IOWA CITY, IA - November 13th, 2007. Today MetaCommunications, Inc., a leading software developer of cross-platform process management and productivity solutions for the graphic arts industry, announced it is shipping a new Windows-based version of its Digital Storage Manager 2.5 software. Digital Storage Manager 2.5, a module of the Workgroups 2007 suite, is the first Intranet search and archive management system for creative, prepress, and publishing workgroups. Digital Storage Manager dramatically impro
ves the ability of users to find files, manage metadata and archive. Users (including prepress, publishing, design, web and photo) can index their online servers, archive files within a production environment, and automatically apply job, folder or file metadata which can later be used to search on.
With this upgrade, Digital Storage Manager 2.5, previously available on Mac OS X only, now comes standard with support for both Mac OS X and Windows environments. The new version also adds additional support for Windows-based industry standard backup and media applications including CA ARCserve and Nero.
"This new release delivers a very robust and mature storage management solution to the Windows platform, and is a major milestone on our path to building a completely cross-platform suite applicable across a broad range of industries," said Robert T. Long, Executive Vice President of MetaCommunications.
ABOUT DIGITAL STORAGE MANAGER
Digital Storage Manager is a module of the Workgroups 2007 suite, and is offered as a standalone product or integrated into the suite. Every day, creative, prepress and publishing professionals generate thousands of digital files during the production of a job or project. As the number of files grows, so do the challenges faced by the professionals who work with them. These professionals know all too well the frustration involved in recreating work that could have been easily reused, if it could only be fo
und. IT support staff experience their own problems as more storage is added to accommodate user demand, resulting in increasingly complex and time-consuming backup and archiving procedures.
Digital Storage Manager includes the following key feature views and functions.
- Digital Resource Explorer - Online production servers are automatically indexed by server agents, creating a mirror of pointers to actual files. Users can use customizable file tickets to quickly and easily add metadata to individual files or entire folders in real-time. Digital Storage Manager automatically captures file metadata and preview information from the most commonly used creative tools in the industry. Files or folders can be archived by selecting items from within the Digital Resource Explore
r window.
- Production Jobs - This view enables users to manage files and folders as a job. Job folders can be assigned metadata which is automatically propagated to each file belonging to the folder. Jobs can also be archived from this window, either immediately or at a specified future date.
- Digital Resource Search - Production users can search across online and offline storage to quickly find the files and folders they require. Searches can be based on standard file metadata, customized job and file metadata or the contents of many file types. Searches can be saved by users or published to groups of users for reuse.
- Cataloging - The Cataloging function allows users to easily import legacy files into the system.
- Retrieval Request Queue - This view enables archivists to easily manage and fulfill file retrieval requests for offline media and automatically notify individuals when their request is fulfilled.
- Archiving Queue - The Archiving Queue provides a workflow for batch archiving of files and editing of metadata. It also enables archivists to manage online archives, and to back up and archive files to offline media in one simple step for disaster recovery.
- Plug-ins and Integrations - Digital Storage Manager includes a set of integrated plug-ins for QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and Mac OS X Finder. These plug-ins allow users to edit metadata within familiar native applications without disrupting their natural workflows. Digital Storage Manager also integrates with industry leading backup/archival solutions including CA ARCserve, Nero, Dantz Retrospect, PowerFile R200, Roxio Toast, Rimage and Mac OS X Disk Utility.
- Built-in Web Portal Technologies - Digital Storage Manager comes complete with a Web Server and a customizable portal interface for customers who wish to provide restricted, browser-based file access to external departments, customers and vendors.
- Extensible Architecture - An SDK is available for Digital Storage Manager which allows users to integrate with third party systems including FileMaker Pro. Using the SDK, third party production or marketing systems may be queried for metadata which, in turn, can be automatically applied to files or folder.
WORKGROUPS 2007
The Workgroups 2007 suite is a tightly integrated process and productivity management suite for creative, publishing, and prepress. Workgroups 2007 is comprised of four modules, and is designed to be open and modular so that users can adopt the modules of the suite that meet their initial needs and retain the ability to easily expand the solution later.Workgroups 2007 consists of four core components:
- Job Manager, a powerful suite of financial management tools that enables users to accurately create estimates and quotes, monitor job costs, quickly generate on-demand reporting and invoices, and share information with industry leading accounting systems.
- Virtual Ticket, a configurable project and workflow solution that brings together all the components of your work in a centralized location, including project briefs, job tickets, schedules, customer information, associated document files, and more.
- Approval Manager, an approval management workflow tool for managing, tracking, and scheduling any proof review process within and across marketing, creative and production environments.
- Digital Storage Manager, a powerful cross-platform storage management solution designed to integrate a workgroup's file management into the overall creative and production workflow. The solution associates files with projects, archives & retrieves files, and enables users to quickly find digital files for creative or production processes.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Digital Storage Manager 2.5, with desktop clients for both Mac OS X and Windows, is available immediately. New systems are priced affordably with complete multi-user systems starting at $2,995. Upgrades are available free of charge to customers on an annual Meta Assurance maintenance agreement. MetaCommunications products are available from authorized resellers, system integrators, distributors and OEM partners.