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iRise Unveils iRise Application Simulator
First product to enable validation of business requirements for complex Web applications prior to development. Patent-pending visual platform promotes business-to-IT communication, for better quality applications and quicker delivery at lower cost.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (February 5, 2003) In an effort to bridge the communication gap between business and information technology professionals long a major obstacle for the Fortune 1000 and thereby create better Web applications, iRise® (www.irise.com) today unveiled iRise Application Simulator, its patent-pending "definition platform" that brings
simulation to the Web application development process for the first time.
iRise Application Simulator enables business analysts to create an interactive simulation of Web applications without a single line of code, allows business users to use and test software prior to development, supports remote collaboration in the requirements definition process, and eliminates up to 40 percent of development costs overall.
In the area of requirements definition the first stage of software development -- automation has been scarce and innovation virtually non-existent. iRise Application Simulator provides early and immediate feedback, focused on getting business and IT to answer the fundamental questions of "is this what you want?" and "is this how you want it?" The result is higher quality applications,
delivered quickly and more cost-effectively than ever.
"Through functionally-rich, data-aware simulations, iRise Application Simulator bridges the gap between the verbal and the visual bringing together those who understand the business, and those who understand how technology can be applied to business problems," said Maurice Martin, president and founder, iRise. "iRise Application Simulator empowers business people to quickly come to agreement
among themselves on how they want their software to work. They can then provide clear, complete, and correct requirements to the IT group."
Targeted at the Fortune 1000, iRise Application Simulator is aimed at both the business groups that are trying to gain competitive advantage by building custom Web-based applications and the IT community that delivers them. iRise Application Simulator has already been deployed at several Fortune 1000 companies across a wide-range of industries, including healthcare, financial services, real
estate, construction and enterprise software.
In the software industry, for example, iRise Application Simulator allows companies to simulate next generation applications and involve their customers in that process. "The focus across all industries today is clearly 'do more with less,' and iRise Application Simulator plays directly into that trend," said Emmet B. Keeffe III, CEO and co-founder, iRise. Especially in this economy,
companies must deliver Web applications that enable competitive advantage. There is simply no room for error."
Health Net, Inc., one of the nation's largest publicly traded managed health care companies, is an early user of iRise Application Simulator. "We've shortened our proof of concept timeline, allowing our internal customers to touch and feel application prototypes soon after the requirements gathering process is complete," said Jennifer Moore, Manager of Application Development, Internet
Systems, at Health Net.
iRise Application Simulator consists of a Server component and a Studio component. The Studio is priced at $9,995, with volume discounts available; the Server is priced at $120,000. A typical entry-level configuration consists of five studio users (for simulation creation) and 25 online users, to view the simulation, access the central repository and provide feedback.
Repairing a Broken Status Quo
The status quo for gathering requirements is archaic, painful and broken. Business analysts and pricey consultants today use Word documents, whiteboards and static prototypes to try to bridge the "business-to-IT" communication gap. Unfortunately, lengthy text documents don't allow business stakeholders to visualize what they are going to get. Static prototypes, screenshots and "click throughs"
may help, but still don't tell the whole story. Coded prototypes are time and resource-intensive, and too difficult to change.
iRise's unique simulation technology provides for rich, interactive testing with users and even makes experimentation with multiple scenarios an option without the overhead of coded prototypes. Making changes or modifications is much easier and faster, and can be done on the fly during feedback sessions. iRise Application Simulator's centralized, Web-based repository ensures all
participants have a current view of the simulations and requirements, which also serves as a stable blueprint for the development team.
"iRise's ability to tie requirements to the prototype ensures our developers know exactly what they're building, without a lot of back and forth discussions between our technical analysts and developers," said Health Net's Moore.
About iRise
Founded in 1996, iRise® is a leading enterprise software and services company dedicated to B2IT communication -- bridging the communication gap that exists between business and IT. Using iRise Application Simulator, the first Application Definition platform, business users can now simulate and validate Web-based applications prior to development, dramatically improving their value while reducing
development time and cost. With the same focus, its services group has successfully translated the needs of business users into Web-based applications for more than 100 customers on 250 engagements. The company is based in El Segundo, Calif., with an office in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Contact:
Barbara L'Heureux
Edge Communications
781-272-3350
barbaralh@rcn.com
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