Bizeo glossary
We use some specific terms to describe the components that make up Bizeo. If you're not sure what they mean, please browse through our glossary below.
See also:
General FAQs FAQs for Bizeo developers FAQs for Bizeo resellers/affiliates KPI - Key performance indicatorA KPI is any measurable item whose value indicates how well (or poorly) an aspect of your business is performing.
As the great Lord Kelvin once said, 'If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it'.
Well-run businesses are formed around processes and measurable indicators (KPIs). Processes provide structure and consistency, while KPIs measure performance.
KPIs can take many forms. They might be as simple as your bank balance or sales revenue. However, many other things can affect how well your business is performing, including customer satisfaction levels, production rates, currency exchange rates, stock levels, response rates, IT system performance and many more.
By establishing KPIs and allowing Bizeo to monitor them constantly, you receive the data you need to make your business more effective, efficient and profitable.
Back to top DroneA drone is a small application that is part of the Bizeo service. You download and install the drone software from the Bizeo store onto a Windows PC somewhere inside your IT network. The drone is then assigned one or more KPI packages that you select from the Bizeo store.
The drone gathers your KPI data and sends it to the Bizeo cloud service. You can then browse and monitor those KPIs.
Read more about drones on our FAQ page.
A cloud drone is a special drone that runs on the internet rather than being installed. Each Bizeo customer has access to their own cloud drone. Each one comes with predefined packages to do things like check website availability and manual KPIs.
You can add tasks to your Bizeo monitor using the data sources on the cloud drone just as you would from your own drones. However, you can't load any other packages onto the cloud drone.
Back to top Package/KPI packageDifferent businesses will monitor different IT systems and KPIs. A KPI package, referred to simply as a 'package', is a group of KPI scripts that connects with a particular software application or system.
For example, the SQL Server package connects to your SQL Server database, enabling you to define KPIs for anything within that database. If you use a different database system, you need a package especially designed for that one.
The same applies to any other network resource, CRM, ERP, HR, accounting or other software application. Once you have the correct package installed on your Bizeo drone, you can use Bizeo to establish and monitor KPIs with that package.
You can install as many KPI packages on each drone as you need. For example, a single drone can run packages for your accounting, database, CRM and customer service systems simultaneously, as long as they are all accessible from that one drone.
Back to top Data sourceOnce you've installed a package on a drone, you must manually create a data source, which is an instance of this package.
For example, say you've installed the SQL Server package on your drone but you have several SQL Server databases running inside your business. In the drone management software, you just create a data source for each database, specifying the same SQL Server package each time and providing the credentials for the particular SQL Server database you're connecting to in each case.
Take care to give the packages relevant names. When you're setting up tasks inside Bizeo, you will see the package names in the pull-down list as you create a task.
Back to top Manual KPINot all KPIs can be gathered electronically, as some KPIs require manual input. In Bizeo, we refer to these as manual KPIs.
You can set up manual KPIs using the cloud drone. When setting up a manual KPI, you specify who will be prompted to enter the KPI and how frequently they should be prompted. This person will receive an email each time the KPI entry is due, prompting them to key in the KPI value.
For example, you may need your book keeper to check the balance of a particular account, and enter the value into Bizeo each day.
Back to top Bizeo monitorWe refer to the main Bizeo interface as the 'Bizeo monitor'.
This is the interface from which you monitor your account status, and monitor or edit your KPI tasks and drones.
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