The
Virtual
Nervous
System
(VNS)
is
a
technologically
challenging,
flexible,
and
dynamic
knowledge
based
system
product
that
provides
an
organization
the
ability
to
organize,
process
and
communicate
ideas
continuously
without
operator
intervention.
VNS
also
maintains
data
integrity,
security
and
provides
seamless
interfaces
to
internal
and
external
sources
of
information.
The
product
was
originally
designed
and
developed
in
1999
by
Wi-Lan
Inc.
under
the
name
E-nerves.
In
2000
Wi-Lan
and
NTG
Clarity
Networks
merged
and
the
product
was
renamed
VNS
and
was
extensively
redeveloped
and
redesigned
in
2000
and
2001.
VNS
is
a
state
of
the
art
Web
enabled
communications
and
knowledge
management
system
and
addresses
a
number
of
key
technological
needs
for
organizations
requiring
this
technology.
Up
to
this
point
in
time,
with
the
proliferation
of
Web
browsers
many
organizations
had
turned
to
intranets
for
their
information
distributing
needs.
However,
the
typically
static
and
isolated
methods
of
creating
intranet
content
could
not
keep
pace
with
ongoing
and
dynamic
information
needs.
In
order
to
overcome
these
technological
deficiencies,
Wi-Lan
and
NTG
Clarity
decided
to
build
a
system
called
VNS
(Virtual
Nervous
System)
that
would
act
as
an
engine
that
simulates
the
functions
of
a
proactive
nervous
system
that
rapidly
gathers,
interprets
and
disseminates
information.
The
main
purpose
was
to
provide
a
set
of
tools
and
modules
that
enhances
the
ability
of
an
organization
to
organize,
process
and
communicate
its
ideas
in
a
flexible
and
dynamic
manner.
The
main
design
intent
of
VNS
is
to
provide
functionality
that
the
system
dynamically
and
intelligently
organizes
information
directly
from
internal
and
external
sources
without
operator
intervention.
Using
a
single
VNS
interface
engine,
users
do
not
have
to
care
whether
their
data
is
in
unstructured
form
such
as
documents
or
in
structured
form
as
on
a
database.
This
VNS
approach
provides
a
dynamic
and
intelligent
alternative
to
the
static
internet/intranet
systems
of
the
past.
The
system
is
also
designed
to
be
platform
independent
so
that
it
can
easily
run
under
any
operating
system.
It
has
a
seamless
interface
capability
with
standard
software
products
and
is
accessible
by
users
from
any
internal
or
remote
location.
Enhancements
to
overcome
limitations
in
standard
operating
system
and
RDBMS
(NT4.0,
Unix,
Oracle)
security
functionality
were
developed
to
protect
the
contents
of
VNS
from
unauthorized
access
in
a
multi-layered
system
structure.
The
system
also
ensures
that
user
data
access
integrity
for
the
data
repository
and
RDBMS
interfaces
is
maintained
for
all
functional
processes. |
