alarm point 3 2 1 user guide

AlarmPoint User Guide Version 3.2

©2007 AlarmPoint Systems. All rights reserved.

Enabling enterprise event notification & resolution

This manual provides information about AlarmPoint. Every effort has been made to make it as complete and accurate as possible; however, the information it contains is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of AlarmPoint Systems, Inc. No part of this document may be reproduced by any means without the prior written consent of AlarmPoint Systems, Inc.

December 19, 2007

Copyright © 1994-2007. All rights reserved.

AlarmPoint Systems™, AlarmPoint®, AlarmPoint® Java Client, AlarmPoint® Mobile Gateway, AlarmPoint® Integration Agent, AlarmPoint® Express, AlarmPoint® Standard, AlarmPoint® Professional, AlarmPoint® Enterprise, and AlarmPoint® Notification Server are trademarks of AlarmPoint Systems, Inc.

All other products and brand names are trademarks of their respective companies.

Contacting AlarmPoint Systems, Inc.You can visit the AlarmPoint Systems Web site at: http://www.alarmpoint.com

From this site, you can obtain information about the company, products, support, and other helpful tips. You can also visit the Customer Support Site from the main Web page. In this protected area, you will find current product releases, patches, release notes, a product knowledge base, trouble ticket submission areas and other tools provided by AlarmPoint Systems, Inc.

AlarmPoint Systems, Inc.Corporate Headquarters4457 Willow Road, Suite 220Pleasanton, CA 94588 USA

Sales and Technical Support:Telephone: 925-226-0300

Facsimile: 925-226-0310

[email protected]

[email protected]

https://support.alarmpoint.com

Contents at a Glance

CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO ALARMPOINT......................................................................................... 1

CHAPTER 2: GETTING STARTED WITH ALARMPOINT......................................................................... 7

CHAPTER 3: COMMON TASKS........................................................................................................ 13

CHAPTER 4: RECEIVING ALERTS ................................................................................................... 51

CHAPTER 5: ADVANCED TASKS..................................................................................................... 65

CHAPTER 6: ADVANCED MESSAGING........................................................................................... 111

LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................................... 137

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ 139

INDEX ......................................................................................................................................... 143

AlarmPoint User Guide

Contents | iii

Contents

CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO ALARMPOINT......................................................................................... 1INTRODUCTION TO ALARMPOINT .................................................................................................. 2ALARMPOINT BASICS .................................................................................................................... 2

About this guide..................................................................................................................... 3Seeking further assistance...................................................................................................... 4

CHAPTER 2: GETTING STARTED WITH ALARMPOINT......................................................................... 7IMPORTANT TERMS ........................................................................................................................ 8UNDERSTANDING PERMISSIONS .................................................................................................. 10

CHAPTER 3: COMMON TASKS........................................................................................................ 13About this section ................................................................................................................ 14

SIGNING IN TO ALARMPOINT ...................................................................................................... 14USING YOUR HOME PAGE ............................................................................................................ 15

Navigating in AlarmPoint .................................................................................................... 16Viewing your Permissions ................................................................................................... 17

USING YOUR MY DETAILS PAGE ................................................................................................. 18Modifying your details......................................................................................................... 20

VIEWING YOUR GROUP MEMBERSHIP .......................................................................................... 25Viewing your schedule ........................................................................................................ 26

MANAGING YOUR DEVICES ......................................................................................................... 27Adding a Device .................................................................................................................. 28Setting Device Timeframes ................................................................................................. 35Modifying Device details..................................................................................................... 38Changing Device order ........................................................................................................ 39Testing and validating Devices............................................................................................ 40

SENDING MESSAGES .................................................................................................................... 42Scheduling messages ........................................................................................................... 45

USING CUSTOM ATTRIBUTES ...................................................................................................... 48

CHAPTER 4: RECEIVING ALERTS ................................................................................................... 51ABOUT ALERTS ........................................................................................................................... 52

Viewing and managing your Alerts online .......................................................................... 52RESPONDING TO ALERTS ............................................................................................................. 54

Responding to active Alerts using the web user interface ................................................... 54Receiving and responding to Alerts via Phone .................................................................... 55Receiving and responding to Alerts via Email and Instant Messaging ............................... 55Receiving and responding to Alerts via Text Devices......................................................... 57Calling AlarmPoint to retrieve Alerts .................................................................................. 59

SUBSCRIBING TO ALERTS ............................................................................................................ 60


iv | Contents

CHAPTER 5: ADVANCED TASKS..................................................................................................... 65About this Chapter ............................................................................................................... 66

SEARCHING FOR USERS AND GROUPS ......................................................................................... 66Finding Users ....................................................................................................................... 66Finding Groups .................................................................................................................... 67Searching for Users by Role ................................................................................................ 69Viewing User Schedules ...................................................................................................... 70Finding Users on Duty ......................................................................................................... 71

MANAGING USERS ....................................................................................................................... 73Adding Users ....................................................................................................................... 73Editing and Deleting Users .................................................................................................. 75

MANAGING GROUPS .................................................................................................................... 75Creating a Group.................................................................................................................. 76Editing Group details ........................................................................................................... 80Deleting a Group.................................................................................................................. 82Modifying Group Supervisors and Observers ..................................................................... 82

MANAGING COVERAGES AND SCHEDULES .................................................................................. 83Adding a Coverage .............................................................................................................. 86Modifying a Shift................................................................................................................. 91

MANAGING TEAMS ...................................................................................................................... 93Assigning Team Members ................................................................................................... 95Using Team Templates ........................................................................................................ 97

CREATING DYNAMIC TEAMS ....................................................................................................... 99Finding Dynamic Teams.................................................................................................... 101

GROUP CREATION EXAMPLE ..................................................................................................... 101

CHAPTER 6: ADVANCED MESSAGING........................................................................................... 111INTRODUCTION TO ADVANCED MESSAGING ............................................................................. 112KEY FEATURES .......................................................................................................................... 113ACCESSING ALARMPOINT ADVANCED MESSAGING ................................................................. 115SCENARIO BASICS ...................................................................................................................... 116CREATING SCENARIOS ............................................................................................................... 117

Adding a new Scenario ...................................................................................................... 117Associating Attributes with the Scenario........................................................................... 118Selecting Message Recipients............................................................................................ 119Defining Scenario Responses ............................................................................................ 120Defining Notification Handling ......................................................................................... 121Specifying Scenario Initiators............................................................................................ 122Managing Scenario Supervisors ........................................................................................ 123Adding Scenarios to the Fast Access panel ....................................................................... 124

LAUNCHING SCENARIOS ............................................................................................................ 126Launching Predefined Scenarios via the Web ................................................................... 127Launching a New (One-Time) Scenario via the Web........................................................ 129Launching Predefined Scenarios from a Phone ................................................................. 129

STOPPING SCENARIOS ................................................................................................................ 130Scenario Status Notification .............................................................................................. 130


Contents | v

MANAGING SCENARIOS ............................................................................................................. 131RESPONDING .............................................................................................................................. 132

Responding to Email Device notifications ........................................................................ 132Responding to Text (Phone/Pager) Device notifications................................................... 133

RESPONDING TO VOICE (PHONE) DEVICE NOTIFICATIONS ........................................................ 134SCENARIO STATUS SUMMARY REPORT ..................................................................................... 134

LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................... 137LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... 139INDEX .......................................................................................................................................... 143


vi | Contents

Chapter

1

Topics in this chapter:

Welcome to AlarmPoint

Introduction to AlarmPoint

AlarmPoint Basics


2 | Introduction to AlarmPoint

Introduction to AlarmPointAlarmPoint® is a critical event notification system, enabling businesses to notify and communicate with the right people when critical events affect operational efficiency.

When something happens that requires attention, AlarmPoint places a phone call, sends a page, message, or email to the appropriate personnel, vendors, or customers. AlarmPoint is persistent and will escalate a notification through multiple devices or rotating groups of people until the event is resolved or until someone accepts responsibility.

As an AlarmPoint user, you can set up and test your own devices (phone, pager, email, etc.) so that AlarmPoint notifies you on your preferred device based on your settings and schedule. AlarmPoint also allows you to manage your personal details, respond to notifications, and specify who will receive your notifications when you are away or otherwise unavailable. AlarmPoint users with the proper permissions can also manage other users and groups of users.

AlarmPoint BasicsThis section introduces you to key AlarmPoint concepts. Even if you already have some understanding of AlarmPoint, you may find this section useful as a quick review.

About AlarmPoint AlarmPoint is a software application that sends notifications to communication devices such as pagers and phones. Notifications can be sent in text form to any text-enabled device (pager/phone), email account – and even through an instant messaging program called Jabber. AlarmPoint can also send voice notifications to any phone device. In turn, people receiving messages can respond to an incoming notification, acknowledge it, or take other actions.

As a web-based application, AlarmPoint is accessible from any Internet connection in the world. In short, AlarmPoint is a powerful and extremely flexible two-way notification system designed to be accessible to users with varying levels of technical understanding.

How organizations use AlarmPointTypically, AlarmPoint is integrated with an organization’s management system software. Management systems monitor computer networks for errors, computer failures, and so on. Management systems might also detect environmental events such as a fire or security alarm.

Once the management system detects that an event has occurred, it forwards details about the event to AlarmPoint. AlarmPoint determines who needs to be informed and how, and sends notifications to the right people on their preferred device.

Real-life exampleThe best way to understand what AlarmPoint does is to walk through a typical event and its resolution. The following example is one way AlarmPoint can be configured to handle an event.


AlarmPoint Basics | 3

Imagine that a management system monitoring a computer network detects that an important server (a computer) has failed for an unknown reason. This event occurs at 3:00am, but because the server is critical to the system, someone needs to fix the problem immediately – so, what happens?

After creating a trouble ticket with information about the problem and its importance, the management system passes the information to AlarmPoint. In turn, AlarmPoint examines the information and immediately asks several questions, including:

• What type of event is this?

• What is the relative importance of this type of event compared to other current events?

• Who needs to be notified about this type of event?

• What happens if the first person on the notification list does not respond?

• Who is currently on duty to receive this event?

• In what time zone is each recipient?

• On what device or devices do the recipients prefer to be notified?

• Does the recipient need to respond to the system, or is this notification informational only?

• Is there a waiting period between notifying each recipient, or should all notifications be sent at once?

• If no one currently on duty acknowledges the notification, who, if anybody, should be contacted?

These questions are very similar to questions you might ask yourself when you need to notify a group of people about an important event. The difference, of course, is that AlarmPoint processes these questions much more quickly and with greater accuracy than a person can.

Based on information stored in its database, AlarmPoint immediately determines the appropriate people to notify and how to notify them to fix the server. For example, if a recipient prefers to be contacted via cell phone, AlarmPoint will call the cell phone and deliver a voice message. If a pager is the preferred device, then AlarmPoint sends a text message detailing the event to the person’s pager.

In both cases, if responses are required, the recipient will be able to select an option (e.g., “Acknowledge”, “Reject”, etc.) using the phone or pager buttons. Once someone has accepted responsibility for fixing the server problem, AlarmPoint terminates notifications in progress, halts further notifications from being sent, and closes the event.

About this guideThe AlarmPoint User Guide helps Users accomplish common tasks in AlarmPoint. The guide focusses on tasks such as updating personal information and defining notification devices (phones, pagers, and so on). This guide also contains a section that concentrates on more advanced tasks, such as adding Users and creating Groups, that is intended for more advanced users, such as Person and Group Supervisors.

Although AlarmPoint Users are the principle audience for this guide, AlarmPoint Administrators, Developers, and other AlarmPoint Users can read this guide to review AlarmPoint basics.


4 | AlarmPoint Basics

ExamplesWhenever possible, this guide uses examples to illustrate the basic procedures and features of AlarmPoint. However, none of the names of users, companies, or other elements used in the examples are based on any real persons or organizations.

AlarmPoint Products and Feature AvailabilityThere are four AlarmPoint products:

• Express

• Standard

• Professional

• Enterprise

Each AlarmPoint product has a defined set of available features. However, because AlarmPoint product licensing is very flexible, different deployments of the same product (e.g., AlarmPoint Professional) may not have the same feature set. In addition, the features available to you are controlled by your permissions, and also by any customizing done by your organization.

As a result, you may find that some of the features described in this guide are not available in your specific AlarmPoint deployment. If you have questions about the features available to you, contact your AlarmPoint System Administrator.

Seeking further assistanceIf you require more information about AlarmPoint, or have questions that are beyond the scope of this guide, you can find help within the web user interface, or through your organization. The following table lists sources for further assistance:

Table 1.1: Other sources for AlarmPoint assistance

Source Details

Online help Most pages that basic AlarmPoint Users access in the web user interface have online help. To access online help, click the question-mark icon in the upper-right corner of the page or table.

User manuals If you are unable to find information about an AlarmPoint feature in this manual, consult one of the other AlarmPoint user guides:

• For more information about installing, configuring, and maintaining AlarmPoint, refer to the AlarmPoint Installation and Administration Guide.

• For more information about developing and scripting with AlarmPoint, refer to the AlarmPoint Developer’s Guide and Scripting Reference.

• For more information about working with the AlarmPoint Java Client, refer to the AlarmPoint Java Client Guide.


AlarmPoint Basics | 5

Help desk If your organization has a help desk, contact it for assistance.

System administrator / corporate trainer / IT

If your organization does not have a help desk, contact your system administrator, corporate trainer, or Information Technology (IT) department for assistance.

Table 1.1: Other sources for AlarmPoint assistance

Source Details


6 | AlarmPoint Basics

Chapter

2


Getting Started with AlarmPoint

Important terms

Understanding Permissions


8 | Important terms

Important termsAlarmPoint uses several common terms in specific ways. In particular, it is important for users to have some understanding the following terms:

• Devices

• Device Timeframes

• Users

• Groups

• Coverages

• Schedules

• Teams

The sections that follow explain these terms and how they work together within AlarmPoint.

DevicesA Device in AlarmPoint is any method for receiving a notification message. Devices can include physical items like phones, or intangible items such as email accounts. The following table summarizes the types of AlarmPoint Devices:

In general, receiving messages on a Voice (Phone) Device is preferable to a Text (Phone/Pager) Device, and both are preferable to Email and IM Devices.

There are three key reasons why voice notifications are preferable: first, phones are the most reliable Device available (land line phones in particular). Second, employees potentially have at least three phones: work, home, and mobile. Third, voice over phone guarantees that the person has two-way capability to acknowledge the Alert or take an action.

Text (Phone/Pager) Devices are next on the reliability list, depending on various service providers and the Devices supported. For low-priority or strictly informational notifications, Email or IM may be more appropriate Device choices.

Note: For policies about suitable Devices, contact your AlarmPoint Administrator.

Table 2.1: Device Types

Device Description

Voice (Phone) Includes any device able to receive a phone call (e.g., land line phone, cell phone, phone-enabled PDA)

Text (Phone/Pager) Includes any device able to receive a text page (e.g., pager, text-enabled phone)

Email Any email account

IM Jabber instant message account


Important terms | 9

For more information about working with Devices, see “Managing your Devices” on page 27.

Device TimeframesDevice Timeframes are used to tell AlarmPoint when you want to be notified on a Device. Each Device can have one or more Timeframes associated with it.

By default, if you do not specify a Timeframe, the Device will be available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. This means that AlarmPoint will attempt to contact you at any time of day, weekday or weekend, regardless of holidays.

To avoid having AlarmPoint call you at the office at 11:00pm on a Saturday, you might specify a Timeframe of weekdays from 8:00am to 5:00pm for your office phone.

Note: Device Timeframes are in the time zone of the Device owner.

For more information about creating and managing Device Timeframes, see “Setting Device Timeframes” on page 35.

UsersIn AlarmPoint, people who can receive notifications and possibly view the Web User Interface are called “Users”. Every person in the AlarmPoint system is a User defined by a set of details, including ID number, user name, login password, and so on. As explained later in this guide, each User has a set of permissions that define the AlarmPoint features to which he or she has access.

GroupsGroups are a collection of Coverages (for details, see “Coverages”, below) relating to a specific task or responsibility. A Group might be created to meet a single, specific need, or it might serve as a duty roster or workgroup that relates to a similar function.

For example, an organization might have a Group that includes all Users working in a data center (e.g.,“Data Center – All”); another Group might include junior technicians (“Data Center Technicians”); another, even more specific Group might include only the data center’s managers (“Data Center Managers”).

Notice that the members of “Data Center Managers” and “Data Center Technicians” are also members of the “Data Center - All” Group. This is an example of how Users can be members of multiple Groups.

Each Group usually has a defined schedule that AlarmPoint uses to determine who to notify. When different company sites, time zones, work shifts, and business needs are involved, Group scheduling can quickly become complex – managing this complexity is one of the strengths of AlarmPoint.

For most AlarmPoint Users, it is sufficient to understand that Groups consist of Users, and that Users can be members of multiple Groups, depending on their responsibilities.


10 | Understanding Permissions

Note: Only certain AlarmPoint Users have the authority to create, modify, and edit Groups (see “Understanding Permissions” on page 10). However, Users can view their Group membership using the web user interface (see “Using your My Details page” on page 15).

CoveragesCoverages are a combination of a Team and Schedule (these terms are described in the following sections). AlarmPoint uses Coverages to identify the Users who are on duty at a particular time to receive notifications about events.

SchedulesIn AlarmPoint, a Schedule is a specific period of time, such as a single day, a recurring span of several hours on certain days of the week, or 24/7 (every day, all day).

For example, a typical recurring Schedule is business hours, from 8:00 to 17:00, Monday through Friday. In turn, an ‘off-hour’ schedule could be from 17:01 to 7.59 Monday through Friday, and all day on Saturday and Sunday.

Schedules can also define rotations, such as 8:00 to 17:00 Monday through Friday every 3 weeks. This allows building sophisticated, automatic rotations with different Users and Groups.

TeamsA Team identifies who is available during specific Schedule times to receive notifications. Teams can consist of any combination of Users, Devices, Groups, or other Teams.

For example, a Team called “Shift 3” might include a User named “Terry Smith”, a Group named “Data Center Managers”, and a Device named “John’s Cell Phone”.

Understanding PermissionsAlarmPoint includes flexible and customizable Permissions that control access to the application’s features, such as the ability to create and manage Groups, Users, and Devices.

Users at an administrative level have access to most or all system tools and can also define the permission levels of other users. Users at a basic User or Supervisor level might have minimal or extensive access to features, depending on their duties within the AlarmPoint System (e.g., Users who manage Groups will have more extensive permissions than Users who only need to manage their User Details and Devices).

Although most of this guide focuses on basic User tasks, it is helpful to have a general understanding of all system access levels. For example, when you would like to have something modified in your settings or in the system itself (e.g., the addition of a Group), having an understanding of these permissions can help you determine whom to contact for assistance.


Understanding Permissions | 11

Roles and FunctionsRoles and Functions work together to define the AlarmPoint features each user can access. Roles are a defined set of one or more Functions. In turn, Functions are collections of one or more permissions, each of which permits a user to access a specific AlarmPoint feature.

For example, if a Company Administrator wanted to delegate the job of adding, editing, and removing Users, he or she might create a Role called “User Manager”. This Role would include a collection of Functions that provide access to all web pages and tools necessary for User Managers to carry out their tasks. The Functions underlying the Role of User Manager might include Functions such as “Basic End User” and “User Management Tasks”.

AlarmPoint includes several pre-defined Roles, as described in the following table:

Note: If you require further details about Permissions, contact your system administrator or refer to the AlarmPoint Installation and Administration Guide.

Table 2.2: Predefined Roles

Type of User Predefined Roles Description

Users Read-only User, Standard User, Developer

Users assigned to these Roles have limited or specific access to AlarmPoint. These Users cannot set Permissions for other Roles, and are sometimes limited to whom they can send messages. This manual is primarily targeted to Standard Users, who can maintain their own profiles, respond and subscribe to alerts, and send messages to other Users.

Supervisors Person Supervisor, Group Supervisor, Subscription Supervisor, Full Access User

Users with Supervisor Roles can create and edit information for other users, and set up schedules and other organizational elements. Some Supervisors also have the ability to set Permissions for other Roles

Administrators Company Administrator, Super (System) Administrator

Administrators can create, edit, and maintain all of the organizational elements of AlarmPoint, and are often in charge of the physical installation and set up as well.


12 | Understanding Permissions

Chapter

3


Common Tasks

Signing in to AlarmPoint

Using your home page

Using your My Details page

Viewing your Group membership

Managing your Devices

Sending messages

Using Custom Attributes


14 | Signing in to AlarmPoint

About this sectionThis section provides step-by-step instructions on how to perform common tasks in AlarmPoint. The instructions use real-life examples whenever possible, and provide descriptions of all important settings so you can get started using AlarmPoint quickly.

This section covers the following tasks:

• Signing in to AlarmPoint

• Understanding and navigating your home page

• Using your User Details page and setting a temporary replacement

• Adding, modifying and testing your Devices

• Creating and managing Timeframes

Signing in to AlarmPointYou can sign on to AlarmPoint from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. To access AlarmPoint, ensure that you have an active Internet connection and a Web browser, such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer. You should also know your Login ID, password, and the URL (Internet address) of your organization’s AlarmPoint Web User Interface.

To sign in to AlarmPoint:1. Type the URL of your organization’s AlarmPoint Web User Interface into your browser’s

address bar, and then press Enter.• The browser displays a sign-in page similar to the following figure:

Figure 3.1: AlarmPoint Sign In page

2. Type your Login ID and Password into the fields.3. Click Sign In.

If your sign in was successful, AlarmPoint displays your Home Page. If you cannot sign in, check your Login ID and Password or contact your AlarmPoint Administrator.

Common Tasks

Using your home page | 15

Using your home pageWhen you sign in to AlarmPoint, your browser displays a personalized home page. The contents of your home page depend on your Permission Level, and which customization options your AlarmPoint Administrator has included.

The following figure shows the home page of an example User named Mary McBride:

Figure 3.2: Home page for Mary McBride

The home page contains the following components:

• A menu on the left side of the screen that you can use to navigate through AlarmPoint.

• A list of any Active Alerts currently assigned to you. For information, see “About Alerts” on page 52.

• A list of your Devices, including a summary of when each Device is active, and whether it has been tested to ensure that it is capable of receiving AlarmPoint notifications. For more information, see “Managing your Devices” on page 27.

• A list of the Groups to which you belong. If you are a Group Supervisor, your home page also lists the Groups you supervise. For more information, see “Viewing your Group membership” on page 25.

• A list of Temporary Replacements: other Users who are scheduled to receive Alerts on your behalf, or for whom you are scheduled to receive Alerts. Click the plus sign (+) beside the heading to expand the list, and click the links within the table to view more information about that setting. Note that if you are not part of any Temporary Replacements, AlarmPoint


16 | Using your home page

does not display this section. For more information about Temporary Replacements, see “Setting a Temporary Replacement” on page 23.

• A Common Tasks pane that provides shortcuts to other AlarmPoint functions. The contents of the pane change to provide shortcuts that are related to the page you are viewing.

• Tabs that open other areas of AlarmPoint. The number of tabs available depends on your Permissions. For more information, see “Understanding Permissions” on page 10.

Navigating in AlarmPointThere are three main methods for navigating in AlarmPoint: Tabs, Menus, and the Common Tasks pane. Many pages also include links to other pages in the AlarmPoint Web User Interface.

TabsIn AlarmPoint, pages are organized into general categories and accessed through the tabs on the top right corner of your home page. The following table lists the tabs available to most users:

Note: Depending on your Permissions, you may not see some tabs, or you may have additional tabs available. For more information, see “Understanding Permissions” on page 10.

MenusEach tab in AlarmPoint displays a different menu on the left side of your browser window. You can click on any of the links in the menu to access that page.

Table 3.1: Tabs in AlarmPoint

Tab Destination

Profile The Profile tab includes your home page, User Details page, and links to manage your Devices and Temporary Replacements.

Alerts The Alerts tab provides pages to manage and respond to Alerts, and pages for creating and managing your Subscriptions.

Users The Users tab contains a search feature to help you locate other AlarmPoint users and, depending on your Permissions and Role, tools to add or remove Users from the system.

Groups The Groups tab provides all the tools and functions you need to create, manage, and search for Groups, Teams, and Dynamic Teams.

Messaging The Messaging tab allows you to send messages to other AlarmPoint Users on their Devices. AlarmPoint Enterprise with the Advanced Messaging option includes enhanced messaging features such as the ability to create and launch emergency Scenarios.

Common Tasks

Using your home page | 17

Common Tasks paneThe Common Tasks pane, located beneath the tabs on the right side of your browser window, contains shortcuts to a few common functions. Like the menu, the Common Tasks pane changes as you move through AlarmPoint, updating its contents to shortcuts that are related to the current page.

Figure 3.3: The Common Tasks pane

Note: Some tools and features in AlarmPoint can be accessed only through the Common Tasks pane.

Viewing your PermissionsYou can see which components of AlarmPoint you are allowed to access by viewing the Permissions assigned to your Role.

Note: For more information about Permissions and Roles, and their purpose in AlarmPoint, see “Understanding Permissions” on page 10.

To view your Permissions:1. On your home page, in the My Status area of the menu, click My Permissions.

• AlarmPoint displays the View My Permissions page:

Figure 3.4: View My Permissions page

2. From the Role drop-down list, select the Role for which you want to view the assigned Permissions, and then click Display.• AlarmPoint displays the Permissions assigned to your Role:


18 | Using your My Details page

Figure 3.5: Permissions for your Role

3. Click the plus ( + ) button to expand each list and display the individual Permissions.

Using your My Details pageYour My Details page displays the personal information AlarmPoint uses to identify you, such as your User ID, your location, and your preferred language. Depending on your Permissions, you may be able to modify only some of the information, such as your password. Other information may require modification by your Person Supervisor or AlarmPoint Administrator.

To view your Details:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. On your home page, click the My Details link in the menu or the Common Tasks pane.

• The following figure shows the My Details page for Mary McBride:

Common Tasks

Using your My Details page | 19

Figure 3.6: Mary McBride’s Details page

The following table describes each of the fields on the My Details page:

Table 3.2: My Details page fields

Field Description

User ID This is a mandatory alphanumeric field of up to 25 characters that uniquely identifies you. This can be changed only by your Supervisor or AlarmPoint Administrator.

Name (First and Last)

Type your name here. Depending on your Permissions, you can change your name without affecting your notifications. Co-workers, Supervisors, and Administrators can use your name to search for you in the database, to check your schedule, or to look up your User or Device Details.

Site Your primary location. The Site setting is important as it determines Company/Site holidays, Phone Class Lists, Default Language, and Default Timezone.

Language The language you want AlarmPoint to use when notifying you. Note that your default language is determined by your Site setting: you do not need to change this setting unless you want to use a language other than the default for your Site.

Time Zone Select the time zone your are in so that AlarmPoint can correctly determine your schedule. Note that your default time zone is determined by your Site setting; you do not need to change your Time one setting unless it is different than the time zone assigned to your Site.

Custom Fields

AlarmPoint Administrators can add custom fields to the User Details page to help sort, organize and locate Users. The settings and information required in these custom fields is determined by your AlarmPoint Administrator. In Figure 3.6 above, the custom fields “Desk Number” and “Location” are required fields, while the custom field “Start Date” is optional.



Modifying your detailsOccasionally, you might need to update or change your details to reflect a change in your schedule or location. Depending on your Permissions, you can make many of the changes yourself by using the My Details page.

For example, if you relocate to a different time zone, you need to update your details with your new time zone so that AlarmPoint can correctly interpret your schedule. The following steps describe how to make this change:

To change the settings on your My Details page:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. In the menu on the left side of the browser window, click My Details.3. Modify the settings as desired.4. Click Save.

• If the information was submitted successfully, AlarmPoint displays a confirmation message at the top of the form:

Figure 3.7: Saving changes on the My Details page

Note: If you do not click Save, any changes you make will be discarded when you leave the My Details page.

Changing your Web and phone passwordsWhether you have security regulations that require you to change your passwords on a regular basis, or you just want to change your login details to something that is easier for you to remember, you can change your phone and Web passwords from your home page.

To change your Web password:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.

Common Tasks


2. On your home page, in the Common Tasks pane on the right side of the browser window, click Change Web Login.• AlarmPoint displays the Change My Web Login page:

Figure 3.8: Changing Web login details



3. On the Change My Web Login page, enter the following information into the form:

• To reset the contents of the fields and discard any changes, click Reset.4. Click Save to apply your changes and return to your home page.

To change your phone password:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. On your home page, in the Common Tasks pane on the right side of the browser window,

click Change Phone Login.• AlarmPoint displays the Change My Phone Login page:

Table 3.3: Change My Web Login details

Field Description

Authentication When available, this setting is used to change the type of Authentication method used when logging into AlarmPoint. If only one type of Authentication method is available, this option is not displayed.Unless otherwise instructed by your AlarmPoint Administrator, ensure that Web Login is selected.

Web Login ID Type the User ID you want to use when logging into AlarmPoint. This User ID must be unique within your organization. Note that depending on your permissions and the configuration determined by your AlarmPoint Administrator, you may not be able to edit the contents of this field.

Old Password To confirm your User ID, type your existing password. Note that the Old Password field appears only if you are changing your own password (Administrators will not see this field).

New Password Type the new password you want to use. If your AlarmPoint Administrator has specified any password criteria, you can review them in the section marked Password Rules at the bottom of the form.

Verify New Password Type your new password again. This helps to eliminate any mistakes in the password.

Common Tasks


Figure 3.9: Changing phone login details

3. On the Change My Phone Login page, enter the following information into the form:

• To reset the contents of the fields and discard any changes, click Reset.4. Click Save to apply your changes and return to your home page.

Setting a Temporary ReplacementWhen you are unavailable to receive notifications for an extended period (e.g., due to a vacation or illness), you may want to appoint one or more co-workers to receive your notifications on your behalf. Depending on your Permissions, you or your Supervisor can set a Temporary Replacement. You can set a Temporary Replacement in advance so that he or she starts receiving your notifications on a specific date and stops receiving them at a later date.

When you are scheduled to be a Temporary Replacement, or if you have scheduled another User to act as your Temporary Replacement, AlarmPoint displays your current Temporary Replacement settings on your home page.

To set a Temporary Replacement:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.

Table 3.4: Change My Phone Login details

Field Description

Phone Login The mandatory, alphanumeric code of up to 25 letters that uniquely identifies you. Check with your AlarmPoint Administrator before changing this setting in case your organization has a numbering policy in place.

New Password Type the password you want to use for your phone login here.It is usually easier to use numeric values because some companies do not configure their telephone systems to accept alpha characters. Ask your AlarmPoint Administrator for the correct format for your organization.

Verify New Password Type your new password again. This helps to eliminate any mistakes in the password.



2. In the menu on the left side of the browser window, click Temporary Replacement.3. Click the Add New link to create a new Temporary Replacement schedule.

• AlarmPoint displays the Temporary Replacement Details page:

Figure 3.10: Selecting a Temporary Replacement

4. To specify the User you want to set as your replacement, do one of the following:• Select the name of your replacement from the Replacement drop-down list. • Click Lookup Replacement to use the AlarmPoint search tool to find a User by name

(online help is available on the search page).5. In the Selected Group(s) list box, select the Group or Groups for which you want your

temporary replacement to receive your notifications.• To set your replacement to receive all of your Group notifications, select All Groups.

Note: You can set multiple Temporary Replacements to have different Users receive Alerts for different Groups.

6. In the Start Date field, type the date you want your replacement to begin receiving notifications on your behalf, or click the Calendar icon to select a date.

7. Type the time of day for the Temporary Replacement to take effect in the Start Time field.8. In the End Date field, type the date you want the Temporary Replacement schedule to end,

or click the Calendar icon to select a date. 9. Type the time of day for the Temporary Replacement to end in the End Time field.

• Note that if you are creating a Temporary Replacement on behalf of another User, the Start and End Times use the User’s preferred time zone.

10. In the Name field, type a word or phrase to identify this Temporary Replacement Schedule.

Common Tasks

Viewing your Group membership | 25

11. When you are satisfied with your choices, click Save to create the Temporary Replacement Schedule.• AlarmPoint adds the Temporary Replacement and displays it on your Temporary

Replacement Schedule page:

Figure 3.11: Temporary Replacement Schedule

Note: AlarmPoint notifies the specified Users that you have set them as Temporary Replacements, and sends a notification to the supervisors of any Users involved.

Clearing your Temporary ReplacementAlarmPoint automatically clears your Temporary Replacements on the End Date specified in the schedule. However, if you want to start receiving your notifications again before the specified End Date, you can manually clear your Temporary Replacement Schedule.

To clear your Temporary Replacement Schedule:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. On the Profile tab, in the menu on the left side of the browser window, click Temporary

Replacement.3. In the Temporary Replacements table, select the check box beside the schedule you want to

clear.4. Click Remove Selected.

Viewing your Group membershipDepending on your role in your organization, you could be a member of a single Group, multiple Groups, or no Groups at all. You can view a summary of your Groups, as well as a detailed description of each Group’s schedule. If you are not familiar with the term Group as used in AlarmPoint, see “Important terms” on page 8.

To view a summary of your Group membership:1. Log in to AlarmPoint.


26 | Viewing your Group membership

2. On your home page, view the Groups I Belong To area and below it, the Groups I Supervise area.

The Groups I Belong To area contains a table listing all of the Groups to which you belong, and displays details about each:

Viewing your scheduleThe schedules of the Groups to which you belong determine when you are set to receive notifications. Only users with the appropriate permissions are able to create, edit, and adjust Groups, but you can view your Group and schedule details at any time.

To view your schedule:1. Log in to AlarmPoint.2. On your home page, in the menu on the left side of your browser window, click My

Schedule.• AlarmPoint displays the My Schedule page:

Figure 3.12: My Schedule page for Mary McBride

Table 3.5: Groups I Belong To details

Name The name of the Group. Note that the name is also a hyperlink that you can click to view more Group details.

Description A brief description of the Group, or who belongs to it, set by the Group’s creator (usually an AlarmPoint Administrator or Supervisor).

Timeframe A list of the timeframes that form the Group’s Schedules. These indicate when the Group’s members are scheduled to respond to notifications.

Common Tasks

Managing your Devices | 27

Note: Note that the table at the top of the page is the same table of Groups displayed on your home page. If you have the correct Permissions, you can click the name of a Group to view more details about it.

3. In the Existing Coverages table, do any of the following:• Click the Next or Prev links to view your schedule in upcoming or previous weeks.• Move your pointer over any of the segments in the table to view a popup containing the

times included in that segment. Click the ‘+’ symbol beside the name of a Coverage to expand the view.

Note: For more information about working with Groups, see “Managing Groups” on page 75.

Managing your DevicesThe AlarmPoint Web User Interface make it easy to create, modify, and organize the Devices on which you will be contacted with Alerts. (If you are not familiar with the term Device as used in AlarmPoint, see “Important terms” on page 8.)

Your AlarmPoint home page displays a list of all your Devices in a table with the following columns:

Table 3.6: My Devices table columns

Column Description

Order Indicates the order in which you want AlarmPoint to attempt to contactd your Devices when sending notifications. For more information, see “Changing Device order” on page 39.

Name Identifies the descriptive name of each Device. You can click the name of a Device to view and edit its details.

Type Identifies the Device type, such as “Email”, “Voice”, etc.

Details Displays different identifying information for each Device, depending on its type. For example, for an Email Device, this column lists the email address; for a Phone Device, it lists the phone number.

Valid Indicates whether the Device has been successfully tested to ensure that AlarmPoint is able to contact you on it.

Status Indicates whether the Device is active, and able to receive notifications.

Default Indicates whether the Device is the default method for AlarmPoint to contact you when none of your Device’s Time Frames match a Coverage within a Group to which you belong.


28 | Managing your Devices

The following figure shows the Device list for Mary McBride:

Figure 3.13: Devices for example user Mary McBride

Mary has three Devices set up in AlarmPoint: her work phone, home phone, and work email. By viewing the summaries displayed on the My Devices page, she can see that her email address is set to receive notifications at any time of day, while her work and home phones are set to receive notifications only when she is most likely to be able to answer.

Note that each entry in the Name column is also a hyperlink. You can click the name of any Device in the list to view more details about that Device, or click the link in the Timeframes column to view more details about when the Device is set to receive notifications. For more about Timeframes and customizing your Device schedules, see “Setting Device Timeframes” on page 35.

Adding a DeviceYou can set up your own Devices using the AlarmPoint Web User Interface, and return later to make changes, or to add more Devices. The following section describes how to add each of the different Device types in AlarmPoint.

Note that AlarmPoint limits how many Devices you can add of each type. For more information, consult your AlarmPoint Administrator.

To add a Device:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.

Timeframes Displays the main Timeframe for each Device, indicating when the Device is available to receive notifications. For more information about Timeframes, see “Setting Device Timeframes” on page 35.

Delay Indicates the length of time (in minutes) that AlarmPoint will wait after sending a notification to this Device before trying the next Device in your list.

Table 3.6: My Devices table columns

Column Description

Common Tasks


2. On your home page, in the menu on the left side of your browser window, click Add Device.3. On the Add New Device page, select the type of Device you want to add from the drop-down

list, and then click Continue.• AlarmPoint displays the Device Details page for the selected Device type. The following

figure illustrates the Device Details required for an Email Device:

Figure 3.14: Adding an Email Device

4. On the Device Details page, enter the information for your Device into the form. Consult the tables below for a description of the fields for each type of Device.

5. When you are satisfied with the information you have provided, click Save to add the Device.

Note: When you add a new Device, it is automatically assigned a 24x7 Timeframe. This means that the Device is ready to receive notifications 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week. You can edit your Device Timeframes to specify when you want each of your Devices to be able to receive AlarmPoint notifications. For more information, see “Setting Device Timeframes” on page 35.

Device Details Settings

Table 3.7: BlackBerry (BES) Device Details

Field Description

Device Name Select the name that best describes the Device you are adding. The choices available are determined by your AlarmPoint Administrator.

Active Select this check box if you want this Device to be able to receive notifications. If this check box is not selected, AlarmPoint will not attempt to contact you on this Device.



Default Device Select this check box if you want this Device to be the default method for receiving AlarmPoint notifications when none of your Devices’ Timeframes match a Coverage within a Group to which you belong.

PIN or Email Address

Type the PIN or email address of the BlackBerry you want to use for this Device.

Provider This setting identifies the service provider for this Device. Your AlarmPoint Administrator specifies the available options.

Delay Type the length of time (in minutes) that AlarmPoint should wait after sending a notification to this Device before trying the next Device in your list.

Priority Threshold Select the priority level of alerts you want to receive on this Device. For example, to avoid having AlarmPoint use this Device for low-priority events, select “Use for Medium and High Events”. This feature must be configured by your AlarmPoint Administrator when integrating AlarmPoint with a management system.

Custom Timeframe Select this check box to add a custom Device Timeframe for this Device. For instructions on how to create Timeframes, see “Setting Device Timeframes” on page 35.

Table 3.8: Email Device Details

Field Description

Device Name Select the name that best describes the Email Device you are adding. The choices available are determined by your AlarmPoint Administrator.



Email Address Type the email address you want to use for this Device.

Provider This setting identifies the email service provider for this Device. Your AlarmPoint Administrator specifies the available options.


Table 3.7: BlackBerry (BES) Device Details

Field Description

Common Tasks




Table 3.9: Voice (Phone) Device Details

Field Description

Device Name Select the name that best describes the Device you are adding (for example, “Mobile Phone”). The choices available are determined by your AlarmPoint Administrator.



Country Code Override

If the phone you want to use is from another country, select the country in which the service for this phone is based.

Area Code Type the area code for the Voice Device you are adding.

Phone Number Type the phone number for the Voice Device you are adding.

Extension Type the extension for the Voice Device you are adding, if necessary. Note that this field is only used for “auto-attendant” phone systems where AlarmPoint will need to wait for a greeting after dialing the main number and before dialing the extension.

Provider This setting identifies the (voice) phone service provider for this Device. Your AlarmPoint Administrator specifies the available options.


Table 3.8: Email Device Details

Field Description





Table 3.10: Text Phone Device Details

Field Description

Device Name Select the name that best describes the Device you are adding (for example, “SMS Phone”). The choices available are determined by your AlarmPoint Administrator.



Number Type the phone number for the text phone you are adding.

Provider This setting identifies the (text) phone service provider for this Device. Your AlarmPoint Administrator specifies the available options.




Table 3.9: Voice (Phone) Device Details

Field Description

Common Tasks


Table 3.11: Text Pager Device Details

Field Description

Device Name Select the name that best describes the Text Pager Device you are adding (for example, “Work Pager”). The choices available are determined by your AlarmPoint Administrator.



PIN Type the Personal Identification Number for the pager.

Provider This setting identifies the paging service provider for this Device. Your AlarmPoint Administrator specifies the available options.




Table 3.12: Numeric Pager Device Details

Field Description

Device Name Select the name that best describes the numeric pager you are adding (for example, “Work Pager”). The choices available are determined by your AlarmPoint Administrator.



Country Specify the Country in which your pager is based.



Area Code Type the area code for the pager you are adding.

Number Type the number of the numeric pager you want to use.

PIN Type the Personal Identification Number for the pager, if required.

Provider This setting identifies the paging service provider for this Device. Your AlarmPoint Administrator specifies the available options..




Table 3.13: Instant Messaging Device Details

Field Description

Device Name Select the name that best describes the IM account you are adding (for example, “Work IM”). The choices available are determined by your AlarmPoint Administrator.

Active Select this check box if you want this Device to be able to receive notifications. If the check box is not selected, AlarmPoint will not attempt to contact you on this Device.


Address Type the address of the IM account you want to use as this Device.

Provider This setting identifies the instant messaging service provider for this Devic. Your AlarmPoint Administrator specifies the available options.


Table 3.12: Numeric Pager Device Details

Field Description

Common Tasks


Setting Device TimeframesEach Device has a Timeframe that tells AlarmPoint when that Device is available to receive notifications. By default, each Device is available 7x24 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), but you can specify different Timeframes for each Device to ensure that you are always contacted on the right Device whenever AlarmPoint sends a notification.

A Timeframe schedule might include a Timeframe for your work phone specifying that it can be called on weekdays excluding holidays; two or more Timeframes for your home phone specifying that AlarmPoint can call it evenings, weekends, and on holidays; and a 7x24 Timeframe for your work email address.

For example, the figure below shows the Timeframe schedule for Mary McBride’s home phone:

Figure 3.15: An example Timeframe schedule



Table 3.13: Instant Messaging Device Details

Field Description



Mary has only one Timeframe assigned to her home phone: evenings from 5:30 to 10:00, not including holidays. If she wanted to be able to be notified on her home phone on weekends, she could add another Timeframe.

For more detailed information, or to see any other Timeframes assigned to a particular Device, click the link in the Name column to review the Device details.

Adding a TimeframeDepending on your Permissions, you can add Timeframes to your Devices.

For example, Mary wants to add an additional Timeframe to her home phone Device to make sure that AlarmPoint can reach her on the weekends. The following steps describe how she could create that Timeframe.

To add a Timeframe:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. On your home page, click the name of the Device to which you want to add a Timeframe.3. On the Device Details page, in the Timeframes for Device section, click the Add New link.

• AlarmPoint displays a blank Timeframe Details page:

Figure 3.16: Creating a new Device Timeframe

4. Change the settings to specify a new Timeframe.• Mary McBride gives the Timeframe a descriptive name, and specifies when she wants

her home phone to be available to receive AlarmPoint notifications on the weekend:

Common Tasks


Figure 3.17: Specifying Device Timeframe settings

5. Click Save.• AlarmPoint returns to the Device Details page, and displays the new Timeframe in the

Timeframes for Device table:

Figure 3.18: Device with two Timeframes

Note: The order in which Timeframes are listed has no effect on how AlarmPoint determines the availability of your Devices. If one of the Timeframes indicates that the Device is available, then AlarmPoint will attempt to contact you on it.



Editing and deleting TimeframesYou can edit your timeframes at any time to reflect a new work schedule or other change in availability.

For example, if Mary McBride changed her office hours from an 8:00am to 5:00pm schedule to a 9:00am to 6:00pm schedule, she would adjust her work phone Timeframe to reflect her new hours.

To edit an existing Timeframe:1. Browse to the Device Details page of the Device you are editing.2. In the Timeframes for Device page, click the name of the Device you want to edit.3. Modify the Timeframe settings as desired.4. Click Save to apply the changes and return to the Device Details page.

To remove a Timeframe:1. Browse to the Device Details page of the Device you are editing.2. In the Timeframes for Device page, select the check box next to the Timeframe you want to

delete.3. Click Remove Selected.

Modifying Device detailsIf your Devices are already configured, either by you or your AlarmPoint Administrator, you can change details such as phone numbers, descriptions, and email addresses. For example, if you change your home phone number, you can change your home phone Device details to the new number.

To modify a Device:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. On your home page, in the My Devices section, click the name of the Device you want to

modify.• AlarmPoint displays the Device Details for that Device:

Common Tasks


Figure 3.19: Device Details for Mary McBride’s home phone

3. On the Device Details page, edit the settings you want to change.4. Note that you cannot change the name of an existing Device.5. When you are satisfied with your choices, click Save to apply your changes and return to the

My Devices page. To discard your changes and reset the fields to their original values, click Reset.

Changing Device orderChanging the order of your Devices affects how AlarmPoint notifies you. When attempting to contact you, AlarmPoint check the Timeframes of the first Device in your list to see if it is available to receive notifications. If it not, AlarmPoint then checks the Timeframes of the next Device, and so on.

To change the order of your Devices:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. On your home page, click the Reorder link just above the My Devices table. (If you do not

have more than one Device, this link is not displayed.)• AlarmPoint displays the Order Devices page:



Figure 3.20: Reordering Devices

3. Click the Device you want to move to select it, and then click Move Up or Move Down to reposition the Device in the list.

4. Repeat as necessary to create the desired Device order.5. Click Save to apply your changes and return to the My Devices page, or click Reset to

discard your changes and reset the Device order.

Resolving Device Order and Delay SettingsIf you have more than one Device eligible to receive an Alert, and your Delay settings are set to zero, you may receive more than one Alert at once. For example, if you have an Email Device and a Pager Device, then AlarmPoint may send an email immediately, and then send a message to your pager even as you are receiving the email message.

If the first Device in your list is a Voice Device (phone), then AlarmPoint will block all further Alerts until you have completed the contact session on the phone. If you resolve or clear the event using the phone, the other Alerts will not be sent.

Testing and validating DevicesWhenever you add a new Device, or make a change to an existing Device, you should validate that the Device is configured correctly. AlarmPoint includes a testing and validation tool to make sure that all of your Devices are configured properly and working as expected.

Testing your Devices in AlarmPoint is a three-step process:

1. Send a test message to the Device.2. Retrieve a validation code from the test message on the Device.3. Enter the validation code into AlarmPoint to confirm that the test message was received.

Note: With two-way Devices, such as phones, you can combine the last two steps by replying to the validation message on your Device.

Common Tasks


The current validating status of your Devices is indicted in the Valid column of the Device table on your home page, and on your My Devices page. The following table lists and explains the symbols used to represent the status of each Device.

To send a test message:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. On your home page, in the menu on the left side of the browser window, click Validate

Devices.• AlarmPoint displays the Validate/Test Devices page, with your Devices divided into

those that have not been tested, those that are currently being tested, and those that have already been validated:

Figure 3.21: Validate Devices page

3. On the Validate Devices page, in the Untested Devices table, select the check box next to the Device you want to test.

4. Click Test Selected Devices.• AlarmPoint sends test messages containing validation codes to each of the selected

Devices, and lists the Devices in the Devices Pending Validation table:To retrieve a validation code:

1. Retrieve the test message from your Device. • In the case of an email Device, for example, you will receive a message containing the

validation code, which is part of the initial message at the beginning of the email. If two-way email has been configured on your system, you can just reply to the email as defined in the message in order to validate the Device.

Device requires validating.

Device is currently being tested; requires validation code.

Device has been validated.


42 | Sending messages

2. Remember the validation number; you will need it to validate your one-way Devices as shown below.

Note: For more information about how to retrieve messages from a Device, see “Receiving Alerts” on page 51.

To enter the validation code:1. On the Validate Devices page, in the Devices Pending Validation table, select the check box

for the Device you want to validate.2. Type the validation code you retrieved from the text message into the field in the Validation

Code column.3. Click Validate Selected Devices.

• If the code is correct, the Device is moved to the Validated Devices table, and its status is updated on your My Devices page, as illustrated in the following figure:

Figure 3.22: My Devices page with validated Devices

Resetting a DeviceIf you have modified a Device's details and want to re-validate it, you can cancel a completed or pending validation.

To return a Device to a non-validated state, select its check box and then click Reset Selected Devices.

Sending messagesAlarmPoint provides an easy way for you to contact another AlarmPoint User, or to notify all of the members of a Group, with the Quick Message feature. You can send a manual message to an individual or group of people without having to look up any of their data - AlarmPoint will notify them on the Device they prefer for that date and time. When notifying a Group, AlarmPoint will use the Schedule for that Group to notify each User as defined.

Common Tasks

Sending messages | 43

Depending on your Permissions settings, you could let a co-worker know that you want to use them as a Temporary Replacement, or remind your Supervisor about an upcoming scheduling change.

To send a message in AlarmPoint:1. Log in to AlarmPoint, and then click the Messaging tab.

• AlarmPoint displays the Send a Quick Message page:

Figure 3.23: Sending a message

2. In the Message area, type the text of your message in the Message Text field.3. In the Recipients area, do any of the following:

• In the Recently Used list box, select the name of the AlarmPoint Users to whom you want to send the message, and then click Add to Recipients List.

• To specify recipients not listed in the Recently Used list, click the Add Users or Add Groups link to use the search tools to select recipients for your message.

4. In the Delivery area, specify the types of Device to which you want to send your message. If the Users or Groups you specified do not have a Device of the specified type, they will not receive your message.

Note: Select All Devices to specify that this message is only sent to the four Device types listed on the page. If the message recipients are limited to other Device types, such as Generic Devices or numeric pagers, they will not receive this message.



5. When you are satisfied with your choices, click Send to send your message.

Viewing Sent MessagesYou can use the View Sent Messages page to search for messages you sent to other Users or Groups in the system. You can also forward previously sent messages, or review the Event and message details.

To view sent messages in AlarmPoint:1. Log in to AlarmPoint, and then click the Messaging tab.2. In the menu on the left side of your browser window, click View Sent Messages.3. AlarmPoint displays the Messages Sent By page:

Figure 3.24: Viewing Sent Messages

4. To search for messages, do one or both of the following:• To display all the messages you sent over a certain period of time, use the Start Date,

End Date, Start Time, and End Time fields to specify a date or time range. • To view only those messages you sent using a specific Event Domain, select an Event

Domain from the Domain drop-down list.5. Click Show Sent Message to display all messages that match your criteria.

Common Tasks


6. Do either of the following:• To view the Event information related to that message, click the link in the Event ID

column.• To load the message information into a new message that you can then resend or forward

to other Users or Groups, click the link in the Message Excerpt column.

Scheduling messagesYou can create a schedule that will send an AlarmPoint message on a specific date, or on a recurring daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. Scheduled messages are sent as AlarmPoint notifications to the Users, Groups, or Dynamic Teams you specify.

To create a scheduled message:1. Log in to AlarmPoint, and then click the Messaging tab.2. On the Quick Messaging page, type the text of the message in the Message Text field.3. In the Recipients area, specify the Users, Groups, and Dynamic Teams you want to receive

the message.4. In the Scheduled Messaging area, click the + button to expand the Scheduled Messaging

options:

Figure 3.25: Expanded Scheduled Messaging options

5. Type a descriptive name for the scheduled message in the Name field.• The name of each scheduled message you control must be unique.

6. Select one of the radio buttons to specify the frequency of the scheduled message:

Table 3.14: Scheduled Messaging frequency options

Frequency Description

One Time Sends the message once, on a specific date.

Hourly Sends the message multiple times per day, on specific days of the week and within a set range of hours. For example, you could create a schedule to send a message every two hours between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, or that sends a message every 6 hours all day Saturday and Sunday.

Weekly Sends the message one or more times per week, at the same time each day. For an example of creating a weekly reminder message, see the following section, “Example Scheduled Message”.



7. Specify the schedule for the message using the options for the selected frequency.8. Click Send Message to create the scheduled message.

Note: If you contract or hide the Scheduled Messaging options before clicking Send Message, AlarmPoint will treat the message as a quick message and send it immediately. AlarmPoint will not create the scheduled message.

Example Scheduled MessageThe following example shows how to create a sample scheduled message in AlarmPoint.

Assume that you need to create a scheduled message to meet the following requirements:

• Several employees work in a development environment where they store their source code on a central server.

• The server is backed up every Friday at 6pm, and the developers must commit all of their work to the server before the backup starts.

• The employees need to receive a message about the pending backup, and be reminded to check in their code.

• The employees are already Users in AlarmPoint, and have configured their Devices, Timeframes, and other details.

• All of the employees who need to receive the reminder message have been assigned to a Group named “Developers”. This Group specifies no delay between notifications, and uses the default Devices for all Team members. (For more information about these settings, see “Advanced Tasks” on page 65.)

To create a weekly scheduled message:1. Login to AlarmPoint, and then click the Messaging tab.2. On the Send a Quick Message page, in the Message Text field, type the following message:The Code Storage Server will begin its regularly scheduled backup in 30 minutes. Please check in all outstanding code.

3. In the Recipients area, click the Add Groups link, and then use the Find Group Recipients page to locate and add the “Developers” Group to the Current Group Recipients list. Click Save to assign the Group as a recipient and return to the messaging page.

4. In the Scheduled Messaging area, click the + button to expand the scheduled messaging option.

Monthly Sends the message once per month, either on a specific date or on a specific day of the week, such as the first Monday, or second Friday. You can also set the time of day at which the message is sent.

Yearly Sends the message once per year. You can specify the date and time at which the message will be sent.

Table 3.14: Scheduled Messaging frequency options

Frequency Description

Common Tasks


5. In the Name field, type Code Storage Backup Reminder.6. Click the Weekly radio button.7. Clear the check boxes for all days of the week except Friday.8. Specify 17:30 as the time at which the message should be sent.9. Keep the remaining default frequency settings, and click Send Message.

• AlarmPoint creates the scheduled message and displays it in your Scheduled Messages list.

AlarmPoint will now send a message every Friday afternoon at 5:30 to the Developers Group, reminding the Team members to check in their code.

Viewing Scheduled MessagesYou can use the View Scheduled Messages page to view a list of the scheduled messages you control, and edit or delete your scheduled messages. Adminstrators can use the View Scheduled Messages page to view and edit all scheduled messages in the system.

Note that expired scheduled messages are not automatically removed from AlarmPoint; you must delete them manually.

To view your scheduled messages:1. Login to AlarmPoint, and then click the Messaging tab.2. In the menu on the left side of your browser window, click View Scheduled Messages.3. AlarmPoint displays the Scheduled Messages page:

Figure 3.26: Viewing Scheduled Messages

4. Do either of the following:• To edit a message’s schedule, click the link in the Name column for the message you

want to edit.• To delete scheduled messages, select the check box next the messages you want to delete,

and then click Remove Selected.

Note: When a User is deleted from the system, all of the scheduled messages created by that User are also deleted.


48 | Using Custom Attributes

Using Custom AttributesIn AlarmPoint, Group Supervisors and Administrators are responsible for creating and maintaining Groups and Teams, and for organizing Users into the appropriate schedules. To help them do this, AlarmPoint includes the ability to create custom attributes that can be assigned to Users. These attributes can be used to create Dynamic Teams, which update automatically to include Users who are assigned each Custom Attribute.

Depending on your Permissions, you may be able to assign Custom Attributes to yourself, or to remove attributes assigned to you by your supervisor.

To manage your Custom Attributes:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. On your home page, in the Common Tasks pane, click the My Attributes link.

• AlarmPoint displays the Add Custom Attributes page. The following figure illustrates the Add Custom Attributes for Mary McBride:

Figure 3.27: Add Custom Attributes page

3. Do any of the following:• To assign Custom Attributes to yourself, select the check box next to the Attribute

Category containing the attributes you want to assign, and then click List Selected

Common Tasks

Using Custom Attributes | 49

Category Attributes. In the Available Attributes list, select the attributes you want to assign, and then click Add.

• To remove Custom Attributes from your Profile, select the attributes you want to remove in the Assigned Attributes list, and then click Remove.

4. When you are satisfied with your changes, click Save to apply your changes and return to your home page.

Note: If you do not click Save, your changes will be discarded when you navigate away from this page.


50 | Using Custom Attributes

Chapter

4


Receiving Alerts

About Alerts

Responding to Alerts

Subscribing to Alerts

AlarmPoint 3 User Guide

52 | About Alerts

About AlertsOnce you have configured and validated your Devices, and your Group Supervisor or Administrator has created Groups, Teams, and Schedules, you are ready to receive Alerts.

In AlarmPoint, an Alert is any message or notification the system sends to a Device to inform you that an event requires your attention. Alerts include information about the event, such as the time and location that it occurred. Some Alerts ask you to acknowledge that you have received the notification, or take another action.

Depending on the situation and the Device, the Alert might require you to provide a more detailed response, such as:

• OK – I’ll be there in 10 minutes.

• OK – I’ll be there in 30 minutes.

• I cannot respond to this situation.

AlarmPoint Administrators (or other Users with the appropriate Permissions) determine the response options available in each Alert.

Viewing and managing your Alerts onlineThe My Alerts table on your AlarmPoint home page lists the Alerts awaiting response. Clicking the Alerts tab also displays the Active Alerts table for the current User, as shown in the following figure:

Figure 4.1: Active Alerts table for Mary McBride

To view your active Alerts:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.

Receiving Alerts

About Alerts | 53

2. Click the Alerts tab to view the Active Alerts page.• Note that you can also manage your active Alerts in the My Alerts section of your home

page.3. To manage your alerts, do any of the following:

• Click any of the headings in the Active Alerts table to sort the Alerts.• Click the description of an Alert in the Event Details column to view details about the

Alert and the event that generated it.• Click the Expand link in the Devices column to view details about the Devices to which

AlarmPoint sent the Alert, and whether the Alert was received.• In the Action column, select an option from the drop-down list, and then click Perform

Selected Actions. For more information about this option, see “Responding to active Alerts using the web user interface” on page 54.

Viewing past AlertsYou can use the Past Alerts and Past Group Alerts pages to search for Alerts you or your Groups received over a specific period of time. Group Supervisors can view and respond to Alerts for Groups they supervise, though the responses do not affect fill counts or Scenario completion status.

To view past Alerts:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint, and click the Alerts tab.2. In the menu on the left side of the screen, do one of the following:

• Click Past Alerts to view Alerts sent to you.• Click Past Group Alerts to view Alerts sent to a Group you supervise.

Figure 4.2: Past Alerts page


54 | Responding to Alerts

3. On the Past Alerts or Past Group Alerts page, specify your search criteria by entering the form information as explained in the following table:

4. Click Show Past Alerts to perform the search.5. To view a summary of the Event related to an Alert, including a list of Users to whom it was

sent, click the link in the Notification Summary column for the Alert you want to view.

Responding to AlertsHow you respond to Alerts from AlarmPoint depends on the Devices you have configured, and the time and location of the event that requires your attention. When AlarmPoint notifies you, it may ask you to respond by acknowledging that you have received the notification, or it may require a more detailed response. The response options and requirements are determined by your AlarmPoint Administrator.

Responding to active Alerts using the web user interfaceYou can respond to an active Alert using the AlarmPoint Web interface.

To respond to an active Alert:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. On your home page, locate the Alert to which you want respond in the My Alerts table.3. In the Action column, select a response from the drop-down list.

• Note that you can respond to more than one Alert at the same time.4. Click Perform Selected Actions.

Table 4.1: Past Alerts Search Criteria

Field Description

Select From Select one of the following data types:• Runtime: Searches recent data; default is seven days.• Archive: Searches archived data; default is 7 to 28 days.

Your AlarmPoint Administrator controls the number of days for which AlarmPoint stores runtime or archive data.

Results per page Select a number from the drop-down list to specify how many Alerts to display at a time in the Results area.

Start Date/Time Type the date and time of the earliest Alerts you want to find.

End Date/Time Type the date and time of the most recent Alerts you want to find.

Group Name To limit the returned Alerts to those sent to a specific Group, select a Group to which you belong or supervise from the drop-down list.

Receiving Alerts

Responding to Alerts | 55

Receiving and responding to Alerts via PhoneThe following steps occur when AlarmPoint calls you with an Alert:

1. AlarmPoint dials your number and waits for a response.• If you answer, AlarmPoint will greet you and prompt you to enter your password.• If you do not answer the phone, AlarmPoint will try dialing a set number of times. Then,

depending on your User and Group details, AlarmPoint will attempt to contact you via another Device, or attempt to contact the next User in your Group or Team.

• If an answering machine answers, AlarmPoint detects it and will leave a message asking you to call in to the system. You can then call AlarmPoint to retrieve the Alert. For more information, see “Calling AlarmPoint to retrieve Alerts” on page 59.

2. After AlarmPoint reads your User ID, enter your phone password.• If your phone password was entered correctly, AlarmPoint will read the Alert to you, and

list your response options.3. If there are response choices, listen to them carefully, and then press the number that

corresponds to your choice.• There will be an option to repeat all of the response choices in case you need to hear your

options again.For instructions on how to change your phone password, see “Changing your Web and phone passwords” on page 20.

After you choose your response, AlarmPoint will thank you and, if you have no further pending Alerts, end the call. If there are more Alerts waiting for you, AlarmPoint will proceed to read them to you.

Receiving and responding to Alerts via Email and Instant MessagingWhen responding to an Alert via email or instant messaging (IM), the response options and instructions are included in the body of the message. Usually, you will be asked to reply to the email or IM with a specific keyword in the subject line, followed by your response choice. Ensure that you follow the instructions outlined in the message text exactly as specified.

ExampleThe following example shows how Mary McBride might respond to an Alert via email.

Mary receives and opens the following email Alert from AlarmPoint. Notice that the response options and the instructions for responding are listed near the bottom of the email message.



Figure 4.3: Email Alert example using AlarmPoint Virtual Email Device

To respond to the Alert, Mary types the keyword “RESPONSE”, followed by one of the options listed. In this case, she responds with the word “ACKNOWLEDGE”:

Figure 4.4: Replying to an email Alert

Note: It is important to include the entire message in the response. Without the message text, AlarmPoint may not recognize to which event the response refers.

Once the email reply reaches AlarmPoint, Mary’s acknowledgement will be associated with the original event and trouble ticket that started the notification process.

Receiving Alerts


Receiving and responding to Alerts via Text DevicesYou can receive AlarmPoint Alerts on text phones and pagers, and respond to the Alerts if your Device is capable.

One-way pagerIf you have been notified via a one-way pager, you must call in to AlarmPoint to respond. For more information, see “Calling AlarmPoint to retrieve Alerts” on page 59.

Text phone or two-way pagerIf you are notified via a two-way pager or text-enabled (SMS) phone, you will be given response options within the message itself.

ExampleThe following example shows how you could respond to an Alert on a text phone.

Note: This example shows how the notification would appear on a virtual text phone; an Alert on an actual phone might appear differently. In addition, the message for your Alert may have been formatted by your AlarmPoint Administrator, so it may contain different options and display features.

On the Virtual Text Phone, this menu shows that you have an outstanding Alert:

Figure 4.5: Virtual text phone with outstanding Alert



The following figure shows the message text of the Alert:

Figure 4.6: Sample Alert on a text phone

The sample message contains the Incident ID, a short description of the problem, and the date and time of the incident. If you choose to reply, the phone displays the response options. This example Alert presents three response options, “Acknowledge”, “Own”, or “Ignore”:

Receiving Alerts


Figure 4.7: Sample text phone Alert response options

Your phone communicates your response choice back to AlarmPoint, where it will be associated with the event that prompted the Alert.

Calling AlarmPoint to retrieve AlertsYou can call in to AlarmPoint to hear any Alerts you may have missed, or to respond to Alerts that you received on a one-way Device. If you do not know the number to call, contact your Supervisor or AlarmPoint Administrator.

To retrieve an Alert by phone:1. Dial the number for AlarmPoint.2. When prompted by AlarmPoint, enter your User ID.

• This is the same ID that appears in the AlarmPoint Web User Interface, on your Change My Phone Login page. Mary McBride’s Change My Phone Login page is shown below (her Phone Login is 200000):


60 | Subscribing to Alerts

Figure 4.8: Mary McBride’s Change My Phone Login page

3. When prompted by AlarmPoint, enter your phone password.4. AlarmPoint will then read all of your pending Alerts, and allow you to respond to them if

there are response options.

Note: If you forget your phone password, you can change it using the AlarmPoint Web interface (see “Changing your Web and phone passwords” on page 20).

Subscribing to AlertsDepending on your Permissions and AlarmPoint licensing, you can subscribe to Alerts that match specific criteria. By subscribing to Alerts, you can ensure that you are always informed of events that match your criteria, even if you are not scheduled to receive notifications for those events. For example, you could subscribe to all events that include the term “network outage” or “Building 6”.

AlarmPoint Administrators or other Supervisors can also assign Subscriptions assigned to you. You can view these Subscriptions in the AlarmPoint Web User Interface, but cannot change or remove them without an Administrator.

Alerts you receive through a Subscription are displayed on your My Alerts page, as explained in the section, “Viewing and managing your Alerts online” on page 52.

Subscription DomainsEach Subscription in AlarmPoint belongs to a Subscription Domain. These domains are created and managed by AlarmPoint Administrators to identify the source of an event, and to define the criteria to which you can subscribe.

Self-managed SubscriptionYou can use the My Subscribed Alerts page to view, create, and manage Subscriptions that you control.

To view and manage your Subscriptions:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.

Receiving Alerts

Subscribing to Alerts | 61

2. Click the Alerts tab, and in the menu on the left side of your screen, click My Subscribed Alerts.• The My Subscribed Alerts page displays a list of the self-managed Subscriptions you

create and control:

Figure 4.9: My Subscribed Alerts page

• For more information about using the Assigned Subscriptions table, see “Using the Subscriptions tables” on page 63.

3. To view or change the details of a self-managed subscription, click the name of the subscription you want to view. • To create a new Subscription, use the Subscription Domain drop-down list to select the

Subscription Domain to which you want to subscribe, and then click the Add New link above the Subscriptions table. If you are not sure which Subscription Domain to choose, contact your AlarmPoint Administrator.

4. On the Subscription details page, specify the following details:

Table 4.2: Subscription details

Field Subscription

Name Name of the Subscription.

Attributes This section lists the details within each Alert to which you can subscribe. The available Attributes are created by your AlarmPoint Administrator, and you can specify the value for each attribute that you want to match. For text Attributes, type a value for each Attribute into the field beside it, and use the drop-down list to specify how to match the values against the Alerts. For list Attributes, select the values you want to match (use Ctrl+click to select more than one value).



Note: Depending on the settings in AlarmPoint, you may not be able to view or change some of the details described above. Those details have default settings assigned by your AlarmPoint Administrator.

5. Click Save to store your changes or to create the Subscription.

Start Time Type the time of day at which the Subscription should begin, followed by the length of time, in hours and minutes, for the Subscription to last each day.

On the following days Select the check box next to each day of the week for which you want to subscribe.

Time Zone Select the time zone on which to base this Subscription.

Device Types Select the Device types to which you want to send all Alerts generated by this Subscription. If you do not have any Devices of the specified types, you will not receive Alerts from this Subscription.Select All Devices to specify that Alerts from this Subscription are sent only to the five Device types listed on the page. If your Devices are limited to other Device types, such as Generic Devices or numeric pagers, you will not receive Alerts from this Subscription.

Override User Device Timeframes

Select this check box if you want to use the Subscription timeframe rather than your Device timeframes.

Ignore Device Delays Select this check box to ignore your Device delays.

Override Device Severities and Use All

Select this check box to ignore your severity restrictions on the selected Device type.

Notification Delay Specify the length of time, in minutes, that you want AlarmPoint to wait before sending an Alert for this Subscription. Note that the delay is calculated from the point that AlarmPoint receives the original event. For example, if you specify a Notification Delay of 10 minutes, and an event is submitted to AlarmPoint at 4:51pm, AlarmPoint will treat the event as though it was received at 5:01pm. If your Device is scheduled to receive Alerts from 9am to 5pm, you would not receive the Alert.The delay you specify for your Subscription does not affect any other Subscriptions or Alerts in the system.

Table 4.2: Subscription details

Field Subscription

Receiving Alerts

Subscribing to Alerts | 63

Assigned SubscriptionsYou can use the My Assigned Alerts page to view the Subscriptions assigned to you by Supervisors and Administrators.

To view your assigned Subscriptions:1. Sign in to AlarmPoint.2. Click the Alerts tab, and in the menu on the left side of your screen, click My Assigned

Alerts.• The My Assigned Alerts page displays a list of the Subscription assigned to you:

Figure 4.10: My Assigned Alerts page

Using the Subscriptions tablesWhen viewing the Subscriptions tables on the My Assigned Alerts or My Subscribed Alerts pages:

• To view the Subscription list for a different Subscription Domain, select a domain in the Subscription Domain drop-down list. Note that this option is visible only when other Subscriptions Domains are available.

• To change the number of Subscriptions displayed at one time, select a number in the Results per page drop-down list, and then click Apply.

• If there are more values specified for a predicate than can be shown in the table, AlarmPoint displays an ellipsis (...) at the end of the row. Mouse over the row to view a pop-up containing a list of all values that apply.

• If there are more supervisors for a Subscriptions than can be displayed in the Supervisors row (Assigned Subscriptions only), AlarmPoint displays an ellipsis at the end of the row. Mouse over the row to view a pop-up containing a list of all supervisors.

• Predicate names longer than 18 characters are truncated. You can view full predicate names on the Subscription Details page.



• Each Subscription shows up to five predicates, with those predicates flagged as “Important” shown at the top of each list. If a Subscription contains more than five predicates, click the More information link to view all subscribed predicates.

Chapter

5


Advanced Tasks

Searching for Users and Groups

Managing Users

Managing Groups

Managing Coverages and Schedules

Managing Teams

Creating Dynamic Teams

Group Creation Example


66 | Searching for Users and Groups

About this ChapterThis chapter covers AlarmPoint features that are more advanced than the topics found in the Common Tasks chapter. Based on their User permissions, many AlarmPoint Users will not have access to these features. If you believe you should have access to the features discussed in this chapter, contact your AlarmPoint Administrator.

Searching for Users and GroupsAlarmPoint provides several methods to search for Users and Groups, and to find specific information regarding schedules, current duty rosters, and AlarmPoint Roles. The following sections explain each of these methods.

The Search tools discussed in these sections are only available to AlarmPoint Users whose Permissions enable access to the Users and Groups tabs, such as Person Supervisors, Group Supervisors, and Administrators.

Finding UsersYou can use the Find Users and Find Web Service Users pages to search for Users in AlarmPoint.

To find Users in AlarmPoint:1. In the AlarmPoint Web User Interface, click the Users tab.

• AlarmPoint displays the Find Users page:

Figure 5.1: Find Users – Search Details

Advanced Tasks

Searching for Users and Groups | 67

Note: To search for Web Service Users, click Find Web Service Users in the Web Service Users menu, and then use the following steps to perform your search.

2. Do one of the following:• To search by first letter of the last name, click a letter.• To display a list of all Users, click All.• To search by a text string, specify the Search Criteria using the drop-down lists, enter the

text for which you want to search, and then click Find.• To do an advanced search, click Show Advanced, specify your settings, and then click

Find.

Figure 5.2: Find Users – Result

Note: Users for which you have the “View Person” Permission are listed as hyperlinks; you can click on their names to view their User Details.

Finding GroupsYou can use the Find Groups page to search for current Groups in AlarmPoint and view their details.

To search for Groups:1. In the Web User Interface, click the Groups tab.



2. On the left menu, click Find Groups.• AlarmPoint displays the Find Groups page:

Figure 5.3: Find Groups page

3. Do one of the following:• To search using text, click the drop-down boxes to specify your search criteria, type the

text for which you want to search, and click Find.• To display a list of all Groups, click Show All.

Figure 5.4: Find Groups – Results

Note: For details about modifying Group information, see “Editing Group details” on page 80.

Advanced Tasks


Searching for Users by RoleIf you want to view a list of all AlarmPoint Users who have a specific Role (e.g., Group Supervisors), you can use the View Users by Their Role page.

To display Users by their Roles:1. In the Web User Interface, click the Users tab.2. On the left menu, click View Users by Role.

• AlarmPoint displays the View Users by their Role page:

Figure 5.5: View Users by Their Role – Search Details

3. Click the Role drop-down list, select an option to search, and then click Display.• AlarmPoint displays the list of Users that match the search criteria:

Figure 5.6: View Users by Role – Results

4. To modify Permissions for a User, click the related link in the Results table.



Viewing User SchedulesYou can use the View User Schedule to view a summary of a User’s Groups, and see to an overview of their current schedules and responsibilities.

To view the schedule for a particular User:1. Click the Groups tab.2. On the left menu, click View User Schedule.3. Specify the search criteria, and then click Find (click the help icon for assistance with

searching).4. In the Results table, click the User Name of the User whose schedule you want to view.

• The User’s schedule (if any) is displayed for Groups to which the User directly and indirectly belongs, as illustrated in the following figure:

Figure 5.7: Viewing a User’s Schedule

Note: All schedules in AlarmPoint, including future and past schedules, are projections of the current configuration. When viewing previous weeks, the schedule displayed will reflect the current schedule details, which may not match the actual configuration that was in effect at the time.

Indirect GroupsA User indirectly belongs to a Group when one of the Groups they belong to directly is a member of a Team on another Group’s Coverage. For example, in Figure 5.7 above, Mary McBride is a Team member of a Coverage within the Network Admin Group. The Network Admin Group is a Team member of a Coverage within the Customer Support Group. As a result, Mary McBride directly belongs to the Network Admin Group, and indirectly belongs to the Customer Support Group.

Advanced Tasks


Finding Users on DutyYou can use the Who’s on Duty page to search for Users who are currently on duty in specific Groups.

To find Users on duty:1. In the web user interface, click the Groups tab.2. In the Manage Groups section of the Groups menu, click Who is On Duty.3. On the Who’s On Duty page, use the fields available to specify the Groups for which you

want to search, and then click Find.• You can click Show All to display a list of all available Groups.

4. In the Results area, select the check boxes next to the Groups you want to view, and then click View Selected.• AlarmPoint displays a list of Groups selected, with the Users who are currently scheduled

to receive notifications:



Figure 5.8: Who’s On Duty search results

5. Do any of the following:• In the Search Details area, specify the Time Zone you want to use.• Specify another date range using the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time fields.• Click the Export Excel Document button to export the data to a Microsoft® Excel

spreadsheet.

Advanced Tasks

Managing Users | 73

Managing UsersThe following sections describe how to find, add, edit, and delete AlarmPoint Users. For information about working with Web Service Users, see the “Managing Web Service Users” section in the AlarmPoint Developer’s Guide & Scripting Reference.

Note: Permissions control access to the Users tab in the AlarmPoint Web User Interface. In general, only Administrators and User Supervisors have access to the Users tab, although other Roles may also have the appropriate permissions.

Adding UsersYou can easily add AlarmPoint Users through the web user interface. Before adding users to AlarmPoint, you should be aware of any naming conventions or organizational rules regarding user IDs and numbering systems.

Note: You can add multiple Users at once with the Import Data feature. For more information, see the AlarmPoint Installation and Administration Guide.

To add an AlarmPoint User:1. In the Web User Interface, click the Users tab.2. On the left menu, click Add User.

Figure 5.9: Add a User – Details


74 | Managing Users

3. Specify the Details for the new User and assign Roles, as illustrated in the following figure:

Figure 5.10: Add User – Details Completed

• For more information about User details, see Table 3.2: “My Details page fields” on page 19.

4. Click Save.• AlarmPoint displays the Change Web Login page:

Figure 5.11: Add User – Change Web Login

Advanced Tasks

Managing Groups | 75

5. From the Authentication drop-down list, select one of the following:• Web Login: Creates a standard web login User ID and Password for this User. • LDAP: Creates an LDAP login User ID for this User.

6. In the Web Login ID field, type the login string you want this User to enter when logging in to AlarmPoint.• If you selected LDAP from the Authentication drop-down list, this ID must match the

User’s LDAP authentication.7. If you are creating a standard Web Login, type a password for the User in the New Password

field, and then type the new password again in the Verify New Password field.8. If you are creating an LDAP login for this User, select a domain from the LDAP Domain

drop-down list.• If there are no domains listed, contact your AlarmPoint Administrator.

9. Click Save to create this User.

Note: If you require more information about appropriate web login settings, contact your AlarmPoint Administrator.

Editing and Deleting UsersYou can delete Users from AlarmPoint at any time, but note that Users will also be removed from any Teams of which they are a member, and their Devices, details, and login information will also be removed. Any scheduled messages of which they are the owner are also deleted from AlarmPoint.

To edit User details, or to delete a User from AlarmPoint:1. Use the Search tools described in the previous section, “Searching for Users and Groups”, to

locate the User you want to edit.2. In the Results table, do one of the following:

• To delete the User, select the check box beside the User’s name, and then click Remove Selected.

• To edit the User’s details, click the User’s name. AlarmPoint displays the User details for you to set or edit as required. When you are finished making changes, click Save.

Note: You can click only the names of Users for which you have the “View Person” Permission.

Managing GroupsThis section describes how to create, edit, and manage Groups in AlarmPoint. Later sections in this chapter deal with managing Coverages and Teams.


76 | Managing Groups

Before proceeding, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the terms used in this section, including Groups, Teams, Coverages, and Schedules. For definitions and examples, see “Important terms” on page 8.

Using the Groups tabYou can use the Groups tab to view the Groups you supervise, create a new Group, search for Group information, or manage Teams and Dynamic Teams. The Groups tab also provides access to the View User Schedule and Who is On Duty tools.

Note: In the AlarmPoint Web User Interface, permissions control which Users can access the Groups tab. Typically, only Administrators and Group Supervisors have access to these tools. If you are unable to access the Groups tab, but believe that you should have access, contact your AlarmPoint Administrator.

Creating a GroupAlarmPoint includes a wizard to help guide you through the process of creating a Group. The wizard significantly reduces the complexities that can arise when scheduling Groups and Teams.

Note: The Groups Wizard guides you in creating a new Group with one Schedule and Team. However, you can add more Schedules and Groups after you complete the wizard (as shown in the “Group Creation Example” on page 101).

This section outlines the steps required to create a Group using the wizard. For more information about the individual settings for each page of the wizard, refer to the related sections of this chapter. For a complete, step-by-step example of how to create a Group, see “Group Creation Example” on page 101.

To create a Group:1. In the web user interface, click the Groups tab.2. On the Groups I Supervise page, click the Add New link.

• AlarmPoint displays the Add a Group page:

Advanced Tasks


Figure 5.12: Add a Group – General Details

3. Type a name for the new Group in the Name field, and specify the remaining settings, as described in Table 5.1: “General Group Details” on page 80.

4. Click Continue.• If you selected Build Schedule from the Schedule Type drop-down list on the General

Details page, AlarmPoint displays the Schedule details page:

Figure 5.13: Add a Group – Schedule Details



5. Create the primary schedule for the new Group by specifying the settings, as defined in Table 5.2: “Recurring Schedule Details” on page 87.• If you selected the default 24x7 from the Schedule Type drop-down list, you can skip this

step and move on to defining Team details as explained in Step 7 below. 6. Click Continue.

• AlarmPoint displays the Set the Team details page:

Figure 5.14: Add a Group – Team Details

7. Specify the Team details as described in Table 5.5: “Team Details” on page 94.8. Click Continue.

• AlarmPoint displays the Team Members page:

Advanced Tasks


Figure 5.15: Add a Group – Adding Team Members

9. Assign Team members to the Coverage, as explained in “Assigning Team Members” on page 95.

10. Click Finish to create the Group.• AlarmPoint displays the Group Details summary for the new Group:



Figure 5.16: Add a Group – Group Details page

Editing Group detailsAfter you have created a Group, you can modify virtually any setting related to it, add or remove items (e.g., Teams, Permissions), and even change the Team members for a single shift that occurs in several months. You can change the details of any Group for which you have supervisory Permissions.

When viewing a Group in the AlarmPoint web user interface, basic details for the Group, such as its name and default time zone, are hidden from view.

To modify basic Group details:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Groups I Supervise table, click the name of the Group you want to modify.3. On the Group Details page, click Show Details.

• AlarmPoint displays the Group details at the top of the page.4. In the General Details area, specify the following settings:

Table 5.1: General Group Details

Setting Description

Active Select this option to enable the Group to receive notifications. Note that this option is enabled by default; clearing this check box will prevent any notifications from being sent to members of this Group.

Advanced Tasks


Name Type a name for the Group (e.g., “Weekend On Call 3”).

Description Type a brief description for the Group (e.g., “On call for emergencies every third weekend”).

Time Zone Specify the time zone on which to base the Group notifications. The default is the time zone of the Site to which the Group’s creator belongs.

Schedule Type (This option is available only when creating a new Group.) Select one of the following options:

• 24x7: schedules the Group to be on duty 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week.

• Build a Schedule: allows you to create a custom Schedule for the Group.

Site to use for Holidays: Select a Site on which to base the holidays for this Group.If you do not specify a Site (i.e., you select None), the Schedules and Coverages you create for this Group ignore any holidays.If you specify a Site, you can then set each Coverage when creating the Schedules to apply to all Site holidays, or to be excluded from holidays. You can also create Holiday Coverages that come into effect on days specified as holidays in the Site details.

Use Default Devices Select this option if you want AlarmPoint to send a notification to the Group member’s default Device if none of the member’s other Devices are eligible to receive the notification. If this option is not selected, AlarmPoint will not send a notification to Group members unless they have an eligible Device, or one of their Devices becomes eligible.


Setting Description



Deleting a GroupYou can delete a Group from AlarmPoint at any time, but note that the deleted Group will also be removed from any Teams of which it is a member, and all of its Coverages and Schedules will be deleted.

To delete a Group from AlarmPoint:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Groups I Supervise table, select the check box beside the name of the Group or Groups

you want to remove, and then click Remove Selected.

Modifying Group Supervisors and ObserversYou can adjust the Supervisor and Observer Permissions to control who can modify and view each Group. For example, you might restrict Standard Users, but allow Group Supervisors to view information for the Group.

Group Supervisors can access Alerts sent to Groups they supervise, and can respond to those Alerts, even if the Supervisors are not explicit recipients. (The responses do not affect fill counts or Scenario completion status.)

Note that Observers cannot modify Group details, or create new Schedules and Teams within the Groups they can observe. Administrators use the Roles and Permissions settings to control who can edit Groups.

Allow Duplicates Specifies the following:• whether the same Team member or members can appear at

different levels in the escalation rotation; and,• whether the Group allows duplicate notifications for a single

Event.The Allow Duplicates setting applies to all Groups within this Group, even if the sub-Group is flagged differently.For example, assume that User Bob Smith is a member of both the Operations Group, which allows duplicates, and the Support Group, which does not allow duplicates. If the Operations Group is added as a Team member to the Support Group, and a notification is sent to both Bob Smith and to the Operations Group, Bob would receive only one notification because the Support Group is not flagged to allow duplicates. Note that if the Allow Duplicates check box is cleared, Users, Teams, and Groups already specified as Group members will not be displayed as part of any search results when adding members to the Group.


Setting Description

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Managing Coverages and Schedules | 83

Modifying Supervisors for a GroupYou can change or remove Supervisors for a Group at any time.

To add or remove a Group Supervisor:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Groups I Supervise table, click the name of the Group for which you want to add or

remove a Group Supervisor.3. On the Group Details page, in the Common Tasks pane, click Group Supervisors.4. Do one of the following:

• To add a Group Supervisor, click Add New. Use the Find a Supervisor for Group page to locate the User you want to set as a Supervisor, and then add them to the Current Members list. Note that you can add only those Users assigned to Group Supervisor or Administrator Roles. Click Save to apply your changes and return to the Group Details page.

• To remove a Group Supervisor, select the check boxes beside the Supervisors you want to remove, and then click Remove Selected.

Setting Group Observer PermissionsBy default, all AlarmPoint Users have Observer Permissions when a Group is created (i.e., all Users can view Group details in the AlarmPoint Web User interface). However, you can change the Observer Permissions for a Group to control which Users can view its details; this is done by specifying which AlarmPoint Roles have Observer Permissins for the Group.

To add or remove Group Observer permissions:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Groups I Supervise table, click the name of the Group for which you want to add or

remove a Group Observer.3. On the Group Details page, in the Common Tasks pane, click Group Observers.4. On the Observers of Group page, clear the Observed by all check box. 5. Do one or both of the following

• In the Available Roles box, select one or more Roles, and then click Add.• In the Assigned Roles box, select one or more Roles, and then click Remove.

6. Click Save.

Managing Coverages and SchedulesAfter you have created a Group, you can view the Group’s Schedule in a weekly or monthly view. AlarmPoint provides several methods for visually presenting Coverages that can help you quickly determine the extent of a particular coverage, and to pinpoint any gaps in a Group’s schedule.


84 | Managing Coverages and Schedules

Note: When depicting Groups and Schedules, the graphical representations show the Coverage as seen from the viewer’s time zone. For example, assume that you have logged in to AlarmPoint as a Company Administrator whose Time Zone setting is US/Eastern. When you view a Group schedule for a Team based in the US/Pacific time zone, the Schedule for the Group will appear to be three hours ahead. This is because the representation is based on your time zone.

Viewing Coverage detailsYou can use the Group Details page to view a graphical representation of the Coverages within a Group.

To view a Group’s Coverages:1. On the Groups I Supervise page, click the name of the Group you want to view.

• AlarmPoint displays a table representing the Coverages for the Group. (By default, the table only displays Coverages that have time segments scheduled.)

2. On the Group Details page, do any of the following:• To view a specific Team Member’s contribution, select a Team member from the Filter

By drop-down list, and then click Apply.• To view all Coverages for the Group, including those that do not have any time segments

during the current week, select Display All from the Filter By drop-down list, and then click Apply.

• Click the + symbol beside each Coverage to display individual shifts, or click the - symbol to display the Coverage as a weekly block. (You can click the symbol at the top of the column to show or hide individual shifts for all Coverages in the Group.)

• To change the displayed week, click the Prev or Next links.• To change the display to a monthly view, click the Monthly View link.• To view details about a specific shift in a Coverage, move your pointer over the shift you

want to view. AlarmPoint displays a pop-up showing the shift details, as illustrated in the following figure:

Advanced Tasks


Figure 5.17: Viewing shift details

The pop-up displaying shift details also includes information about any Temporary Replacements scheduled for that shift.

As illustrated in the figure above, the Existing Coverages table includes a Coverage Gap bar, set immediately below the date and AM/PM headings. The Coverage Gap bar consolidates all of the Coverages in the Group into a single reference that shows any gaps in the Coverages for the week. Any white portions of the bar indicate a lack of scheduled Teams available to receive notifications. Note that the Coverage Gap bar does not indicate any coverage gaps less than an hour in duration.

Note: All schedules in AlarmPoint, including future and past schedules, are projections of the current configuration. When viewing previous weeks, the schedule displayed will reflect the current schedule details, which may not match the actual configuration that was in effect at the time.

The following figure illustrates a Group displayed in Monthly View:



Figure 5.18: Viewing a Group in Monthly View

Note: The Monthly View feature provides a useful overview of Group schedules, but is not intended for large broadcast Groups, which may not display properly due to the number of Team members involved.

Modifying Existing CoveragesAfter creating a Coverage for a Group, you can modify its details without changing the Group or creating a new Coverage.

To modify or delete a Coverage:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Groups I Supervise table, click the name of the Group you want to modify.3. Do one of the following:

• To modify details for a Coverage, click its name in the table, and then click Show Details.

• To delete a Coverage, select its associated check box and click Remove Selected.

Adding a CoverageWhen creating a new Group, AlarmPoint provides you with the opportunity to create a single Coverage consisting of one Schedule and one Team. Depending on your scheduling requirements, you might want to add more Coverages to your Group. You can add a One-time Coverage for

Advanced Tasks


unique scheduling situations, or add a Recurring Coverage for on-going and long-term scheduling. You can also add a Holiday Coverage to handle scheduling for all Site Holidays.

When adding a new Coverage to an existing Group, AlarmPoint prompts you to set the Schedule first, and then assign the Team. Creating a Coverage involves the second, third, and fourth steps in the Group creation process, as described in “Creating a Group” on page 76.

AlarmPoint automatically removes expired Coverages from the system after an interval specified by the AlarmPoint Administrator. When removing a Coverage, AlarmPoint also deletes the associated Team, as long as the Team is not reusable, and is not being used by another active Coverage. For more information about setting the Coverage data retention time, see the AlarmPoint Installation and Administration Guide.

Adding a Recurring CoverageRecurring Coverages are ongoing coverages that repeat for a specific period of time. Recurring Coverages may be used to expand the amount of time covered by a Group, or to provide overlap to existing Coverages already defined.

To add a Recurring Coverage:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Groups I Supervise table, click the name of the Group to which you want to add a

Recurring Coverage.3. On the Group Details page, in the Common Tasks pane, click Add Recurring.

• AlarmPoint displays the Schedule Details page.4. Specify the following settings:

Table 5.2: Recurring Schedule Details

Setting Description

Name Type a name for the Coverage (e.g., “Main Coverage - Weekends”).

Start Time Type the time you want the Coverage to begin in the HH:mm format (24-hour clock).

Duration Type the number of hours and minutes you want the Coverage to last.

On These Days Select the check box for each day you want the shift time to apply.

Start Date Click the calendar icon to select the date you want the Coverage to begin, or type a date into the field using a YYYY/MM/DD format.

Every Use the field and drop-down list to specify how often you want this Coverage to apply (e.g., “Every 3 Weeks”).



5. Click Continue.6. On the Set the Team page, do one of the following:

• To use an existing Team for this Coverage, select Assign Existing Team in the Method drop-down list. Select the existing Team you want to use in the Select Team drop-down list, and then click Continue.

• To create a new Team for this Coverage, select Create New Team in the Method drop-down list. Specify the Team details as defined in Table 5.5: “Team Details” on page 94, and then click Continue.

• To use an existing Team as a template for a new Team, select Copy Existing Team in the Method drop-down list. Select the Team you want to use as a template in the Copy From Team drop-down list, specify the Team details as defined in Table 5.5: “Team Details” on page 94, and then click Continue.

7. Assign Team members to the Coverage, as explained in “Assigning Team Members” on page 95, and then click Finish.

Note: For a more in-depth example of how to create multiple, overlapping Schedules for a Group, see “Group Creation Example” on page 101.

Add Site Holidays to Coverage

Select to apply Site holidays to this Coverage, even if it would not normally be active on those days. For example, if you specify a Coverage that is active on Mondays from 8am to 5pm, this Coverage will be active on all Site holidays from 8am to 5pm, including those that do not fall on a Monday.Note: This option is visible only if you specified a Site for this Group in the Group details.

Exclude Site Holidays from Coverage

Select to exclude Site holidays from this Coverage, even if it would normally be active on those days. For example, if you specify a Schedule that includes Mondays, this Coverage will not be active on any holiday Mondays.Note: This option is visible only if you specified a Site for this Group in the Group details.

End Date Do one of the following:• To make the Coverage repeat indefinitely, click No End Date.• To set the Coverage to end on a specific date, click End By, and

then click the calendar icon to select the date.• To repeat the Coverage a specific number of times, click End

After, and then type a number in the field to specify how many times you want the Coverage to run.

Table 5.2: Recurring Schedule Details

Setting Description

Advanced Tasks


Adding a One-time CoverageYou can create a One-time Coverage to handle scheduling issues that arise for a single day. You can also modify a single shift of a Recurring Coverage to change the details for that day; for more information about editing shifts, see “Modifying a Shift” below.

To create a new One-time Coverage:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Groups I Supervise table, click the name of the Group to which you want to add a One-

time Coverage.3. In the Common Tasks pane, click Add One-Time.

• AlarmPoint displays the One-Time Coverage page:

Figure 5.19: One-Time Coverage details

4. Specify the following settings:

5. Click Continue.6. Specify the Team details as defined in Table 5.5: “Team Details” on page 94, and then click

Continue.7. Assign Team members to the Coverage, as explained in “Assigning Team Members” on

page 95, and then click Finish.

Table 5.3: One-Time Coverage Details

Setting Description

Name Type a name for the One-Time Coverage (e.g., “Manager Out of Office”).



Duration Type the number of hours and minutes you want the Coverage to last.



Adding a Holiday CoverageYou can add a Holiday Coverage that will come into effect only on days specified as holidays in the Site details. For example, if you wanted specific Users or Devices to be responsible for receiving notifications on days when a particular office was likely to be empty, you could create a Holiday Coverage that would automatically come into effect on those days.

This feature also allows you to exclude holidays from Coverages without needing to create a One-Time Coverage for each holiday.

Note: Holidays Coverages can only be added to Groups that have an associated Site (for more information, see “Editing Group details” on page 80).

To add a Holiday Coverage:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Groups I Supervise table, click the name of the Group to which you want to add a

Holiday Coverage.3. In the Common Tasks pane, click Add Holiday Coverage. (If this option is not available in

the Common Tasks pane, specify a Site to use for holidays on the Group details page.) • AlarmPoint displays the Holiday Coverage details page:

Figure 5.20: Holiday Coverage details

Advanced Tasks


4. Specify the following settings:

5. Click Continue.6. Specify the Team details as defined in Table 5.5: “Team Details” on page 94, and then click

Continue.7. Assign Team members to the Coverage, as explained in “Assigning Team Members” on

page 95, and then click Finish.

Modifying a ShiftYou can modify a single shift within a Recurring Coverage to handle scheduling issues (such as a Team member who cannot cover a shift), or to apply a new Schedule for that shift.

To modify a shift within a Coverage:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Groups I Supervise table, click the name of the Group for which you want to modify a

Coverage.3. If necessary, click the “+” sign to expand the Coverage containing the shift you want to

change. • AlarmPoint displays the Schedules for each day, as illustrated in the following figure:

Table 5.4: Holiday Coverage Details

Setting Description

Name Type a name for the Holiday Coverage (e.g., “All Holidays for US Site”).


Duration Type the number of hours and minutes you want the Coverage to last. The Coverage cannot extend beyond midnight of the same day.


End Date Do one of the following:• To have the Coverage continue indefinitely, select No End Date.• To set the Coverage to end by a specific date, select End Date, and then

click the calendar icon to select the date.



Figure 5.21: Group Details – Coverage expanded to show shifts

4. Click the shift you want to modify.• AlarmPoint converts that shift to a One-time Coverage, and opens its details in the One-

time Coverage page.5. On the One-time Coverage page, modify the details as required for the new shift.6. Do one of the following:

• If you do not want to change Team Members assigned to this shift, select Reuse Existing Team and then click Continue.

• If you want to change Team Members assigned to this shift, select Modify Existing Team, and then click Continue. Use the Set the Team Schedule page to create the Team you want to use for this shift, as described in Table 5.5: “Team Details” on page 94 and “Assigning Team Members” on page 95. When you have completed your changes, click Finish (AlarmPoint returns you to the Group Details page).

7. On the Group Details page, note how the modified shift is now treated as a separate Coverage and is included in the One-Time Coverages area, as illustrated in the following figure:

Advanced Tasks

Managing Teams | 93

Figure 5.22: A modified shift presented as part of All One-Time Coverages

Managing TeamsThe following sections describe how to view, modify and remove Teams in AlarmPoint, and how to develop templates that simplify Team creation.

Team TypesThere are three types of Teams in AlarmPoint:

• Basic: Team members are notified in the order they are listed on the Team details page.

• Event round robin: After each Event, the first Team member will be moved to the last position on the Team list, and all other Team members will be moved up one position.

For example, assume an event round robin Team is made up of four members: A, B, C, and D. The first time AlarmPoint sends a notification to the Team, A is notified first, then B, and so on. After that Event, the list of members is reordered so that the order becomes B, C, D, and A. After the next Event, the list is changed again, to C, D, A, and B.

• Rotation: After a defined time period called the Rotation Interval, the first Team member will be moved to the last position on the Team list, and all other Team members will be moved up one position.

For example, assume a rotation Team is made up of four members: A, B, C, and D. Further assume that the Rotation Interval has been set to four days. In this case, for the first four days


94 | Managing Teams

after the specified Start Date and Start Time, when AlarmPoint sends a notification to the Team, A is notified first, then B, and so on. After four days, the list of members is reordered so that the order becomes B, C, D, and A. After the next four days, the list is changed again, to C, D, A, and B.

You can also keep Team members in the same position on the list by excluding them from the rotation. For more information, see “‘Freezing’ a Rotation Team Member’s Position” on page 96.

Viewing and Editing Team DetailsYou can view and edit the details for Teams on the Team Details page.

Note: For information about adding and removing Team members, see the following section, “Assigning Team Members”.

To view and edit Team details:1. On the Groups I Supervise page, click the name of the Group containing the Team you want

to view.2. On the Group Details page, in the Common Tasks pane, click Teams in Group.

• AlarmPoint displays the Teams in Group page.3. In the Teams in this Group list, click the name of the Team you want to view.

• AlarmPoint displays the Team Details page.4. To show or hide the Team details, click Show Details or Hide Details.5. On the Team Details page, enter the following information:

Table 5.5: Team Details

Setting Description

Method (This setting appears only if you are creating a new Team, and have already created other Groups and Teams in AlarmPoint.) Select one of the following options:

• Copy Existing Team: creates a new Team based on an existing Team in AlarmPoint. The new Team will be created with the same members as the Team on which it is based.

• Create New Team: creates a new Team to which you can assign a schedule and members.

Copy From (This field appears only if you have already created other Groups in AlarmPoint, and have selected Copy Existing Team from the Method drop-down list.) Select the Team you want to use as a template for the new Team.

New Team Name Type a name for the new Team (e.g., “Weekend A”).

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Managing Teams | 95

6. To discard any changes, click Reset.7. To save the changes to the Team details, click Save.

Assigning Team MembersYou can assign members to a new Team as part of the Team creation process, or assign members to an existing Team at any time. Members of a Team can include Users, Groups, Teams, Dynamic Teams, and Devices.

Description Type a description for the Team (e.g., “Rotating weekend on-call team”).

Reuse Select this option if you want to use this Team again when you create other Groups.

Team Type Select one of the following options:• Basic: AlarmPoint sends notifications to Team members in the

order they are listed; this order does not change unless modified manually.

• Event Round Robin: After each Event, the first Team member moves to the last position on the Team list, and all other Team members move up one position.

• Rotation: After a defined time period, the first Team member moves to the last position on the Team list, and all other Team members move up one position. You can exclude individual Team members from the rotation; see “‘Freezing’ a Rotation Team Member’s Position” on page 96.

The following settings apply only to Rotation Teams:

Rotation Interval Specify the duration in days, weeks, or months for the Team members to rotate.

Start Date Click the date-picker (or use the field) to specify the date on which you want to the Rotation Interval to begin.

Start Time Specify the time at which you want the Rotation Interval to begin on its Start Date.

Table 5.5: Team Details

Setting Description


96 | Managing Teams

To assign Team members:1. On the Assign Team Members page (or Team Details page for existing Teams), click one of

the following links:• Add Users• Add Groups• Add Teams• Add Devices (see the following section, “Adding User Devices to Groups”, for more

information about adding Devices as Team members)• Add Dynamic Teams

2. Use the search tool or panes to select Team members (for tips on finding and selecting members, click the help icon in the upper right of the browser window).• On the search pages, current Team members are listed in their escalation order.

3. If you want to add Team members from other categories (Groups, Devices, etc.), click the related link and repeat these steps.

4. To add a User that has recently been added to a Team, select a User from the Recently Used drop-down list.

5. To modify the order of Team members, click Reorder, select the Team member you want to modify, click Move Up or Move Down, and then click Save.• To increase or reduce the number of Team members displayed on the Team Details page,

select a number from the Results per page drop-down list, and then click Refresh.6. To specify a delay for a Team member, type the length of time (in minutes) that you want

AlarmPoint to wait after beginning to notify the previous Team member before trying to notify that Team member.• Note that the Delay value is set to zero by default.

7. Do one of the following:• If you are in the Group Wizard, when you are satisfied with your selections for the Team,

click Finish.• If you are modifying an existing Team, click Save Team.

Adding User Devices to GroupsWhen you add a Device to a Group as a Team member, AlarmPoint ignores the preferences set by the User, such as temporary replacements, Device priority, and Device delays, and sends notifications directly to the Device.

‘Freezing’ a Rotation Team Member’s PositionRotation Team Members have an associated “In Rotation” setting that controls whether the Team Member’s position rotates at the Rotation Interval. By default, each Team Member rotates at the Rotation Interval; however, you can ‘freeze’ a Team Member’s position in the rotation so that they no longer rotate, but instead remain in the same position on the Team list.

For example, assume that a rotation Team has four Team Members, ordered from first to last as follows: A, B, C, D. To ensure that B is always in the second position to receive Alerts, you would clear the In Rotation check box associated with B.

Advanced Tasks

Managing Teams | 97

To freeze a rotation Team Member’s position in the rotation:1. On the Team Details page, ensure that the Team Member you want to modify is in the

desired rotation position in the Team Members table.• If necessary, click the Reorder link to reposition the Team Member in the rotation.

2. Clear the Team Member’s In Rotation check box.3. Click Save Team.

Changing Team MembersYou can change the Team members for a Coverage without changing the Group or the Schedules you have already created.

To modify Team members for a Coverage:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Groups I Supervise table, click the name of the Group containing the Coverage you

want to modify.3. In the Common Tasks pane, click Teams in Group.4. In the Teams in this Group table, click the name of the Team you want to modify.5. Add, remove, or reorder Team members as required, and then click Save Team.

• For more information about changing Team members, see “Assigning Team Members” above.

Using Team TemplatesIf you will be creating multiple Coverages requiring many Teams with similar members, you can save time and increase accuracy by creating Team Templates. Once you create a Team Template, you can select it from the Copy From drop-down list when you add Teams to Coverages.

For example, if your organization has a core Group of Users who are on-call for all emergencies, creating a Team Template that includes those users will save you time and ensure each emergency-related Group (e.g., CPR, Fire Response, etc.) includes the core responders.

To create a Team Template:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Teams menu on the left side of the screen, click My Team Templates.3. On the My Team Templates page, click the Add New link.

• AlarmPoint displays the Add Team Template page:


98 | Managing Teams

Figure 5.23: Add Team Template Details

4. Type a name and description for the new Team Template.5. On the Team Template Details page, add Team members. For more information about adding

members, see “Assigning Team Members” on page 95.• Note that you can save your work as you add members by clicking Save on the Team

Template Details page.

Figure 5.24: Add Team Template – Add Members

6. When you have added all Team members, click Finish to create the template.• AlarmPoint returns you to the My Team Templates page:

Advanced Tasks

Creating Dynamic Teams | 99

Figure 5.25: Add Team Template – Team Template List

Creating Dynamic TeamsAlarmPoint includes the ability to create Teams of Users based on selected criteria. These Teams are called Dynamic Teams because their members change depending on who matches the selected criteria at the time of an Event.

For example, you can create a Dynamic Team that includes all users who have been assigned to work in a particular physical location within your organization, such as on the third floor of a building. You could base this on a Custom Attribute that indicates on which floor each User works (to learn more about Custom Attributes, refer to the AlarmPoint Installation and Administration Guide). As each User is assigned to the third floor, or moves to another floor, their attribute is updated to reflect that change.

You do not need to update the list of Team members as AlarmPoint checks the database each time to determine who should belong to the Dynamic Team and receive the Alert.

To create a Dynamic Team:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Teams menu on the left side of the screen, click Dynamic Teams.3. On the Dynamic Teams page, click the Add New link.

• AlarmPoint displays the Dynamic Team details page:


100 | Creating Dynamic Teams

Figure 5.26: Dynamic Team details

4. Type a name and a brief description for the new Dynamic Team.5. In the Search Criteria area, specify the search criteria you want to use to determine the

members for this Team. AlarmPoint will perform this search each time an Alert needs to be sent to this Dynamic Team.• Note that the Any and All radio buttons at the top of the Search Criteria area control the

“OR”/ “AND” calculation across fields and Custom Attribute categories. Multiple values selected within a category are calculated as an “OR”.

6. Click the Preview button to view a list of Users that currently match the criteria.7. Click Save to create the Dynamic Team and return to the Dynamic Teams page.

Note: The Preview Results do not include Users you do not have permission to view, but those Users will be included in the Dynamic Team.

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Group Creation Example | 101

Finding Dynamic TeamsAdministrators and Group Supervisors can use the Find Dynamic Teams page to search for Dynamic Teams and view or edit the details for Dynamic Teams which they control.

To find Dynamic Teams:1. Click the Groups tab.2. In the Teams menu on the left side of the page, click Find Dynamic Teams.

• AlarmPoint displays the Find Dynamic Teams page:

Figure 5.27: Find Dynamic Teams page

3. Do one of the following:• To search using text, click the drop-down box• To specify your search criteria, type the text for which you want to search, and then click

Find.• To display a list of all Dynamic Teams, click Show All.

Group Creation ExampleThis section illustrates how to create a Group based on a specific set of requirements. This example shows how to manage and schedule Users with different availability to provide a full 24x7 Coverage.

Example Group requirementsAssume that you need to create a Group to satisfy the following requirements:

• Several employees are responsible for maintaining a network. If anything goes wrong with the network, at least one of these people needs to be notified.


102 | Group Creation Example

• The network operates 24x7, and any errors or problems must be fixed as quickly as possible.

• The employees work weekdays from 8:00am to 5:00pm, and can be considered to be on-call in the evenings and on weekends, although their actual availability differs.

• The employees are already Users in AlarmPoint, and have already configured their Devices, Timeframes, and other details.

The following Group uses Mary McBride as an example User, and is created and supervised by Will Fuller, an example Group Supervisor.

Note: This example asks you to adjust settings only when they must be changed from their defaults. If a setting is not mentioned, you can accept the default value.

Creating the GroupTo begin, create a new Group and specify a primary Coverage, which in this case will be weekdays from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

To create the example Group:1. Log in to AlarmPoint as an Administrator or Group Supervisor, and click the Groups tab.2. On the Groups I Supervise page, click the Add New link.3. On the Add a Group page, specify the following settings:

• Name: Network Admin• Description: Network maintenance• Time Zone: US/Pacific• Schedule Type: Build a Schedule• Site to use for Holidays: Default Site

Figure 5.28: Example Group settings

4. When you have finished specifying the settings, click Continue.

Advanced Tasks


5. On the Schedule Details page, specify the following settings:• Name: Weekdays• Start Time: 08:00• Duration: 9 hours• On These Days: Select the check boxes for Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, and Fri.• Exclude Site Holidays from Coverage

6. Set the Start Date to today’s date, and the recurrence pattern to every week, with no end date.• The resulting Schedule should look similar to the following figure:

Figure 5.29: Example Group Schedule details

7. When you have completed the Schedule settings, click Continue.8. On the Set the Team page, specify the following settings:

• Method: Create New Team• New Team Name: Weekdays Shift• Description: Regular office hours• Team Type: Basic

9. Click Continue.10. On the Team Details page, click the Add Users link.11. On the Find Users page, in the Show Users whose last name starts with section, click the

All button.



12. In the Available Persons table, select the check box next to four Users you want to include in this Team, and then click Add. • AlarmPoint adds the Users to the Current Persons Members table as illustrated in the

following figure:

Figure 5.30: Adding Users to a Team

13. Click Save to add the Users to the Team and return to the Team Details page.14. In the Team Members table, change the Delay setting to 15 for all of the Users except the

first.• The effect of this setting is as follows: when AlarmPoint receives an Event, the first User

in the list (here, Mary McBride) is sent a notification. Fifteen minutes after AlarmPoint begins attempting to notify Mary McBride, it begins notifying the next User on the list, Carol Grady. Fifteen minutes after AlarmPoint begins notifying Carol, it begins attempting to notify Jim Martin, and fifteen minutes after that, begins notifying Thomas Sanderson. This escalation process is stopped if one of the notified Users responds to an Alert, and instructs AlarmPoint not to continue.

15. Click Finish.• AlarmPoint displays the details for the new Group, along with a visual representation of

the Weekdays Coverage:

Advanced Tasks


Figure 5.31: Network Admin Group details

Adding Off-Hour Coverages to the Example GroupNow that the main Coverage for the Group covers normal working hours, you can create two alternating Coverages for evenings and overnight.

To add a coverage to the example Group:1. In the Common Tasks menu on the Group Details page for the Network Admin Group, click

Add Recurring.2. On the Schedule Details page, specify the following settings:

• Name: Weeknights 1• Start Time: 17:00 (5:00pm)• Duration: 15 hours• On these days: Select the check boxes for Mon, Tue, Wed, and Thu.• Exclude Site Holidays from Coverage

3. Set the Start date to today’s date, and the recurrence pattern to every 2 Weeks, with no end date.• The resulting Schedule should resemble the following figure:



Figure 5.32: Example Recurring Schedule Details

4. Click Continue to set the Schedule.5. On the Set the Team page, specify the following settings:

• Method: Create New Team• New Team Name: Weeknights 1• Team Type: Basic

6. Click Continue.7. On the Team Details page, click the Add Users link.8. On the Find Users page, in the Show Users whose last name starts with section, click the All

button.9. In the Available Persons area, select two of the Users that you selected for the Weekdays

Shift team in the previous section, and then click Add.10. Click Save to add the Users to the Team and return to the Team Details page.11. On the Team Details page, in the Delay field for the second User, type 15, and then click

Finish.• AlarmPoint displays the new Coverage for the Network Admin Group:

Advanced Tasks


Figure 5.33: Example Group with Two Coverages

Note: You may need to click the Next link to see the full effect of the Coverage, depending on the Start date and current day of the week.

12. To complete the weeknight Coverages:• Repeat the steps above using the two Users from the Weekdays Shift team who were not

part of Weeknights 1.• Name the new Coverage Weeknights 2, and set the start date for the first day that the

Weeknights 1 Coverage is not in effect.13. When you are finished, select Display All from the Filter By drop-down list, and then click

Apply.



Figure 5.34: Example Group with Three Coverages

Notice that the Weeknights 2 coverage has no shifts because it is not in effect this week.

Completing the Example Group’s CoveragesThe final step when creating Coverages for the example Group is to ensure that a Team is in place to receive notifications on weekends. The simplest way to do this is to treat the entire weekend, from 5:00 Friday afternoon to 8:00 Monday morning, as a single block of time.

To add a final Coverage to the example Group:1. In the Common Tasks pane on the Group Details page for the Network Admin Group, click

Add Recurring.2. On the Schedule Details page, specify the following settings:

• Name: Weekends• Start Time: 17:00 (5:00pm)• Duration: 63 hours• On these days: Fri• Add Site Holidays to Coverage

3. Set the Start date to next Friday’s date, and the recurrence pattern to every week, with no end date. The resulting Schedule should resemble the following figure:

Advanced Tasks


Figure 5.35: Example Group’s weekend Schedule details

4. Click Continue to set the Schedule.5. On the Set the Team page, specify the following settings:

• Method: Create New Team• New Team Name: Weekends• Team Type: Rotation• Rotation Interval: 1 Week• Start Date: Next Friday’s date.• Start Time: 16:00

6. Click Continue.7. On the Team Details page, click the Add Users link.8. On the Find Users page, in the Show Users whose last name starts with section, click the All

button.9. In the Available Users area, select three Users that you want to assign to the weekend Team,

and then click Add.10. Click Save to add the Users to the Team and return to the Team Details page.11. On the Team Details page, set the Delay for the second and third Users to 15.12. Clear the In Rotation check box for the last User, and then click Finish.

• The effect of these settings is as follows: each weekend, the first and second Users will switch places so that they take turns being the first contact in the rotation. The third User is not part of the rotation order, so they will always be contacted last for each Event.



13. On the Group Details page, in the Filter By drop-down list, select Display All, and then click Apply.• AlarmPoint displays all Coverages for the Network Admin Group:

Figure 5.36: Example Group with four Coverages

The Network Admin Group now has four Coverages, including a regular weekday shift, alternating weeknight shifts, and a rotating weekend shift.

Chapter

6


Advanced Messaging

Introduction to Advanced Messaging

Key Features

Accessing AlarmPoint Advanced Messaging

Scenario Basics

Creating Scenarios

Launching Scenarios

Stopping Scenarios

Managing Scenarios

Responding

Responding to Voice (Phone) Device notifications

Scenario Status Summary Report

AlarmPoint Installation and Administration Guide

112 | Introduction to Advanced Messaging

Introduction to Advanced MessagingIn an unpredictable world, unforeseen events can have a potentially devastating impact on your business. When lives and operational performance are at stake, every organization must be ready with continuity and disaster recovery plans. A great communications system forms the heart of these plans – that’s the role of AlarmPoint’s Advanced Messaging.

Backed by experienceBuilt on years of enterprise deployment experience, AlarmPoint’s Advanced Messaging has been specifically designed to aid Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity professionals – and anyone else responsible for business continuity planning (BCP) and disaster recovery.

To succeed in a trying business environment, BCP professionals must adapt the enterprise to deal with the uncertain, unknown and unforeseeable. Regardless of the business interruption, a sound business continuity plan begins and ends with securing voice and data communications for an organization’s personnel.

Performance under pressureWhen every second counts, can your organization afford to rely on a manual emergency notification process? During an emergency, the pressure is intense, yet speed and accuracy are crucial – without reliable communications, even the best plan will fail.

You need a robust communications system with predefined notification Scenarios, the ability to notify and organize both set and ad hoc groups of people, and the flexibility to customize Scenarios and notifications on the fly. AlarmPoint Advanced Messaging delivers these powerful tools and many more.

Immediate business benefitsAlarmPoint Advanced Messaging immediately begins protecting your personnel and your bottom line. With AlarmPoint Advanced Messaging anchoring your organization’s communications system, benefits include:

• Fast, accurate emergency call-out and notification – Increases accuracy of notification and confirmation of receipt, while two-way response methods allow organizations to dispatch employees and teams appropriately.

• Automated call-outs – The fastest and most consistent message notification method possible.

• Situation control – Clear and accurate communications ensure processes and plans are followed, reducing error and increasing safety.

Designed for real-world resultsAlarmPoint Enterprise with Advanced Messaging encompasses all of your organization’s IT, BCP, and other personnel, reducing redundancies, maximizing system usage, and minimizing inaccurate data.

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Key Features | 113

AlarmPoint Systems designed Advanced Messaging from the ground up based on years of notification results, testing, research, and customer input. This effort has produced an application ready to respond to real-world issues, including:

Business continuity emergencies and disaster drills• IT system outages and disruptions

• Fire

• Weather

• Evacuation

• Utility or system outage

• Terrorism

• Natural disaster

• Chemical release warnings

• HazMat response

Field force deployments for mobile staff and clients• Fix/repair crews

• Emergency responders

• Back-up data center redeployment

• Employee notifications

• Customer and/or Community notifications

Key FeaturesAlarmPoint Enterprise with Advanced Messaging is a powerful notification platform for BCP officers and others responsible for clear communication during disruptions and emergencies. The Advanced Messaging module has been designed and engineered to automate complex BCP tasks. The following sections describe the key features that help you meet your organization’s BCP and disaster recovery objectives.

Granular permissionsYou can specify access permissions at both the User and Scenario levels.

User permissionsPermissions (called Roles) at the User level control access to the AlarmPoint Advanced Messaging module (for details about Roles, see the AlarmPoint Installation and Administration Guide).


114 | Key Features

Scenario permissionsScenario Initiator permissions control the ability to start, modify, and test Scenarios. This allows Scenario creators to protect Scenario settings when required, while still permitting others to test and start them. In addition, you can also associate Scenario Supervisors with a Scenario. Scenario Supervisors can edit Scenario settings, but cannot launch Scenarios.

Predefined and One-Time ScenariosThe ability to create predefined notification Scenarios is the central feature of AlarmPoint Advanced Messaging. Predefined Scenarios can be created, tested, and modified well before an emergency situation arises. Scenario creation is extremely flexible, and can be customized to your organization’s BCP needs.

When unanticipated events occur, you can respond to them by initiating one-time Scenarios. Because one-time and predefined Scenarios share the same feature set, you will have access to the same power and flexibility when unexpected events arise.

Test Scenarios before going liveBefore you go live with predefined Scenarios, you can run them as a test. This feature allows you to troubleshoot and modify Scenarios to ensure that they run exactly as intended. It also allows you to run drills, familiarize your personnel with response options, and generate response performance metrics.

IVR Scenario launchingAdvanced Messaging supports Interactive Voice Response (IVR), which allows Users with the proper permissions to launch Scenarios from a touch-tone phone anywhere in the world.

Enhanced messaging capabilitiesThe following features provide sector-leading notification management, from initiation to response:

Scenario AttributesOptional Attributes allow Users with the appropriate permissions to associate keywords and phrases to Scenarios, making it fast and simple to search existing Scenarios for an appropriate response to a given situation. For example, if a refinery has experienced a chemical spill, a BCP Officer might search for all predefined Scenarios with the “hazmat” (hazardous materials) Attribute.

Fill CountsOptional Fill Counts allow you to specify the number of positive responses that must be received for Scenario success. For example, if you send a message to five IT managers in your organization, your IT Manager Group Fill Count might specify that at least three affirmative responses are required.

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Accessing AlarmPoint Advanced Messaging | 115

Time limitEach Scenario’s Duration setting specifies how long the Scenario should run. When the Duration expires, further notifications are stopped, active notifications are cancelled and logged as failed, and (optionally) a notification is sent to the User who launched the Scenario.

Customizable ResponsesYou can customize Response options for your organization’s needs. You can also specify whether a certain response adds to the Fill Count. For example, in a situation requiring employees be recalled quickly, you might create responses such as, “OK – Coming in 10 mins” and “OK – Coming in 45 mins”, but set only the former response to register for the purpose of the Fill Count.

You can also change responses to reflect the needs of the situation the Scenario was created to address. For example, while “OK – Coming in 10 mins” will be an appropriate affirmative response in some situations, another event might require an affirmative response such as “ACK – Organizing Team”.

Built-in reportingAlarmPoint Advanced Messaging includes the Scenario Status Summary Report, which allows you to monitor and terminate live Scenarios. The report also provides response and performance metrics that can be used to troubleshoot and refine Scenarios.

Accessing AlarmPoint Advanced MessagingAccess to Advanced Messaging is controlled by AlarmPoint Roles, which define the AlarmPoint web pages that the User can view. AlarmPoint Administrators can create and modify Roles (for details, see the AlarmPoint Installation and Administration Guide).The following table summarizes the Roles that by default include full or limited access to Advanced Messaging:

How AlarmPoint Scenario Roles Relate to Scenario-level PermissionsUsers with Scenario Roles (i.e., Scenario Supervisor/Initiator/Tester) can view the Advanced Messaging pages associated with their Role. However, to initiate, modify, or test a specific

Table 6.1: Advanced Messaging Roles

Role Advanced Messaging Access

Company Administrator

Can access all Advanced Messaging pages and tools, and has full ability to launch, modify, and test Scenarios.

Scenario Supervisor Can create new Scenarios, edit Scenarios for which they are designated Scenario Supervisors, and define Attributes for the Advanced Messaging Event Domain.

Scenario Initiator Can view the pages for launching Scenarios.

Scenario Tester Can view the pages for testing Scenarios.


116 | Scenario Basics

Scenario, Users must have the appropriate permissions at the Scenario level (see “Specifying Scenario Initiators” on page 122). Only Users whose Roles have been added to a Scenario's Initiator list with Scenario Launch/Test/Modify permissions can act on that Scenario.

For example, assume that User Bob Smith’s Roles are Standard User and Scenario Tester. This means he can view the pages and buttons required to test Scenarios. However, he cannot act upon a Scenario until either the Scenario Tester or Standard User Role is added to that Scenario's Initiator list.

If the Standard User Role is added to a Scenario's Initiator list with Test permission, then Users with both the Standard User and Scenario Tester Roles can test that Scenario. However, Users with only either the Standard User or Scenario Tester Role cannot test the Scenario.

Advanced Messaging Action ScriptsAdvanced Messaging Action Scripts and recordings are installed automatically during the AlarmPoint installation. AlarmPoint Systems supports only the original Action Scripts that are included with AlarmPoint. If you require modifications to existing Action Scripts or need customized Action Scripts, contact AlarmPoint Systems Professional Services.

Scenario BasicsIn AlarmPoint, Scenarios are notification instructions that are specifically customized to events and emergencies that could potentially affect your organization. For example, a refinery might create Scenarios that prepare for events ranging from minor chemical spills to breaches in a pipeline. A financial institution might create Scenarios related to bank machine system failures and building fires.

This ability to customize AlarmPoint Advanced Messaging to the continuity needs of any organization is extremely powerful. The following sections show you how to fully exploit this key feature and help prepare your organization for the unexpected.

Types of ScenariosThere are two types of Scenarios in AlarmPoint:

• Predefined – Scenarios that are created and saved in anticipation of potential events. Users with the appropriate permissions can modify predefined Scenarios during the launch process, but these changes are not saved.

• One-time – Scenarios that are created for one-time events, or events for which no predefined Scenario currently exists. Note that it is possible to save one-time Scenarios for future use.

Defining AttributesBefore learning how to create Scenarios, it is important to understand the role of Attributes and how they relate to Scenarios. AlarmPoint Advanced Messaging allows users with the appropriate permissions (e.g., Administrators, Scenario Supervisors) to define Attributes for the Advanced Messaging Event Domain.

Advanced Messaging

Creating Scenarios | 117

To define Attributes, refer to the”Event Domains” section in the “Administration” chapter of the AlarmPoint Installation and Administration Guide. Each predicate defined in the Advanced Messaging Event Domain is available as an Attribute within Advanced Messaging Scenarios.

After they are defined, Attributes and their values are available when Scenarios are created. For details, see “Associating Attributes with the Scenario” on page 118.

Each Attribute has one or more values associated with it. For example, an Attribute of “Weather” might have values of “Blizzard”, “Hurricane”, “Thunderstorm”, and “Tornado”. An Attribute of “Location” might have values of “Library”, “Tenth Floor”, “Elevator 3”, and so on. When creating a Scenario called “Weather Warning”, you could associate the Weather-Blizzard Attribute with the Scenario so that message recipients have a clear understanding of the event.

Creating ScenariosCreating a Scenario involves six high-level steps:

1. Adding a new Scenario and defining its basic details.2. Associating Attributes with the Scenario.3. Selecting Recipients.4. Defining recipient Response options.5. Defining Notification Handling.6. Specifying Scenario Initiators.

The sections that follow provide further details about each of these tasks.

Note: A Scenario is functional and complete when it includes (at minimum) a Scenario Name, a text message, at least one Recipient, and a non-zero Duration.

Adding a new ScenarioThe first step in Scenario creation is to add a Scenario and define its basic details.

To add a new Scenario:1. Click the Messaging tab.2. On the Messaging menu, do one of the following:

• If you want to create a predefined Scenario, click Manage Scenarios, and then click the Add New link.

• If you want to create a one-time Scenario, click New Scenario.


118 | Creating Scenarios

Figure 6.1: Scenario Details (Blank)

3. In the Name field, type a name for the Scenario.• If desired, type a description of the Scenario in the Description field.

4. Click the Message Domain drop-down list and select an option.• An AlarmPoint Administrator defines the available options. For more information,

contact your AlarmPoint Administrator.5. In the Text Message area, type the message you want this Scenario to send recipients.

Figure 6.2: Scenario Details (Completed)

6. Click Continue to associate Attributes with the Scenario.

Associating Attributes with the ScenarioAfter defining basic details for the new Scenario, the next step is to select the Attributes to associate with the Scenario. AlarmPoint Administrators can define keywords called Attributes that can be associated with Scenarios.

In turn, each Attribute has one or more Values associated with it. For example, an Attribute of “Weather” might have Values of “Blizzard”, “Hurricane”, “Thunderstorm”, and “Tornado”. An Attribute of “Location” might have Values of “Library”, “Tenth Floor”, “Elevator 3”, and so on.

Associating Attributes with Scenarios makes them easier to find and sort, especially when you are working with numerous Scenarios covering many different types of situations.

Advanced Messaging


To associate Attributes with a Scenario:1. Click the Attribute Categories drop-down list and select All or a specific category.2. Click Show.3. In the Available Attributes box, click the Attributes to associate with the Scenario, and then

click Add (to remove an Attribute, in the Selected Attributes box, click the Attributes to delete, and then click Remove).

Figure 6.3: Define Attributes Page

4. Click Continue to define message Recipients.

Selecting Message RecipientsAfter associating Attributes with the new Scenario, you must select Recipients for the Scenario’s messages. Recipients can include Users, Groups, and Devices (for example, “Tom’s Cell Phone”).

1. On the Define Recipients page, click one or more of the following links to locate and add Recipients (if you require further details, online help is available on each of the resulting pages):• Add Persons• Add Groups• Add Devices• Add Dynamic Teams

2. Specify any Group Fill Count.• This specifies the number of Group Members who must respond affirmatively before

AlarmPoint stops notifying Group members.3. Specify the Additional Fill Count.

• This specifies the number of Users, other than those specified in Group Fill Counts, who must respond affirmatively before AlarmPoint stops sending notifications.

4. To delete a Recipient, select the associated check box and then click Remove Selected.



Figure 6.4: Define Recipients page

5. Click Continue to define Recipient Response options.

Defining Scenario ResponsesYou can customize up to 10 Response options for each Scenario. You can also specify whether a Response adds to the Fill Count. For example, you can create Responses such as, “OK – Coming in 10 mins” and “OK – Coming in 45 mins”, but set only the former Response to register for the purpose of the Fill Count.

You can also change Responses to reflect the needs of the situation the Scenario was created to address. For example, while “OK – Coming in 10 mins” will be an appropriate affirmative Response in some situations, another event might require an affirmative Response such as “ACK – Organizing Team”.

To define message responses for a Scenario:1. Click the Menu Choice drop-down list for the Response, and then select a number that will

represent this Response.

Note: If you do not want any Responses defined (e.g., for an informational Scenario), you must delete the blank Response that is provided by default (see step 6, below).

2. In the Response field, type text for the Response.3. In the Description field, type descriptive text for the Response.4. If you want the Response to affect the Fill Count, select the Affects Fill check box.5. To add more Responses, click Add Response and repeat the steps above.6. To delete a Response, select its check box and then click Remove Responses.

Advanced Messaging


Figure 6.5: Define Responses page

7. When you are done configuring Responses, click Continue to define Notification Handling.

Defining Notification HandlingThe Define Handling page allows you to control how AlarmPoint deals with Scenario messages. To set message handling:

1. On the Define Handling page, specify the following settings:

Table 6.2: Notification Handling Options

Setting Description

Priority Specifies the relative importance of Scenario messages.

Duration Specifies the maximum time a Scenario can run.

Override Device Restrictions When selected, specifies that AlarmPoint should ignore any Device restrictions (e.g., Device Time Frames, Priority Threshold).

Escalation Override When selected, specifies that AlarmPoint should ignore Team escalation schedules.

Notify Me Upon Initiation When selected, specifies that AlarmPoint should send the User who launched the Scenario a message after the Scenario launches.

Notify Me Upon Conclusion When selected, specifies that AlarmPoint should send the User who launched the Scenario a message after the Scenario terminates.



Figure 6.6: Define Handling page

2. Click Continue to specify Scenario Initiators.

Specifying Scenario InitiatorsYou can use the Scenario Initiators page to define which AlarmPoint Users can launch, modify, and test a Scenario. These permissions are applied on the basis of AlarmPoint Roles (e.g., Developer, Full Access User, etc.). For more information on Roles, refer to the AlarmPoint Installation and Administration Guide.

To define Initiators:1. On the Scenario Initiators page, click Add Role.2. Click the Role drop-down list and select a Role.3. Select one or more of the following check boxes:

• Launch – specifies that the Role can initiate the Scenario.• Modify – specifies that the Role can edit the Scenario on the Initiate Scenario page.• Test – specifies that the Role can initiate the Scenario as a test.

4. Repeat the steps above for each Role for which you want to specify Initiator permissions.5. If you need to delete a Role, select its check box and then click Remove Roles.

Figure 6.7: Define Recipients page

Advanced Messaging


6. Click Continue.• If you have created a predefined Scenario (i.e., through the Manage Scenario menu item),

you will be returned to the Manage Scenarios page.• If you have created a one-time Scenario (i.e., through the New Scenario Menu item), you

will be presented with the Initiate Scenario page. For details, see “Launching a New (One-Time) Scenario via the Web” on page 129.

Managing Scenario SupervisorsYou can use the Supervisors of Scenario page to manage which Users have supervisory permission for the Scenario. Supervisors can edit a Scenario's details, but cannot initiate it unless their Role also has this permission.

To manage Scenario Supervisors:1. Click the Messaging tab.2. On the Messaging menu, click Manage Scenarios.3. In the Scenarios to Manage table, click the name of the Scenario.4. On the Common Tasks panel, click Define Supervisors.

• AlarmPoint displays the Supervisors of Scenarios page:

Figure 6.8: Supervisors of Scenarios page

5. To add a Supervisor to the Scenario, click Add New.• Use the Find Supervisors search tool to search for the User you want to add (online help

is available on the search page).6. To remove a Supervisor from the Scenario, select the check box for the User, and then click

Remove Selected.7. To edit details for an existing Supervisor, click the User's name in the Current Supervisors

table (online help is available on the resulting page).8. When you have finished managing Supervisors for the Scenario, click Save.



Adding Scenarios to the Fast Access panelScenarios stored in the Fast Access panel can be launched from any touch-tone phone (for details, see “Scenario Status Notification” on page 130). Users with access to Advanced Messaging can store up to ten different Scenarios in the Fast Access panel, which is unique to each User.

The Fast Access panel also assists web user interface users, saving time and stress by eliminating the need to search for important and frequently-used Scenarios while under pressure. You can display your Fast Access Scenarios by clicking EMERGENCY on your Profile page.

Note: Because you cannot modify a Fast Access Scenario when launching it by phone, ensure that you define precise Fast Access Scenarios.

To add a Scenario to the Fast Access panel:1. Click the Messaging tab, and then click Fast Access on the Messaging menu.

Figure 6.9: Fast Access page

2. Click the number in the Option column with which you want to associate the Scenario.• AlarmPoint displays the Add Fast Access Scenario Page, which you can use to find and

add the Scenario:

Advanced Messaging


Figure 6.10: Add Fast Access Scenario search tool results

3. If there is more than one message domain, click the Message Domain drop-down list and select the domain containing the Scenario you want to add. Click the Display Attributes button to show the Attributes available in the selected message domain.

4. To add Attributes to the search criteria, click the drop-down lists and specify the Attributes you want to use to refine your search.

5. For Scenarios must match, do one of the following:• Click Any if you want to list Scenarios matching any of your search criteria.• Click All if you want to list only Scenarios that match all of your search criteria.

6. Click Find.• To display all Scenarios, click Show All.

7. In the Results table, click the name of the Scenario you want to add.• The Scenario is added to the Fast Access Panel.


126 | Launching Scenarios

Figure 6.11: Fast Access – Scenario Added

8. To remove a Scenario from the Fast Access panel, select the Scenario's check box, and then click Clear Selected.

Launching ScenariosThe following sections describe how to launch Scenarios through the AlarmPoint Web User Interface and by phone.

Scenario Test MessagesBefore you go live with a predefined Scenario, you can launch it as a test. This allows you to troubleshoot and modify Scenarios to ensure that they run exactly as intended. It also allows you to run drills, familiarize your personnel with response options, and generate response performance metrics.

When a Scenario runs as a test, messages clearly indicate that they are part of a test, rather than a live event. The following table summarizes test message prefixes for each Device type:

Table 6.3: Test Mode Indicators by Device

Device Test Mode indicator Description

Voice (Phone) This is a test message. Spoken at the beginning of the message

Text (Phone/Pager) ***TEST MODE*** Appears at top of message

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Launching Scenarios | 127

Launching Predefined Scenarios via the WebYou can launch previously created Scenarios as live events or as tests. Users with the appropriate Initiator permissions can modify settings when launching Scenarios. For example, someone launching a Scenario might change the text message and Response options to reflect the specifics of the situation.

The appearance of the Initiate Scenario page depends on your permissions for the Scenario, and on whether the Scenario is being launched as a test or as a live event:

• If you do not have Modify permission for the Scenario, you will not see any “Modify” links, and you will not be able to change any Scenario settings.

• If the Scenario is being initiated from the Run Test menu item, the Send button does not appear on the bottom of the page (you will see only the Send Test and Send to Me Only buttons).

Additionally, the contents of the table on the My Scenarios page depends on your Role. If you are a Company Administrator, the table includes all Scenarios in the system. Otherwise, the table includes all Scenarios that list your Role type (e.g., Standard User, Group Supervisor) as a Scenario Initiator with Launch permission (this setting is separate from the Role called “Scenario Initiator”).

Note: The following sections assumes that you already have an understanding of AlarmPoint Scenario settings discussed earlier in this chapter.

To launch a predefined Scenario:1. Click the Messaging tab.2. Do one of the following:

• Click Fast Access, and then click the Initiate link for the Scenario you want to launch (note that you can also display Fast Access Scenarios by clicking EMERGENCY on your Profile page).

• Click My Scenarios, and then click the Initiate link for the Scenario you want to launch.• Click Search for Scenario, specify the search criteria, click Find, and then click the

Initiate link for the Scenario you want to launch (note that there is online help available on the Find Scenarios to Launch page).

• Click Run Test, and then click the Initiate link for the Scenario you want to launch.

Email ***TEST MODE*** Appears at top of message

Instant Message ***TEST MODE*** Appears at top of message

Table 6.3: Test Mode Indicators by Device

Device Test Mode indicator Description


128 | Launching Scenarios

Figure 6.12: Initiate Scenario page

3. If necessary, on the Initiate Scenarios page, edit the Scenario settings (you can edit Responses, Recipients, and Attributes by clicking their Modify links).

4. Do one of the following:• If you are testing the Scenario, click Send Test or Send to Me Only.• If this is a live Scenario, click Send.

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Launching Scenarios | 129

Note: After a Scenario is launched, the Scenario Status Summary Report page is automatically displayed. You can use this page to monitor and terminate the Scenario. For details, see “Scenario Status Summary Report” on page 134 and “Stopping Scenarios” on page 130.

Launching a New (One-Time) Scenario via the WebYou can create a one-time Scenario and launch it, and you have the option of saving the Scenario for later use.

To launch a one-time Scenario:1. Click the Messaging tab.2. On the Messaging menu, click New Scenario.3. If you want to save this Scenario to use later, select the Save For Future Use check box.4. Specify the following Scenario settings (for full details, see “Creating Scenarios” on

page 117):• Details• Attributes• Recipients• Responses• Handling• Initiators

5. If necessary, on the Initiate Scenarios page, edit the Scenario settings (you can edit Responses, Recipients, and Attributes by clicking their Modify links).

6. Do one of the following:• If you are testing the Scenario, click Send Test or Send to Me Only.• If this is a live Scenario, click Send.

Launching Predefined Scenarios from a PhoneThe Fast Access panel’s ten entries have been specifically designed to correspond to the 0-9 keys on any touch-tone phone – you can use a phone to start Fast Access Scenarios anywhere in the world.

Note: Only Scenarios that appear on your Fast Access panel can be started by phone. For details, see “Adding Scenarios to the Fast Access panel” on page 124.

RequirementsTo start Scenarios from a phone, you require the following

• AlarmPoint access phone number

• AlarmPoint User ID number


130 | Stopping Scenarios

• AlarmPoint phone password

If you have questions about these items, contact your AlarmPoint Administrator.

To start a Fast Access Scenario from a phone:1. Using a touch-tone phone, call the AlarmPoint access number and log in.2. Navigate through the phone menu and start a Fast Access Scenario.3. End the call.

Note: You cannot stop a Scenario from a phone. However, you can do so through the web user interface (see “Stopping Scenarios”, below).

Stopping ScenariosAfter you have launched a Scenario, you can stop it from the Scenario Status Summary Report. This report appears automatically after you launch a Scenario via the web user interface.

To stop a Scenario:1. If you are not already on the Scenario Status Summary Report page:

• Click the Messaging tab, and then click View Sent Scenarios.• Specify the date and time search criteria, and then click Show Sent Scenarios.• In the Incident ID column of the Results table, click the link for the Scenario.

2. Click Halt (located at the end of the Scenario Status Summary Report).

Scenario Status NotificationAfter a Scenario has ended (e.g., because its Duration has expired, its Fill Count has been met, or it has been manually halted), a status notification message is sent to the User who launched the Scenario if the Notify Me Upon Conclusion check box was selected during initiation.

Note: If the User who launched the Scenario has no currently active Device, the Scenario status notification is sent during the next time frame for which they have an active Device.

Scenario Initiator notifications include the Scenario’s name, status, ID number, and Fill Count information, as shown in the following Email Device example:

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Managing Scenarios | 131

Figure 6.13: Scenario Completion Notification – Email Device Example

Managing ScenariosYou can use the Manage Scenarios page to add, delete, and modify Scenarios.

To add, delete, or modify a Scenario:1. Click the Messaging tab, and then click Manage Scenarios on the left-hand menu.

• The Manage Scenarios Page is displayed:

Figure 6.14: Manage Scenarios page

2. Do one of the following:• To add a Scenario, click the Add New link (for details, see “Creating Scenarios” on

page 117).• To delete a Scenario, select its check box, and then click Remove Selected.• To modify a Scenario, click its link in the Name column.

Note: A Scenario marked Complete includes (at minimum) a Scenario Name, a text message, at least one Recipient, and a non-zero Duration.


132 | Responding

RespondingAlarmPoint Scenarios send notifications to Email, Instant Message, Text (Phone/Pager), and Voice (Phone) Devices. Users can respond on all Device types except IM. Notification content is Device-dependent, as described in the following sections.

Note: To learn how Test Mode notifications differ from live notifications, see the table titled “Test Mode Indicators by Device” on page 126.

Responding to Email Device notificationsEmail notifications include both the Response text (e.g., “10mins”) and its description (e.g., “I will be onsite within 10 minutes”).

The following figure shows a typical notification for a live Scenario (only the body of the message is shown):

Figure 6.15: Email Device Notification Example

To respond to the notification:1. Click your email program’s Reply button (or equivalent).

• Include the original message in your reply, as it contains a unique identifier for the notification.

2. Delete the text in the email’s subject line, and then type RESPONSE, followed by your choice (e.g., “RESPONSE 20mins”)

Advanced Messaging

Responding | 133

Figure 6.16: Email Device Notification Example – Reply with Response

3. Click your email program’s Send button (or equivalent).

Responding to Text (Phone/Pager) Device notificationsThe following Virtual Pager figure shows a typical Text (Phone/Pager) notification for a live Scenario:

Figure 6.17: Text (Phone/Pager) Device Notification Example

To respond to the notification:1. Use your Text (Phone/Pager) Device’s buttons to scroll through the Responses.

• Notice that due to space constraints, Text (Phone/Pager) notifications include only the Response text (e.g., “10mins”), and not its description:


134 | Responding to Voice (Phone) Device notifications

Figure 6.18: Text (Phone/Pager) Device Notification Response Options

2. Select and submit your Response.

Responding to Voice (Phone) Device notificationsVoice (Phone) Device notifications include information about the event, and details about how to respond. For Voice (Phone) Device notifications, the system reads the Response Description text (e.g., “I will be at Data Center 3 within 30 minutes”).

To respond to the notification:• After listening to the Response choices, use your Voice (Phone) Device’s keypad to select

the desired Response.

Scenario Status Summary ReportThe Scenario Status Summary Report allows you to monitor and terminate live Scenarios. The report also provides response and performance metrics that can be used to troubleshoot and refine Scenarios.

The Scenario Status Summary Report appears automatically after you launch a Scenario via the web user interface. It can also be accessed via the View Sent Scenarios item on the Messaging menu (the following steps assume that you are not already on the report page).

To display the Scenario Status Summary Report:1. Click the Messaging tab, and then click View Sent Scenarios.2. Specify the date and time search criteria, and then click Show Sent Scenarios.

• If desired, you can refine your search using the Event ID or Incident ID fields.3. In the Incident ID column of the Results table, click the link for the Scenario to display its

Scenario Status Summary Report:

Advanced Messaging

Scenario Status Summary Report | 135

Figure 6.19: Scenario Status Summary Report page

4. To display notification summaries, click one of the links in the Notification Status or Response tables.• You can click on the plus sign (“+”) to display the Devices on which the User was

notified.

Interpreting the Scenario Status Summary ReportThe following table describes the key components of the report:

Table 6.4: Scenario Status Summary Report

Report Component Description

Exhaustive link Clicking this link displays the Exhaustive Report for the Scenario, which details each key transaction in the formation, delivery, and termination of the Event.

Scenario table Provides basic Scenario information, including the Scenario’s ID, status, and whether the Scenario was initiated as a test. To view a read-only version of the Scenario Details page, click the Scenario’s link in the Name column (this page summarizes the Scenario’s settings when it was launched).

Notification Status table Tracks the status and type of notifications sent, including whether the success was one- or two-way.

Response table Tracks the number of each type of Response received.

Fill Counts table Tracks the number of Responses received that count toward each type of Fill Count (e.g., Group, Additional).


136 | Scenario Status Summary Report

Scenario StatusThe following table outlines and explains the possible options for the Event Status column in the Scenario table:

Halt Clicking Halt terminates the Scenario.

Notification Summary table Displays notification summary details sorted by User when a link is clicked in the Notification Status and Response tables.

Table 6.5: Scenario table – Event Status

Event Status Explanation

Complete Indicates one of the following:

• The Scenario has a Fill Count of “0” and one Recipient has responded.

• The Scenario’s Fill Count has been reached.

Timeout Scenario’s Duration has expired, and the Fill Count has not been reached.

Halted Scenario has been halted from the Scenario Status Summary Report.

Terminated Externally Scenario has been halted from the Events Activity menu.

In Progress Scenario is active and no other status applies.

Table 6.4: Scenario Status Summary Report

Report Component Description

List of Tables | 137

List of Tables1.1: Other sources for AlarmPoint assistance ..........................................................................................42.1: Device Types.........................................................................................................................................82.2: Predefined Roles ................................................................................................................................113.1: Tabs in AlarmPoint .............................................................................................................................163.2: My Details page fields ........................................................................................................................193.3: Change My Web Login details...........................................................................................................223.4: Change My Phone Login details .......................................................................................................233.5: Groups I Belong To details ................................................................................................................263.6: My Devices table columns.................................................................................................................273.7: BlackBerry (BES) Device Details.......................................................................................................293.8: Email Device Details...........................................................................................................................303.9: Voice (Phone) Device Details ............................................................................................................313.10: Text Phone Device Details ...............................................................................................................323.11: Text Pager Device Details ................................................................................................................333.12: Numeric Pager Device Details .........................................................................................................333.13: Instant Messaging Device Details ...................................................................................................343.14: Scheduled Messaging frequency options......................................................................................454.1: Past Alerts Search Criteria ................................................................................................................544.2: Subscription details ...........................................................................................................................615.1: General Group Details........................................................................................................................805.2: Recurring Schedule Details ...............................................................................................................875.3: One-Time Coverage Details ...............................................................................................................895.4: Holiday Coverage Details...................................................................................................................915.5: Team Details........................................................................................................................................946.1: Advanced Messaging Roles ............................................................................................................1156.2: Notification Handling Options .........................................................................................................1216.3: Test Mode Indicators by Device ......................................................................................................1266.4: Scenario Status Summary Report...................................................................................................1356.5: Scenario table – Event Status .........................................................................................................136


138 | List of Tables

List of Figures | 139

List of Figures3.1: AlarmPoint Sign In page ....................................................................................................................143.2: Home page for Mary McBride ............................................................................................................153.3: The Common Tasks pane ..................................................................................................................173.4: View My Permissions page................................................................................................................173.5: Permissions for your Role .................................................................................................................183.6: Mary McBride’s Details page.............................................................................................................193.7: Saving changes on the My Details page ..........................................................................................203.8: Changing Web login details...............................................................................................................213.9: Changing phone login details ...........................................................................................................233.10: Selecting a Temporary Replacement..............................................................................................243.11: Temporary Replacement Schedule.................................................................................................253.12: My Schedule page for Mary McBride ..............................................................................................263.13: Devices for example user Mary McBride........................................................................................283.14: Adding an Email Device ...................................................................................................................293.15: An example Timeframe schedule....................................................................................................353.16: Creating a new Device Timeframe ..................................................................................................363.17: Specifying Device Timeframe settings ...........................................................................................373.18: Device with two Timeframes............................................................................................................373.19: Device Details for Mary McBride’s home phone............................................................................393.20: Reordering Devices..........................................................................................................................403.21: Validate Devices page......................................................................................................................413.22: My Devices page with validated Devices .......................................................................................423.23: Sending a message ..........................................................................................................................433.24: Viewing Sent Messages ...................................................................................................................443.25: Expanded Scheduled Messaging options......................................................................................453.26: Viewing Scheduled Messages.........................................................................................................473.27: Add Custom Attributes page ...........................................................................................................484.1: Active Alerts table for Mary McBride ................................................................................................524.2: Past Alerts page..................................................................................................................................534.3: Email Alert example using AlarmPoint Virtual Email Device .........................................................564.4: Replying to an email Alert..................................................................................................................564.5: Virtual text phone with outstanding Alert ........................................................................................574.6: Sample Alert on a text phone ............................................................................................................584.7: Sample text phone Alert response options......................................................................................594.8: Mary McBride’s Change My Phone Login page...............................................................................60


140 | List of Figures

4.9: My Subscribed Alerts page................................................................................................................614.10: My Assigned Alerts page.................................................................................................................635.1: Find Users – Search Details ..............................................................................................................665.2: Find Users – Result ............................................................................................................................675.3: Find Groups page...............................................................................................................................685.4: Find Groups – Results .......................................................................................................................685.5: View Users by Their Role – Search Details ......................................................................................695.6: View Users by Role – Results............................................................................................................695.7: Viewing a User’s Schedule ................................................................................................................705.8: Who’s On Duty search results...........................................................................................................725.9: Add a User – Details ...........................................................................................................................735.10: Add User – Details Completed ........................................................................................................745.11: Add User – Change Web Login .......................................................................................................745.12: Add a Group – General Details........................................................................................................775.13: Add a Group – Schedule Details .....................................................................................................775.14: Add a Group – Team Details............................................................................................................785.15: Add a Group – Adding Team Members ..........................................................................................795.16: Add a Group – Group Details page .................................................................................................805.17: Viewing shift details .........................................................................................................................855.18: Viewing a Group in Monthly View ...................................................................................................865.19: One-Time Coverage details .............................................................................................................895.20: Holiday Coverage details .................................................................................................................905.21: Group Details – Coverage expanded to show shifts.....................................................................925.22: A modified shift presented as part of All One-Time Coverages...................................................935.23: Add Team Template Details.............................................................................................................985.24: Add Team Template – Add Members..............................................................................................985.25: Add Team Template – Team Template List ....................................................................................995.26: Dynamic Team details ....................................................................................................................1005.27: Find Dynamic Teams page ............................................................................................................1015.28: Example Group settings ................................................................................................................1025.29: Example Group Schedule details..................................................................................................1035.30: Adding Users to a Team.................................................................................................................1045.31: Network Admin Group details .......................................................................................................1055.32: Example Recurring Schedule Details ...........................................................................................1065.33: Example Group with Two Coverages ...........................................................................................1075.34: Example Group with Three Coverages.........................................................................................1085.35: Example Group’s weekend Schedule details...............................................................................1095.36: Example Group with four Coverages............................................................................................110

List of Figures | 141

6.1: Scenario Details (Blank)...................................................................................................................1186.2: Scenario Details (Completed)..........................................................................................................1186.3: Define Attributes Page .....................................................................................................................1196.4: Define Recipients page ....................................................................................................................1206.5: Define Responses page ...................................................................................................................1216.6: Define Handling page.......................................................................................................................1226.7: Define Recipients page ....................................................................................................................1226.8: Supervisors of Scenarios page.......................................................................................................1236.9: Fast Access page .............................................................................................................................1246.10: Add Fast Access Scenario search tool results............................................................................1256.11: Fast Access – Scenario Added .....................................................................................................1266.12: Initiate Scenario page.....................................................................................................................1286.13: Scenario Completion Notification – Email Device Example .......................................................1316.14: Manage Scenarios page.................................................................................................................1316.15: Email Device Notification Example ...............................................................................................1326.16: Email Device Notification Example – Reply with Response.......................................................1336.17: Text (Phone/Pager) Device Notification Example........................................................................1336.18: Text (Phone/Pager) Device Notification Response Options.......................................................1346.19: Scenario Status Summary Report page .......................................................................................135


142 | List of Figures

| 143

IndexAabout

AlarmPoint, 2AlarmPoint User Guide, 3Permissions, 10

addingDevice Timeframes, 36Devices, 28Responses, 120Scenarios, 117Scenarios, Fast Access panel, 124Team Members, 95Temporary Replacements, 23Users, 73

adding Coverages to a Group, 86Advanced Messaging

accessing, 115Action Scripts, 116creating Scenarios, 117granular permissions, 113introduction, 112key features, 113Scenario Basics, 116

AlarmPointabout, 2introduction, 2more information, 4navigating, 16signing in, 14terminology, 8

Alertsabout, 52calling to retrieve, 59responding online, 54responding via email, 55responding via instant messaging, 55responding via phone, 55responding via text Devices, 57subscribing, 60viewing online, 52

AttributesAdvanced Messaging, 114associating with Scenario, 118

authentication method, 22

BBlackBerry Device details, 29

CCommon Tasks pane, 17Coverages

adding, 86definition, 10managing, 83modifying, 86One-time, 89Recurring, 87viewing details, 84

Custom Attributes, 48

Ddefining

Initiators, 122recipients, 119Responses, 120

definitions, 8deleting

Device Timeframes, 38Temporary Replacements, 25Users, 75

Devicesadding, 28BlackBerry, 29changing order, 39definition, 8Email, 30home page, 27Instant Messaging, 34managing, 27modifying, 38Numeric Pager, 33setting Timeframes, 35testing, 40Text Pager, 33Text Phone, 32types, 8Voice (Phone), 31

Dynamic Teams, 99


144 |

EEmail Device details, 30example Group creation, 101

FFast Access panel

Scenarios, adding, 124Scenarios, starting by phone, 129

Fill Counts, 114finding Groups, 67finding Scenarios, 127finding Users, 75Functions, 11

GGroups

changing Permissions, 82definition, 9details, 80example, 101managing, 75searching, 67viewing schedule, 26viewing your Groups, 25

Hhelp, 4

IInitiators, 122Instant Messaging Devices details, 34introduction, 2IVR (Interactive Voice Response), Scenarios, 114

Llogging in

See signing in

Mmanagement system, 2Menus, 16

messagessending, 42testing Devices, 41

My Detailschanging passwords, 20Devices, 27Groups, 25modifying, 20Temporary Replacements, 23viewing, 18

Nnotification, Scenario status, 130Numeric Pager Devices details, 33

OOne-time Coverages, 89

Ppagers

numeric, 33text, 33

pageshome page, 15My Details, 18

passwordschanging, 20phone, 22signing in, 14Web, 20

Permissionsabout, 10Scenarios, 114

personal settingsSee My Details

phoneDevice settings (text), 32Device settings (voice), 31Fast Access panel, 124Fast Access, starting Scenarios, 129starting Scenario from, 130

RRecipients, 119Recurring Coverages, 87

| 145

RespondingEmail Device, 132Text (Phone/Pager) Device, 133Voice (Phone) Device, 134

ResponsesAdvanced Messaging, 115defining, 120

RolesAdvanced Messaging, 115definition, 11pre-defined, 11searching by, 69

SScenarios

adding, 117associating Attributes with, 118Attributes, 114Duration, 115Initiators, setting, 122IVR (Interactive Voice Response), 114launching, 126message recipients, selecting, 119one-time, 116predefined, 114, 116Responses, defining, 120searching, 127starting by phone, 129status notification, 130Status Summary Report, 134stopping, 130test messages, 126Test Mode, 114time limit, 115types, 116

Schedulesdefinition, 10managing, 83viewing, 26, 70

searchingGroups, 67Scenarios, 127Users, 75

signing in, 14starting

Scenarios, 126Scenarios, live or test, by phone, 129

status, notification, 130Subscriptions

about, 60viewing, 60

TTabs, 16Teams

assigning members, 95changing members, 97definition, 10Dynamic, 99managing, 93templates, 97

Temporary Replacementsclearing, 25setting, 23

termsCoverages, 10Devices, 8Functions, 11Groups, 9management system, 2Permissions, 10Roles, 11Scenarios, 113Schedules, 10Teams, 10Timeframes, 9Users, 9

Test Modeindicators by Device, 126Scenarios, 114

testing Devices, 40Text Pager Devices details, 33Text Phone Devices detail, 32Timeframes

about, 35adding, 36definition, 9deleting, 38editing, 38

types of Devices, 8


146 |

UUsers

adding, 73definition, 9deleting, 75managing, 73searching, 75searching by Role, 69types, 11

VVacation Replacements

See Temporary Replacements, 23validating Devices, 40Voice (Phone) Devices details, 31

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