News Briefs and Product Shorts

Emanio Offers EDI and Integration Software to MAPICS Customers

It should now be easier for MAPICS ERP for iSeries users to use Emanio's EDI and business process integration software. The Berkeley, California, software company announced last week that it has become a certified partner for three MAPICS ERP products, including ERP for iSeries, SyteLine, and Extended Systems. Many MAPICS customers already use Emanio's Trading Partner, a Windows-based communications product, based on Cleo Communications' LexiCom technology (see related story, "Cleo Enhances Automation with AS2 Software for OS/400"), that helps eliminate VAN fees by routing EDI, XML, and other transaction-oriented documents over the Internet. Emanio said last week that it will integrate its Unite! data-mapping tool with MAPICS products. Emanio's Windows-based EDI software, called OnCall*EDI, is also being used with MAPICS, the company says.

Global Aims to Simplify SQL Query Building with Executive DASH

Global Software recently launched Executive DASH Version 11.1.1, the latest release of its product that creates "dashboard"-type views of key business metrics pulled from any DB2, SQL Server, Access, or Oracle database.. Executive DASH works as an Excel add-in and lets users do all kinds of cool things, like drilling down into detail data, automatically populating spreadsheets, importing and exporting preconfigured queries, or getting some help in constructing new queries. With Version 11.1.1, the Raleigh, North Carolina, company has built on these capabilities with some new features, such as a new Query Builder, which simplifies the SQL building process and doesn't require users to know SQL. Users also can now automatically populate selected cells of a spreadsheet, which, Global says, will allow users to combine live summarized data with more detailed information. Additionally, new formulas in this release let users create an unlimited number of drill-down screens, letting them get to the lowest level of detail for each query. Global also has enhanced Executive Dash's integration with BPCS, the OS/400-based ERP suite from SSA Global, which is used by a large number of Global's customers. With this release, Global says, there are now more than 20 SQL query templates available in the Executive Dash catalog. Combined with the new Query Builder capability, the enhanced BPCS SQL catalog makes building and evaluating BPCS data simply, the company says.

CPU Launches New DR Service for Medical Offices

CPU Medical Management Systems last week announced a new disaster recovery service for users of its OS/400-based practice management software. Doctor's offices and medical billing offices that use MED/FM now have the option of sending their monthly tape backups to CPU, to be stored at the San Diego company's off-site storage facility. If disaster strikes, CPU restores the client's most recent backup tape with Web MED/FM (the Web-enabled version of its flagship product) and makes the data available to the client over the Internet within hours of receiving the data. CPU says its Web-based disaster recovery solution is positioned in an "earthquake proof" co-location facility, secured by a biometric hand scanner, security cameras, backup generators, and halon fire extinguishers.

New Multifunction Printer from IBM Starts at $1,600

IBM will begin shipping a new and affordable Infoprint 1410 multifunction printer this Friday. Capable of printing up to 22 pages per minute, copying, scanning, and faxing, the new Infoprint 1410 will make an ideal do-it-all black-and-white laser printer and multifunction printer for small businesses and enterprise workgroups, IBM says, particularly with its starting price of about $1,600 (on IBM's Web site). The Infoprint 1410 supports 300, 600, and 1200 dots-per-inch (DPI) image quality resolution settings, includes the MarkVision print management software for real-time monitoring, and supports fax-from-workstation, scan-to-e-mail, and File Transfer Protocol (FTP). It is also available with an optional wireless Ethernet card, enabling wireless LAN printing.

Clear Technologies Invests in Linux and Veritas Skills

New services are now available from Clear Technologies, a developer of CRM software for iSeries and xSeries servers. Last week the Dallas company announced that it has added new Linux and Veritas high availability skills--in the form of the hiring of Tom Large, Clear Technologies' new lead open systems architect. "We're investing in Linux and Veritas because we see the market exploding in these areas, and Tom will be the key engineer supporting both," said Van Symons, president of Clear Technologies. Large's primary responsibility will be providing affordable clustering solutions for Linux-on-Intel environments and helping users manage data with Veritas disaster recovery and high availability tools. Large has more than seven years of experience in systems engineering, architecture, and project management, including integrating Linux and Veritas products into the production environments of large commercial and industrial companies.

Companies Need to Develop Long-Term Compliance Strategies, Gartner Says

If you're looking for a "quick and dirty" fix for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance in 2004, be prepared to do it all again next year, and the year after that, advises Gartner. The IT analyst firm is recommending that companies take a more long-term and strategic view of their compliance initiatives, instead of purchasing one-off software products that address a particular pain point. "Enterprises that choose one-off solutions for each regulatory challenge that they face will spend 10 times more on compliance projects than their counterparts that take a proactive approach," said French Caldwell, research vice president at Gartner. The Stamford, Connecticut, company is helping companies with compliance strategies at its Midsize Enterprise Summit East 2004 conference, being held this week at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee. Gartner's analysts recommend the following spending breakdown for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance initiatives: 50 percent for implementation and remediation issues, including directors' and officers' insurance and increased consulting fees; 30 percent for internal analysis, including redundant audits for the next three quarters; and 20 percent for software upgrades and new purchases.