CARLSBAD, Calif. – March 27, 2009 – Great Lakes Data Systems (GLDS) has successfully deployed its new WinWatch outage detection module at two customer sites. The new product, which is fully integrated with the WinCable® billing and subscriber management system, provides powerful new functionality for cable operators.

The new WinWatch application allows users to define triggers for outage alerts, including time frames, call types, franchises, controllers, headends, hubs, and nodes. By analyzing service call patterns, WinWatch can identify outages and alert the operator sooner.

The outage detection system, which is compatible with both Standard and Enterprise versions of GLDS software, is not intended to duplicate network monitoring products. Unlike third-party monitoring software, WinWatch is fully integrated with the WinCable billing and provisioning system.

“Customer service personnel are often the first ones to know that there’s an outage,” according to Mary Armstrong, GLDS Technical Support Manager. “If CSR’s don’t spot trouble immediately, a single headend problem can cascade into a huge backlog of unnecessary truck rolls and unhappy customers.”

“Because the outage module is fully integrated with subscriber management, CSR’s are aware of problems sooner. They can serve customers better, initiate repairs sooner, and prevent unnecessary truck rolls,” Armstrong explained.

WinWatch can be used for planned as well as unplanned outages, according to GLDS developers. Authorized users can create global outage work orders which will display on effected subscriber records until the required work is completed.

Live demonstrations of WinWatch will be available at The Cable Show in Washington D.C., at Booth #736. GLDS will also offer training sessions on WinWatch at its annual Users’ Group Conference in Carlsbad, CA during the first week of May, 2009.