Service management concepts in shared business environments: from electronic data interchange (EDI) to electronic process integration (EPI)

Presents a reference platform for service management in a shared business community, as applied to electronic document composition, production and distribution. The concept is based on the notion of "distributed service centre". All business participants (users), including customers, service providers and brokerage service providers, are interconnected via ISDN and can access each other on demand. Every user is equipped with a service management kernel that performs basic "agent" functions and user access shell, including directory and administration services for the shared community. The model integrates service management tools, usage scenarios and functional specifications. It offers a standard reference scheme to all players in a specific shared business community (clients, service providers and public network operators) for a cost-effective way to create, share and manage services. The work is supported by RACE II Project 2037 (Distributed documenting services-DIDOS). The models are being tested in application pilots, that inter-connect trans-European users of technical documentation. Users (document producers clients and service providers) generate electronically, communicate, order and, to a large extend, produce technical manuals and CD-ROM documentation by sharing available production facilities and public ISDN.<>