MacsDesign Studio Releases Web Help Desk 5.5 Powerful Object Oriented
Software for Technical Support

FREMONT, CA – April 15, 2002 – MacsDesign Studio today released Web Help
Desk 5.5, a powerful web application for technical support designed for
education and small to medium sized business customers. Built with the
industry’s most powerful and mature application server, WebObjects 5.1 from
Apple Computer, Web Help Desk 5.5 offers an intuitive web interface and an
excellent feature set for both end users and support technicians. This
latest update includes:

* Customizable, dynamic PDF Asset report creation
* Detailed Job Ticket download in PDF
* LDAP option for authentication and lookup of Client data
* Department option for Clients, Assets and Job Tickets
* Additional Asset fields and expanded Asset search options
* New graphic reporting by Department and Problem Type
* New preference to enable Asset number editing

Next Generation Web Application

Unlike scripted web applications based on technologies such as ASP or PHP,
Web Help Desk uses Java objects to manage your clients, assets and job
tickets. This modular, object-oriented foundation provides a rich, flexible
and extensible architecture that scripted applications cannot match.
Because Web Help Desk is written in Java, it can run on any operating
system with Java 2 SE installed. Supported platforms include MacOS X
Server, Windows 2000 Professional, and Solaris 8.

Web Help Desk Features

Features of the application include:

* Finely crafted web interface with an Aqua look and feel

* Intelligent business logic for job assignments based on location,
department (optional), problem type and job load

* Asset management, including the ability to group assets into parent/child
relationships and purchase order management

* E-mail notifications of new jobs, job updates, and cancellations for both
end users and support technicians

* E-mail reminders to technicians on open tickets–both reminder period and
message frequency are customizable

* Graphic reporting of common job ticket statistics for technicians,
locations, departments and problem types

* Frequently Asked Questions module for end user self-help on commonly
asked questions

Availability and Pricing

Web Help Desk 5.5 is available now directly from MacsDesign Studio. Pricing
for corporate customers ranges from $3000 – $7500, while
education/government pricing ranges from $2000 – $5000. Upgrades are free
for all current Web Help Desk 5.x licensees. An online demo is available at
http://www.webhelpdesk.info/