The Green Sheet 046

GreenSheet Keeping You Informed

September/October 2007 Issue 46

The foremost authority on the Information Management industry, the Green Sheet provides news, views and technical reviews from around the world

1 7 -1 8 OCTOBER 2007 WWW.STORAGE-EXPO.COM

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IS YOUR BUSINESS INFORMATION SPIRALLING OUT OF CONTROL? ■ Do you need to achieve effective collaboration and information sharing across your business?

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A Question of Storage The secure storage of information is usually an afterthought. Data protection and accessiblity are always the first considerations, but without a good storage system none of the above would be possible.

Micrographics

Tim Nixon - Editor \

3ET

Information Storage, which is one of our featured items this issue, covers a multitude of media and, therefore, systems.

Clearly if your information is in digital format it requires a totally different storage system from if it is in analogue form.

Analogue Analogue can, itself, be divided between micrographics and paper based. There is still, to this day, more information kept on paper than on any other media type. So much for the “paperless office” dream.

Cabjnets are the obvious choice for the ‘inhouse’ storage of analogue data, with manufacturers offering a wide selection of prices, styles and sophistication. The storage systems need to be able to boast certain standards, which cover security, protection, from both natural and maninduced disasters, plus ease of accessibility and retrieval.

The latest designs from the cabinet manufacturers are all attempting to give as much storage space as possible but with a smaller footprint than ever, because office space is at such a premium.

The storage units usually take the shape of warehouses, though there are some which are utilising old salt mines, giving natural protection from the elements.

Compliance

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Digital On the digital front it is far less space sensitive as, obviously, digital data takes up far less space. Instant access and retrieval is also possible if the right system is selected.

Information Storage

Disaster recovery should be less of a problem too, as back-up is relatively easy and economical to achieve - thus ensuring that all your important company information is kept at at least two different locations.

Many bureaux are now offering their clients “on-line” storage. This way the customer has only to log on to the relevant website, identify themselves, give the agreed password and have instant access to all of their company files. Security clearly has to be quite stringent if this approach is taken as, otherwise, the customer’s confidential data could be wide open to compromise.

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GSM Interview j

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Anyone wanting to learn more about information storage in all its guises shoul

With this thought in mind many organi­ sations are now turning to their bureaux to, not only to film or scan their documentation, but also to store it for them. This is partic­ ularly useful when the information is rarely called for but has to be there “just in case” .

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MICROFILM - Revival or Survival

By John Baker - Executive Editor, Green Sheet MEDIA that century that the commercial use of microfilm really took of. It was further developed (no pun intended. - Ed.) and popularised by Kodak at the end of the 19th century, when in 1889, George Eastman (founder of Kodak) began the manufacture of nitrocellulose film.

SURVIVAL?

(These days I guess you would scan the microfilm and OCR the results thus avoiding keystroking.- Exec. Ed.) 1980's Blip coding

A Blip is an optical mark read by a sensor to tell the reader / reader-printer where it was in the film, with the option of small, medium or large blips to represent 'book', 'chapter' and 'page'.

Introduction

The Old Lady Microfilm is knocking on a bit now. She has had a few nips and tucks, a good few blood transfusions, and a lot of plastic surgery on the way. However she always gets up off the operating table with a new lease of life and another decade or so in view.

Whether we were in business or still at school, most of us around today became aware of microfilm from our first contact with Ian Fleming's James Bond stories.

At the risk of a few of us coming over all misty-eyed, some of the key microfilm milestones over the past few decades worth mentioning are:

Where a PC was linked to a reader, and once the user found the document details in a database, and following a prompt to place the correct film number into the reader, the reader then transported the film to the document position using the blip described above.

The tiny Minox* type camera was usually the capture method, and somehow Q's department always managed to get great results despite apparent camera shake, poor or non-existent lighting, bullets flying, and the fact that 007 had to go through Hell (and often High Water too) to get the films back to base for processing. Then, of course, there was the more specialist microfilm called the microdot. *£sf. 1937 and owned by Leica since 1994.

THE WARS

1990's

These days microfilm is much easier to work with. As a (very) mature industry that is the way it should be. After all, microfilm has a long, long history. In fact the concept of military use predates Bond by many years and goes back to the Siege of Paris.

First Military Use The Siege of Paris took place during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The only way for the provincial government in Tours to communicate with Paris was by pigeon post and, as the pigeons could not carry paper dispatches, the Tours government turned to microfilm.

Using a microphotography unit evacuated from Paris before the siege, clerks in Tours photographed paper dispatches and compressed them to microfilm. This was then carried by homing pigeons into Paris and projected by magic lantern so clerks could copy the dispatches onto paper.

The first recorded commercial example of microfilm was in 1839, when a 160x reduction Daguerrotype plate was created

by London born John Benjamin Dancer.

This innovation was only 4 years after Britain’s William Henry Fox-Talbot had perfected the first permanent image using photography.

Although John H. Morrow opened the first (American) commercial microfilm laboratory in 1864, it was not until later MICROGRAPHICS

Franco Prussian War and WWI (1914 - 1918)

Microfilm was used to photograph letters and documents which were then couriered by pigeon and re-constituted at the other end.

WWII

V-mail (presumably meaning Victory Mail) used the same process as above.

1970's COM

Computer Output Microfilm - COM. At that time the output of computer-generated information presented major problems, printout involved slow line printers using bulky continuous stationery (extra copies were usually provided using multi-part sets and the fourth copy was frequently illegible).

Rapid COM printout to microfiche enabled the production of unlimited copies and low cost distribution. This resulted in the almost universal replacement of paper for parts and service information in the motor and aviation industries and the distribution of microfiche of customer account details from central processing units to bank branches.

CIM

Computer Input Microfilm or microfilm to digital data. The exact date cannot be verified, but GSM understands that the original (experimental) concept was used by the US Navy to send personnel records to ships around the world from the Pentagon. This was due to the long lead time that they experienced when sailors were transferred from one ship to another.

The microfilm contained data ready for input into a computer which considerably speeded up the process.

Computer Aided Retrieval (CAR)

Writing from digital file to film

This process involves transferring digital document image files to microfilm media.

(But remember that COM was with us in the 1970’s as an alternative to massive printouts of alphanumeric data). This method of long-term storage, being independent from PC technology, has given the IT industry a real kick in the posterior, it has finally closed the gap in the cradle-to-grave life cycle of documents however they are created.

Sadly, microfilm is now being referred to by some as a 'sunset industry', although many companies are only now discovering microfilm for the first time, and beginning to use it after recognising its unique value as a serious long term storage repository.

Another key aspect of microfilm is that it has been acceptable as evidence in court a lot longer than digital image files. It is also less easily tampered with in comparison to digital files.

REVIVAL? The modern day revival of the microfilm industry (Yes it IS a revival. Exec. Ed.) is due partly to this closure of the gap in the document life cycle and partly to the potential longevity of storage without image degeneration. Suddenly companies have the ability to not only scan their documents, but also to commit the digital version of that document to microfilm which is stated to be archivally permanent from anything between 100 and 500 years.

On the subject of archival permanence, the marketing data tells you that microfilm is good for 500 years of archival permanence. It is not such a bold statement as you may think. The film referred to has been certified by leading manufacturers on the basis of solid

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5 research and not their marketing executives. Obviously none of us will be around to check if it fades after 500 years, and there must be some form of artificial aging process by which degradation of the film can be measured.

asked them questions regarding their plans for microfilm involvement in the years to come. Kodak, Agfa, Ilford and MicroVue ail came back with positive plans for the perpetuation of products and materials.

With microfilm having been in commercial production for over 100 years, the key film manufacturers are sending out a clear message to the digital document industry around the world in declaring 500 years of permanence. Computer manufacturers could never agree that level of permanence for their technology. At least not at present. Perhaps once computing as we know it is as old as microfilm, that might change. i From the business perspective, the thought process must be that microfilm is a medium to be used alongside traditional EDM solutions instead of being in opposition to it as it has been in the past.

THE FUTURE

The major manufacturers are all keen to continue their involvement with the microfilm industry. Indeed there are whispers in the industry that some companies are poised with new consumables and equipment to further enhance the success of the microfilm industry.

As a major part of the research for this article, the author interviewed several major companies involved in the manufac­ turing sector of the microfilm industry, and

There are many possible paths which microfilm might follow. Historically however, microfilm seems to work in the exact opposite way to electricity in that it usually follows the path of MOST resistance.

But perhaps that is part of its secret. Not only is microfilm by its very nature, a robust and mature medium, but it does not require sophisticated computer technology to read it. This makes it extremely versatile and durable. Certainly more versatile and durable than any currently available hi-tech ‘long-term’ storage solution on the market.

Think about how technology has changed since the IBM PC began to revolutionise the corporate office in 1981, and almost instantly followed in 1982 by start-up upstart Compaq. With PC advances and storage media capacity increases there is always room for redundancy.

Microfilm needs no OS, has standard storage capacities dictated by the reduction ratio of the recording medium, and apart from that, has had few real changes in technology apart from recently where digital devices now convert image files into conventional film.

Perhaps the future of microfilm might even lie with organic computing combined with high capacity disk storage. Offering parts free processing linked to Terabyte capacity storage, the computer of the future might simply wrap itself around the microfilm medium and perform all of the messy processing and duplication tasks as well as keeping digital records of documents managed.

It's all very 'Arthur C Clarke', yet they probably laughed at him when he spoke about inventing the digital communi­ cations satellite, and look where that has progressed to in the 62 years since he published the idea of geostationery orbiting lumps of electronics! ■ Comments, correspondence, emails and general feedback welcome. johnbaker@greensheetmedia.com

Remember PC Storage?

Remember we have progressed from 5.25" floppies holding the operating system (OS), to DVD-ROMS with over 8Gb of data in 25 years.

Credits: Thanks for assistance in compiling and correcting this article go to: Gerald Baker (GSM Directory Administrator) and Laurie Varendorff (GSM Australian Editor)

capture it, Store IT, Msiuiiib IT,

PreserveIT, GCIIIIS IT!!

Microfilm Consumables - Always looking for new

international distributors. Excellent prices on silver film, jackets, toners, cabinets, cartridges and spools.

Equipment - KIP Large Format Scanners, Extended Duplicator range, Wicks and Wilson Production Film Scanners, Film Et Fiche Writers Et Book2net industry price beating A2 Book Scanners.

Software - Capture Software, off the shelf Document Management Software, Bureau Management Software, Workflow, ASP, Drat) Et Drop Film Writing Software, Records Management.

Service - U.K. and European wide service coverage for Microfilm Production Film Scanners, Film Writers, Document Scanning and Large Format equipment.

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MICROGRAPHICS

6

Comment from Agfa Agfa are therefore convinced that, unless a true alternative is found, there will probably always be a demand for microfilm.

AGFA ^ Microfilm is by far the best analogue medium for the long-term storage of different kinds of data. Nowadays, national archives and libraries are the most important customers for these products.

All kinds of documents from mediaeval writings to yesterday’s newspaper are recorded and copied onto film. As microfilm archiving is warranted for accuracy and permanence up to 500 years, it is a very cost effective and secure way of storing source documents.

On top of that, microfilm is technologically independent. These days, “short-term” archives on digital media are also being copied on to film for long-term storage purposes, without the worry about future compatible hard- and software.

Although the volume of microfilm usage has reduced considerably, Agfa see that decline flattening out the industry levels to what they call “the hard core of microfilm users.”

At present Agfa are working on specific microfilm related projects, (e.g. environmentally-friendly products,) but unfortu­ nately our interview was too early for them to commit to any specific information.

(Watch this space - Ed) When Agfa was still producing photo film (Agfa sold this activity at the end of 2004) the production of microfilm and photo film was organised completely independently.

The photo film was made in its Leverkusen plant (Germany), whereas microfilm is still being produced in the Belgian HQ at Mortsel.

The Future of Microfilm We asked Agfa what they thought the future was for microfilm, particularly as many consider the medium to be a dead industry. Agfa replied, “People also said that magnetic tape and vinyl records would be dead with the introduction of cassettes and CD's. And how long has it been since we were told that the paperless office was just round the corner?

Instead of classifying microfilm as ‘old technology’ one should look at its specific benefits, its cost competitiveness and its longevity or durability. Each application has its specific requirements and each solution its own advantages (and disadvantages for that matter). These are the elements that should define which technology is the most appropriate one to use.” ■ For more information visit: www.agfa.com

Comment from Kodak Microfilm continues to be a viable archive medium that is today employed in a number of vertical disciplines, including financial, legal and government. As a medium it offers economical, efficient and safe multi decade storage that complements digital systems for long term record retention.

Offering one of the broadest portfolios of microfilm products available worldwide, Kodak are committed to do what is right for its business, in terms of participating in markets that offer profitability and growth.

This is a duty they uphold to their customers, and shareholders alike.

For the future, they see opportunities in making efforts to simplify the interface between digital and film as being one of the key developments. They also believe that other vendors will continue to make it easier to convert digital images to film and to scan film back to digital.

As a measure of Kodak's commitment to the microfilm industry, it is worth noting that their microfilm film products are currently produced in the newest and most sophisticated coating facility that Kodak operates.

What of the Future?

We asked Kodak to comment on how they saw the future of microfilm panning out.

Their reply was “The issue of how digital information is going to be preserved for

future generations needs further discussion throughout the industry.

Microfilm is recognised industry wide as the one storage medium that does not require “migration” as digital standards change. As such, it is a viable product that can complement digital information systems. While digital systems offer great features in areas of document retrieval and distribution, some face challenges in retaining digital documents in an unalterable form for future reference. At Kodak, we believe that technologies can be married to offer the best customer solution based on specific needs and business processes." ■ For more information visit: www.kodak.com

_______________________________

Comment from Ilford

ILFORD

ILFORD microfilm has been used since 1967 in (as we say in the information management industry) “analogue” systems.

Now, with the new laser exposure devices in the Eternity 105 or the Archive Laser from MicroArchive Systems, as well as with the OP 500 from Zeutschel, ILFORD film can really demonstrate how well it performs.

The low speed of the colour microfilm is no longer an issue. In fact ILFORD also sees MICROGRAPHICS

the possibility that both photographers and amateurs alike will save and store their most important digital photos on ILFORD film.

When asked about current projects, they were keen to tell us that there are further projects ongoing like “Bits on Film”. Which means you can store pure digital data (Bits) directly onto microfilm.

The Future of Microfilm We also asked ILFORD what their view was on the future of microfilm. They replied, “ILFORD Micrographic film will see a remarkable increase in sales throughout the next few years, as this is the only easy

to use, long-term stable, archiving media in the market.”

They further commented, “ Until an alternative, easy to use, cheap, long-term (up to 500 years) stable media has been developed, we should see a great future for colour microfilm for more than 10 years.

It is also worth noting that the film is cheap and a one-time investment. With digital storage, the constantly changing medium (floppy disc, CD, DVD, flash memory etc.) means that the files need to be migrated every 5 years to preserve their integrity and accessibility. Hence an ongoing cost that is not necessary for microfilm.” ■ For more information visit: www.ilford.com

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Micrographics - A Dying Industry??

The demise of micrographics may have been predicted years ago. Many eulogized this technology whose principles have been known for over 150 years, calling it outdated and old-fashioned. There were those who offered to dig the graves, and yet others that even volunteered to lie down in them. Yet, micrographics has refused to die.

Despite the wonders and the relevance of digital storage, microfilm continues to be a viable storage medium as it is dependable, no matter what technological changes have since occurred. Many governments and companies are discovering that the media being used to carry their precious information into the future is turning out to be far from eternal, and choose hybrid solutions which also incorporate microfilm as the safest, simplest and leastexpensive method for long-term storage of information. Libraries, archives and research centres embrace microfilm to assure that their legacies remain available also for future generations.

MicroVue Products, a small company in a small country, has refused to surrender!

While some manufacturers have discon­ tinued production of their microfilm readers, MicroVue continues to

manufacture a full range of models, both for 16mm and 35mm microfilm.

MicroVue’s range of XL-16 motorised readers include the simplest model for manual threading of open-spool film, as well as models for automatic loading of 3M cartridges or ANSI clips, with or without an electronic blip counter.

The Gideon 1000

MicroVue’s desktop RF-35 motorised rollfilm viewer for 16mm/35mm film offers a solution for libraries and engineering applications, and its flagship reader, the

Gideon 1000 Library Researcher, has been chosen time and time again as the preferred reader in national and major libraries and archives and can be found in more than 40 countries throughout the world. While originally manufactured both at S-T Imaging in the US and at MicroVue Products, the Gideon 1000 and the manual version, the Gideon 900, are exclusively manufactured and marketed today by MicroVue Products.

But MicroVue has not stopped there. With their long-term relationship, MicroVue Products has proven to S-T Imaging its high quality standards and its noteworthy customer service. In return, S-T Imaging has transferred to MicroVue Products the production of its UC-6E microfilm carriers for Minolta and Canon reader, printer and scanner systems as well as the carrier for the ST200 Digital Microfilm Scanner. The proprietors of MicroVue have also branched out and opened a sister company, Sheletron Ltd., that manufactures and markets digital display systems using MicroVue’s vast knowledge of electronics, production abilities and quality management system.* For further information visit: www. microvue. co. il, www. sheletron. com or www.stimaging.com

MICROFILM READERS

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MicroVue

manufactures 16mm and 35mm film re a d e rs th a t are sold th ro u g h o u t th e w o rld .

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MICROGRAPHICS

8

Comment from Gerald Baker Senior Partner, G G Baker & Associates

The value of microfilm has been impacted in several major areas by the development of more effective alternatives. Where rapid access to information stored at multiple locations is a vital factor, such as the handling of customer enquiries, electronic document management is clearly superior to anything microfilm can offer. COM once provided an inexpensive alternative to the distribution of inconvenient and weighty continuous stationery, but on-line systems have replaced the need for this activity.

Secure storage remains as the major area where film still has the edge. This is not just because of the estimated 500 year life of the media, it is due to the fact that every aspect of microfilm is fully covered by international standards and - what is more important - those standards are respected and observed by all suppliers of hardware, materials and services.

sU S u n R ise

For many years I served as the Chairman of the Microfilm Association of Great Britain which had strong links with its founders in the library and academic field.

Long-term preservation was of major interest and I was urged to participate in all aspects of standardisation, eventually serving for over ten years as Chairman of the committees responsible for the production and update of British and International micrographic standards.

Because so many leading figures in the industry were willing to give up a substantial amount of their time to attending meetings to agree acceptable micrographic standards, we now have interchangeable media, recommended processing and storage methods and fully compatible hardware. Long-life film would by itself be worthless for archival applications if media dimensions and related reading and printout equipment changed every few years, but that is, in effect, what has been happening with the electronic and optical storage alternatives, Standardisation must not stifle development, but users can be certain that any future micrographic hardware will be able to generate or display existing microformats with changes limited to improved efficiency and ease of use.

Much of my present work relates to electronic document management, but I am sufficiently in touch with micrographics to see quite a bright future for the technology if it is used within its obvious limitations. Much progress has already been made in bridging micrographic and electronic systems through film scanners and archivers, the typical quality of images on film has been substantially improved over the years and colour microfilm seems to be an area of potential growth.

The industry has now consolidated sufficiently to compensate for the loss of some previously lucrative applications.

The remaining suppliers should have an adequate market, mainly composed of archival applications and the servicing of many thousands of existing systems which do not justify a change to electronic storage. Although there will be far fewer new start-ups, microfilm is still well able to handle many existing installations. Where a major investment has already been made in a microfilm system it is often more economic to maintain it than replace it with an electronic alternative, especially if film is considered a more appropriate medium for long-term retention. ■ For more information please email Gerald Baker at: ggbaker@ctv.es

FLEXIBLE AND COST EFFECTIVE FILM SCANNING from SUNRISE EMEA

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MICROGRAPHICS

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Revolutionaiy Software Designed to Provide the Best in Capture and Conversion of Microfilm and Microfiche to Digital

With NextStar, just load your film or fiche for scanning and go! scan, detect and display instantly the entire roll of film or whole fiche I

nextStar by nextscan W h a t does this m e a n fo r you?

NextStar automatically detects the individual frames, while enabling you to view them all at once. No more rescans, reloads or lost images. View, audit and QA all images at once. Define image enhance­ ment features from a wide variety of options as NextStar instantly detects varying image size and density.

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No longer do you have to view and correct one image at a time. Minimal training is required. One operator can handle multiple scanners. NextStar won't slow down for even the largest images, and you can be sure to achieve the best image possible for digitization.

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’Sv' • * ML —^

KtLJr^H Being complacent about protecting crucial documents used by your business is no longer an option. Simply ignoring the issue, could not only land you in legal hot water, it could threaten the very future of your business. That's the message from Vijay Magon, director of leading electronic document management systems developer OITUK. The combination of legal obligations and external threats surrounding the issue of storing and safeguarding crucial information applies to all businesses across all sectors. Businesses need to put the storage and management of documents to the top of their agendas.

First and foremost, there are a wide range of external threats to a company's crucial information. These include: hackers, malicious damage, fire, theft and flooding.

mWk Data merely stored on computer hard drives or paper-based filing systems are particularly vulnerable to loss or destruction.

Secondly, there is the growing amount of legislation being rolled out. Failure to manage electronic documents as formal corporate records will mean that organi­ sations will not be able to comply with government legislation. Compliance with legislation demands, at the very least, a high-level inventory of a company's information assets. Complying with legislation like the Data Protection Act and, more recently, the Freedom of Information Act, and Civil Procedures rules on Electronic Discovery, will require investment and careful application of available technology.

The solution lies in the implementation of

integrated Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS).

Once the preserve of multinationals and major blue chip companies, EDRMS is now firmly within the financial grasp of any business, including SME, which values the integrity of its information.

OITUK have an established track record in providing and implementing EDRMS. At the core of the OITUK solutions is the CCube suite. The C-Cube suite of products incorporating, work flow, electronic document and records management and content management, is designed to meet the ever changing demands of the business and help fulfill the regulatory requirements, as deemed by the overseeing authorities. ■ Visit www.oituk.com c. c

Isn’t it time you found out about

OIT UK’s Total Solution for Content Management?

The C-Cube solutions from O ITUK, based on the award-winning software from Optical Image Technology Inc., have been installed in the UK since 1995.

We have provided many solutions ranging from small departmental systems to enterprise-wide systems with fu ll electronic document management (EDM) and workflow. The C-Cube solutions are installed across several industry sectors including finance, local government and health.

Our implementation approach is to develop close partnerships with customers to design, install and support integrated EDM and workflow. Cost­ saving and revenue-enhancing technologies make information more manageable, people more productive and organisations more successful.

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(g y ContentCapturp'Control

OITUK provides: AV Migration to web-based and portal based business AV Improvement and enhancement to current business streams AV Scalability to address corporate/enterprise information needs AV Electronic Forms Processing Aw Compliance with legislation

The product suite to meet all aspects o f Enterprise with: AV

Assured service levels

AV

Operational efficiency

AV

Standardisation

User benefits include: A \

Dramatic cost savings,

A \.

Increased productivity,

A\

Disaster recovery,

A\

Increased audit and control,

A\

Reduced reliance on paper handling

A\

Process efficiencies

C Cube

(§ y ContentCapture Control

IV

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Member of the Genus Group

COMPLIANCE

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It feels good to feel safe.

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You can rely on every single member.

By partnering Fujitsu you are in safe hands and can rely on us and our product family members. With decades of experience, market and technology leadership', Fujitsu scanners are state-of-the-art.

Fujitsu has exactly the scanner that suits your specific needs.

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How can reliability be even safer?

By having the right assurance. Partnering with Fujitsu you have the possibility to decide for our Assurance Programme, the manufacturer supported warranty and maintenance offering available on Fujitsu scanners. In addition to the standard warranty provision a series of warranty options and upgrades will be available as well as Out of Warranty cover for existing scanners. Simply said: A good family unit.

For further information on regional coverage and all AP products please visit www.fel.fujitsu.com

* Inlosource Scanner Market Report Spring 2006

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All names, manufacturer names, brand and product designations are subject to special trademark rights and are manufacturer's trademarks and/or registered brands of their respective owners. All indications are non-binding. Technical data is subject to change without prior notification.

WebSearch Storage for Data Hosting DocuLex provides ‘Instant Document Access’ with Web based document management software DocuLex , creators of electronic document management software, announces the release of WebSearch Storage for Data Hosting software. The programme provides users with easy to use, automated, networked and web enabled offsite data management capabilities. WebSearch Storage for Data Hosting software was created specifically for use by businesses seeking affordable, thorough organisation and management of ‘mustkeep’ information, features secure Web 2.0 based ‘Instant Document Access’ from any location via the Internet including permission assigning and Active Directory integration.

operations to enable secure, ‘Instant Document Access’ from any location with convenience of use that is similar, yet easier, than an Internet search engine,” commented Tim Nissen, Director of Marketing of DocuLex. Searches may be performed using document specific meta data descriptions, full text content, as well as date ranges, search history, search lists and saved searches. The programme serves as a document hosting facilitator, with advanced public-key infrastructure (PKI) providing encryption and digital signature security for outsourcing daily-use information access to the electronic file storage.

“WebSearch is an easy to use, Web-based document management program developed for use throughout a business’s

WebSearch is now a workflow enabler, providing users the ability to share and amend native format documents, while organising and tracking each amended version.

Documents of any file type may be uploaded directly to WebSearch, indexed (with additional document identifying meta data added remotely if necessary) for native format storage and ease of access. The program’s SQL or SQL Express database support handles substantial file data storage, providing users with Microsoft’s off-the-shelf database power. The Active Directory integration enables heightened security and user permission access and tracking.

Microfilm and Imaging Equipment

E A S Y M U T IM E D IA S C A N N E R S ■ t o CopyMaster (A2)> —

a sophisticated yet easy to use overhead copier for copying books and documents the way you read them; face up. Ideal for staff or public use the CopyMaster captures images directly to the integrated computer from where they can be output to paper and digital devices.

Universal Microfilm Scanner a reader and scanner for microfilm, microfiche, aperture cards and opaque cards. With its low price and a very small footprint the Universal brings affordable and compact digital microfilm options to every desktop.

Copy Base (A1-A0)> the Solar range of A1 and AO copy bases are specifically designed and built for scanning the wide variety of maps, books and objects unsuitable for sheet fed systems. Standard fittings allow the user to select the best camera for the job.

Email: mail@solar-imaging.com T: + 00 (0 )1 6 3 4 2 9 0 0 9 9

www.solar-imaging.com 1 L a s e r Q uay, C u lp e p e r C lo s e , M e d w a y C ity E s ta te R o c h e s te r, K e n t M E 2 4H U

STORAGE

Beneficial to the user is an updated visually appealing interface, with functionality that is easier to use than an Internet search engine’s key word query. The server-based software automates complex documentation organisational functions including browser-based file room views and group collaboration folders.

The program manages multiple levels of security, including Organisation, Community, Group, Users, as well as individual files. Document and user activity tracking logs are always available, assisting in compliance of privacy laws including HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley.

Incorporated in 1996, DocuLex, which is based in Winter Haven, Florida, creates open-system document management software for use with desktop and production document scanners, as well as digital multifunctional copiers, facsimile and wide format units.

Through an extensive reseller channel, the company offers network-enabled document capture and image processing software along with Web-based search and retrieval programs, bundled and offered as Archive Studio.

Archive Studio is easy to use, productive electronic document management software for any business environment seeking secure ‘Instant Document Access.’ See www.doculex-usa.com for program information and demonstrations ■ For additional information on DocuLex visit www.doculexusa.com Visit the GSM Directory at www. areensheetmedia. com/directory

13

Are you covering your back end?

Tips on securing your storage network by Andrew Wilson, UK Sales and Marketing Director, Hitachi Data Systems

The storage network is now of the utmost importance to any enterprise; not only does it hold essential data, the lifeblood of any organisation,'it also provides the capacity for running business-critical applications and services. Unfortunately this makes the storage network a potential target for malicious attacks from outside the organisation and also renders it vulnerable to accidental damage from within the company.

Storage security has never been more important than at the present time, when business and regulatory compliance demand confidential data security. Yet while 72% of EMEA companies acknowledge that regulatory issues are an important driver in their storage investment, the issues that result from security breaches, such as financial loss and brand damage, can be just as serious as receiving a fine or legal action for noncompliance.

A carefully planned and well-executed security strategy throughout the enterprise is essential, so what should companies take into consideration to reduce the risk of data corruption and loss?

Don’t assume your data is secure It is a common belief amongst business and technical personnel alike that because the storage network exists far from the many entry points and is not on an Internet Protocol (IP) network, that it doesn’t need additional security. This assumption is often what makes the storage network the weak link in the security chain. While your average employee may have little idea of how the storage environment operates or how to access key data, a malicious attacker will often take advantage of this attitude to the storage environment. Securing, hardening and frequently monitoring the storage system is crucial to prevent unauthorised individuals obtaining and potentially misusing valuable data.

Ensure your technical team understands the storage network Storage networks are often looked upon as simple systems that merely provide data storage. This can lead to misconfiguration of the system making it vulnerable to accidental security breaches, those in charge of the storage network need to understand how to secure all parts of the environment in order to prevent this. In a small or mid-sized business a lack of technical knowledge or training can result in perfectly adequate equipment operating without proper protection because one element has been left unsecured.

In larger enterprises it is also often the case

that one or two experts administer storage security but a number of other technical personnel have access to the storage environment to carry out other tasks. There are cases where otherwise well-secured storage networks have been compromised by a technical team member ‘borrowing’ a cable from part of the storage network, having assumed it was an insignificant test environment, taking down part of the service by accident and leaving the entire system vulnerable. Implementing a company-wide labelling system of cables and other vital equipment will enable the relevant employees to see what they are being used for and whether or not they are safe to remove.

Align storage security with enterprise-wide security strategy

Secure the management network

Advocate skills and knowledge sharing

The management network can serve as the easiest point of attack within a storage system as this is what allows control of the storage network environment. Often it is a simple box that acts as a bridge between the storage network and the company IP Local Area Network (LAN) and it is frequently improperly secured at the IP end. The management network should operate at the same security level as other entry points, as well as utilising controlled access management and authentication procedures to make unauthorised use as difficult as possible. This will prevent an opportunistic attacker exploiting this common weakness.

Often storage administrators and the security team exist as separate divisions within an enterprise. This can mean the administrators have little knowledge of security best-practice and the security personnel do not have a sufficiently in-depth knowledge of storage to be able to see the weaknesses in the network.

This can be the result of a lack of training, a territorial attitude or simply a lack of contact with one another. Cross-pollination of skills and knowledge is essential to prevent storage being the weak link in the security chain and it is important for companies to promote these practices.

Segregate security domains properly It is now standard practice to separate and firewall the organisation’s network into appropriate security domains, ensuring that data can only be seen by authorised personnel. Unfortunately in many cases the storage system is connected in an unprotected way to multiple networks throughout the enterprise. This means that a single attack on the storage system puts all networks at risk.

The solution is to install different servers and applications with different data sets and ensure that the storage volumes at the back end are protected from rogue applications and servers. If this is done incorrectly, a new box plugged into the network without the correct security installed may try to take ownership of the disks around it. This can potentially cause problems with overwriting and loss of valuable data.

Encrypt moving data Encryption on disk storage is often a useful tool but many organisations are wary of the prospect of losing encryption keys and rendering their data useless. In fact, 43% of companies in EMEA admit they do not have a data encryption policy at all . Yet the risks of this are far outweighed by the benefits when data is transferred to a portable device or tape.

The potential for portable data to be lost by the carrier and get into the wrong hands is not such a scary prospect if it is impossible for that data to be viewed or used. Encrypting moving data should be an essential component of any organisation’s security strategy.

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An effective security strategy will cover people and processes in addition to technology. Clear policies and procedures that are regularly enforced will encourage employees to realise that data security is their responsibility also.

Only 53% of firms in EMEA report having an internal policy for the security of data stored on mobile devices . This is a surprising statistic given recent reports of lost laptops, disks and USB keys. Companies need to apply and enforce security strategies which cover dataat-rest as well as data stored on mobile devices.

Electronic and logical security can be extremely effective in preventing malicious or accidental attacks on storage networks but this is only part of the story. Physically securing equipment is a frequently neglected part of storage security and some organisations have paid the price for this.

Regularly reviewing storage security practices as part of the company’s overall strategy is fundamental to preventing attacks. For a large enterprise, include a review of how many people have keys to the data centre and how secure the room is; for a small or mid-sized enterprise, check that the keys to the storage rack haven’t been left in the lock. Taking time to remind all employees that an attacker doesn’t need to get through layers of electronic security to get hold of data if he or she can simply walk in and take it will pay dividends.

Following these tips will help you protect one of your most valuable assets: the data your company relies on to complete its missioncritical activities. Bear in mind that implementing a set of policies that help all employees in keeping company data secure is just as important as ensuring your technical team has taken the necessary steps to secure the data electronically. ■

Hitachi Data Systems is exhibiting at Storage Expo 2007 the UK's largest and most important event dedicated to data storage.

Now in its 7th year, the show features a comprehensive FREE education programme and over 100 exhibitors at the National Hall, Olympia, London from 17- 18 October 2007 www. storage-expo, com STORAGE

Before storing your information you must first decide in what form you want it -

To scan or not to scan

By Pete O ’Brien , Director o f Capita Private Software Sector easily secured. Electronic storage can also have a positive impact on insurance premiums.

7. Does the bureau use the best quality equipment for clarity of results?

8. Are scanning speeds at least 120ppm?

9. Will the bureau provide a sample scan so a client can ensure the scanned files will upload into its EDM system?

10. Can they provide client contact details for obtaining direct references?

So how do you scan everything?

Fingertip access to all company files is fast becoming the norm for many businesses as they increasingly move away from the storage of paper files in favour of on-line electronic scans accessible to all staff members.

Scanning on a company-wide scale is a huge step up from the sort of scanning most people would have undertaken in the office or at home. It requires specialist expertise, experience, meticulous administrative processes and the highest quality scanning equipment. All of this is readily available in specialist scanning bureaus, and is one of the primary reasons why, as demand has increased, the scanning bureau has evolved from a niche operation into a mainstream business service.

This article looks at the benefits driving companies to invest in what are sometimes large operations and then gives advice on how to select the right scanning service.

Large-scale scanning projects to convert archives can take months to prepare and execute. Generally, companies lack the combination of skills, space and equipment required to meet their requirements for document conversion and a scanning bureau is often the most efficient way to get the best quality result.

In the case of documentation that is considered highly confidential, bureau services can be extended to run directly on customer sites using dedicated teams to scan all relevant documents.

Accessibility to files

Choosing the right scanning bureau

Scanned documents can be imported into an Electronic Document Management (EDM) system allowing staff access to every file from any location.

When choosing a quality and reliable supplier, one of the most important qualifications is to visit the suppliers on your shortlist to get a detailed understanding of the processes and a first-hand view of the quality of the premises. Next, you need to ask the right questions. Here are a few fundamental facts to check: 1. Does the company meet the BDP0008 standard - the British standard, which ensures the legal admissibility of the scanned documents? If not, your electronic documents may not be valid in a legal situation.

2. Does the supplier have sufficient liability insurance?

3. Is there a meticulous logging system in place that guarantees that at anytime, if a client needs access to a file that is at the bureau, it can be quickly located and delivered to them?

4. Are there quality assurance checks at every stage of the process?

5. Are the staff experienced and highly trained in the preparation, scanning, indexing and quality assurance?

6. Are there excellent security and fire protection arrangements for the premises, storage areas and delivery vehicles?

But is this type of document management system really worth it? Inevitably, the larger an organisation, the more it has to gain from converting its paper documents to electronic ones.

This ease of access creates an instant improvement in staff productivity as hours previously spent trawling through filing cabinets to locate documents or waiting for files to be sent from other offices or archive stores is immediately eliminated.

Cost-savings Potential cost-savings can be made by reducing the storage space required. Many original files that companies need to retain are still legally valid in electronic format, if scanned correctly. Once scanning is completed, a large proportion of paper files can be destroyed, heavily reducing storage requirements. Warehouses full of paper can potentially be transformed into a pile of CDs, DVDs or, preferably, readily accessible and secure data on a server.

Security Security requirements need careful consideration when thinking about document management.

Paper documents are always at risk from fire or flood, while electronic versions with a Disaster Recovery copy are much more STORAGE

Other features setting one supplier apart from another include the flexibility to provide more than just a standard scanning service. This could be bespoke options, such as, advanced security for specialist/sensitive projects, on-site scanning or the ability to carry out weekend rush jobs, confidential and certified waste disposal and ‘Off Shore’ indexing to help keep costs down. Finally, and most importantly, before a project starts make sure there is a detailed project plan in place - you won’t regret it.

Does the bureau use the best quality equipment for clarity o f results?

Scanning doesn’t stop there Companies who make the decision to

j convert stores of paper files to electronic | ones continue scanning files on a daily or | weekly basis, as they accumulate. While a few organisations opt to handle day-to! day scanning in-house, the majority prefer j to continue outsourcing to their trusted | scanning bureau. Scanning bureaus may 1 also provide a post room function to scan, ' log and distribute all incoming mail. In | certain cases, there will be a requirement | to scan and keep the original paper documentation safely, your bureau should also offer a cost efficient off site storage facility to hold such documentation.

Organisations should bear in mind, that even when a major scanning project is complete, the scanning doesn’t ever stop at that point. ■

J

Capita Total Document Solutions provides | Electronic Document Management Solutions and Services incorporating its | established Scanning Bureau and its \ Swordfish EDM system.

J

Visit www.capita-tds.co.uk information

for

more

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Computer controlled storage for Paper Files 5 Autom ated document management solutions could help businesses stem the rising operational costs of data storage According to IBM, up to 80 percent of the costs of storing digital data in businesses is spent on operational staff salaries. While the hardware costs of storing data are falling, the operational costs for data centres is increasing, and businesses choosing advanced physical document management systems for everyday and critical documents could find their operating costs dramatically reduced.

“Businesses making the move to digital document ptorage are often drawn in by the perceived low costs of hardware and software, however the cost of staff required to maintain, optimise, back-up, secure, regulate and audit critical data within the organisation can be higher than the costs of managing paper documents using smarter systems” , explains Clive Williams, sales manager for document management specialist Kardex.

Williams believes that automated document management systems can ease the burden on data centres and even eliminate the need for costly and time consuming scanning of paper documents and related digital media.

One system that is helping businesses cope with large quantities of paper

documents is an automated vertical carousel system called the DataStack.

The Kardex DataStack is a computercontrolled storage and retrieval system that features rotating shelves, housing files in a high-density configuration. The system stores the equivalent of sixteen four-drawer filing cabinets and saves up to 80 percent of floor space while cutting down document retrieval times by up to 66 percent compared to traditional solutions.

Since all files are stored inside the unit and the system can be networked through Kardex’s own PowerPick software, searching and retrieving physical documents becomes as easy and secure as retrieving data documents on a computer. Since the unit is completely

self-contained there are no costs associated with hiring staff to manage back ups, auditing and regulating the system, all of which is automated or controlled remotely.

“Businesses looking to expand their data centres by creating networked digital document reservoirs can use systems like the DataStack to house physical documents for hard copy backup or regulatory purposes,” explains Williams.

“In addition to the cost, accountability and security benefits, users benefit from a more immediate document retrieval experience that eliminates the constant need to print digital documents.”

Kardex customers benefit from a compre­ hensive range of additional services including analysis of storage requirements, assistance with equipment selection, configuration and integration with digital document storage systems. Flexible support contracts ensure that Kardex systems continue to operate at maximum efficiency and they can be adapted and upgraded as future needs change. ■ Kardex has operations in 30 countries and employs more than 1000 people. For more information visit www.kardex.co.uk

The Right Tone from Bisley for the Royal Festival Hall Bisley Office Furniture joins the many international names that are involved in the major transformation of one of the country’s best loved buildings - the Royal Festival Hall. Already complete as part of the five-year building and refurbishment programme is the New Building which has been purpose-built to permanently house the 180 strong team of office and technical facilities staff. This relocation programme has freed up 35% more public space within the Royal Festival Hall for an Education Centre, the opening up of the original roof terraces and the extension of the two Level 4 interval bars.

The New Building, designed by Royal Festival Hall architects Allies and Morrison, is a slim, glass-fronted building built alongside the Hungerford rail bridge and linking the new Golden Jubilee foot bridges with Belvedere Road.

Not only were relocated office staff able to take advantage of brand new facilities in a bright modern working environment, they were also provided with the latest work station and storage solutions as part of the office design scheme. Office furniture specialists, Furniture for Business (FFB) ^ supplied all of the furniture on the project

and worked together with office furniture manufacturers Bisley to assess what the storage requirements were and provide the most cost-effective and work-efficient

“Bisley LateralFiles have the advantage of being totally practical as well as providing a sleek modern look to an office scheme” comments Helen Watson from FFB. “This combines with their versatility to compliment an office scheme by designating break-out areas and determining individual work areas” .

Bisley Pedestals provided the personal storage facilities required by the office design scheme. 178 were installed to complement individual work stations.

Personal lockers were also integrated into the scheme.

....provided the most cost-effective and work-efficient solutions.

The scheme took advantage of Bisley’s LateralFile storage systems which offer numerous width, height and closure options plus an extensive range of internal fittings for real storage flexibility. Beech coloured tops featured on grey LateralFiles which were strategically positioned to separate out work areas.

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“This scheme reflects just how much filing and storage requirements are evolving and how necessary it is to accommodate these changes within a design scheme,” says Sarah Trown from Bisley. Personal storage is now a major requirement and filing cabinets can be used as part of a design scheme - both factors placing filing and storage much higher on the interior designer’s agenda” . ■ Contact: Bisley Office Furniture, Queens Road, Bisley, Woking, Surrey GU24 9BJ Tel: +44 (0)1483 485600 or visit www.bisley.com STORAGE

16

Link 51 Mobile Shelving enhances the role of Historic London Archives Records and documents covering the needs of local government, 100 hospitals, schools, businesses and the residents of 1,000 parishes in the heart of London are now securely stored in a major Link 51 mobile shelving facility. The Archive of the City of London, London Metropolitan Archives, holds a vast amount of material - dating back as far as the 11th century - on more than 72kms of mobile shelving. Through a new installation by Link 51, based on the company’s latest ‘Stormor’ shelving design, an additional 13.5kms has been created compared to the previous installation with, remarkably, only a minimal increase in footprint requirements.

The vast majority of material held is contained in boxes sized to meet the specific needs of the archive store. Much of the shelving is thus designed to specific dimensions to accommodate the maximum number of boxes and, alongside, larger material which is also stored including maps and plans relating to property ownership within the geographical area covered. The scale of the operation is demonstrated by the fact that some 3 million photographs alone are held at the site.

“The recent refurbishment has enabled us to expand the record holding dramatically,” comments Technical Services Manager, Tim Harris, “the vast majority of which is now fitted with the Link 51 mobile shelving system. This comprises a total of 120 back-to-back shelving runs, each of which is between six and twelve bays in length. In turn, twelve shelf

levels are available for storage in most of the facility - much of it kept ‘closed’ with only specific access aisles opened as required. It is this configuration that allows us to maximise the capacity of the available space.”

the history of the building, which for many years was home to heavy machinery and rolls of paper as a printing works, presented specific floor alignment issues which the Link 51 design has been able to accommodate.

“As a local authority operation, there was a requirement for the London Metropolitan Archives to enter into a competitive tendering situation,” comments Link 51’s National Sales Manager, Bob Murphy, “so we are delighted to have won this highly prestigious contract.

"We believe it is an excellent demonstration of our latest Stormor product which, because of its slim uprights, can create additional space that, across an installation of this size, can add up to a significant amount. The customer can also re-configure the system ‘in-house’ to suit changes in requirements - a capability which has already been used.”

The opening of each aisle is achieved with a lightweight, easy to use, ergonomicallydesigned hand wheel which moves shelving runs along parallel tracks set into a raised floor.

Static shelving runs divide the facility into smaller areas and also create further storage at the end of the mobile layout.

A number of key issues were addressed by the Link 51 design team as part of the installation process. These included fitting the shelving around roof support beams and also allowing sufficient space for the internal sprinkler system to be correctly located. Additionally,

With a constant stream of requirements from users of the facility - including commercial, local government and the general public - the storage facility is now accessed continuously by the Archive’s Production Team. Mobile ladder access and an ‘Axxessor’ lift are used where appropriate to gain access to the higher levels. Overall, it is seen as an installation that reflects its standing as a highly important institution - both for the immediate London area and also as a repository of records of national significance. ■

Contact: Telephone 0800 169 5151 or visit www.link51.co.uk

An archival information dilemma In a digital world, not everything is being digitised and some archival data is being lost forever.

“There is an illusion being created that all the world’s knowledge is on the web,” Edward L. Ayers, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia, told The New York Times, which earlier this year published a detailed report covering the subject of archival digitisation. Ayers and others said that illusion is very far from being true and he also stated, “we haven’t begun to glimpse what is out there in local archives and libraries. Material that is not digitised risks being neglected as it would not have been in the past, and ultimately lost to the great majority of end users".

Ayers’ comment focuses on a fact that is disturbing more and more historians and archivists. Where before the future of various media was of concern to most users, now with the assumption digitisation will take care of everything, the media that are not digitised may be forgotten and nothing done to protect them. Literally thousands of years of historical data could be lost in a few decades by neglect.

While digitisation efforts of the last 10 years have been prodigious and well publicised (such as projects by Google, IBM and the Mormon Church’s Genealogical Society), they are far from complete. That holds true for paper documents, microfilms, CDs, computer tapes and other information originals.

STORAGE

Only 10% of documents digitised The US Library of Congress, for example, admits that despite its continuing and ambitious digitisation efforts, perhaps only 10% of the 132 million objects held by the Library will be digitised in the foreseeable future. The big obstacle is cost, and it’s not the cost of scanning alone. In fact, the cost of scanning an object can be a relatively minor part of the entire expense of digitising and making an item accessible on-line. In addition, for recently published information, copyrights can present another major problem.

The Library of Congress isn’t alone in its concern. At the US National Archives only a small fraction of 9 billion documents are likely to be digitised and put on-line. And at thousands of smaller locations and information sources around the US (as well as around the world), the bulk of potentially-digitisable materials are languishing on “old” media: i.e., paper, microfilm, LPs, CDs, computer tapes, etc. “ Languishing” is the key word. Most of the meager funds available are going into digitisation, NOT preservation. “ If researchers conclude that the only valuable records they need are on-line, they will be missing major parts of the story,” said James

J. Hastings, director of access programs at the National Archives. “And in some cases they will miss the story altogether.”

A paradox As Hastings and others point out, the ultimate fate of many tons of information highlights one of the paradoxes of the digital age. While the internet boom has made information more accessible than ever before, that very fact also threatens records that don’t lend themselves easily to digitisation. In fact, they are more likely to be ignored than in the past.

A new generation of researchers prefers to seek information almost exclusively on-line.

That’s a trend that is hard to counter even though so much material is not digitised either because of cost or because the format of the information doesn’t lend itself easily to digiti­ sation.

Rather than seeking all information, many of the new generation of researchers stay with what’s available through their computer screens only.

Happily there are also still many researchers who remember there is a wealth of vital information still on paper, microfilm, CDs, magnetic tapes, even on papyrus. ■

First published in the New York Times

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17

DocuWare 5.1 certified for storage solutions Network Appliance certifies DocuWare 5.1 for Snap Lock Technology Network Appliance and DocuWare are cooperating and as part of this partnership, the specialist for Unified Storage Solutions has certified the seamless integration of the document management system with NetApp SnapLock storage technology.

management - such as the archiving of all kinds of documents from a variety of sources in one central document pool - with the high access speed provided by a hard disk, further enhanced by the security of a WORM medium.

Companies are increasingly confronted with strict legal regulations regarding the storage of documents. One way, for example, to archive documents, e-mails and files over many years is provided by optical media such as CD and DVD.

Easily meeting Compliance Rules

Another rbute is offered by storage specialist Network Appliance and its SnapLock technology which generates WORM volumes on hard disks. With DocuWare 5.1 and NetApp SnapLock, users have a low-cost solution for the long­ term storage of critical company data. It combines the advantages of document

“Retaining and securing data for audit and compliance regulations have become necessary parts of business operations around the world. The ability to secure that data - and find it again in seconds - is critical to protecting information assets, achieving regulatory compliance, and meeting eDiscovery requests,” said Patrick Rogers, vice president of Solutions Marketing at NetApp. “DocuWare eases the task of pooling and managing all document types. This certification means customers will benefit from saving time, administration,

and infrastructure expenses - with the confidence that their data is tamper-proof.”

Stefan Schindler, Director of DocuWare Limited welcomes the partnership: “For many customers, the seamless integration of a Document Management Solution within other products is an important purchasing criteria. The certification of DocuWare 5.1

by Network Appliance underscores once again the integration abilities of this integrated document management software."

Network Appliance is a leading provider of innovative data management solutions that simplify the complexities of storing, managing, protecting and retaining enterprise data. Market leaders around the world choose NetApp to help them reduce cost, minimise risk, and adapt to change. ■ Visit www.netapp.com.

Hewlett-Packard certifies DocuWare 5.1 for HP Backend Solution Hewlett-Packard has thoroughly tested and certified the integration of its storage management solution, HP StorageWorks File System Extender, in DocuWare 5.1. This integrated solution manages automatic storage - even of large quantities of data in central storage systems.

The volume of documentation in companies is growing explosively. Systems for secure, long-term archiving that are also easy to install and administer are in high demand. A big advantage of the DocuWare document management system is its simple integration thanks to standardised interfaces for a wide variety of applications.

Now Hewlett-Packard has successfully

tested and certified the integration of its storage management solution, HP StorageWorks File System Extender, in DocuWare 5.1.

With HP StorageWorks File System Extender (FSE) Version 3.4, HewlettPackard is providing software for storage management that is both easy to use and reasonably priced. This back-end solution supports both disk and tape storage media as well as the most popular backup and recovery programmes.

It can handle up to several hundred million files. Data can be automatically copied from hard disk to hard disk; even parallel copying is possible. In conjunction with the

DocuWare document management system, users get a solution for long-term archiving that is strong enough to administer even large quantities of data in central storage systems.

Hewlett-Packard focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers - from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $97.1 billion for the year ended April 30, 2007. ■ Visit www.hp.com.

For more information on DocuWare, visit our website at www.docuware.com

ATP announces the availability new Software Award-Winning Software allows for E-m ail and Contacts Synchronization between PCs ATP, a leading manufacturer of flash media solutions, announced that the award winning Carry it Easy +Plus software will be pre-installed as a 30 day trial version on the new ATP ToughDrive Mini USB Drives. The preloaded software will allow ToughDrive Mini users to keep Outlook E-mail and Contacts synchronized and portable between PCs. Users* will also be able to carry their personal Internet Favourites bookmarks with them.

“As with all other ATP flash memory products, the new ToughDrive Mini offers protection from water/moisture, dust, static discharge, and extreme temperatures and is the perfect tool to carry important data, especially when it comes to confidential work documents, due to its compact, robust design. However, it is even more crucial to have data always be updated and be immediately available anytime you need it,”

said Danny Lin, ATP Executive Vice President. “With Carry it Easy +Plus software allowing for data synchronisation, important work information such as Outlook E-mail and Contacts has now become dynamic. This is a significant advantage especially for business professionals who travel constantly and therefore cannot afford having scattered data.”

“The ToughDrive mini together with our award winning Carry it Easy +Plus software give users a great combination of hard and software. Keeping their data safe and in sync, while on the road.” said Roman Foeckl, Managing Director of CoSoSys In addition to the freedom of having Outlook E-mails and Contacts portable, Carry it Easy +Plus also offers File, Folder and Desktop synchronization feature that allows users to keep their work files on different PCs always up-to-date. The included compression

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functionality adds extra capacity to the USB Drive, allowing more data to be stored in compressed form. Most importantly the Carry it Easy +Plus software adds security to the ToughDrive mini by password protecting and partitioning the USB Drive.

The ATP ToughDrive Mini is enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost, serving as an additional memory cache for an improved system performance. The solid synthetic polymer housing of ATP ToughDrive mini resists water and provides shock absorption. Users can also visit the ATP website at flash@atpinc.com to download the software. A license key to the full version of Carry it Easy +Plus can be purchased by ATP customers after an instant rebate of US$10 for just US$14.95. ■ For more information on ATP memory products, please email flash@atpinc.com or visit http://www.atpinc.com STORAGE

An interview with Paul Hunt of Perceptive Software Perceptive Software creates document management, imaging and workflow software for more than 60,000 users across 22 countries.

International Sales Director Paul Hunt tells Green Sheet Editor, Tim Nixon, why Perceptive Software’s flagship product, ImageNow, attracts clients as diverse as The University of Cambridge, Lloyds TSB and the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

Visit www.imagenow.com or Booth 210, Documation UK GSM: Lets start with a brief company history PH: In the early 1990’s Perceptive Software engineers in Kansas developed the concept of scanning paper documents and attaching the image to a related transaction - and our flagship software, ImageNow, was born.

We quickly established a solid reputation in the domestic US market and the company grew fast. Over the last six years we’ve achieved a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 47% (the average for the industry is less than 10%.) The company growth has been 100 percent organic - no acquisitions. We now have satellite headquarters in Bracknell where I’m working to develop our position in EMEA. GSM: What makes ImageNow different to other document management suites?

PH: ImageNow provides a set of image processing and workflow facilities that permit any application to become document enabled in a non-programmatic way. Our aim is to give employees the access they need in the context of familiar business applications, making it quick to learn and easy to use. We want our clients to be self-sufficient. ImageNow software operates very much behind the scenes and doesn’t take over the desktop. The fact that it works with any platform or application means that it’s highly adaptable, easily deployed and causes minimum disruption to existing business processes.

Our average time for integration and deployment is eight days, making return on investment much faster.

Once the software is installed there is also no need for an ongoing service relationship - companies can manage ImageNow without our help - which of course cuts out a lot of expense.

GSM: Where does Perceptive Software sit in the market?

PH: We’ve become an industry leader by developing our business applications and IMAGENOW INTERVIEW

alliances with other leading companies including Canon, Fujitsu, HP, IBM and Microsoft. Our customers are spread across all industries, often in accounts and HR departments, but our key vertical markets are healthcare, financial services, education, construction and the public sector. In the US alone more than 800 hospitals rely on ImageNow, and more than 260 higher education institutions use it. We’ve recently started working with The University of Cambridge in the UK and the University of Cape town in South Africa.

GSM: Why is document management so popular within the higher education sector?

PH: Software like ours is perfect for admissions systems, as well as accounts payable and archiving. A lot of educational organisations have paper-based admin processes that can be inefficient and slow.

Document management software helps to streamline systems, speed things up and avoid mistakes. And because ImageNow provides point and click integration, training isn’t time consuming. Universities like the fact that they can use it independently once deployed, without having to commit budgets to long-term service costs.

GSM: What is your business development strategy for Europe?

PH: In the UK our emphasis is on selling directly to commercial and customers. We are also looking to target public sector, but it works differently in the UK, so that will be a more gradual process. Direct sales tend to work best for us. Our approach is cooperative and collaborative - not a traditional reseller model. But we do have resellers in South America, India and South Africa and we’re looking for other partners in Europe that understand our key markets. From a marketing perspective we work very closely with enterprise application vendors, such as Oracle, Lawson, SAP and Microsoft.

GSM: How do you compete for business with some of the biggest software companies in the world?

PH: ImageNow’s primary competitive advantage is its ability to deliver scalable, enterprise document management and workflow solutions in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost of our competitors. We achieve this through our patented integration technology, our focus on software engineering and a tried-andtested implementation methodology.

ImageNow 6.0 Sunflower is the latest version, and it took more than 209,300 hours to design, develop and perfect. It has more front office functionality, allowing the user to view the document in the context of the business process. Because it’s so simple to use, our customers only spend, on average, a fifth of license fees on professional services, which definitely gives us the edge on many of our competitors.

GSM: Who creates your products?

PH: All our software is created in-house, by a team at our Kansas headquarters.

GSM: Is ImageNow fully internationalised?

PH: Because ImageNow is an icon-driven product, it’s still easy to deploy in nonEnglish speaking countries, but we are about to launch Spanish, French and German versions.

GSM: What does Perceptive Software have coming up in the future?

PH: The next version is due to be launched later this year. As I mentioned it will support other languages; the ImageNow Interact for Microsoft Office; the ImageNow Interact for SharePoint and pre-configured, vertical-specific solutions for targeted industries, providing out-ofthe-box functionality specific to the user.

GSM: Thanks, Paul, for your time and for the excellent lunch. ■

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Cory Brothers manage their ‘Sea of Paper’

19

Avanquest Solutions with partner Document Genetics has helped Shipping Agent Cory Brothers develop their own shipping agency m anagement system - ShipTrak.

ShipTrak was designed to deal with “The huge amount of paper flowing around the world.” Said Andy Triscott, IT Manager at Cory Brothers.

index is automatically created using this reference. This unique reference is then entered automatically against the document transaction on ShipTrak, which then ties up the image of the document within Alchemy to the transaction on ShipTrak. When a customer wants to view a specific document in ShipTrak for one of their vessels, they simply hit a button which drills directly to the document held within Alchemy, and then they can email, print or simply view it.

Business issues and needs Cory Brothers manage ships on behalf of clients at ports Worldwide and aim to react quickly to ensure fast and efficient turnaround of these ships. In order to achieve this, they needed a process to include a remote scan utility which would integrate with ShipTrak and allow Cory offices and agents to scan documents and supplier invoices which would instantly be available for viewing by clients anywhere in the world.

For example, if they supply 3 boxes of vegetables to a Malaysian tanker in Felixstowe, Cory wanted the owners of that ship, who might be based in Kuala Lumpa, to see a copy of the invoice from the vegetable supplier, from within ShipTrak in real time.

ShipTrak, an internet-based application was built around Cory’s Oracle database developed using Captaris Alchemy to provide the back end document storage facilities.

Working closely with Document Genetics

Benefits and Cory Brothers, Avanquest developed the remote scan utility to allow Cory offices to scan batches of documents in disparate locations and submit them over their WAN link to the central Alchemy Server at Cory’s offices in Felixstowe for publication. The remote scan utility gets around the band width issue by packaging all of the images into one compressed file, then transmitting this automatically via secure FTP. Before a document is scanned, a barcode label is attached to the document, which contains a unique document reference.

This barcode is automatically read by the remote scan utility and once the document is loaded into Alchemy, an

• Customer visibility and instant access to documents means queries can be dealt with straight away.

• Gives Cory a competitive advantage and adds value to any Cory business proposal.

• It is quick and easy to verify costs using Shiptrak so payment of invoices is quicker.

“The better we perform as an Agent, the more we have to offer our customers” says Andy Triscott.

Contact: Avanquest Solutions on 01462 832870 quoting reference GSCB07.

Lets w ork to g e th e r .

..

. . . the Avanquest solutions team are actively working with bureau partners to help promote and broaden your capabilities.

Call us today to see how we can add value to you on 01462 832870. . . . for users of document management systems, call us to request our latest Avanquest Solutions case studies and the chance to win a free document health check (value £950.00) Visit us on stand 4 4 5 a t Docum ation UK 2 0 0 7

Avar\quest®solutions

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CASE STUDY

IMechE engineer an improved document management process IMechE is the United Kingdom’s qualifying body for Chartered and Incorporated mechanical engineers and has been the home of mechanical engineers for over 150 years; over 80,000 engineers worldwide are members. the central London office, the membership application processing is outsourced to a team elsewhere in London and the membership renewals process is outsourced to a team in Telford. This made quick accessibility of documents an almost impossible task.

I MECH e A decision to implement a document management solution to handle membership records within IMechE arose following an evaluation of their filing systems. A complex system existed, with documents being stored in various places: 1. As a membership organisation, IMechE use a specialist membership solution from APT called Stratum. Many member related documents, such as letters, comments and records of telephone calls, are created and stored in this solution. However, documents were only retrievable based on the member and it was not possible to fully search this document store.

2. Any incoming paper documents were stored in filing cabinets across a number of office locations around the country.

3. The majority of incoming and outgoing paper documents, including the original membership application forms, were stored as microfiche documents in an office in Bury St Edmunds. This meant a lot of duplication: outgoing paper documents would be stored electronically in Stratum and also on microfiche.

Each member’s documents could therefore be spread across various hard copy office stores, held as microfiche and stored electronically in Stratum. This led to delays in processing member applications and member enquiries, as locating the correct document could be very time consuming.

The situation was further impeded as the three distinct groups of users which need frequent access to the member documents, were spread across the country in different locations. As well as CASE STUDY

On top of this, a reorganisation meant that the office in Bury St Edmunds, that housed the microfiche records, was being closed.

IMechE was reluctant to move these records to their main office, as this is based in a central London location where such space is highly expensive. The obvious alternative was to find an electronic solution to storing these records.

Choosing a document management solution When selecting a vendor, IMechE spoke to APT who supplied their membership solution. APT have a partnership with Documation, a document management company. This relationship has led to a seamless integration between APT’s Stratum solution and Documation’s Enable solution. This made Documation an obvious choice for IMechE, as Nigel Southwood, Director of Membership and Information Services, elaborates: “The integration between Documation Enable and APT Stratum is extremely slick and well designed, which gave us real flexibility when implementing our solution.

Documation also established a thorough understanding of our requirements, which was key in our final vendor selection.”

The solution in practice Three quarters of a million existing documents, including the microfiche records and the documents created in Stratum, were imported into Enable initially. The solution was then used to manage the ongoing creation of approxi­ mately 10,000 new documents per month.

All electronic documents are now imported into Enable from Stratum. Documents are automatically saved as the relevant document type, i.e. letter or comment, and indexes are entered to allow full searching capabilities. This is ideal when searching for a specific document, within a specific time period, for a specific member.

All paper documents, such as application forms, receipts, payment slips, etc, are scanned, indexed and stored in the Enable system. When a member’s name is entered during indexing, the system automatically obtains their membership

number from Stratum and populates this field in the Enable indexes. Not only does this minimise data entry, but it ensures that each document is linked to the correct member’s record.

Any emails that are sent to members can also be filed in Enable via a button on the Microsoft Outlook toolbar. The user indexed the emails as with scanned documents, so they are retrieved with the rest of that member’s documents.

Documents can be retrieved from Enable but also directly from within the Stratum system due to the tight integration. This means users don’t need to exit Stratum to search for and retrieve a document, saving time and reducing training requirements.

This is particularly useful when a member phones with a query, the users can respond immediately without having to call the member back as the documents are instantly retrievable.

As well as eliminating the need to store paper documents and subsequently freeing up expensive office space, the solution offers an opportunity for disaster recovery. Previously a fire at the Bury St Edmund office would have entirely destroyed the archive, but now all member documents are fully backed up and disaster recovery processes can be applied to ensure full recoverability in the event of a incident.

Not only does the solution meet IMechE’s needs from a functional perspective, but the relationship with Documation has made the process of implementing and managing the solution an easy one, as Richard Jackson, Systems Analyst at IMechE explains: “The original specifi­ cation for the Documation solution was bullet-proof, which led to a very smooth implementation. Since we have gone live, the technical support has been excellent and the team displays a real commitment to our needs.”

IMechE are now investigating other paper intensive processes across their organi­ sation where it could be possible to extend the functionality of their Enable solution.

Documation is a software developer and system integrator of document management and workflow solutions.

Using over 15 years experience in the document management business they develop tailored solutions fitted to the requirements of each individual business from their headquarters in Eastleigh. ■ Visit www.documation.co.uk

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Forms-processing system facilitates research at University of Reading By using an AutoData forms-processing system from Kendata Peripherals, the School of Languages & European Studies at the University of Reading has been able to expand research activities that had previously been constrained by the need to use laborious manual data-entry techniques.

The Centre for Applied Language Studies (CALS) within the School of Languages & European Studies runs short, intensive courses ion English for Academic Purposes (EAP) for international students who need language support before they begin their full-time degree courses, among other language-teaching activities.

At the end of the EAP course, students sit an exam known as TEEP (Test of English for Educational Purposes), which consists of several sections in different formats, including multiple-choice, short answers and essays.

“Until recently, we marked the multiplechoice section manually using a master overlay,” said Bruce Howell, EAP lecturer and test administrator. “ Now, with the AutoData system, the answer sheets are simply fed into the scanner and the marking process is completed in a fraction of the time.”

While this time saving has clearly been beneficial to CALS staff, it was not their main motivation for investing in the

AutoData forms-processing system. “All university departments aim to achieve a good balance between teaching and research,” continued Howell, “and as part of our research efforts, we wanted to carry out item analysis of the TEEP exams, which means analysing each individual question to see what percentages get it right and wrong, whether it is working as predicted, and whether improvements can be made.

“However, we deal with over 300 students each year and producing the requisite matrix of 1’s and 0’s with the old manual data-entry method was extremely laborious, so we decided to look for an automated data-entry method instead.”

Having been tipped off that another department at the University was already using an AutoData system, CALS experi­ mented using it and, after this proved to be successful, asked Kendata Peripherals to

quote for a second system. “ Kendata compared favourably with the competitive quotes we obtained, so we placed the order with them,” commented Howell.

“Their subsequent service and training have been both friendly and efficient.”

Comprising a high-speed scanner, formsprocessing software, Microsoft Word templates and special TrueType fonts, the AutoData system enables data to be scanned from paper forms directly into an Excel spreadsheet or Access database without the need for cumbersome data exporting procedures.

Because AutoData allows forms to be designed in the familiar environment of Word, it has a very short learning curve and so CALS was quickly able to design its own custom forms. As well as producing a scannable answer sheet for candidates to use in the multiple-choice section of the TEEP exam, CALS also designed another scannable form for staff to complete, summarising the marks from the shortanswer sections.

Bruce Howell again: “The data from these forms has enabled us to produce the itemanalysis matrix much more easily, so now we can quickly generate the statistics we need for research and reporting purposes.”

For further information, visit www.kendata.com. ■

Diageo updates Invoice Processing System TIS replaces competitor's solution in $250,000 deal Top Image Systems Ltd. has announced that Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks business, chose eFLOW to process its invoices and streamline the information into its SAP system.

With over 20,000 people worldwide in offices through 80 countries, Diageo has an outstanding collection of spirits, wine and beer brands.

These brands include: Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Baileys, J&B, Captain Morgan, Cuervo, Tanqueray and Crown Royal as well as Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo was aiming to sharpen its invoice circulation, review and approval, as well as reduce the costs related to accounts payable operations. A decision was taken to replace their existing invoice processing system with TIS's state-of-the-art solution, eFLOW. The implementation of the system was done in collaboration with DoqSys Ltd., TIS's partner and a leading provider in implementation and support of accounts payable solutions in Hungary.

V______________________

Diageo also chose eFLOW Ability, the module that integrates into SAP systems for automated parking, approval and posting of invoices. eFLOW Ability provides Diageo with the most efficient and accurate process across three continents.

Incoming invoices are captured and processed in Diageo's shared service center in Budapest. Then, the information is delivered to three different SAP R/3 systems in North America, Australia and Europe, where it goes through a full approval workflow.

With eFLOW, 4000 invoices are processed on a daily basis while manual labour and related cost are reduced to a minimum.

Even shortly after implementing eFLOW, a significant reduction of resources was achieved.

“We were looking for a solution to efficiently process our invoices, completely integrate with our SAP system, and be highly operational across the world," said Judit Posan, Process Improvement Manager of Diageo. "Greater transparency and traceability

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will speed our response to invoicing inquiries, thus maximizing our service to suppliers. We were also looking for a global solution provider to offer the kind of support that a major global enterprise requires. We found the answer to all these criteria in TIS." Dr. Ido Schechter

"We are proud to have been selected by a market leader like Diageo.” says Dr. Ido Schechter, CEO of Top Image Systems.

“We look forward to working together with Diageo to implement additional applications."

Contact: Top Image Systems Ltd., Israel Tel: +972 545 330 537 ■ CASE STUDY

21

TRADE NEWS Keeping abreast with what your colleagues and competitors are doing can be vital to deciding your next move

RS Software strengthens its presence in North America Appoints key personnel in USA & Canada RS Software (India) Ltd., a world’s leading solutions provider for the Electronic Payments Industry, today announced the appointment of J. Larry Daniels as the new Vice President (Sales) for the US Sales division of the company. Also joining his team is Cheryl Wheeler as the Sales Director. These appointments are strategic to the company as they continue to broaden their customer base and further enhance their domain expertise within the payments industry.

“RS Software is focussed on strengthening

its existence in the North American market.

Larry and his sales team will help achieve this faster for our organisation. Larry, with his background and proven track record, will contribute in a big way to our ongoing success and, more importantly, help achieve significantly higher growth rates by leveraging the huge potential that exists in the Electronic Payments space.” , commented Mr. Raj Jain, VC & MD, RS Software on the two new appoinments.

An MBA from University of West Georgia, Larry has an extensive experience of 20 years handling key positions in organi­ sations that include Global Electronic Technology, Banctec Payments Systems and CardSystems Services. Larry will report directly to Mr. Raj Jain.

“RS Software, with its very loyal customer base and committed team, has been able to maintain its position in this competitive Cheryl Wheeler comes with almost 20 market. RS has an enviable history years experience in sales and client working with the largest Card Association management with some of the global in the world and large payment leaders in the electronic Payments space. processors,” said Daniels, “ I'm pleased to Cheryl will directly report to Larry Daniels. join RS Software and look forward to “I am looking forward to using both my ; contributing to the company's aggressive extensive experience and my network of | growth strategy.” He added. contacts to help RS accelerate its reach | For additional information on RS Software into the market”, says Cheryl. | visit: http://www.rssoftware.com

Bob Zagami voted Chair Elect of AIIM A t the recent annual AIIM Conference and Exposition held in Boston, Bob Zagami was elected to the position of Vice Chair, Chair Elect, of the AIIM International Board of Directors. of the most respected executives in our industry today. His experience and leadership skills will serve the association well as they continue to develop the educational programmes and industry studies that help us all deliver the quality of service and positive ROI’s that our customers expect in today’s marketplace.”

Zagami will assume the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors at next March’s 2008 Annual AIIM Conference and Exposition that will also be held in Boston.

The 2007 Chairman of the Board is Jan Andersson, CEO of ReadSoft International.

Dick Aschman, CEO, Databank IMX, said; “Bob has been actively involved in the association for over thirty years and is one

TRADE NEWS

Bob has served at the local level with the New England Chapter of AIIM and was responsible for the establishment of the long-term relationship that the chapter, and the association, has enjoyed with the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and

Hard of Hearing in Boston. Working with the chapter members, Bob set up the micrographic training programme at the school in 1981 and that programme continues today with instructors teaching the students digital imaging, software and scanning best practices.

He received the AIIM Distinguished Service Award in 1983, was one of the youngest members elected to the prestigious AIIM Company of Fellows in 1988 and received the Carl E. Nelson Engineering Award in 1993. In 1997 Bob received the industry’s highest honour, The Award of Merit.

Aschman noted; “The industry will be served well under his leadership and we look forward to supporting him, and AIIM, as he assumes these new association responsibilities.”

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23

Truper 3600 Scanner wins approval of two leading, independent test labs Bowe Bell + Howell Scanners' fast and durable low-volume production scanner, the Truper 3600, won recognition from two independent digital imaging and office equipment testing companies. Part of the company's Truper Series, the Truper 3600 earned the prestigious “Pick of the Year” award from Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI) and a Four Star, Highly Recommended rating from BERTL Inc. Ideal for the document imaging needs of everyday business, Truper 3600 scans up to 62 pages per minute (106 images per minute) and 10,000 pages per day - the highest daily duty cycle in its category. The scanner hardware comes bundled with Kofax's VirtualReScan® 4.1 image enhancement technology (Basic or Professional) as a standard feature. It also ships with direct ISIS and TWAIN drivers for easy installation.

“We are honoured that editors and technicians at BLI and BERTL have given their stamps of approval to the Truper 3600 - a scanner developed to bring a new level of speed, durability and ease-of-use to low-volume production scanning,” said

Russell Hunt, president of Bowe Bell + Howell Scanners..

Buyers Laboratory's “Pick of the Year” Winner of BLI's Spring 2007 “Pick of the Year” award in the low-volume production category, the Truper 3600 was also the fastest scanner that Buyers Laboratory has tested to date.

“We chose the Truper 3600 as ‘Outstanding Low-Volume Production Scanner’ for its speed, reliability and media handling, and its pricing, which is lower than the average for models in its class,” said Lynn Nannariello, assistant managing editor for BLI. BLI is an independent office-equipment testing lab and business consumer advocate. Its coveted “Pick of the Year” awards acknowledge the best products tested in various categories. BLI bases its evaluation of document scanners on performance areas including reliability, image processing features, ease of use, productivity, file sizes, media handling and value.

“Highly Recommended” by BERTL The Truper 3600 also won a Four Star, Highly Recommended rating from BERTL, a market leader in independent analysis of digital imaging devices and workflow solutions.

According to the BERTL review committee, “The Truper 3600 was liked from the moment the box was opened to the moment the device was packed again. The device was not only easy to install but also proved to be reliable across a wide range of jobs, across a very wide range of media types and sizes.”

BERTL undertakes its evaluation reports and product ratings entirely at BERTL's expense for the benefit of its worldwide subscriber base. Its prestigious Four Star, Highly Recommended rating is reserved for devices that deliver a range of business-critical features/functions that are above average and provide potential buyers with a good return on investment.

To learn more about Bowe Bell + Howell Scanners and the Truper 3600, visit www. bbhscanners. com

Archiving leaves you cold?

If you want to avoid frostbite when securely archiving precious cultural artifacts and documents, talk to us. We have been provi­ ding state-of-the-art solutions since 1961, and offer complete digital and analog systems for scanning and microfilm technology.

Zeutschel, the future of the past.

Distributed in USA by: Mr Christopher W. Crowley, The C row ley Company, Inc.

Distributed in United Kingdom by: Mr Brian Graham, BEST-TEC Ltd..

5111 Pegasus Court, Suite M, Frederick, Maryland 21704, USA Phone: 0240 - 2150224 Fax: 0240-2150234

Venture House, Arlington Square, Downshire Way, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1WA, Great Britain.

Phone: 07000 - 785368 Fax: 020 - 7691 9661

info@TheCrowleycompany.com www.TheCrowleyCompany.com

info@best-tec.ltd.uk www.best-tec.ltd.uk

ZEUTSCHEL Zeutschel GmbH • Heerweg 2 • D-72070 Tubingen Tel.: +49 (0) 70 71 97 06-0 Fax: +49 (0) 70 71 97 06 44 info@ zeutschel.de WWW.ZeutSChel.de

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TRADE NEWS

The Intelligent Mailroom - Avoiding Paper Procrastination

By Trevor Cole, Commercial Director at Datum International

The vision of a paperless office has been with us now for over 30 years, since the advent of the personal computer. However, the reality is that the proliferation of printers and photocopiers has made it much easier to produce documents in bulk and ubiquitous access to word processing tools has allowed paper to flourish. While paper is still important, it has become a transitory medium, used for short term capture and storage of information.

Technology has brought huge advantages in terms of capturing, retaining, storing, retrieving and sharing electronic information, but paper documents and their contents still pose significant problems for most companies. These issues have been partially addressed by installing scanners and document capture systems in mailrooms and throughout the organisation. The result is that a large assortment of scanned documents of various types - forms, questionnaires, invoices, drawings, letters - are carefully placed in a repository waiting for someone to realise that they are there and ready to be actioned.

The psychology of modern office working is that people tend to avoid looking at paper. Electronic communication today takes priority and there is a growing general assumption that if a document arrives in the post then it is not urgent. This emphasis on email to the detriment of paper can have serious consequences for the business. The vast majority of mail that arrives is not being dealt with fast enough.

It’s important that paper communication is taken care of and managed, rather than left to pile up for several days, when it may be too late to take the necessary action.

This can result in lost orders, missed billing cycles and duplication of effort through inefficiencies.

When feedback forms, drawings or legal documents come into the company they need to be actioned immediately and intelligently. Post must receive the same high level of attention as email. In order to do this successfully, organisations need to adopt the principles of the intelligent mailroom; a system that will interact with the document, understanding its FEATURE

importance and then link it to the people, processes and systems within the organi­ sation for whom it has relevance.

Scanning and capturing the contents of the document electronically is just the first step. Instead of placing the document image in a repository, the intelligent mailroom will capture the information, index it, and then fire it into a workflow process so that it can be judiciously linked to the relevant knowledge worker and actioned. In this way invoices and purchase orders can be associated with the finance system, while feedback forms and questionnaires can be added to the marketing database.

The intelligent mailroom will take paper documents and turn them into electronic ones, picking out the key words in order to index and categorise the information for future use. The content from scanned forms - whether feedback sheets, exam answer papers or questionnaires - can all be captured and fed into databases for further processing. Depending on the clarity of the handwriting, even the information and knowledge held within handwritten documents can be captured for future analysis.

Unstructured data contains a wealth of information and knowledge that can only be released if it can be captured, indexed and then analysed, either on its own or within the context of other data sets.

Capturing the document metadata - the data about the data - facilitates the understanding, use and management of the contents of the document, making it more valuable to the organisation.

Metadata tags speed up and enrich search and retrieval operations as well as removing the need to use more complex manual filtering techniques. They can also be used to describe how data items are related and how these relations can be evaluated automatically. The result is that users can search for information by context, whether held in electronic form or originating within a document. For example, when searching for information on money laundering, an intelligent system would recognise that “money laundering” is a phrase that is often found in close

context with other words such as “risk”, “illegal” or “terrorist activity” , and would therefore offer a wider range of search results that meet the context criteria.

As well as capturing the immense wealth of data and information contained in items of mail, the automation and processing of the contents of the mailroom gives instant action along with traceability and account­ ability for each piece of mail. No longer can important documents languish without action in piles of post on people’s desks.

Once captured and integrated into a workflow process, documents can receive the necessary attention, reducing lost business opportunities and increasing productivity. Using the metadata, rules can be applied to ensure that the document reaches the right place in the company sending invoices and credit applications to finance, orders and tender requests to the sales department while artwork and customer feedback forms may go to the marketing group and engineering plans to production.

Documents need to be linked to the people, processes and applications that they relate to, in order to become a valid and useful part of the intellectual capital of the company. Related information will often reside across several departments and needs to be collated and coordinated to gain the maximum benefit. A central electronic storage facility saves money and allows company-wide access to a comprehensive view of the customers, products and services, as well as the corporate capital and combined knowledge of the company itself.

Using a collaborative knowledge and content management application allows companies to unlock the wealth of knowledge that can become lost in corporate documentation. Those organi­ sations who are acutely aware of the need for effective management of both electronic and paper based knowledge are taking steps to integrate document, knowledge and content management technology into their business structure, becoming more effective as an organi­ sation and gaining competitive advantage.

Visit www.datumplc.com ■

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25

UK

Paper Scanning Systems

Don’t Go Green with Envy!

Get the new environment friendly M06 from InoTec The very latest in scanner technology from InoTec® is now available with the M06.

Featuring the environmentally friendly requirements of the new energy star regulations scanning is now greener than ever before.

Users'will also benefit from new image enhancement functions such as colour filtering, cropping and de-skewing via image processing boards within the scanner, taking over functions that would otherwise need to be managed by the PC. Incorporating a brand new feeder design, with the new M06 you can feel assured that even the widest variety of documents in the same batch are processed quickly and nm-naii reliably. Add to this the upgradeability of the range from the 80 to 110 and finally 150 pages per minute your acquisition is protected for the future offering a great long term return on your investment. With an InoTec scanner direct from InoTec UK, you can be sure of completing all your scanning projects to the highest standards on time and within budget.

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DOCUMATIONUK 1 7 - 1 8 O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7 , OLYMPIA, LONDON www.documation-uk.com

This year sees the Green Sheet continuing its association with the Documation UK. The event is without a doubt one of the best in the UK for our industry. The organisers describe it as, “The definitive event in the UK that will deliver solutions to all business process and information management issues. It addresses the latest problems found in managing information, such as web content management, email and fax management, document and records management, information capture, scanning, imaging and business processes.”

Documation UK partners with AIIM (the leading ECM association), and with a free to attend educational programme and a diverse range of new and innovative products and services available from over 50 exhibitors, it is a ‘must attend’ event for anyone involved in managing their business information efficiently and cost effectively.

By attending Documation UK, you will: ★ Find out how to reduce operating costs through effective search and access to

content ★ Achieve effective collaboration and information sharing across your business ★ View all the latest technologies to help achieve efficient business process and workflow management There is an online Documation UK Directory too, to help you find the product or service that you are most interested in learning about. The product & services category search will provide you with a list of exhibitors, press releases, case studies, white papers, opinion pieces, product information and sales brochures and marketing materials that are applicable to your search.

How can you convince your employer to send you?

Documation have helpfully provided you with this guide. Follow the steps below to convince your employer to send you: Step 1: Familiarise yourself with the free education seminars and features at the event. Pinpoint specific sessions you want

iVIEW to attend and list how they will benefit you and your company.

Step 2: Know the cost. Include all costs (airfare, hotel, food, rental car, seminars, etc.) in your proposal.

Step 3: Write a concise memo, attach it to your visitor invitation and present it to your employer. Be sure to include: ★ A listing of the sessions, seminars, exhibitors and which days you plan to attend ★ Networking opportunities you'll have with peers who share similar challenges ★ Suppliers/service providers/equipment companies you plan to meet ★ How the company will benefit from your attendance ★ How long you will be gone and how operations will continue in your absence ★ Total cost Travel There is a Documation UK Travel Desk which offers a free booking service and many discounted rates at a wide range of surrounding hotels.

Visit www.documation-uk.com

Storage Expo 2007 Preview

National Hall, Olympia, London.

Wednesday 17th October 09.30 - 17.30 Thursday 18th October 09.30 - 16.30

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Scanner Rentals & Sales Production & Office Scanners Kodak — Bell & Howell — Scamax Canon - Avision - Fujitsu DpuScan Capture Software Rental Examples per week 90 ppm Duplex B/W £450 190 ppm Duplex B/W £750 80 ppm Duplex Colour £600 Includes on site maintenance info@scanningresources.com www.scanningresources.com Tel: +44 (0)1582 765500

DOCUMATION

Another great reason to visit Olympia is because Storage Expo 2007 will be co­ located with Documation UK. Storage Expo is the UK’s only dedicated data storage event which provides visitors with the opportunity to compare the most comprehensive range of data storage solutions from all the leading suppliers.

The show addresses today’s key data storage issues within an unrivalled education programme. Visiting Storage Expo will help you find the definitive answers to your growing data storage needs.

Storage Expo is targeted towards IT Professionals concerned with issues such as data storage, storage archiving, backup, content management, Green IT, storage networking, storage security, disk storage, holographic storage, SAN, NAS, virtualisation and much more...

FREE Education Programme Storage practice has traditionally been driven by the push of legislation rather than the pull of sound business practice; but increasingly business efficiency, utilization of intelligence, process management and

productivity benefits are pulling storage strategy.

The Storage Expo 2007 FREE education programme looks at the latest business advantages that sound application of storage protocols can deliver for your organisation.

Storage Directory Learn more about the technologies and initiatives applicable to you and your company with an online 'Storage Directory’. This allows you to select the products or services that you are most interested in finding more information about, with the search results providing you with a list of exhibitors, press releases, case studies, white papers, product information and sales brochures/marketing materials - enabling you to learn more about the technologies and initiatives applicable to you and your company.

Registering for Documation UK offers you FREE access to this event so there is no need to register twice.

Visit www.storage-expo.com

Visit the GSM Directory at www. areensheetmedia. com!directory

27

Picking the right tools for the job

By Simon Day, Commercial Director, DRS Simon Day, DRS’ Executive Commercial Director, will be speaking about ‘Data Capture Optimisation’ at Documation UK on 18th October at 1.45pm. DRS will also be exhibiting at Documation UK - Stand 335. Here is a brief overview of what he will be talking about.

In its infancy, automated data capture (ADC) was heavily restricted to OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) applications, such as multiple choice questionnaires.

As time has passed, intelligent & optical character recognition and imaging solutions have enabled many styles of information, from machine or hand print through to tick-boxes, bubbles, signatures and barcodes on pre-designed forms, to be captured quickly, accurately and securely. In addition, image clips such as signatures can now be stored, and images of complete forms can be electronically filed for later retrieval. Now that solutions like this can be fully integrated into an organisation’s MIS, the opportunities are almost endless.

Bureau services are also highly successful in achieving data capture optimisation, allowing organisations who prefer to outsource this work to take advantage of high speed data capture. Some are able to offer the complete service from forms design and production through to mail-out and receipt and data capture. Especially popular for organisations outsourcing examination & answer sheets, application forms and consumer surveys.

As businesses continue driving the development of faster, more flexible and inter-compliant technologies to facilitate the secure and accurate capture of information into the data management cycle, hardware has become less important and software increasingly so.

Highly sophisticated and flexible data capture solutions, developed by experts in

the industry are reaching the marketplace with classification techniques. Intelligent Data Capture (IDC) techniques are able to automatically identify a document type upon scanning, and are able to perform many sophisticated checks using look up tables created from databases already operational in a customer’s organisation thus removing the need for pre-designed forms.

The internet too is having a major influence on data capture requirements with a shift towards compatibility and interoperability.

Nevertheless, and despite the concept of a paperless office, there still remains a great need for capturing data from paper documents. Many businesses’ transfer to online forms will inevitably remove some of these requirements, but it is a long way from eradicating it entirely. Take for example the huge data capture element in a census project. The current Ethiopia Census is a highly complex operation involving over 23 million printed booklets.

In the past it would have taken many years to capture the data, however, using ADC this time around, it will be processed in just a few months.

At best, adopting a well designed ADC or IDC solution will have an immediate impact on a business by providing cost and time savings from day one.

Experience proves that a business soon sees a return on investment when striving for data capture optimisation. The largest formally constituted Local Authority purchasing consortium in the UK, Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation, for

example, not only achieved payback in less than 18 months after implementing an electronic solution for processing its customer orders, but it also halved its resource responsible for capturing the data, whilst still increasing processing levels by 12%.

The decision on whether to select an outsourced bureau solution to deal with data capture needs as opposed to purchasing OMR, ICR or Imaging technologies for in-house use is often determined by headline criteria such as: ★ Is the data capture requirement a ‘one off’ or short-term limited project, or will the requirement be regular and ongoing? ★ Are a number of people regularly keying data as part of their wider role?

The best way to understand which route to follow is to engage with an organisation that can offer all the tools available and the expertise to identify the best solution to suit specific needs.

While ADC and IDC technologies and software are progressively sophisticated and already facilitating the secure and accurate capture of information into the data management cycle, it is crucial that suppliers continue to improve technology inline with industry needs. Additionally customers should continue to challenge what tools are available to suit their individual needs so that future requirements play a big part in the roadmap of services and solutions.

Find DFIS on Stand number 335

Hyland’s OnBase on display Hyland Software will be showcasing OnBase, the company’s enterprise content management (ECM) software suite that includes document imaging, workflow, electronic document management, COLD/ERM and records management.

Whether deployed as a hosted or premises-based solution, OnBase allows organisations to automate business processes, reduce the time and cost of performing important business functions,

improve organisational efficiency and address the need for governance, risk and compliance through the management and control of content from virtually any source. OnBase helps organisations manage all digital content, including scanned paper documents, e-mails, faxes, print streams, application files, e-forms, Web content and multi-media files.

Darren Boynton, Solution Strategist for EMEA at Hyland Software, will also be

taking part in a panel discussion on “The Business Case for Content Management: What Works, What Doesn't” on 18th October. Darren will be analysing the different issues that are driving the purchase and adoption of ECM software from both the push (legislative and regulatory) and pull point-of-view (better efficiency, productivity, intelligence and process management).

Find Hyland on Stand number: 510

V______________________________________________________________________ J Visit the GSM Directory at www. areensheetmedia. com/directory

DOCUMATION

28

Dates for your DMS Expo, The Exhibition Centre, Cologne, Germany September 25 - 27, 2007

The first DMS in Cologne in 2006 attracted around 19,450 visitors in total, making the debut a resounding success. The fair’s relocation to the new exhibition centre in Cologne paid off.

Compared to 2005,11 % more visitors came to find out about how even a simple document management system harbours tremendous potential for boosting efficiency and streamlining processes.

In particular, the incorporation of the specialist conference into the trade fair halls proved to be valuable. Here, visitors who had registered on the Internet in advance or at the entrance were provided with compact background information free of charge. Not only the keynote speeches and panel discussions were well attended; throughout the entire fair, every space was filled at the VOI Forum, which focused on incoming mail processing, electronic signatures, tax/legal issues and the basics of DMS. Documation (RUSSIA) Expocentr Krasnaya Presnya, Moscow, Russia. Sept. 26 - 28 The largest dedicated exhibition of its kind in Russia, covering endto-end enterprise content management. It will address all the latest issues in information management. www.documation.ru/index.en

infosecurity & Storage Expo (RUSSIA) Expocentr Krasnaya Presnya, Moscow. September 26 - 28 Infosecurity is a most comprehensive convergence of information security professionals. Showcasing the most diverse range of new and innovative products and services and addressing today’s strategic and technical issues in an unrivalled education programme, www.infosecuritymoscow.com Storage Expo, dedicated data storage event, provides visitors with the opportunity to compare the most comprehensive range of data storage solutions, www.storage-expo.com

Storage Expo Olympia 2, London, UK. October 17- 18 Storage Expo, the UK’s ONLY dedicated data storage event, provides visitors with the opportunity to compare the most comprehensive range of data storage solutions from all the leading suppliers, www.storage-expo.com NPO Annual Conference - “Second life for collection” 29th October, British Library Conference Centre, London The traditional ways of providing copies as substitutes for original library and archive material are being challenged by new business models and advances in technology. This conference will showcase projects and case studies where change is rapid, where decisions are informed by technological and commercial considerations, and which show the future direction of collection surrogacy, www.bl.uk/services/npo Online Information & Information Management Solutions Olympia 2, London, UK. December 4 - 6 Online Information is the largest event of its kind in the world. It covers business, scientific, technical and medical information, epublishing and library management solutions. www. online-information, co. uk

If information is important to your organisation then Information Management Solutions is the event for you. IMS is a new event for business, information and IT professionals, www.ims-show.co.uk

2008

infosecurity & Storage Expo (NETHERLANDS) Utrecht, Holland. September 26 - 28 Infosecurity (Netherlands) offers a most comprehensive cover of information security products. The event delivers an audience hungry for education and information on how, what, why and when to purchase the products on offer, www.infosecurity.nl Storage Expo, dedicated data storage event, gives visitors the chance to compare the most comprehensive range of data storage solutions from all the leading suppliers, www.storage-expo.nl ARMA 2007 Baltimore, MD, USA. October 5 - 1 0 An estimated 3,500 records and information management professionals - including IT managers, attorneys, compliance officers, and records managers - will be there, looking for the latest and greatest in technology, www.arma.org Documation 2007 (UK) Olympia 2, London, UK. October 17- 18 Documation UK, in partnership with AIIM, is the UK's only dedicated end-to-end content, business process & information management event. The show brings together professionals who are actively seeking how best to manage their business information with the industry's leading technology and service suppliers. It addresses today's business & technical issues in an unrivalled, free-to-attend education programme and showcases a comprehensive range of the latest tools and technologies enabling you to manage your business information efficiently and cost effectively, www.documation-uk.com

DIARY DATES

AIIM Expo & On Demand Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, USA. March 3 - 6 AIIM Conference & Exposition covering all major areas of the industry. Runs concurrently with On Demand.

AIIM Conference & Exposition covering on-demand aspects of the industry. Runs concurrently with AIIM Expo. www.aiim. org. uk

CeBIT 2008 Hannover, Germany. March 4th - 9th CeBIT is the world’s largest trade fair showcasing digital IT and telecommunications solutions for home and work environments.

For 2008 the show has been completely revamped introducing many new features. It has been designed around three prime visitor “interest areas”. They are 1) Business Solutions, 2) Public Sector Solutions and 3) Home & Mobile Solutions. There is also a range of updated services being introduced to assist the exhibitors, such as complimentary admission tickets, www.cebit.com AIIM Roadshow 2008 Glasgow: April 28th, Bolton: April 29th, Coventry: May 1st, Bristol: May 2nd and London: May 3rd.

A day focussed on your information and document management issues. Learn what can be done and what returns can be achieved.

Compare concepts, solutions and suppliers. Discuss your plans and ideas with industry experts and existing users. www. aiim. org.uk

Visit the GSM Directory at www. areensheetmedia. com /directory

29

Are You Up to the Challenge?

ARMA 2007 - October 7 - 10 2007, Baltimore, USA In today's competitive marketplace, being good isn't enough. You have to be better. Better business demands better records and i n f o r m a t i o n management. The heat is on as organisations are bombarded with new and changing regulations, escalating litigation , costs associated with ediscovery, threats to their data's security and clients' privacy and the challenge of training employees enterprise-wide. These are the realities of information management.

Are you ready to take your organisation to the next level? Find out what it takes at ARMA International's 2007 Conference and Expo in Baltimore, October 7-10. Join your colleagues from around the world in finding new and better ways to manage your organisation's information.

This year's conference, held at the Baltimore Convention Center, features

more than 80 educational events in six major tracks: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

Information Technology RIM Practices Risk Management Business Functions Leadership Communications and Marketing

Who Should Attend ★ Records and information management professional ★ General and inside counsels ★ Legal administrators ★ Consultants ★ Government RIM and IT professionals ★ CIOs and IT managers Why You Should Attend If you're looking for real solutions, best practices, and technology tools for managing records and information, ARMA '07 offers more selection and more solutions than any other event.

If you're part of a corporate compliance team, your team-mates will want to attend as well. After all, good records and information management requires a cooperative effort among the key players: RIM, IT, legal, and compliance.

You'll have the opportunity to talk with thousands of your colleagues from around the world. Plus, you'll choose from more than 80 educational events on key topics such as: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Compliance E-discovery Privacy issues Information security Enterprise content management Collaborative technologies Records retention Global records management issues Contingency planning Professional development

Visit www.arma.org for more information

New CeBIT concept ready for takeoff in 2008 CeBIT 2008 (Tuesday 4th - Sunday 9th March 2008) The new CeBIT concept is ready for takeoff. CeBIT 2008 has been completely revamped and shaped around the following primary fields of visitor interest: ★ Business Solutions ★ Public Sector Solutions ★ Home & Mobile Solutions The uniting theme of Technology & Infrastructure will interface with all of the above. What’s more, the following new showcases will be making their debut as part of CeBIT 2008: Learning & Knowledge Solutions, Consulting & Services and “design: driving innovation” .

One of the aims of the new CeBIT concept is to bring exhibitors and potential buyers and users together more efficiently. This will be achieved by means of themes which have been regrouped to make it more convenient fo* visitors to find everything of interest to them in a more compact area. ★ Business Solutions Business Solutions focuses on the optimi­ sation of business processes and ICT solutions for all users from industry, the skilled trades and the service industries.

CeBIT is the only trade show worldwide that showcases the entire range of solutions for the control and management of operational and business processes and the interplay of these processes - at one convenient time and place. Numerous

themed presentations offer additional benefits and value to the respective business communities. ★ Public Sector Solutions Public-sector ICT users will naturally gravitate to the Public Sector Solutions display which covers topics such as eGovernment solutions, new eHealth applications, geo-information management, education and training.

Following its successful debut in 2007, the TeleHealth congress and exhibition will become part of CeBIT, where it will put a bright spotlight on eHealth applications.

Next year’s theme will be “ICT solutions in the health sector” . On two days of the show (Friday, 7th and Saturday, 8th March) telemedical applications and ICT solutions for the entire health sector will for the first time be presented together at one central location (Hall 8). ★ Home & Mobile Solutions The display category Home & Mobile Solutions will showcase a broad range of ICT products and solutions for everyday application in the home and work environment. This CeBIT display is not merely confined to exhibiting the respective technologies and applications it will also highlight the potential for networking. The focus will be on the benefits to users, in particular the key

Visit the GSM Directory at www. areensheetmedia. com/directorv

target groups from HANNOVER commerce and industry, GERMANY as well as small 4-9 MARCH 2008 businesses, the selfcebit.com employed and freelancers.

New service offerings to help exhibitors save time and money The range of services available to exhibitors has been upgraded and extended for maximum tradeshow ROI. For example, every exhibitor is now entitled to a number of complimentary admission tickets (based on the size of the stand booked) for distribution to customer and potential leads - all at an attractive, lump-sum rate. Complimentary tickets are a powerful way for companies to boost traffic to their stands and derive the greatest possible benefit from their tradeshow appearance. Deutsche Messe also offers another high-yield service to attract more visitors: the online Deutsche Messe mailing service. With just a few mouse clicks, exhibitors can initiate a large-scale mailshot campaign to highlight their goods and servers to potential visitors, or to invite leads to come and see them at the show. A Deutsche Messe database helps exhibitors easily target the right groups, and the system also allows for the use of any addresses the exhibitor may already have. ■ Visit www.cebit.com SHOW PREVIEWS

The Rough Guide to Business Shows and Seminars & How to Survive - Part 2 Picture the scene. You have arrived at the exhibition hall. It is only 09:30 and the doors have just opened. You have registered and are resplendent with noose and ID card. You are facing the exhibition hall clutching your show guide and looking completely lost. At this point you are vulnerable to attack. You need a coffee to sit and go over the list of stands you need to visit. Clever deployment of the catering facilities will ensure that you first need to run the gauntlet of the exhibits to get to the safe haven of the coffee shop. A quick recce of the scene proves that, because you are early, there is no ground cover in the form of other humans whom you can dodge behind as you traverse the hall. This is sales territory, and you are (rightly so) scared!

Here’s what to do. First ascertain the precise location of Mr Bean’s Coffee Shop.

Memorise that location and the entire route to it. You will not be able to look at the map while en-route, as hesitation will cost you dearly. Move out, but do not under any circumstances make eye contact with anyone. Not even the pretty girl / boy

handing out plastic bags with loads of leaflets that you would have no intention of reading. If you can avoid that eye contact you might get a coffee before 11am. If you get sidelined at this early stage in the day, you are doomed! Nothing you do will allow you to catch up. The ‘no eye contact’ ploy is particularly important if you told your company you were going to be there all day, but in fact you have arranged to: meet friends at the wine bar, go check out the latest DVD’s, visit the cinema / go bowling etc., go home having picked up a few relevant leaflets, or visit your sister across town for a slap up lunch.

OK! You have had your coffee, marked out on the map in the show guide who you need to see, and are ready for these primary visits. Go do them.

Good, that was easy. Now before you leave you REALLY need to look around the rest of the hall(s) in case: a) you missed something; b) you are asked questions back at the office, or c) somebody is giving away stuff you can give to the kids.

You also need to be aware of the species manning the stands. There are basically only 4 varieties.

The Sentinel Stands at the edge of the exhibit. Arms folded, looking aloof and positively daring you to approach.

The Invisible He beat you to the coffee shop/bar, and is likely to be there for the rest of the day.

The Pouncer Lurks in the aisle or on an adjacent stand and approaches you as soon as you as much as look in the direction of HIS stand.

The Talker Loves the product or service the company sells and will talk all day. Just to you. You are trapped!

But when you bear in mind that companies spend an absolute fortune getting their corporate asses into these shows, you will begin to realise that they need a ROI. You are the prey, they are the stalker/hunter/ gatherer. Caveat Visitor and you will do just fine.

In the Next Issue It’s a surprise! See you then. ■ (Comments welcome at: johnbaker@greensheetmedia. com)

M ag azin e Advertising Rate Card 2007 (Hard Co Type Area (H x W mm)

Cost (GBP)

Cost (USS)

Double Page Spread

275 x 400

£1200.00

$2340.00

Outside Cover

275 x 190

£ 800.00

$1560.00

Inside Cover

2 7 5 x 190

£ 750.00

$1463.00

Full Page

2 7 5 x 190

£ 650.00

$1268.00

Half Page

1 3 8 x 1 9 0 or 2 7 5 x 9 3

£ 400.00

$ 780.00

Third Page

90 x 190 or 275 x 63

£ 325.00

$ 634.00

Quarter Page

1 3 8 x 9 3 or 69 x 190

£ 250.00

$ 488.00

69 x 93 or 93 x 69

£ 150.00

$ 293.00

Large Banner

24 x 190

£ 115.00

$ 224.00

Small Banner

12 x 190

£

75.00

$ 146.00

10 x 60

£

27.00

$

Eighth Page

Per SCC

53.00

Discounts for multiple insertions on same order - 5% for 2x, 10% for 3x and 20% for 6x issues (Whole year) Additional Discounts - Agency, 10% and Pre-payment, 15%.

Other advertising options available, i.e. Mailer cover, insert, cover cards, etc. Please Email/Call for details & quote.

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