Bits 'n' PCs

DOCUMATION has just released Version 2.4 of its Enable product, Documation’s core application on which all products are based. Additional includes:

• E-mail management: this is an entirely new module which captures and stores e-mails in Enable thus reducing pressure on individual inboxes, allowing e-mails to be included in workflow processes and creating one complete document repository.
• Workflow: improvements have been made to the workflow transaction processing engine to ensure that the high level of flexibility can be maintained. The invoice management solutions that Documation are delivering are becoming increasingly sophisticated and this change ensures system stability is upheld.
• HTML e-mail ability: for workflow based e-mail communication HTML format can now be used as well as plain text. This means pictures, formatting and links can be added which are more user-friendly, for example, a link saying ‘click here’ rather than a lot of gobbledegook is much simpler!
• Browser interface improvements: navigation has been improved in the browser environment, making it easier for users to locate the information they need. Several facilities such as comments, notes and history information are now also visible in the browser as well as in the LAN environment.
• PDF conversion: this has been extended to allow Web users to retrieve PDF images rather then other formats. This removes the need for Web users to install additional viewing software and, as it is a common format will not require training. There are options to convert all documents or to convert on demand.

The new features have all been added in response to specific customer requests as Documation’s development is reactive to the demand of the market. This approach ensures valuable features are produced and a flexible product is created.

Documation, Wessex House, Upper Market Street, Eastleigh, Hants SO50 9FD. Tel: 023 80 647776; fax: 023 80 647775; www.documation.co.uk; e-mail: info@documation.co.uk. Contacts: Alison Mason.

MEDIASURFACE has been selected by the Regional Co-ordination Unit (RCU) of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to provide a consolidated website platform which will lower both the costs and complexity of its Web operations. In a contract worth £150k, the RCU, which is responsible for the nine regional Government Offices, has purchased the Mediasurface Government Site Pack and its innovative smart client console, Morello to consolidate the nine existing websites and improve the efficiency and flexibility of these resources.

Currently, each regional Government Office maintains its own website on a separate IT platform using different technologies. This distributed method of maintaining websites has proved costly and complex, making it difficult to move content between sites and to enforce regulatory standards such as website accessibility.

Following a recent and comprehensive evaluation of the current method of maintaining the nine Government Office websites, the RCU selected Mediasurface and Morello, to assist it in reducing costs and increasing functionality whilst maintaining control of website content standards.

Mediasurface will allow the RCU to reduce costs in a number of important areas while providing a solution which allows it to deliver improved web communications. Morello will improve the functionality of the website for the non-technical content editors at each of the nine units and provide consistency across the regions, taking the pain out of accessibility, compliance and regulatory standards issues.

Mediasurface Ltd, The Tannery, 55 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3XG. Tel: 020 7967 9002; fax: 020 7967 9006; www.mediasurface.com

Regional Co-ordination Unit (RCU) www.rcu.gov.uk

CONVERA CORPORATION, a provider of search and categorisation software for enterprises and government agencies, has announced an agreement with In-Q-Tel to expedite the development of a distributed indexing capability.

In-Q-Tel, a private venture group funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), selected Convera based on the company’s proven ability to build enterprise search solutions that enable the intelligence community to extract very specific details from massive terabytes of incoming data.

Convera has begun development modifications to its enterprise search platform, RetrievalWare, to automatically index information contained within hundreds of databases. In the past In-Q-Tel has funded other RetrievalWare advancements to take advantage of the language breadth and scalability that the software offers for national security analysts.
“The global increase in data that the government processes daily requires sophisticated capabilities to quickly index and search for potentially valuable information,” said Gilman G. Louie, Chief Executive Officer, In-Q-Tel. “Convera’s indexing advancements will be helpful for enhancing search results, particularly with foreign languages, and for further accelerating the delivery of data.”

Convera’s RetrievalWare has been adopted as the standard search platform for 250 government agencies, including over 100 worldwide intelligence and law enforcement operations for security applications, intelligence gathering and evidence analysts.
In-Q-Tel is a private, independent enterprise funded by the CIA. Launched in 1999, In-Q-Tel’s mission is to identify and invest in companies developing cutting-edge information technologies that serve US national security interests.

Convera, Robus Court, Eastern Road, Bracknell, Berks. RG12 2UP. Tel: 01344 781800; fax: 01344 781801; www.convera.com

IM@T Online January 2005