Jocelyn Cloutier Michael Kocheisen Jean Tessier Francois McNeil 6/8/99

Wouldn’t it be nice? Get alerted anywhere, anytime about any important event? Incoming Phone call from an important client! Important New , voice mail or FAX! Your flight is 3 hour late! Control if, when and how you are alerted? YOU select WHEN NOT to be alerted! YOU select WHAT triggers an alert! All this control with minimal intervention? Intelligent agent checks your PIM e.g. “No alert during your board meeting?”

WHAT IS UNIFIED ALERTING? It’s a service which…  Stores, filters, and forwards alerts to subscribers Allows subscribers to control and receive alerts on any alert-ready device in near real-time  Receives alerts about any communication or information event (e.g. phone call, , etc.)... Allows information providers to send, update, and schedule alerts for an unlimited number of recipients.

ALERT USES Alerts can serve as primary events with original information. Alerts can refer to communication or information events.

HOW IT WORKS: AN EXAMPLE

MAJOR CUSTOMER BENEFITS Timely alerts about important network events Alerts are optimized to subscriber’s device. Subscribers won’t need to check their voice mail, or Fax. Subscriber does not have to take action to receive an alert. Subscribers won’t be interrupted by non-urgent alerts User-made filters screen alerts according to their importance (sender, subject, delivery time, etc.)

2 years of Alerting V1 (11/97) Mostly client-based Smart alerts (self-update, expiration, …) Customized servers V2 (8/98) scaleable, robust Network-based Support for Pagers, SMS, Phone, ICQ,... Web UI for Geeks SMTP to Alert conversion (copy-forward of ) V3 (6/99) scaleable, EXTENSIBLE, robust Re-implementation of V2 3rd party service integration Non-Geek Web UI (Generic, WorldNet specific)

User Experience User Goes to Web Site Register Specify “receivers” (pagers, phone numbers, SMS) Each has an activated time interval Specify “rules” (if, when and how to be alerted) When “this” is true, alert me on those devices! List of rules: first “true” win all!

Overview Incoming Alert Alert Server Alerted Device

DISPATCHER ARCHITECTURE

Challenges in bringing Alerting to the Masses FACTS Alerting is only as interesting as its SOURCES. Customers hate configuration! You must let users tell the system what event is important to them. Supporting “receivers” is easy.

Integration PROBLEMS: Get alerts from 3rd parties Get alerts from any server Get Alert Format Standardized

Current State Alerting System 6/1/99: Version 3.0 release (scalable and robust) WorldNet Summer’99: Deployment Other AT&T’s Business Unit 4Q99: Deployment

Goals Short Term (< 6 months): Focus on 3rd party’s system integration SDK Open API Availability of Test Systems Collaboration with Internet Portals Longer Term (> 6 months): Integration with PIM (e.g. MS Exchange) TV as alert receiver Presence Information (alert, filtering and delivery)