* Study shows majority of users would like ordering their apps via a self-service software portal, and 1E has one just for that purpose
Hard to believe in this day of instant downloads and the ensuing click-to-get mentality, but many employees apparently aren’t getting the business software they need in a timely manner.
In an August study into IT help desk efficiency and user attitudes toward self-service software provisioning, 52% of 1,000 employees at medium- to large-sized companies in the United States and the United Kingdom said they wait up to a week or more for application requests to be filled. Even worse, 40% reported having to chase down IT regarding their initial requests and 15% said they never receive requested software.
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What’s more, nearly 70% of respondents agreed that obtaining applications through a self-service tool would be far quicker and easier than phoning or e-mailing IT with their requests. In fact, only 7% said they are able to get software as quickly as they would be able to via a self-service mechanism.
1E, an IT efficiency company best known for its NightWatchman desktop power management tool, commissioned the study in advance of releasing the 3.2 version of its self-service software portal, Shopping. Similar to the experience they would have ordering a book from Amazon or music off of iTunes, users essentially can shop for business applications via this customizable 1E portal, producing help desk efficiencies, says Richard Cudd, product manager for Shopping.
With Shopping, gone is the wait time for users, Cudd says. According to him, Shopping delivers applications within minutes of the initial user request, without IT help. In the case of licensed software, Shopping runs a check on license availability and also allows temporary software rentals so that IT can easily reclaim licenses for re-use, he adds. Toward that end, the new version includes an uninstall capability that lets users themselves give back licenses they no longer need.
In the study, the ability to give back software seemed to resonate with users. When asked whether they would be open to downloading software on a temporary basis for short-term projects or the like, 70% of respondents said, “Yes.”
In addition, Shopping 3.2 includes multilanguage and multiforest support for large, global organizations and a streamlined approvals process for “super users.” And, it integrates with service management and ticketing systems such as BMC Remedy and HP Service Manager.
Shopping 3.2 is scalable from a few hundred to thousands of seats and operates in any Windows environment, the company says.
