Category: Content technology news (Page 588 of 640)

Technomation Systems Inc. announced plans to support Microsoft’s BizTalk Framework by incorporating it into Technomation’s BizOffice Portal for eProposals (electronic proposals). Technomation’s eProposal XML schema will initially be offered as a schema for the exchange of eProposals and quotations along the integrated E-value chain of proposal creation, quote generation, order entry, inventory control, invoicing, and post-sales customer support. The eProposal XML schema will provide the means for transferring data and descriptions of products or services, including specifications, capabilities, and costs, which can be communicated to potential customers, vendors, or trading partners. www.technomation.com

Navision Software announced its plans to support the BizTalk Framework by developing BizTalk-compatible schemas for electronic exchange of business documents and messages expressed in XML. www.navision.com.

Computer Sciences Corporation announced a new XML tagging convention that allows information to be shared over the Web between disparate workflow applications to achieve end-to-end process interoperability. The new capability is the result of a cooperative effort launched by the DoD’s Program Manager for the Joint Computer-aided Acquisition and Logistics Support (JCALS) Office and CSC. The JCALS workflow manager is a key component of the JCALS system that CSC has developed and implemented for the DoD. JCALS is a joint service information technology program that improves the processes to acquire, develop and maintain U.S. military systems. It is deployed among all the armed services at 60 locations throughout the United States. The new XML-based specification, developed by JCALS program management and CSC, has been enthusiastically endorsed and accepted by the Technical Committee of the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC). The coalition is a non-profit, international organization that promotes and develops the use of workflow through the establishment of standards for software technology, interoperability and connectivity between workflow products. www.csc.com

NCompass Labs Inc. announced the opening of its U.S. center of operations in Silicon Valley. The company’s newly appointed vice president of sales, Chris Sterbenc, will be responsible for all operations at NCompass Labs USA, which is headquartered at 2155 South Bascom Avenue, Suite 210, Campbell, Calif. Also new to NCompass Labs USA is Stan Shull, the company’s vice president of business development. Previously, Sterbenc was the vice president of sales for Rainmaker Systems, a business process outsource company for large software publishers. Prior to Rainmaker Systems, Sterbenc managed the reseller channel at Edify Corporation, a provider of intelligent software agents for the Web. Prior to joining NCompass Labs, Shull was the director of business development at Boeing Enterprises, the investment arm of The Boeing Company. www.ncompasslabs.com

Microsoft Corp. announced the immediate worldwide availability of Microsoft Vizact 2000, which allows users to add the dynamic and engaging features of the Web to their HTML documents. The Vizact 2000 technology allows users to add multimedia functionality such as timing, animation and interactivity to their Web documents, turning them into “active documents.” With Vizact 2000, document authors can control multimedia functionality (e.g., text, images and sound) in their documents to increase attention to key messages, enhancing readers’ understanding and retention of ideas. Via the Vizact Timeline, users can control when elements appear and disappear, the movement of elements, and the reaction of the elements to a user’s mouse. Since Vizact looks and works like the Office family of applications, new users can get up and running quickly and easily. Vizact includes professionally designed wizards and templates, giving users impressive, professional results without requiring them to master new technology. Part of Microsoft’s overall knowledge management strategy, Vizact is an example of providing knowledge workers with the right information at the right time. Vizact 2000 is available now in stores for the suggested retail price of $149. www.microsoft.com

Sequoia Software Corporation announced a reseller agreement with The Windward Group. The Sequoia XML Portal is a platform upon which Windward’s technical staff will deliver customized enterprise information portals.This agreement will extend Sequoia Software’s presence throughout the western United States via Windward’s headquarters near San Jose and its affiliate offices near Seattle, San Diego and Salt Lake City. Sequoia’s XML Portal delivers personalized information snapshots assembled from any of the XML data elements managed by the portal’s patent-pending XML index. www.sequoiasoftware.com, www.wwg.com

Manage.Com and DataChannel, Inc., announced an alliance aimed at helping the emerging generation of on-line businesses make effective use of XML in managing the disparate systems and applications on their networks. The alliance calls for DataChannel to develop XML-based product extensions that will assist Manage.Com’s partners and customers in adapting its FrontLine e.M management software product, which is used to discover, monitor, analyze and diagnose problems across the extended electronic community, or extranet. The development effort will result in an XML “wizard” that gives users an automated way to create documents in manageXML, Manage.Com’s extension of XML specifically for e-management; the documents will specify XML data access, content and display rules for specific, commonly-used network devices, NT systems, web servers and applications. The wizard will be available by the end of 1999 from Manage.Com. www.datachannel.com, www.manage.com.