Related Materials Santéon Actis Compliance Management Brochure Santéon Actis for HIPAA Security

Actis Architecture Overview

Actis is an integrated modular portal based on the .NET Framework powered by technologies such as XML and Web Services, written in a robust and modern language and operating in a secure, controlled and customization environment. The Architecture of the Actis modules is built with ASP.NET for flexibility in customization and provides a highly intuitive user interface.

Actis is composed of several components that provide rich functionality as well as services that enable the functionality to collaborate effectively and in a real-time dynamic environment. Actis relies on open standards providing a wide variety of reach options, from Desktop, to PocketPC based devices. The Actis architecture is divided into layers that coordinate the information and data exchange securely and consistently providing views and functionally suitable to each user role within the organization. At the core of the coordination is an access control model that enables information to reach those users authorized to view it and act on it. Additionally, this role based models extend to the division, department and project level or at even much smaller and granular levels that are relevant to the organizational structure.

Unlike most portals, the flexibility in defining the views, activities and functions and presenting the Portal user with various options that enables to perform their job in the most efficient of environments combined with a robust and scalable technical architecture is what sets Actis apart from other technologies and architectures.

Actis Architecture

The Actis technical architecture can be best explain in the following layered overview;

Modules

The Actis modules are tightly integrated through direct API interface communication as well as direct database input and XML document exchanges. The Actis modules coordinate communications through event invocation and intelligent built-in targeted actions. Actis modules support a single sign-on security model and perform all security session coordination transparently. Content for the portal is updated automatically through a publish/subscribe model and immediate user notification by maintaining a Web Service connection to the Santéon Central Updates Server. The Actis Modules can be easily customized and branded through the application of XSL and Style Sheets without causing any interruption of services.
Additionally, access to the Actis modules and functionality within the modules is controlled via an access control list layer that gives administrators the capabilities enable and disable features as required.

Management

The management Layer provides Executive Dashboard views that aggregates up common activities from all modules through a customizable view. Data presented in the Dashboard views is collected directly from the database, XML documents or direct methods return calls. Reporting and monitoring is designed and developed using Crystal Reports Web Interface through ODBC and OLEDB connectivity allowing for ease of customization and extensibility.

Layers

The Actis Portal offers several layers that encapsulate and facilitate communications with core portal functionality providing a centralized place for managing security, validating user access control list prior to authorizing a module or a service. At the core of these layers is the Actis Collaboration engine. The Collaboration Engine is a multi-threaded component that coordinates activities and communications across modules and sub-systems and responsible for message and data delivery through interface invocation and direct data interfacing. Additionally, the Mobile accessibility layers provides PocketPC access to some of the Actis modules for more processing efficiency. Finally, the Web Services layer allows for programmatic communication with the Actis services and sub-systems by publishing consumable services representing many of the portal rich features.

Storage and Persistence

The Actis portal supports all ODBC and OLEDB connectivity as well as interfacing to file system and XML data structures. Actis also relies on temporary persistence mechanisms such as session objects and other secure temporary approaches to facilitate information consistency and integrity while maintaining secure and data projection.