A cloud-based soft proofing, collaboration and approval solution for both static and multimedia content

Tübingen -  GMG, a leading developer and supplier of high-end color management software solutions, announces the commercial launch of GMG CoZone Collaborate, a comprehensive online project collaboration, soft-proofing and approval solution.

The way that jobs are produced today is radically different from even a few years ago. Time pressures and the requirement to work in more mobile and dynamic environments mean that people are starting to expect the same from their applications and services. Consumers have embraced cloud-based solutions for the storage, management and retrieval of their data whether it be music, photographs, documents or films and they now want the same flexibility in the workplace. 

In order to keep pace with an evolving and technologically-savvy customer base, the graphic arts industry needs to adopt these new content management and workflow methodologies. Integrating the best of these technologies with the best that the industry has to offer is crucial for print and media content providers to best serve their clients in the future.

Recognising these changes in customer behaviour and expectations, GMG has developed a comprehensive web-based platform – GMG CoZone – that integrates the cloud and project collaboration with the high-quality color management toolsets for which the company is world-renowned. The first GMG CoZone module to be released is CoZone Collaborate.

CoZone Collaborate allows project participants to manage, review, proof and approve graphic arts content and by the end of 2013 - multimedia content - within an online Amazon Cloud Service hosted soft-proofing environment. While CoZone Collaborate features a powerful soft-proofing engine, future CoZone modules will allow seamless connection to GMG-calibrated hard-copy output devices, delivering an end-to-end color-accurate workflow. CoZone Collaborate allows even inexperienced users to collaborate, review, proof and approve content.

The system is completely cloud-based – there’s no software or hardware to install and manage, and users do not require anything more than a web browser. GMG have invested heavily in cloud based services so that we can offer a robust, enterprise-level cloud platform accessible worldwide, day or night, with a guaranteed service level uptime of 99.95 per cent. Unlike most other solutions, CoZone offers no restriction of the number of users, file sizes, or even storage.

Central to the CoZone Collaborate service is an easy-to-use user interface, allowing end-users to be up and running with minimal training. Powerful approval and soft-proofing features provide users with a comprehensive yet easy-to-use toolset to mark up, measure, review and collaborate. CoZone Collaborate will also offer multimedia file support by the end of the year, further extending collaboration options over static content.

“The way that jobs are produced,  and the growing expectations of customers,  mean that the industry has to sit up and take note. Adopting a more distributed and collaborative methodology that exploits the clear benefits of the cloud when producing content means easier, faster and more streamlined output, which is good for the industry as a whole,” says Marcus Wright, CoZone Product Manager at GMG. “CoZone Collaborate has been developed from the ground up to address the needs of those looking for a cost-effective, scalable and easy-to-use system for collaborating, reviewing, proofing and approving media files prior to production.”