SmartChoice launches SmartTile 2.0 to speed repairs

SmartChoice has launched SmartTile 2.0, a network monitoring and incident resolution platform that cut ticket resolution times by 48% in early use.

The product targets a part of IT operations that often remains manual after an outage alert is raised. Many monitoring tools stop at detection, leaving internal IT teams and managed service providers to gather data, open tickets, contact carriers, track updates, escalate incidents and document service restoration.

SmartTile 2.0 is designed to automate much of that work from detection through to closure. The platform connects with IT service management systems, carrier systems, network infrastructure and IP-based physical security systems, while allowing human intervention when an automated workflow cannot complete a task.

According to SmartChoice, the early results covered a 60-day period across six production environments and 22,346 tickets. Average resolution time fell to 17.4 hours from 33.3 hours, while 21,476 tickets were closed, compared with 6,062 in the previous 60-day period.

SmartChoice also reported that 130.8 employee hours were returned by absorbing carrier hold and talk time, and that 1,214 carrier tickets were opened through carrier application programming interfaces and the company's AI voice agent, Joey. It said the figures were early results and that outcomes vary by environment and workflow.

At the centre of the platform is an effort to tie network monitoring more closely to the operational steps that follow an alert. SmartTile provides a unified view of devices, locations and circuits across a customer's technology environment and uses 30-second polling across APIs, ICMP and SNMP to identify potential outages.

When an event is detected, the platform can validate the issue, add site and device context, create an IT service management ticket and start a carrier case through a carrier API or Joey. It can then manage follow-up, escalation and communications, while documenting restoration details and service-level agreement evidence.

If the automated process cannot finish the task, the issue can be passed to SmartChoice's 24/7 network operations centre for human handling. The approach is intended to reduce the amount of routine Level 1 work handled manually by engineers.

"IT teams don't need another platform that simply tells them something is wrong. They need technology that helps them do something about it," said Jarrett Wolfe, Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer, SmartChoice.

"We built SmartTile around the operational work our customers deal with every day, automating many of the steps between an alert and a resolution while keeping people at the center of the process," Wolfe said.

Customer use

One early user cited by SmartChoice was Ernest Health, which operates in healthcare. The organisation's technology leaders said the product had reduced manual incident management work and improved visibility across locations.

"Most monitoring platforms tell us when something is wrong. SmartTile 2.0 helps us act on it. It gives our team visibility across locations, reduces the manual work of managing incidents and helps move issues toward resolution. In a healthcare environment, where reliable technology is essential, that means our IT professionals can spend less time chasing updates and more time supporting the systems our clinicians and facilities depend on," said Christopher Diguette, Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, Ernest Health.

Integration layer

SmartTile 2.0 is intended to sit above existing technology rather than replace it. It can integrate with IT service management platforms including ServiceNow, ConnectWise, Kaseya, NinjaOne and Zendesk, alongside carrier systems, network and device technologies, and IP-based physical security tools.

The product has also been updated with a multi-tenant architecture, which SmartChoice said makes it easier for customers to scale use of the platform as operational needs change. The latest version grew out of customer demand in distributed environments.

SmartChoice serves customers in sectors including healthcare, luxury retail, financial services, private equity, legal services, real estate, construction and non-profit organisations. Its broader business covers telecoms, internet connectivity, network infrastructure, software platforms and physical security systems.

Chief Technology Officer Basil Stepanov said the platform was designed to reduce time spent by network engineers on routine interactions with carriers. "Every carrier call our engineers don't spend on hold is time back for real troubleshooting. Joey opens and chases routine carrier cases, SmartTile 2.0 confirms recovery through its own monitoring, and our engineers step in on the exceptions," Stepanov said.

"By automating repetitive and time-consuming Level 1 tasks, SmartTile 2.0 allows IT teams to focus their time and expertise where they can deliver greater value while the platform continues driving action toward resolution," he said.