IFS launches Virtual Map™ with Microsoft
Announcement posted by Bench PR 22 Feb 2010
Melbourne, 22nd February 2010: IFS, the global enterprise applications company, today launches Virtual Map™, a new planning solution for service management businesses.
Integrated with Microsoft Bing Maps for Enterprise, IFS’ new tool provides information about ongoing and planned jobs with road and satellite maps. It will enable service companies to optimise driving routes, alert on due jobs and efficiently plan last minute jobs that quickly need to be resourced.
The introduction of IFS Virtual Map illustrates how software plus services and mash-ups can be used to develop innovative solutions. “Traditionally, software developers have been constrained to making software or buying and integrating to an existing proposition. Today, there is a third choice of using an existing service. By using Microsoft’s Bing Maps for Enterprise as a service we were able to bring this innovative solution to the market in just a few months,” says Dan Matthews, CTO of IFS.
Existing IFS customer Tomra Systems, a servicer of in-store recycling stations, has field tested IFS Virtual Map™ and went live with the solution in December 2009.
Mikael Ljungmark, Service Director at Tomra Systems says “IFS Virtual Map will enable us to view the planned jobs, routes and related contract information for all our service staff in the field. With this data visible on one map, we will be able to accurately plan and prioritise all existing and new jobs to maximise efficiency and customer service.”
The new IFS Virtual Map has been developed to provide organisations with an improved customer service while reducing costs and environmental impact. Service companies can now plan efficiently, have an accurate visualisation of jobs and the driving routes needed to fulfill them.
“By collaborating with existing customers, IFS Virtual Map has already proven its success in the field before even finishing the development. The project is a showcase of how IFS and its customers work together to bring new solutions to the market and we look forward to customers here in Australia and New Zealand being able to experience the benefits of Virtual Map for themselves ,” said Rob Stummer, Managing Director, IFS, ANZ.
Jennifer Forsythe, Microsoft Bing Maps Marketing and Partnership Manager, EMEA and Asia-Pacific says “IFS’ implementation of Bing Maps as an integrated service within IFS Applications is a great illustration of how the platform can be used as part of a Software plus Services model to drive efficiency and profitability.”
IFS Virtual Map will be generally available for existing customers as an add-on module to IFS Applications 7.5 enterprise application suite in April 2010.