the user interface in response to a customer selection and providing an interface to a corresponding data management service selected by the customer;

one or more secure servers located between the customer workstation and the enterprise for providing a secure transportation of data transactions between the user interface and the one or more secure servers, the one or more further forwarding the data transactions for processing at the enterprise;

at least one dispatch server located at the enterprise for receiving the data transactions from the one or more secure servers through a firewall, the dispatch server further verifying the customer'"'"'s access to the system and determining one of the data management services in the enterprise to which the data transactions need be routed for processing; and

one or morc application servers providing the one or more data management services offered by the enterprise, the one or more application servers receiving the data transactions from the dispatch server for processing and forwarding response transactions back to the one or more client applications for presentation to the customer via the dispatch server and the one or more secure servers,

wherein the customer is enabled at the customer site to request and receive the data management services according to the customer'"'"'s entitlements in a secure Internet-based. computing environment.

2. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more secure servers support a secure sockets layer communications protocol for encrypted communication between the user interface, including the client applications, and the secure servers, the secure servers also providing session management including client identification, validation and session management to link the session with the customer.

3. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the system further includes digital certificates to authenticate the one or more secure servers to the user interface.

4. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the one or more application servers include an order entry server for providing authentication services, the order entry server further enabling the customer to enter orders over the Internet from the customer workstation for the one or more data management services available at the enterprise, wherein the customer is enabled, via the user interface, to enter new orders, modify existing orders, and cancel orders for the one or more data management services within the customer entitlements.

5. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the order entry system fulfills order requests from the customer and electronically transmits fulfillment packages to the customer workstation.

6. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the user interface includes a Web-based graphical user interface (GUI) having a backplane object downloaded with and launched by the Web-based GUI, the backplane object capable of launching the one or more client applications upon initiation by the customer according to the customer'"'"'s entitlements determined from the order entry server, the backplane object further enabling inter-application communications among the client applications,

wherein the backplane object and the client applications interoperate with one another to provide an integrated customer interface to the one or more data management services subscribed by the customer.

7. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the user interface further includes a logon object downloaded and launched by the user interface for accepting logon transactions from the customer, the logon object creating a session object for communicating with the order entry server to provide the customer authentication,

wherein upon successful customer validation, the user interface downloads the one or more client applications and the Web-based GUI having the backplane object.

8. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

a user object for representing a current customer, the user object further communicating with the order entry server to determine the customer'"'"'s entitlements to the Web enabled data management services,

wherein the backplane uses the entitlements to present, via the Web-based GUI, only those Web enabled services to which the user has privilege.

9. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the client application is run directly by the backplane object when the customer selects the data management service associated with the client application, the client application running in a frame independent from a Web browser'"'"'s window.

10. The integrated system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the client application is an application launched from a new browser window retrieved by the backplane object.

11. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more application servers include an inbox server, and the one or more client applications include an inbox client application, the inbox server providing a repository for storing information received from the one or more applications servers, the inbox server further transmitting the information received from the one or more application servers to the inbox client application for presentation to the customer at the customer workstation.

12. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the inbox client application further includes a polling thread, the polling thread for detecting an incoming message from the inbox server via the one or more secure servers, the polling thread further starting a new thread upon detection of the incoming message, wherein the new thread starts and listens on a second one of the secure socket connections for detecting new messages, while the polling thread receives the incoming message on the first one of the secure socket connection,

whereby multiple messages may be downloaded simultaneously as detected.

13. The integrated system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the inbox client application launches another client application associated with the information when the customer selects to access the information presented at the customer workstation.

14. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the one or more application servers further includes a report manager remote server providing a data management reporting function, and wherein the one or more client applications related to the report manager remote server further includes:

a report requestor application for initiating communication with the report manager remote server; and

,

a report viewer application enabling display of reports in accordance with customer-selected reporting options, the report requester and report viewer applications being downloaded from the one or more secure servers to the customer workstation for displaying one or more customer-selectable data reporting items for the customer via the interface in accordance with the customer'"'"'s entitlements.

15. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the report manager remote server further maintains an inventory of reports associated with the customer and receives a customer report request message via the interface, the report manager program accessing report items according to the report request message and generating a response message including a metadata description of reporting items to be displayed in the report,

whereby customer-specific data from the one or more application servers and the metadata description of customer-selected reporting items are utilized to generate a completed report for presentation to the customer via the interface.

16. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the report requester application enables customization of reporting items to be reported via the interface, the report manager remote server providing the reporting items capable of being customized according to the customer'"'"'s entitlements to the report requestor application when generating a report request.

17. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the one or more application servers further comprises a report scheduler application for enabling periodic generation of reports from the one or more application servers at a customer-specified frequency.

18. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the inbox server further stores and maintains customer specific report data to be reported to the customer, and, further receives a notification from the report manager remote server including a metadata description for generating the report,

the report data and the metadata description associated with the report data being downloaded to the customer workstation via the one or more secure servers for generation of reports according to the metatdata description, the generated reports being presented to the customer via the user interface.

19. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the inbox server further comprises a pre-defined directory associated with each of the one or more data management application services, wherein each of the one or more application servers stores the report data and the information data to its respective pre-defined directory in the inbox server.

20. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the one or more application servers further include an operational data component, the operational data component comprising:

an application for extracting data records from a billing system which generates data records specific to a product provided to the customer;

an application for harvesting the extracted data records for storage in an database storage device; and

a decision support server for receiving customer requests for data, the decision support server accessing the customer-specific data from the database storage device and transmitting the customer-specific data to the inbox server in accordance with the customer request.

21. The integrated system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the database storage device organizes the customer specific data according to a star schema topology to facilitate access thereof.

22. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 20, wherein a reporting option includes running a pre-defined report, the report scheduler application communicating a message to the decision support server to run the pre-defined report at a pre-determined time, the pre-defined report being updated with customer-specific data available at the pre-determined time.

23. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the one or more data management services include an invoice viewing system for enabling the customer to retrieve an invoice, over the public Internet, which relates to the one or more data management services provided by the enterprise,

the one or more client applications further including an invoice presentation application for enabling selection and presentation of invoice documents in accordance with the customer entitlement, the invoice presentation application further generating an invoice request message in response to customer selection of a specific invoice option and forwarding the invoice request message via the one or more secure servers, and

the one or more application servers further include an invoice server for maintaining a database of image files associated with documents from the application services and receiving the invoice request message, the invoice server accessing the database in response to a request message and generating a response message for forwarding back to the invoice presentation application via the one or more secure servers,

wherein the response message is assembled in a form suitable for display and the invoice presentation application presents a customer selected invoice document at the customer workstation.

24. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the database of image files further includes an object database, the invoice server further comprising:

a conversion device for imaging documents by defining key information necessary to retrieve documents from the data management application services and compress the documents for storing; and

a store device for loading the compressed documents into the object database.

25. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the database of image files further includes an index database, and the invoice server further includes an index load device for storing index pointers pointing to the compressed documents.

26. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said session management provided by the one or more secure servers includes Web cookie generation at each instance of client identification to link a session with the customer through a plurality of discrete client communications in the session to verify the customer to the dispatch server at each transmission in the session.

27. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the cookie is generated by a program on a separate server during an entitlements communications, after identification and authentication of the client.

28. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the secure socket layer encrypts client identification, authentication and the session management cookie during each transmission.

29. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the session cookies provide simultaneous session management for a plurality of system resource platforms.

30. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 28, further including encryption for transmission of all customer data between the one or more secure servers and the dispatch server, and SSL encryption for transmission of all customer data between the one or more secure servers and the customer workstation.

31. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 28, wherein each client request from the customer workstation is encrypted with a public key provided by the data management system, and each of the client requests includes an encrypted client cookie for client authentication.

32. The integrated data management system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the one or more client applications further includes a customer service application downloaded from the one or more secure servers for enabling a customer to generate trouble tickets to be processed by the enterprise;

and,

the one or more application servers further include a service application server for receiving requests for downloading customer'"'"'s trouble ticket information to the customer workstation in response to a customer request, and for receiving information from the customer via the interface for generating new trouble tickets.

33. A method for enabling a customer to command and control one or more reporting and management applications relating to services and products offered by an enterprise via the public Internet, from a customer workstation employing a client browser and capable of receiving Web-based corrnunications from the enterprise, the method comprising the steps of:

managing one or more secure client sessions over the public Internet between the client browser and at least one secure server;

downloading and presenting Web-based GUI, from the secure server for initiating one or more client applications which provide user interfaces to the one or more reporting and management applications according to pre-determined customer entitlements, wherein the pre-determined customer entitlements include a subscription to one of the data management services;

processing customer requests received from the one or more client applications and providing responses from one or more remote application servers; and

communicating the responses to the one or more client applications via the secure server for presentation to the customer at the customer workstation,

whereby the customer is enabled at the customer site to command and control the one or more reporting and data management applications relating to services and products offered by the enterprise.

34. The method as claimed in claim 33, wherein the method further includes:

encrypting communications between the client browser and the secure server;

identifying and validating the customer; and

linking the session with the customer.

35. The method as claimed in claim 33, wherein the step of processing customer requests further includes:

communicating through a firewall to at least one dispatch server to forward the customer requests to the one or more application servers using an internal network; and

verifying system access by the dispatch server.

36. The method as claimed in claim 35, further comprising the step of:

exchanging digital certificates to authenticate the secure server to the client browser.

37. The method as claimed in claim 35, wherein the method further comprises:

downloading a backplane object with the Web-based GUI; and

launching the backplane object which initiates the one or more client applications upon a selection by the customer, the backplane object further enabling inter-application communications among the client applications,

wherein the backplane object and the client applications interoperate with one another to provide an integrated customer interface to the services and products subscribed by the customer.

38. The method as claimed in claim 37, wherein the method further includes the steps of:

downloading a logon object prior to the step of downloading the backplane object, the logon object for receiving a logon transaction from the customer and transmitting the logon transaction to an order entry server to authenticate the customer for access into the system,

wherein upon a successful customer validation, the logon object sends a command to the one or more secure servers to download the Web-based GUI having the backplane object.

39. The method as claimed in claim 38, wherein the method further includes:

enabling the customer to enter orders over the Internet from the customer workstation for the one or more reporting and data management applications via the order entry server.

40. The method as claimed in claim 39, further comprising:

representing a current customer with a customer object, the customer object communicating with the order entry server to determine the customer entitlements to the one or more reporting and data management applications,

wherein the backplane uses the entitlements to present via the Web-based GUI, only those Web-enabled services to which the current customer has privilege.

41. The method as claimed in claim 40, further comprising:

executing the one or more client applications directly by the backplane object when the customer selects a client application associated with a desired reporting and data management applications, the client application being run in a frame independent from a Web browser'"'"'s window.

42. The method as claimed in claim 40, further comprising:

launching the one or more client applications from a new browser window retrieved by the backplane object.

43. The method as claimed in claim 40, wherein the method further comprises:

downloading a report requestor and a report viewer from the secure server to the customer workstation for presenting one or more customer-selectable data reporting items for the customer in accordance with the customer entitlements;

initiating communications between a report manager and the report requestor application; and

enabling with the report viewer presentation of reports in accordance with customer-selected reporting options, the customer options specifying reporting views selected from graphical, tabular, and map views.

44. The method as claimed in claim 43, wherein the method further comprises the report manager:

maintaining an inventory of reports associated with the customer;

receiving a customer report request message via the Web-based GUI;

accessing report items according to the report request message; and

generating a response message including a metadata description of reporting items to be presented in the report,

wherein the customer-specific data from the one or more remote application servers and the metadata description of associated reporting items are utilized to generate a completed report for presentation by the report viewer to the customer.

45. The method as claimed in claim 44, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting the reporting items for customization according to the customer entitlements to the report manager prior to generation of a report.

46. The method as claimed in claim 45, the method further comprising:

enabling with a report scheduler periodic generation of reports from the one or more remote application servers at a customer-specified frequency.

47. The method as claimed in claim 46, the method further comprising:

storing and maintaining with a centralized inbox server the customer-specific data from the one or more remote application servers, the customer-specific data including report data and notification data received from the one or more remote application servers, the centralized inbox server further storing a metadata description of the report data,

downloading the report data and the metadata associated with the report data to the customer workstation via the secure server for generation of reports according to the metadata description, and for presentation of the generated reports to the customer via the Web-based GUI.

48. The method as claimed in claim 47, the method further comprising:

launching an inbox client application by the backplane;

retrieving customer-specific notification data which are stored in the centralized inbox server;

presenting the customer-specific notification data to the customer via the Web-based GUI.

49. The method as claimed in claim 48, the method further comprising:

launching the one or more reporting and management applications associated with the customer-specific notification data when the customer selects the notification data presented at the customer workstation.

50. The method as claimed in claim 48, the method further comprising:

detecting with a first polling thread of the inbox client application an incoming message from the inbox server via the secure server;

starting a second thread upon detection of the incoming message;

listening with the second thread for new messages; and

receiving the incoming message upon detection by the first polling thread.

51. The method as claimed in claim 47, the method further comprising:

creating in an inbox database a pre-defined directory associated with each of the one or more remote application servers; and

storing the customer-specific data to the respective pre-defined directory.

52. The method as claimed in claim 47, further including the steps of:

extracting data records from a billing system which generates records specific to products and services provided to the customer;

harvesting the extracted data records for storage in a database storage device; and

communicating customer requests for data to a decision support server for accessing the customer-specific data from the database storage device and transmitting requested customer-specific data to the inbox server in accordance with the customer request.

53. The method as claimed in claim 52, further including the step of organizing the customer specific data according to a star schema topology to facilitate access thereof.

54. The method as claimed in claim 52, wherein the method further includes:

running a pre-defined report;

communicating a message from the report scheduler to the decision support server to run the pre-defined report at a pre-determined time, the pre-defined report being updated with the customer-specific data at the pre-determined time.

55. The method as claimed in claim 47, wherein the method further includes:

creating one or more invoice documents relating to the services and products offered by the enterprise;

downloading the one or more client applications from the secure server for enabling selection and presentation of invoice documents in accordance with the customer entitlements;

generating an invoice request message in response to customer selection of a specific invoice option and forwarding the invoice request message via the secure server to an invoice server; and

maintaining a database of image files associated with the invoice documents;

accessing the database in response to the invoice request message and generating a response message for forwarding to the customer workstation via the secure server; and

assembling the response message to include a customer selected invoice document in a form suitable for presentation via the Web-based GUI.

56. The method as claimed in claim 55, wherein the method further comprises:

imaging documents by defining key information necessary to retrieve documents from the one or more reporting and management applications; and

loading the documents into an object database.

57. The method as claimed in claim 55, wherein the method further comprises:

storing index pointers in an index database, the index pointers pointing to the documents in the object database.

58. The method as claimed in claim 55, the method further including the step of:

generating a Web cookie at initial instance of client identification to link a session with the customer to verify the customer to the dispatch server at each transmission in the session.

59. The method as claimed in claim 58, wherein the step of generating the cookie is performed on a separate server from the secure server during an entitlements communications, after identification and authentication of the customer.

60. The method as claimed in claim 59, further including:

encrypting client identification, authentication and the session management cookie during each transmission.

61. The method as claimed in claim 60, wherein the method further includes:

managing sessions simultaneously with the session cookies for a plurality of system resource platforms.

62. The method as claimed in claim 61, the method further including:

encrypting transmissions of all customer data between the secure server and the dispatch server; and

SSL encrypting transmissions of all customer data between the secure servers and the client browser.

63. The method as claimed in claim 61, further including:

encrypting each client request from the client browser with a public key; and

including an encrypted client cookie with each of the client requests for client authentication.