7/5/01 - Convoq, an Application Service Provider based in New York has been seeking a partner to continue it’s distribution of The Convoq Solution, a series of collaborative applications created for the graphics industry. Nick Lombardi, Chairman CEO says the Convoq Solution will allow " users to communicate in a flexible, cost-effective manner boosting productivity, shortening turnaround time and cutting costs" Founded in 1999, Convoq was launched at Seybold 2000 and has been installed in ad agencies, pre-press houses, publishers and printers and demonstrated at various trade shows and industry meetings since then. "Things were going good for us the first year and we were on target to initiating a monthly revenue stream, we decided to halt distribution so as not to embarrass ourselves and our customers by starting up complete services and then cutting off our clients who would be communicating with others. Right now we are on hold, money has run out, and though we had people in place ready to start, we decided to wait until we had secured other funding. Market and money conditions being what they are and the scare that was created by the failure of so many dot coms, created a strange situation for us. There is some short term and long term debt due to investors and our suppliers have been very patient while we seek additional funding. We are still talking to major corporations and feel confident that someone in the industry will come forward, realize what Convoq offers and step-up-to-bat and fund future distribution". With the recent closing of VIO, the industry is down to 2 choices now for digital distribution and on-line proofing. Convoq is one. TeamProof "will cut proofing costs by more than 10% and keeps messenger and package deliveries to a minimum by allowing on-screen-real-time viewing and annotation with up to 16 locations simultaneously which help keep travel expenses to a minimum", continues Nick Lombardi. TransferManager is a user-friendly-drag–and-drop large file transfer solution, allowing the sender to transfer files and folders anywhere, anytime, any size to anyone with an Internet connection. "Cross platform functionality will allow creative and production to share information with other offices, clients or people working at home or on the road". By using the Convoq solution, proofing consumables can be reduced by at least 20%. "If your spending $500,000. on proofing consumables and messengers…you can bank $100,000. the first year" says the Chairman. Other applications include TeamSpacean online collaborative workplace which allows groups to share documents, plan projects and participate in any other group related functions and TeamConferencewhich helps facilitate team collaboration, provides instant awareness, communication and document sharing such as a power point presentation in real-time, as well as live audio and video conferencing and white boarding with up to 250 participants. All 4 are part of the Convoq Solution. "There are no monthly charges, no software or extra hardware to buy, no servers to maintain. You pay a minimum to have the Convoq Solution, which is rebated and you pay per transaction. All that is needed, by both the sender and the receiver, is an Internet connection and one address, Convoq, the global workplace for the graphic arts," says Nick Lombardi. Workflow becomes more effective by the quick transfer of shared materials, acting as an Intranet linking all participants. Communication with clients is greatly improved and submission of ads, documents and collateral material are quickly viewed and approved. A New York design/marketing firm uses Convoq’ services to speed up and streamline workflow. "During the last annual report period, we worked with a clients printer who is out of town and it helped simplify and speedup the approval process" says the director of design services "Convoq is the type of service that the graphics industry must use to appreciate it’s uniqueness. The ability to work with a client and their printer and collaborate on changes in layout, graphic images or text in real time, helped speed up the approval process and made it easier to meet tight deadliness. It also strengthened our relationship with our client". The Convoq Solution will be ready for distribution shortly, in the meantime for literature address all inquiries to Nick Lombardi, Convoq, The Digital Global Network, 310 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017…Tel 212 972 6145… Fax 212 973 0321.