Tool builds brains in organization

Agencies fed up with static information held in traditional file folders now have a new tool to help transform that information into knowledge usable throughout the organization.

TheBrain Technologies Corp. unveiled a new solution at the E-Gov 2001 conference in Washington, D.C., this week that will help agencies handle various forms of data from different sources.

BrainEKP is an enterprise knowledge platform that connects disparate information and then delivers it in a visual interface that enables users to see all other data and people connected to that subject, said Shelley Hayduk, director of public relations.

"The integration platform connects all layers of disparate information systems and connects them all in one place," Hayduk said, "but it doesn't stop at integration because that would be a portal. It also creates a knowledge model and demonstrates how the information is created and used."

Users can click on any item that comes up related to the requested information — from word processing documents to Web pages and other files—and the interface changes dynamically based on the request.

BrainEKP was developed specifically for the government market based on what the company's public-sector customers—including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Defense Department and the Social Security Administration — were asking for.

"They are overwhelmed by the amount of information they have to deal with, but they need to make informed decisions," Hayduk said. "But sometimes the more information you have, the harder it is to do that."

The product is available on the General Services Administration schedule and takes anywhere from two weeks to many months to get up and running depending on the customer's needs, said Eastor Su, public relations manager for TheBrain. Pricing starts at $150,000.