Electric IT Hub Glossary

Introduction

Electric IT Hub brings rich control of an IT universe to SMBs. Terminology relevant or specific to this powerful offering is defined below.

Terms

Applications

Applications are the software your Employees use throughout their day-to-day. Electric provides automated provisioning for numerous software applications, especially those that SMBs regularly depend on for their essential operations. In addition to automated provisioning, any application can be configured so that Champions can be tasked with provisioning accounts for employees, in particular during Onboardings.

Assets

Assets are anything an SMB needs to operate, from computers and dongles to chairs and keyboards. Assets that are desktop or laptop computers are special and are referred to as Devices (see below). Assets can be associated with (assigned to) Employees while also having their geographic location (Site) designated.

Champions

Champions are employees who are associated with (expected to complete when assigned) certain sorts of Tasks. Champions can be configured within the Settings page.

Devices

A device is an Asset that is a desktop or laptop. Desktops and laptops are special in any IT universe, and that includes an SMB’s IT universe when managed with the IT Hub. Desktops and laptops can have the Electric for Desktop App installed on them (see below), allowing enhanced monitoring, security, and control, while also empowering the users of the application to easily access their most commonly used resources.

Devices are very much at the heart of Electric’s IT Hub, as device health, security, control, monitoring, etc. are all directly manageable and even procurable from the IT Hub itself. Devices, being a subset of Assets, are associated with employees. This means that it’s easy to see which laptops or desktops are associated with which Employees.

Enrollment

Enrollment refers to the setup of the Electric App and MDM for a particular Device. When a device is enrolled, that device is secured, tracked, and monitored, and the employee using that device gets the benefits of the Electric Desktop App.

Electric for Desktop App

The Electric App is an integral part of the Electric IT Hub. The App is installed on all Devices (see above) and allows for powerful monitoring and security features. For certain Plans, installing the Desktop App also installs MDM.

One of the most important benefits of installing the Desktop App is that it allows for device information, such as RAM usage and available HDD space, to be monitored and acted on within the IT Hub. Furthermore, it allows for a high degree of convenience because, for example, logging into the App for the first time on a new device automatically assigns that device to the user who logged in.

Electric IT Hub

The Electric IT Hub is a powerful web application empowering organizations to take control of their IT. Device & Asset Management, Application Provisioning, Security, and more are at one’s fingertips using this platform built by experts in the industry. The IT Hub can be accessed at https://my.electric.ai from any popular browser.

The Electric IT Hub works with its various components, including the Desktop App, in order to give admins the insight and control needed to make the most of their IT.

Employees

People are the lifeblood of an organization, and Electric knows this well. IT Hub allows for management of the Employee Lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding, including management of Groups. Employees have accounts to log into the Desktop App and the Electric IT Hub’s web portal.

Onboarding

Onboardings are an organized procedure to bring an Employee into your organization. IT Hub provides a simple wizard interface to empower you to equip the new employee with a Device, assign them to a Group, and assign the necessary Tasks to the correct Champions to ensure the smooth and satisfactory onboarding of a new organizational member.

Employees can, of course, be added into the system without going through the Onboarding process. This is useful in many circumstances, such as when setting up an employee that is already in the organization with an IT Hub account.

Offboarding

Offboardings are an organized procedure to effect an employee’s departure from you organization. By means of a simple wizard interface, Electric IT Hub makes it easy to revoke Application access, retrieve or warehouse Devices, and more.

Groups

Employee Groups make it easy to manage which employees are associated with which Applications. Groups can be configured to be associated with any number of Applications, and in turn Employees can be added to one or more Groups. Assigning an Employee to a Group during an Onboarding ensures that they will be given the necessary access to any Applications associated with that Group.

Gigawatt

Gigawatt is a major component of Electric’s AI functionality. Gigawatt acts as a virtual IT assistant by means of a simple chat interface while also powering various features throughout the application.

HCM/HRIS

HCM (Human Capital Management) and HRIS (Human Resource Information System) software is used to manage employees and their benefits, tenure, etc.

HCM/HRIS software is critical for many businesses, and Electric IT Hub integrates with software of this sort to make life easier for the HR professional. Onboards and Offboards can be completed with far fewer swivel-chair operations with an integration between ITH and an organization’s HCM/HRIS system than without. Certain HCM/HRIS integrations even include special features such as SSO login for employees.

MDM

MDM stands for Mobile Device Management and is a technology that allows for a high degree of control and security for devices. For more information, see Electric’s Blog.

Plans

Plans represent the level of service and assortment of features Electric provides for you. Different plans offer different sets of features so that SMBs can choose the set of features which works best for them. Plans include:

Quick Start

Quick Start is an introduction to the Electric offering with access to third party software add-ons. This plan allows for installation of the Desktop App (sans MDM) and access to the device insights it brings, basic AI features, and Asset Management.

Pro

Pro is the core service package that enables small businesses to manage their IT with confidence. Pro includes all Quick Start features plus MDM, powerful Device Management, and advanced AI features.

Other Plans

Electric offers multiple plans so that there is one that meets your organization’s needs succinctly. Speak with us for more info!

QR Codes

QR Codes, a type of barcode, are visual representations of data that can easily be printed on a label or other form of scannable media. They are two-dimensional and designed to be readable by a computer by means of a scanner or camera. QR Codes are frequently used in logistics contexts, and in the case of the IT Hub’s use of these codes, this is the case as well. Electric relies on printed QR Codes to make shipping to the Warehouse or other locations a breeze.

Security

Security refers to protection and safety for your Devices. Electric has partnered with popular and trustworthy Antivirus, Email Safety, and other services to maximize your organization’s stability and peace of mind.

Sites

Sites are physical, geographical locations, usually representing a practical location like a company’s HQ or a logistics center. Assets (see above) can be associated with a Site so that it’s easy to see at a glance where an organization’s assets are on the map. One special sort of site is the Warehouse, which represents Electric’s location for storing devices for you.

Tasks

Tasks represent small units of work that are assigned to Champions, usually with the goal of achieving some aggregate effort, such as the onboarding of an employee. Tasks can be marked as done when completed.

Warehouse

Electric offers Warehousing through a simple interface. Shipping to and from the Warehouse, plus the ability to quickly identify what Assets are warehoused, is possible and easy through the Electric IT Hub.

ZTP

ZTP stands for Zero-Touch Provisioning, a powerful tool that allows your employees' Devices to be configured and ready to go without any annoying manual steps.