Truck lovers’ delight: BroadJump unveils latest VTI model

BroadJump has taken the covers off the latest model of its Virtual Truck Installer (VTI) broadband data service provider self-installation technology. VTI 2.0 is “better looking” and “smarter,” according to Boyd Peterson, BroadJump’s product marketing director.

“The [user interface] has the capability of putting in a lot more contextual help,” he said.

BroadJump has added layers to make its instructional CD more flexible for the end user, based on service provider input.

“[Service providers] asked us to create a program with one disk that will work, whether we give it to a technician … a very technically adroit subscriber … (or) a person who never experienced broadband, doesn’t feel comfortable around a PC and is going to require a bit more handling,” Peterson said. “We’ve created several different linear paths through the installation, all ending in the same result.”

The new software uses BroadJump’s network-based servers more and adds programming to help manage installations for subscribers choosing a service provider from among a menu of options in a multi-ISP “open access” environment.

BroadJump also is in a partner program with consumer premises equipment (CPE) vendors, where it is “cracking open a little bit of what is the black box of the CPE and exposing those innards in a way that makes for a real seamless experience of the consumer,” said Matt Tormollen, BroadJump’s marketing vice president.

Finally, the company is partnering with McAfee.com to pre-integrate the ability to offer consumers firewall and virus protection.

“We will then take that as a turnkey solution to the service provider,” Tormollen said.

The first stage of this integration, which will be available within 30 days, is “important to us because it is critical to our ongoing service fulfillment strategy, where we’re looking for best-of-breed application and content providers and integrating them in for the service provider’s benefit,” Tormollen said.