It’s analytics, but not as we know it…

Triumfant was founded in 2002 by ex-Nortel engineers. Originally named Chorus Systems, it re-branded as Triumfant to celebrate how its software makes heroes of IT Service Managers (www.Triumfant.com shows a Clark Kent character removing his shirt to reveal a Triumfant superman emblem). With Version 4, released in January 2007, Triumfant claims to be the first supplier to deliver fully automated IT incident and problem management. Fundamentally Triumfant Resolution Manager finds and fixes problems in desktop computers.

Upon installing Triumfant Resolution Manager, the software unobtrusively logs some 200,000 data points on each PC on an enterprise network, which forms its database and frame of reference. It checks these datapoints for change everyday. The Adaptive Reference Model is a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) that determines what is normal and abnormal within usage and PC configurations. User changes to PC configurations are identified in real-time so that rogue software and user actions that do not comply with corporate dictats can be identified, investigated, and corrected centrally. “Big Brother!” I hear you say.

However, there is a significant upside from a user point of view. Potential threats to security, application integrity, and efficient PC functioning are eradicated before they hit the user. So users get faster and better performance out of their PCs. CIOs get compliance and adherence to corporate standards, and can spend less time fighting user ‘fires’ and more time focusing on gaining strategic advantage through IT. Everyone wins.

The core of Triumfant Resolution Manager is an analytics engine that conducts root cause analysis and corrective maintenance. For example, if the software finds a PC that has ‘Unexpectedly Absent Files’, it finds a ‘donor’ PC on the network having these application programme files intact, and copies the missing files to the ‘patient’. Before any of this happens the software alerts the IT Service Manager of the priority and urgency of the threat, the proposed action, and the authority to act. So “machines do fix machines”—but only with the authority of a human being. Have you seen the film ‘I, Robot’?

Triumfant Resolution Manager version 4 is broadly mapped to the 5 stages of the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) service management model: Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management, Release Management, and Configuration Management. For the IT Department, an intuitive Web-based user dashboard provides graphical summaries of problems by type, group and frequency, and presents metrics on savings; and pre-built reports cover change management, compliance, configuration management, incident/problem management and performance.

Triumfant Resolution Manager is compatible with BMC Remedy, IBM Tivoli Service Desk and Altiris (now Symantec) Service Desk. Integration with Microsoft System Center Operations Manager and HP OpenView Service Desk are underway. Direct competitors such as SupportSoft and Persystent Technologies are in the market, but Triumfant claims its analytics engine delivers unique technology benefits. These include competitors having to rely on known signatures or previous images to affect repair, whereas Triumfant Resolution Manager does not.

Triumfant points to large customers such as the US DoD, Progress Energy, and the Congressional Budget Office as proof points. Large enterprises with 5000+ PC desktops are the main target market, however Triumfant also works with managed service providers to deliver an SMB/mid-market SaaS solution for those with 50+ PC desktops. To encourage trial, Triumfant offers a 30 day free trial to prove the ROI which the ROI calculator on its Home page calculates for buyers.

In summary, Triumfant is an interesting company with interesting technology, and backed by significant VC funding, we are likely to hear more from it in the future.