Activity Plan Feedback 29-01-2006

Many thanks to Bill Watt (Team Wearside in Sunderland) who despite fallout from the recent power outage at the E2E Passport Data Centre, found time to comment on the new Activity Plan form. Bill writes: "The new format for the Activity plans is well received by my learners and they like the layout much better. It appears easier for them to follow and understand what is required."

Update
Thanks also to Julie Hood from Phoenix Training in Gateshead. "Thank you for making the changes to the activity plans, the date at the top makes a big difference, especially when you get a bit behind with the filing.
The Feedback form is in the Contact section of the site.

Passport Now Available 19-01-2006

E2E Passport Online is now available (1.45pm) following a power outage at the Pipex Harbour Exchange Data Centre where the Passport Server is based. We will be asking some hard questions of our supplier about why backup power did not kick-in, but in the meantime, please accept our apologies for any inconvenience.

Update
20/1/06 Pipex reported the fault as "resolved" at 10.50 yesterday. However it took much longer to get all servers working. The fault was confirmed as "power related with the external mains supply however there was also an issue internally with the UPS (backup power) systems meaning there was a break in service to affected customers." The issue for me (and the many other companies affected) is why backup services failed too.
23/1/06 Not much consolation but Pipex's "power-related issues" were widely reported in the trade press. The company says the downtime was "significant" and admits thousands of customers were affected. No news yet on who is going to carry the can for the failure of the UPS - (supposedly) "uninterruptible power supply".

Activity Plan Update 17-01-2006

The updated Activity Plan is now available. As the changes were primarily cosmetic and brought the online version closer to the paper-based Passport, we decided to go live with the new version as soon as it was ready. Please contact us if you have any comments.

E2E Passport "OffPen" 16-01-2006

As part of the impending Durham pilot project, we were asked to develop a version of Passport offline running from a data pen. We now have the first version of the aptly-titled "OffPen" edition which we believe will offer Advisers a great deal of flexibility working anywhere where internet connection is not available or is unreliable. Contact the project if you would like more info.

E2E Password Security 15-01-2006

Following a review of our security procedures, we have decided to introduce security checks to prevent the possibility of User IDs and Passwords being misdirected. Phase 1 of the new system will be introduced from Monday 16th January 2006 and will apply to calls to the Helpline. You can request a password reminder or change by calling the Helpline. We will then send details out by email or return your phone call. Remember that local Managers can also see and change Passwords.

Update
Phase 2 will allow users to request password reminders from the log-in screen.