Platform Overview
manageStar's software applications were developed on top of manageStar's patent pending service application infrastructure code-named Harmony.

Harmony provides Service Catalogs and Modules (Business Objects) to optimize service delivery and processes. In addition to the application platform manageStar also provides a Harmony based Application Workshop configuration kit to configure the software in virtually any way. The Application Workshop gives you flexibility and control to quickly adopt services and new processes.

The Workshop allows you to build and configure:

• Service Catalogs: Build unique Service Catalogs that fit your specific business needs. The Application Workshop lets you create one-of-a-kind self-service catalogs, where employees and clients can go to initiate requests for services and goods.
• Forms: Create custom forms that employees or clients fill out as part of the service delivery process.
• Workflow: Create unique workflows between employees, clients, vendors and others to streamline the service processes.
• Modules: Alter our standard Modules (Business Objects), such as work orders, contract management and project management to fit your own specific needs.
• Data Fields: Alter or add unique data fields throughout the application.

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manageStar Architecture
manageStar's technology provides the foundation for its best-of-breed Corporate Asset and Service Management solutions. The key principle of the manageStar technology is to give customers the ability to buy and extend their solutions. Unlike companies who build their own software or purchase traditional enterprise software, customers who buy and extend manageStar have shorter implementations, reduced risk, increased flexibility and enhanced profitability.

The manageStar Architecture is divided into three layers:

• Applications Layer
• Server Layer (the Harmony Platform)
• Data Later

Applications Layer
The Applications Layer contains the integrated application modules, flexible presentation options, and tools for customizations. The integrated modules provide the out-of-box functionality in such areas as Facilities Management, Asset Management, Employee Services, etc.

Presentation can be customized by channel: Mobile (WAP, Palm, Pocket PC), Web (JSP), Voice (IVR integration for in-bound and out-bound), FAT (full-featured client for drag-and-drop functionality on Linux, Windows and Macintosh platforms), E-mail (including fax and pager), and any other application that can understand XML. (Because the communication with the Server Layer is in XML over network protocols, manageStar is well suited to support any future presentation options or integrations that may arise, unlike manageStar's competition, which generally translates existing fat-client technology for the web.)

In addition, tools are provided to customize the presentation of the applications. These tools include user-friendly authoring tools (for extensions of the existing applications and generating reports) and a Client SDK for further customizations.

Server Layer
The Server Layer is manageStar's platform code-named Harmony. Harmony is written in J2EE and can run stand-alone or in any J2EE-compliant application server framework on any Intel, PowerPC or Sparc platform. Harmony contains the logic (business rules), widgets (java servlets for integration), data objects and workflow for the manageStar system. manageStar also provides user-friendly administration tools (for data authoring and workflow customizations) and a Harmony SDK (XML API).

Harmony communicates with the Applications Layer through its XML Interface (via SOAP & UDDI). Harmony communicates with the Data Layer through a data abstraction layer. In essence, data abstraction layer translates Harmony's XML into various protocols to access different enterprise data stores: LDAP/Kerberos (access and authentication), DAV (document sharing and management), ICAL (calendar and events), IMAP (e-mail), and SQL (manageStar and other enterprise databases). This approached provides several advantages: (1) it allows Harmony developers to work consistently with XML, while Harmony handles all translations; (2) it stores metadata about the various data integrations to provide for on-the-fly changes and upgrades; and (3) it enables external data to be incorporated as any other object in Harmony and therefore workflowed, tracked, etc. Harmony is not creating another data silo, but enabling a single, virtual repository for enterprise data.

Data Layer
The Data Layer consists of separate enterprise data stores (as described above) and data that manageStar stores for its own purposes. manageStar stores its data in any SQL-compliant database.

manageStar also provide tools for integrations with its database and writing custom reports.

Summary
In summary, the manageStar technology foundation provides many distinct advantages:

• The system is hardware, software and protocol agnostic while built on a scalable application server framework
• The technology is easily extensible at the Application, Server and Data Layers
• Applications can be presented in various channels as needed
• Any external data can be incorporated in applications, logic and workflow without creating a separate data silo
• Customizations are designed to migrate forward with future releases

These advantages enable customers to buy and extend the manageStar solution.

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