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I don’t typically blog about my day-to-day role within the EMC Global Services Marketing organization, but we had some big customer service news last month and I felt inclined to share… When I first joined the EMC Customer Service Marketing team in July 2010, I was given the role of marketing lead for EMC Secure Remote Services (ESRS), which is a two way connection between EMC and customer EMC products. ESRS transmits product-generated information such as alerts and configuration files to EMC, and it also enables EMC to connect back in to perform remote servicing activity. It’s kind of like parking your car in your mechanic’s shop every night and receiving a notification of any potential problems, with the opportunity to conveniently schedule service.
It sounded pretty manageable. All I had to do was develop positioning and communications for a remote monitoring and repair service that expedited resolution times at no extra cost. Besides, since EMC had a long-standing reputation for high-quality customer service, it was a no-brainer! What customer wouldn’t want this?!?
I quickly discovered that ESRS was actually quite complex. For starters, many EMC products were able to utilize alternative methods to connect such as email, FTPS, WebEx, even modems (yes, modems—the same technology my dad used in the 1980s to go online). ESRS could also be configured multiple ways—sometimes installable by customers and sometimes only installable by EMC (or a partner). Furthermore, the most popular configuration required customers to provide at least one dedicated server. Different EMC products also utilized the ESRS connection to transmit and accept different types of data. Add industry regulations and customer security concerns to the mix, and I soon realized this wasn’t going to be that easy.
I’ve been an ESRS “evangelist” now for many years. I’ve built demos, created brochures, wrote blogs, and even presented at EMC World. I’ve presented to EMC senior leadership, moderated strategy sessions, conducted surveys, met with analysts… the list goes on. Our ESRS message to market was even embraced in multiple customer blogs like this one.
Even though a lot of enthusiasm has been generated about ESRS, the features and functionality hadn’t evolved much during the last four years. That all changed last month with the first major release of ESRS since 2010—ESRS version 3. Internally we call this the “virtual edition” of ESRS. This release includes all of the long-standing benefits of ESRS, now packaged as a virtual appliance that is much easier to deploy, doesn’t require dedicated hardware or OS licensing fees, enables real-time audit of remote servicing activity, and improves reliability with optional failover to alternative connectivity methods. I was so excited about this new release that I produced this ESRS Release Overview demo, viewable on any browser or mobile device.
ESRS has gone virtual, but that is only the beginning. We’re working on some great new features that will dramatically differentiate the EMC Customer Service experience in 2015. Get ready for future releases that will include capabilities such as connectable software, automated notifications and advice, even simpler installation, additional security features, and more. Whether you’re an EMC customer, partner, or just plain interested in proactive customer service—stay tuned! This journey is just starting to get interesting… |
