To work with Mtv do I need to integrate it first with my EAM/CMMS system?

No most certainly not. Mtv has 3 main services/areas of functionality:

• Cloud Know-how™
• Cloud Expertise™
• Cloud Maintenance™

The first two of these services can work independently of your maintenance management system. If you decide only later to add in Cloud Maintenance™ there is no penalty whatsoever. Mtv is not a “system” in the sense you have to build a code and structures. Mtv will learn as it goes along, finding and providing the right documents for the technician. Mtv works primarily from a generic list of equipment from your industry that you may modify, add to at any time.

What are the EAM/CMMS applications with which Mtv is compatible?

Almost all systems are designed to import & export data. The main EAM/CMMS applications all do that: SAP, Oracle Applications, IBM’s Maximo, Infor’s Datastream and Siveco’s Coswin system.

How does Mtv move data from Cloud to the technician and back again to the EAM/CMMS application?

By means of data adaptors that contain objects that will link the data. An XML program will handle the data transfers such as the Work Orders, the Notifications and any other data such as Job Requests from the EAM/CMMS application, as illustrated below:

What are the main steps for introducing Mtv to our organization?

First, get to know Mtv. See how easy it is to capture know-how. Next, create a pilot group and experiment. Download some of the generic data from the website, such as equipment nomenclatures and taxonomies. Mtv will “learn” about you as much as you will learn about applying Mtv to your organization.

Next, gradually roll Mtv out to the technicians. The Mtv server is based on the AWS (Amazon Web Services) platform which is entirely elastic, you only pay for what you use. Mtv is designed to make installation and implementation as easy as possible.

But what about integration with our existing system, don’t we need help for that?

Yes, for that you would need a Mtv Certified Consultant. His job is to discuss with you what data you want to export & import from your EAM/CMMS application. The discussion will result in the specification for an XML program that has to be built and installed. XML programming is very flexible and any problems can be quickly fixed.

How long would it take to integrate Mtv to our existing EAM/CMMS application?

The basic work takes days rather than weeks. The complexities are not related to Mtv rather to the number of sites you wish to integrate and if you want a local server.

How simple or complex is our installation of Mtv going to be?

The complexities only start with integration, number of sites etc. If you do not want integration with an existing EAM/CMMS application you can begin with Mtv immediately without ANY site visits or consulting.

However for most customers, integration will be necessary. Here are the various scenarios:

 

What is a typical project plan?

Again, a project plan is only necessary if you want to integrate Mtv with the existing EAM/CMMS application. If that is the case here is an idea of the steps involved:

 

How do we code & store the Mtv know-how?

There are three ways to do this:

• Use a generic equipment structure for your industry, this is very simple and easy to implement. There is no need for an onsite consultant. We have many such structures, download from our website. Mtv will then save all documents against such equipment structures. Example:
  • Level 1 - Equipment category: Rotating equipment
  • Level 2 - Equipment unit: Gas turbine
  • Level 3 - Sub-unit: Compressor
  • Level 4 - Maintainable item: Cooling system
• Use the system of your EAM/CMMS application. In this case we need to extract and use the “nomenclature” or the classification system you already have. You may have different “labels” or references compared to the above, such as “Family”, “Class”, “Category” and so on. In this case you will need someone onsite with you to discuss how to create your equipment classification.
• Use your internal system but descend to the serial number level. We do not recommend this but some organisations may have a reason for capturing know-how at the specific “tagging” level.

But how can we share know-how if we have many sites each with a different coding system?

There are ways to get round this.

• Mtv will know: via its search technology, Mtv is also a search engine and “learns” as it goes along. Remember Mtv is driven by what is required by the technician.
• Use of a universal coding system such as ECCMA, whose eOTD standard is at the basis of the ISO 8000 series standards and is perhaps the one with the most acceptance. ECCMA gives a standard universal code to every item of equipment, down to the part level and its most detailed specifications. The eOTD database has some 130 000 items of equipment coded in this way. For Mtv know-how we would not normally go down to such detail. All we need to do is map each site’s coding system to say a standard such as eOTD as follows:

When Mtv receives know-how from Site 1 against Comp-123, that know-how will be stored against the eOTD code (or any other you prefer). So when know-how is called up from Site 3 under the code Refrig-Comp-1, Mtv will make the match and send the know-how for the Compressor, Refrigeration, 0160-1#01-009489#1.

What is eOTD & ECCMA (visit www.eccma.org)?

ECCMA, an industry body, is formed to create and keep current naming dictionaries in many languages for, amongst other things, equipment. Their main dictionary is the eOTD. Here is an extract from the FAQ on their website: “Formed in April of 1999, ECCMA has brought together thousands of experts from around the world and provides them a means of working together in the fair, open and extremely fast environment of the Internet to build and maintain the global, open standard dictionaries that are used to unambiguously label information. The existence of these dictionaries of labels allows information to be passed from one computer system to another without losing meaning.

The registered name of the association is Code Management Association (CMA), but the trading name is Electronic Commerce Code Management Association (ECCMA). The association is registered as a 501(c)(6)corporation.

Codes managed by ECCMA must be available free to the general public without copyright restrictions. Codes managed by ECCMA are maintained and distributed exclusively over the Internet."

What sort of hardware should we order?

Mtv will work on any computer on which you can see or use the Mozilla browser Firefox AND you have at least an 8 inch screen. The optimal choice is probably a netbook or ultra light portable devices. There are many suppliers, the most well-known are Asus, Acer, Dell, HP...

• Prices of netbooks vary from €200 to €400
• Useful link for netbooks – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netbooks
• Mtv will work on either Windows or Linux.

How do you handle data, where does it go & how is it stored?

All your EAM/CMMS data is merely in transit through the web, through the Mtv server and to your technicians. The other Mtv data, such as know-how stays on the Mtv server as shown in this illustration.

 

What is the choice of servers?

Mtv is run as a cloud computing configuration, this is the most economical, efficient and secure way for us to guarantee you our service. It has the benefits of centralizing all our support operations and being able to release to you upgrades efficiently. There are many suppliers of such cloud solutions but we have chosen AWS (Amazon Web Services).

Does the AWS solution mean that all my data is stored offsite?

Yes. But for a growing number of people a great deal of data is already passing through the internet and other networks, such as email, mobile phones, actually storing data on the net is just the next logical step.

Can I get a local server?

Of course, it will be more expensive to operate and we cannot guarantee the same levels of service since we will have limited access to your installation and the intricacies of your internal network will be unfamiliar to us.

What is the level of data security on the cloud?

Data security on the AWS (Amazon Web Services) platform is probably higher than anywhere else, perhaps even within your own company! The reputation and business of AWS depends on its ability to deliver on the cast iron guarantees it gives on data backup and security. Downtime is a minimum and the services are elastic, meaning that you will always have the bandwidth and storage that you need.

What are the different types of account with Amazon Web Services?

There are three different levels:

1. Company account, this is more for the single company with say, 50 users. The company will be sharing an Oracle database instance and a shared server. There is strict isolation of data, of course.
2. A Corporate account is a private server on AWS and a shared Oracle database instance, this means that the user can have separate billing and have their own account with AWS
3. Enterprise account, this is a private server and a separate Oracle database.

How are we invoiced?

After the initial installation costs Mtv charges per technician per day but for the month, that is for each technician who has opened an account during the month we multiply by 30 and this is the invoice that you will receive.

What are the data volumes that we can expect to obtain for €1 per day?

They are very high, around 1 Gigabyte of data. That is more than you could ever use in text and photos. But if you are going to use a lot of videos and audio then it is not so much. But remember storage costs are coming down continuously so time is on your, the customer’s side.

Cost – Does Mtv really only cost €1 per day per technician?

This figure is an approximate amount. Mtv is a service that amongst other things stores & delivers know-how, therefore use and volumes of information are variables in the equation of costs. But you can do a lot on €1 per day already. Here is a breakdown on costs:

• Set-up costs:
  • Installation, implementation & training, the time required for installation can vary from a few days to weeks, depending on the local complexities
  • Integration & customization – integration with the EAM/CMMS application (Enterprise Asset Management or Computerised Maintenance Management System), again a few days to weeks depending on local complexities
• Running costs – Mtv Cloud Server (either Company, Corporate or Enterprise)
  • Mtv costs
    • Volumes of data stored & accessed
    • Maintenance of Mtv software (fixes, updates, new versions & support)
    • Maintenance of Mtv servers, problem solving and support
  • Possible local support contract for installation, signed with an Mtv Partner
• Running costs – Mtv Local Server
  • Costs here will be significant higher than the AWS solution above, proximity support will be necessary.
• Supplementary costs

Some extra services Mtv can provide are:

• Quality Control – here Mtv can provide domain experts for quality control, costs will depend on volumes and complexities
• Translation services – for international groups Mtv know-how documents are translated into foreign languages
• SHE support – Safety, Health & Environment documents, ensuring the most up-to-date regulatory requirements (depends on country, industry)

What language is Mtv written in?

Mtv is based on the Mozilla Foundation's Open Source SDK. The most famous product is Firefox, the web browser that has about a 25% share of the browser market. Mozilla uses several languages: Javascript, XUL (that resembles HTML) and XBL (eXTensible Binding Language).

Why did you use Mozilla Firefox?

Because Mtv is a web-based but also an online/offline application and Firefox offered the best development platform. The plug-in philosophy and a community of hundreds of thousands of developers is also an attraction for us and our users.

How do you synchronise documents?

We do not have extensive synchronisation management at this time but we do have a very workable and acceptable solution for almost everyone. In its internal management system, each document (Mtv know-how document) is given a unique code. When 2 different people change the same document each of these changes will be given a version number. Via the user groups or the mechanism of workflow/quality management, the two changed documents will be returned to a specialist and it is for him to decide what changes to keep. In other words we suppose that for every item of know-how created someone will be required to authorise it for “general publication”.

What are plug-ins?

Plug-ins are modules that any customer can make himself to handle data or make additions to functionality of Mtv. In general terms there are many well-known plug-ins such as Flash that allows you watch videos, or PDF that allows reading a document on any machine.

Do you deliver the source code of Mtv?

No, not for the present. The reason is that there is still much we would like to do with the Mtv kernel and we cannot manage customers and a development community with a constantly evolving product. If security or organisational requirements demand it we can of course under special agreement supply the source code. For the time being, the plug-in philosophy should adequately deal with local programming needs.

What is your Quality Control Policy?

Just like any reputable software vendor we take software stability and general robustness very seriously indeed. We test our products before release but obviously final, conclusive testing is just not possible. We do promise immediate reaction on any bugs. As an online service the Mtv software operating on your computer will be immediately updated with the latest version.

How often do you deliver new versions or upgrades?

Mtv is an online/offline product & service so every time you log on we have the ability to deliver you automatically a new version of Mtv. We will do that as often as we consider necessary. Some upgrades or new versions take a long time to prepare others can accomplished very rapidly, so it is difficult for us to give you precise planning.

What are main legal contracts we enter with Mtv?

There are two:

1. The Software License Agreement, this is to protect us mutually on the use of the software that resides on your device (remember Mtv is an online/offline service so there is a copy of the Mtv software on your device).
2. The Master Subscription and Mtv Agreement, this is to cover the services we will provide you via the Cloud. At present we are using the AWS (Amazon Web Services) Cloud computing services.

Where do I find the contracts?

The licenses are in the section About Us and Terms of Service.

Why is there a license and a terms of service contract?

Because the license deals with the use of the Mtv software, as contained in the client computer (the netbook...) and terms of service covers the know-how and other data that you may store on the Mtv servers. The Mtv software is our intellectual property, the know-how is yours.

What control does Mtv have over our data/know-how?

We have no ownership and claim no rights whatsoever. As software developers we understand fully the meaning and importance of intellectual property. We do hope that you will allow us to publish some of your know-how, particularly that pertaining to SHE (Safety, Health & Environment (see below).

Will Mtv at any time take our data/know-how and give it to someone else?

Again, not unless you authorise it. But one of Mtv’s goals is to reduce industrial accidents. We very much hope that all SHE know-how (Safety, Health & Environment) will be released and shared for the benefit of all Mtv users.

Can we take our know-how and shift it to another platform or supplier?

Of course, at any time. Mtv is a monthly service, you may end your relationship at any time and migrate your data/know-how to another platform.