A ground-up restructuring of Enfocus’ uniquely flexible and powerful Switch automation technology has resulted in what Enfocus Vice President Fabian Prudhomme calls “a metamorphosis” of the Switch product line, which has been ahead of its time since it was first introduced. Enfocus will show Switch in its newest iteration at the drupa 2012 exhibit Hall 8b, Stand A23.

Over a year of behind-the-scenes process improvements and focused market research have combined to transform the Enfocus Switch line into the future-proof, next-generation Switch 11 version.

Now, instead of choosing between three versions of Enfocus Switch (Light, Full, and Power), customers can completely customize Switch according to their unique needs. The difference begins with a new, multi-purpose Switch Core Engine that not only serves as the necessary foundation for all Switch operations, but is now itself an automation solution for the most common, time-consuming tasks faced daily by all publishing production companies.

Eight additional modules cover the market’s most in-demand functions for intelligent connectivity with existing or new prepress, database and other applications. These are the 1. Configurator, 2. Metadata, 3. Database, 4. Scripting, 5. SwitchClient, 6. Web Services, 7. Performance, and 8. SwitchProxy modules. Additional modules may be developed by Enfocus on an as-needed basis; and customers have the option of using the Scripting module for development of specific integration needs.

Smart Automation for the Next Communications Age
Finding new revenue streams and differentiating from the competition are both gaining in importance, because the ways that people consume communications are changing rapidly. The Switch 11 Generation, and beyond, reflects the broadest marketplace’s need for intelligent automation that can be put to work -- and help them grow -- relatively quickly.

The new system structure will perfectly serve every operation and application in the marketplace, and in fact renders them future-proof by evolving with customers’ changing needs.

What is Switch Automation and How Customers Drove the Change
Enfocus Switch’s open architecture and neutral file format handling means it can seamlessly integrate with existing systems, software, and people#; effectively unleashing their power by creating connections and optimizing capabilities that, in many cases, have not been utilized before. Built-in intelligence allows Switch to “see” deep inside of files, software, and workflows to maximize resources, and to make existing workflows ‘smart’.

“Switch is a masterpiece of automation engineering,” Prudhomme explains, “but because it has always been ahead of its time, restructuring the range of Switch offerings has resulted in easier implementation by broader markets.”  

Prudhomme explains that Enfocus teams therefore worked on making Switch easier to customize. “The system is fully scalable and can evolve with client needs, so that professionals utilize the building blocks they need, at least initially, and then use additional modules as their requirements change and grow.”

Best Practices Advance, and Are Incorporated in, Next Generation of Switch
An inspiration for the next generation of Switch was the way its best practices evolved, and the company recognized that one-at-a-time automation “wins” allow operators to learn Switch in a natural way that builds on itself, and produces the best results over time. The most common, highest ROI “wins” are now integrated within the Switch Core Engine solution.

“There are great numbers of people out there who understand how to really manipulate Switch,” Prudhomme says, referring to several hundreds of existing customers ranging from small, local operations through to mid-size and large organizations such as The Economist, Hallmark, and Playboy.” (See testimonials and case studies here.)

Now, shop owners and managers who didn’t think they had the people, time or “know how” to take advantage of Switch; are interested in its “easier” entry point, through the Switch Core Engine.  “They see how genuinely fast and significant the ROI is, and the modular approach makes it even simpler to get started,” Prudhomme says.

Switch Benefits

Maximizing Existing Systems and People
Successful Switch utilization results in tremendous time savings and efficiency. Margins will grow as systems produce automatically, allowing people to invest their time in perfecting quality and service that will insure loyalty from current customers, while allowing time to explore new business and customers.

Switch is Critical in Vulnerable Times of Change
Highest growth areas include digital printing, as well as cross-, or multi-channel media. These applications allow printers and other service providers to offer new wide format and variable options, and new media output, among other things. A variety of reasons leave these businesses confused and vulnerable about tying their old and new digital workflows together. This is one of the most perfect applications of Switch: its open architecture allows it to be the glue that binds any publishing production systems and applications together, without the need to purchase additional software.

Says Prudhomme, “Switch will be instrumental to the people and companies who are changing the course of publishing history.”

Availability
Switch 11 is available as of today. Pricing of Switch 11 starts at $1,900. For more information on pricing and modules, please contact your preferred reseller or contact [email protected].