Snowbound Software Imaging Technology Blog

February 21, 2012 in ECM, Hot Technology by Scott Pasho

Snowbound Helps Healthcare Organizations meet Compliance Standards

As the digital age becomes more and more a part of our everyday lives, there are certain pieces of information that we want or need to protect, (Facebook users who tell us every minute detail of their lives notwithstanding). One of the most important of these is our healthcare information – which is protected by several government mandated compliance standards including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) passed by Congress in 1996, and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act enacted in 2009.

February 13, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

To allow businesses to access their enterprise content management files from the popular iPad device, SeeUnity recently announced a mobile solution to address this need.

According to the company, the SeeUnity Mobile application allows ECM, Microsoft SharePoint and eDOCS users to access and download content directly to their Apple tablet.

SeeUnity marketing director Brian Henne said the business has expanded its ECM and SharePoint portfolio for use on desktop applications, but the corporate acceptance of mobility was a driver for the new iPad application.

February 9, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

Technology company HP recently announced a partnership with healthcare software provider Central Logic that will help hospitals reduce operating costs, improve patient care and increase overall efficiency.

According to HP, the web management system Central Logic Core will be available exclusively through its own hardware and will work with its Z600 Workstations so hospitals can replace traditional whiteboards with cutting-edge touchscreen technology.

“The combination of Central Logic Core software and HP technology answers hospital community demands to deliver reliable solutions that leverage touch technology,” said HP vice president Chris Mertens. “Touchscreen solutions can save hospitals valuable time and money and result in maximum patient flow optimization.”

February 7, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

Jaguar Land Rover, the U.K.’s largest luxury automobile manufacturer, recently selected EMC’s Isilon storage solution to boost its data performance and enhance its storage capabilities, according to an EMC announcement.

By using its solution, JLR has reduced costs and complexity by utilizing a single workflow file system, which, according to EMC, has increased the company’s productivity.

Isilon also is beneficial for the automobile business due to its virtual simulation capabilities. EMC said the solution helps auto companies retrieve analysis and pass it on to their manufacturing team.

February 3, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

CMS Wire writer Mark Rackley recently suggested that organizations seeking to take advantage of Microsoft SharePoint have several factors to consider.

The reporter said that, although training courses can be helpful, companies must invest time with the technology to be successful. For starters, businesses are encouraged to learn the phrasing of SharePoint.

“Whether you are searching for an answer online or trying to articulate your problem to a seasoned SharePoint pro, you need to use the correct words to find the answer you need and to make sure you are understood,” wrote Rackley.

February 2, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

Enterprise content management leader EMC recently announced that its solutions have been recognized by Ovum Research for their market success.

The Ovum Decision Matrix: Selecting a Content Management Platform Vendor report named seven total vendors whose products have made a significant impact on the ECM industry and demonstrated a leading market position in this field.

The EMC Documentum application offers companies with increased ECM management and security and also promotes greater employee collaboration through any device at any time, the company stated.

January 30, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

Enterprise content management solutions provider OpenText recently announced it has become the first vendor to be certified by the Victorian Electronic Records Strategy.

According to the announcement, the VERS certification is for its record management capabilities with Microsoft SharePoint 2010. The distinction is based on several factors, including its ability to effectively and reliably archive information.

The OpenText Application Governance & Archiving for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 solution is designed to help enterprises address regulation and legal standards for their records management, the company stated.

Microsoft Australia director Gianpaolo Carraro added that the OpenText solution is especially ideal for government agencies and companies in regulated industries.

January 26, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

Microsoft recently released financial results from its 2011 second quarter, which showed that SharePoint continues to help drive sales.

According to the company, quarterly revenue reached an all-time high of nearly $21 billion, increasing 5 percent compared to the same period in 2010. Microsoft’s operating income was nearly $8 billion during the period, while its net income surpassed $6.6 billion.

In 2011, nearly 200 million licenses of Office 2010 were sold and revenue from SharePoint and Exchange increased by more than 10 percent compared to the previous year.

January 24, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

IT solutions vendor EMC recently announced that its 2011 fourth quarter earnings and full year profits reached record levels.

The company said that its fourth quarter consolidated revenue increased 14 percent compared to the same 2010 period and reached $5.6 billion. EMC’s overall profits for the year increased by 18 percent and grew to $20 billion.

One area in which EMC continued its success was the storage industry. According to the announcement, its VNX portfolio was chosen by nearly 2,000 customers during the fourth quarter.

January 23, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

IT solutions provider EMC recently announced that its backup and recovery systems have achieved the top global Purpose Built Backup Appliance position in the world, according to market research firm IDC.

EMC’s PPBA solutions captured 62 percent of the market during the first half of 2011. According to IDC, this was more than three times the share of the nearest competitor.

During this period, the overall PBBA market increased by more than 65 percent compared to the first half of 2010. IDC’s research director Robert Amatruda noted that the full 2011 industry projection reached $2.8 billion, more than its previous estimate of $2.1 billion.

January 16, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

To help retailers improve  customers’ experiences, HP recently revealed new solutions supported by a dozen partners at the National Retail Federation convention.

According to HP, the new applications include new analytics , point-of-sale and self-service solutions, as well as mobility options and managed print services. Users of the solutions can offer their customers an integrated experience from a tablet, kiosk or the sales point.

One of the options showcased at the event was the HP Mobile POS solution that is based on its Slate 2 tablet and runs the Windows operating system.

January 12, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

CMS Wire’s Joe Shepley recently suggested there are several categories businesses find themselves in regarding the use of Microsoft SharePoint.

According to the news provider, as organizations patiently wait for the next SharePoint update, some heavy users of the software may be wondering if they should continue using the old version of the software instead of upgrade.

“If you have a fairly vanilla install with little customizations or third-party add-ons, then you can continue supporting and extending your SharePoint 2010 environment with low risk that this will make the move to the next release more difficult – as long as you don’t change your approach to begin customizing or deploying third party add-ons,” wrote Shepley.

January 9, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

EMC subsidiary Iomega Corporation recently released a new storage solution to help small and medium-sized businesses share content and protect their data.

According to an EMC announcement, the Iomega StorCenter ix2 Network Storage is available in several configurations to help SMBs establish collaboration capabilities and surveillance applications at remote offices and other locations.

The solution includes user replaceable hard drives to ensure business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities needs are met. According to EMC, the StorCenter offers the Iomega QuikProtect application to help PC and Mac users simplify their backup processes and the Personal Cloud so users can easily share and access data from anywhere.

January 4, 2012 in ECM by Snowbound Software

The use of Microsoft SharePoint has evolved in recent years to help businesses address their enterprise content management concerns.

According to a recent TechTarget report by contributing writer George Khalil, the software has undergone several changes in the past decade, many of which have boosted productivity and value for companies using the product.

“One of my favorites among the new ECM features is the ‘managed metadata’ service application,” wrote Khalil. “With the primary purpose of providing users with a central location in which to store metadata, it makes it possible to use a structured metadata model throughout any site within your SharePoint 2010 farm.”

January 3, 2012 in ECM, Hot Technology by Snowbound Software

Batch converting and archiving older file formats using AFP conversion

Created in the mid-1980s, the AFP format was developed by IBM to drive and support the firm’s form printing via laser printers. This raster format was created to greatly enhance document formatting and indexing for industries such as financial services, insurance and retail. Employing modern batch conversion technology (AFP conversion) enables organizations to convert text-based documents, and create a secure and searchable PDF archive.

December 30, 2011 in ECM by Snowbound Software

This was a successful year for Microsoft and its line of consumer-based products, but ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley recently predicted several trends to take place in 2012 regarding the Redmond-based company.

According to the writer, new versions of popular products, such as SharePoint, Lync and Exchange are currently in development for the next Office platform. These updates should be released at some point before the end of 2012, with a public beta testing available by mid-year, she said.

December 28, 2011 in ECM, Hot Technology by Scott Pasho

AJAX Image Viewers Used for Many Unique Applications & Presentations

Sample AJAX Image Gallery

As the market for digital photography and imagery continues to grow, more and more of us are accessing web-based image galleries. AJAX* image viewers make it possible to display virtually any image, even those from an old archive and possible archaic format, in an instant. And web-based AJAX image viewers enable not only the ability to display images, but coupled with an online gallery application, to easily manipulate the layout and appearance of these displays as well.

December 27, 2011 in ECM by Snowbound Software

Technology may have helped businesses operate more efficiently than in previous years, but it has also led to the influx of more data that companies must manage effectively.

According to a recent FierceContentManagement report by contributing writer Eric Barroca, big data has resulted in new challenges regarding enterprise content management technology.

“The sheer numbers, which are covered in most ECM analyst reports, also extend to all aspects of the information technology sector, prompting developers to create a new generation of software and technology or distributed computing frameworks in an effort to cope with this scalability phenomenon,” wrote Barroca.

December 21, 2011 in ECM by Snowbound Software

FierceContentManagement’s Ron Miller recently highlighted several trends expected to take place next year regarding Microsoft’s SharePoint software.

The rapid adoption of cloud computing is expected to fuel the demand for SharePoint and Office 365 products from Microsoft. According to the report, the Office suite will also garner greater acceptance for a collaboration platform beginning next year.

Since SharePoint adoption continues to grow, governance is expected to be a key development in the near future.

“Over the next year, we’ll see forward-thinking end customers requiring application developers to create applications that integrate prebuilt solutions to improve manageability, governance and portability, all of which can pose challenges with custom solutions,” wrote Miller.

December 19, 2011 in ECM by Snowbound Software

To improve applications for future mobile devices, Hewlett-Packard recently announced it will continue to develop its webOS software and offer the operating system to the open source community.

According to an HP announcement, the goals of offering webOS as an open source platform include several operating principles, such as governance to avoid fragmentation, as well as to accelerate the operating system among the community of developers and manufacturers.

“webOS is the only platform designed from the ground up to be mobile, cloud-connected and scalable,” said HP president and CEO Meg Whitman. “By contributing this innovation, HP unleashes the creativity of the open source community to advance a new generation of applications and devices.”