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In mid-February ResQNet [page 5 Nov. 2001] added an intriguing and somewhat orthogonal offering to its Web-to-host repertoire called AlertU, where the name at least appears to fit in quite nicely with its prior ResQ/ME venture [May 2000].
AlertU 2.0 [though I, a sporadic follower of ResQNet, cannot for the life of me remember an AlertU 1.x] is a Java servlet designed to assist businesses with Homeland security. AlertU 2.0, which appears to be a dynamic database lookup application, monitors transactions and ‘on-the-fly’ warns users if they appear to be dealing with entities included on the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) lists of targeted terrorist sponsoring organizations, foreign governments, international narcotics traffickers, and denied persons.
This is pretty heavy stuff that you don’t normally associate with conventional host access. But as ResQNet points out, this type of dynamic, transactional surveillance can protect corporations from undesirable or illegal business relationships. ResQNet states that AlertU 2.0 can work as a standalone application or be integrated with ResQNet’s applet or HTML conversion products.
ResQNet has a sister company called TRADEPAQ which provides end-to-end trade chain collaboration software required for global commerce. Now it strikes me that this AlertU 2.0 capability probably is of particular interest to them and their clients. Thus it is possible that this product was a joint effort to serve both companies.
Given that it is in effect a dynamic transaction surveillance scheme, it can obviously be extended beyond its Homeland security role to also look for other names. ResQNet, ever helpful, but maybe showing some insensitivity towards potential evaluators, goes onto add that AlertU 2.0 can for example be used to check for known felons, deadbeat dads, phony corporations, etc. I can just envisage Dilbert cartoon strip-like, cubicle hell shouted messages that go like: “Hey Jim. I just installed that new ResQNet product. How come your name shows up as a deadbeat dad with conviction for …" Yes, this really could change host access as we know it now.
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