Introducing Ithicos Solutions

ITCS Hawaii is becoming Ithicos Solutions. Watch for a new web site and logos over the next few months as we grow and polish up our look and feel. This will include an improved shopping cart, updated FAQs, and updated documentation. 

Keeping Active Directory information current and updated can be a real challenge. Active Directory is at the core of many organization's information systems. Users rely on their Exchange / Outlook Global Address List (GAL) to provide them with information (telephone number, address, department, etc…) about other users and contacts within their organization.

For even a small company, keeping the Active Directory up-to-date can overwhelm an administrator but allowing the information to become stale and out-of-date frustrates users and makes them less productive.

Ithicos Solutions is pleased to provide two economical, Web-based solutions that you can easily deploy and make your own life easier as well as ensuring that your Active Directory has the most up-to-date information available for the users.  You (the administrator) provides the user with a customized web page that allows them to update the information that you want them to update. Let your all of your users or a designated user keep this information up-to-date for you. 

We have new versions of our software that we have just released, read more!

Directory Update
Directory Update is a "self-service" solution that allows a user to update their own information in the Active Directory. The Web interface is customizable so that a user can provide only valid information (such as city, department, title) and the telephone number format can be validated. Directory Update is US$299.00 per Active Directory domain.   Logon to the Directory Update demo and see for yourself. Directory Update v1.6 is now released; all customers eligible for upgrades will receive an e-mail notifying them of the new version and how to request a license key. 

Directory Manager
Directory Manager is an easy-to-use Web interface that a designated user to update other user's information in the Active Directory. This designated user can search for a specific use account and can update the attributes that you specify in an interface that is very similar Directory Update. Attributes can be configured with drop-down lists of valid information and telephone number formats can be validated. Directory Manager is US$399.00 per Active Directory domain.  Directory Manager does not provide self-service capability, though. For that you need Directory Update. Logon to the Directory Manager demo and see Directory Manager in action. Learn more about Directory Manager. Medium and large organizations, please read about the Directory Manager permissions model. See the "future feature" list. 

Directory Search
Directory Search is a standalone Web application that you can give to your users that will allow them to use the Active Directory as a web-based phone book. This simple application is licensed one time for an entire Active Directory forest and is customized in much the same way that Directory Update and Directory Manager are customized. Pricing for a single Active Directory forest is $199.00, but discounts will apply for existing customers. See our Directory Search page for more information and an online demo. New version provides Domain Controller or Global Catalog server query option and "contains" query option.

Directory Manager and Directory Update - Self service and delegated administration

• Improved accuracy with drop-down lists.
• Field types can be dropdown, text, or combo boxes - New!
• Fields or entire sections can be hidden from the user interface.
• Custom Attributes 1 - 15, Employee ID, Employee Type, and Employee Number, Web page, Description, Notes, Phone Number help message, and additional telephone numbers available
• Forms-based or Integrated Windows Authentication options - New!
• Manager, Secretary, and Assistant fields
• Required fields and field format validation using regular expressions (REGEXs) - New!
• Address sets allow a user to select one field and have their mailing address attributes populated automatically - See the demo! - New!
• Multiple domains supported from the same installation -
• Administrator can restrict which attributes can be updated - For a full list of attributes that Directory Update supports, see the attribute support list.
• Customizable help string, help page, page title, window title, and attribute labels
  
  See more on Features and Examples...
  See for yourself  - Directory Update online demo - New!
  See our new product Directory Manager via the online demo site -

Directory Update was designed from the beginning to be easy to use and easy to deploy. Download the evaluation version, review the installation instructions, and you will have a fully functional and customized application in under 1 hour!

Why purchase Directory Update? At US$299 per domain, Directory Update gives you the most bang for your buck. For $399 per Active Directory domain, you can easily offload help desk or directory admin functions to a Human Resources person, department manager, or receptionist. Read more about why we offer the best self-service directory management solution on the market and a price that won't put a dent in your IT budget.

Customer Feedback and Testimonials

Hear what our customers are saying about Directory Update!

“Directory Update is a simple, clean application that does what you need it to at a reasonable price.”

"Directory Update fills a gaping void in the market. Thanks to Directory Update, our Active Directory is no longer a months-old snapshot but a living resource."
 - Kate L. at Jobster

"Directory Update has really made a difference for our staff being able to help us help them by keeping their contact information up to date in straight-forward and quick manner. Wonderful!"
 -Grant T. at SGS

“I have been trying for years to get our Global Address List up-to-date. With this software it is finally done.”
 - Jeff G. at Graphic Packaging International

"DirectoryUpdate saves me SOOOOO much time every week"
 - Cheyne M. at Sullivan Family of Companies

"Why spend thousands of dollars on an application that has dozens of features we will never need. Directory Update does everything we need."

"We replicate our Active Directory to a central directory service holding nearly 100,000 user objects world-wide. Once we implemented Directory Update for our Active Directory, our user information is the only information that is consistently correct and up to date in the global directory service."

News and Updates

• March 20, 2008 - We are pleased to release Directory Update v1.6, Directory Manager v1.2, and Directory Search v1.2
• December 28, 2007 - A few people have asked if we have an Exchange 2007 version.  Currently we have no Exchange specific features in the product though we may consider allowing users to change things such as Unified Messaging PINs and their cell phone (ActiveSync device) PINs.
• November 30, 2007 - Windows 2008/IIS 7?  We have not yet tested our products on W2K8 and continue to recommend you run on Windows 2003 for the next few months.
• November 20, 2007 - Based on customer feedback, here is our new features and development priorities
• October 25, 2007 - Directory Search v1.1 released
• Sept 22, 2007 - Directory Manager v1.1 released
• Sept 17, 2007 - Directory Search released
• Sept 7, 2007 - Demo page for Directory Search is now posted!

More news...

Alternatives

In the past, the only way a user could update their existing information was to call the help desk or an account administrator and have the information updated. An alternative to this was to use a utility such as Microsoft’s GALMOD utility from the Microsoft BackOffice Resource Kit or the Exchange Resource Kit. GALMOD (GALMOD32.EXE) allows a user to update their Global Address List attributes from within Outlook. However, GALMOD utility had to be installed on each user’s desktop. The alternative was for the user to request the updates be made to the user account administrator thus placing an additional burden on the IT Department.

Otherwise a third-party utility must be purchased to allow a user to edit their information in the Active Directory. The current third-party utilities on the market are full-featured user provisioning systems that are expensive and have far more features than are required for the simple attribute updates that most users and organizations require.