Virtual Operations Center: Better decisions through timely access to information and professional expertise.

Managing complex processes or responding to real-time developments is challenging, even in the best circumstances. With information arriving from multiple data sources and domain experts distributed around the world, companies need a better approach to making decisions and solving problems.

Creating a global virtual operations center

Qwaq Forums provides all the tools needed to create a virtual operations center that is secure, accessible globally, and that can be staffed 24 hours per day. Qwaq Forums enable you to create a virtual operations center in which sensitive and confidential information is developed, discussed, and used to make decisions and solve problems.

A secure virtual space

Qwaq Forums has a robust security model that can be adapted to demanding user-defined policies, with access to virtual spaces controlled according to specified need-to-know rules.

  • Secure virtual space. Robust security model and access controls
  • Integration with corporate access control systems. Allows existing user permissions to be used in Qwaq Forums.
  • Fully encrypted communications links. Protects communications between users for all information, including voice.

A sense of history

Being able to collect, store, and compare information is essential in a command-and-control operations center. All information in a Qwaq Forums Operations Center can be made available to any user at any time, and can also be versioned to allow comparison of information collected at different times.

  • Persistent workplace. Documents become part of a persistent, versioned virtual space accessible by team members at any time. Team members can use the persistence in Qwaq Forum when they meet and work as a full team, doing break-out tasks in sub-groups, or even when working individually.

Access the entire data network

A key requirement for an effective operations center is timely access to information; whether this is confidential real-time sensor or plant data, or publicly disseminated information. Qwaq Forums has unique capabilities for integrating data into a common environment where it can be looked at for overall patterns as well as for drill-down analysis:

  • Application integration. Qwaq Forums supports the use of the Python programming language for both in-space programming and for access to web services running remotely. In addition, Qwaq Forums supports an XML integration layer for encapsulating and presenting the GUI of remote applications.
  • Built-in VoIP. A high bandwidth audio channel provides a richer voice experience than conference calling.
  • Built-in web access. All Qwaq Forums spaces include access to a fully functional web browser. The browser can access web-based data stores or used as a web-based front-end to remote applications.

Improved decision making and problem solving

The human factor of an operations center is crucial to successful decisions and problem solving. Qwaq Forums is designed from the ground up for successful person-to-person communication:

  • Avatars. Can be used as part of the essential "speech-gesture-sketch" communication modes needed for successful teamwork.
  • Built-in VoIP. A high bandwidth audio channel provides a richer voice experience than conference calling.
  • Interactive whiteboard. For sketching out ideas and communicating concepts.
  • Text chat. Users share thoughts without interrupting the speaker.