EXTRANET
NEWS *
Published Weekly
Editors: Joel Orr, N'omi Orr, Stephen
Orr
http://www.extranetnews.com
1. REVIEW: Aconex
- Doing it Differently Down Under
2. THE LIST
3. TIDBITS
4. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
1.
REVIEW:
Aconex - Doing it Differently Down Under
EXTRANET NEWS spoke with Rob Phillpot, but not in the context of a formal interview. (If
we got anything wrong, it’s our fault, not Rob’s.)
Aconex (from
“Australian construction exchange”) offers a range of extranet features to AEC
professionals in Oz and elsewhere. Products cover Web-based document control,
correspondence management, bidding, and procurement. The Web site – http://www.aconex.com –
tells the story well.
What struck us when speaking with Rob Phillpot (one of the founders, who now
heads development and support) was the emphasis on data privacy. “Our
customers didn’t want to put their documents in some central repository that
might be accessible to others – even if it was a project manager,” said Rob.
So Aconex
designed its Java-based system to work like email: “The only people who have
access to your documents are the ones to whom you’ve sent them,” he said. “Our
customers like that.”
At first, that seemed like a step
backwards to us. After all, we’ve always thought the main benefit of an
extranet was to have everyone “reading the same page.” If the standard practice
were to ship documents around from point to point, how would you know if you
had the latest version of a document?
But as the discussion continued, and as
we explored the Web site, we realized that the difference is in emphasis,
rather than in workflow or technology. Other extranets can provide a similar
“transmittal-focused” environment by configuring their systems appropriately.
However, the
Our take: Aconex
has designed a system (available as both a hosted service and a
“behind-the-firewall” installation) that meets the needs of its market very
well. While others have user interface designs that are as attractive and
simple as that of Aconex, this firm has made life
easy for its clients by preserving an electronic version of the paper workflow,
and emphasizing the security of a “transmittal-oriented” system.
Taking builders from their manual
techniques into the computer age is a challenge; by simply providing automated
versions of manual processes – and total privacy by default, rather than as a
choice - the firm gives its customers a more acceptable transition than
extranets who seek to change the way builders and tradesmen do things, to gain
efficiencies. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the customers have
found it tasty.
2. THE LIST
Total companies: 254 (see who’s on The
List at http://www.extranetnews.com)
3. TIDBITS
* "Distributed Project Management
Tools and Issues" Webinar -
* On http://www.extranetnews.com, you
will find a report on Web-enabled project management, by Mustafa Alshawi and Bingunath Ingirige, of the
* Beware of getting addicted at http://www.sodaplay.com.
(Thanks, Malcolm Davies, for the link!)
* Go to
http://www.enr.com/new/indcal.asp for ENR’s construction-industry calendar.
* BAM! What just hit the engineering
world? To find out, go to CADwire - http://www.cadwire.net for up-to-the-minute
nuggets of well-organized news, press releases, and commentary from Joel and
his associates in Cyon Research Corporation.
* We’re off to COFES 2002. - The Third
Congress on the Future of Engineering Software is scheduled for May 2-5 at the
* Attend The
American Institute of Architects 2002 National Convention and Expo;
* Attend A/E/C SYSTEMS 2002,
*
at the
http://www.collaborateexpos.com/site/Advanstar/Collaborate/2002/east/
4. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“What’s beautiful in science is the same thing that’s
beautiful in Beethoven. It connects things that were always in you that were
never put together before….There’s a scientific truth and an emotional truth.
If you are completely immersed in one, many important aspects of life are
missed.”
Victor Weisskopf, physicist