EXTRANET NEWS * Week of 8 December 2002

Editors: Joel Orr and N'omi Orr

http://www.extranetnews.com

1. DOCUNET: NATURAL EVOLUTION FROM REPRO SERVICES

2. THE LIST

3. TIDBITS

4. QUOTE OF THE WEEK

1. DOCUNET: NATURAL EVOLUTION FROM REPRO SERVICES

DocuNet is the ASP-delivered product of Design Media Connections, a three-year-old Indianapolis reprography company that has targeted the AEC industry as its market. The small firm—three full-timers, one part-timer—has had great success in the Midwest. With more than 250 customers and 1000+ seats, DocuNet has found a niche in health-care construction.

The product has a long feature list, including RFI tracking; print requests; submittal tracking; proposal request/change orders; calendaring; threaded discussions; a "team" area; and more. The security system provides up to four levels of access, definable by the customer.

The system mimics the Windows desktop by being folder-based. Coming: Custom folders with password protection; email notification; and interfaces to Outlook's Tasks and Calendar.

"Our computer technology is outsourced," said Jim Kiefer, VP. "We host the servers ourselves, but maintain a close relationship with a local support firm."

Pricing is straightforward—and low: $750 setup fee, plus $225/month/project, with unlimited disk space and number of users.

I asked Kiefer how he competes with larger extranet vendors. "Customers tell us that DocuNet is easier to use and easier to customize than most of the other offerings. In fact, many of our customers came to us after trying one of the 'leading brands,'" he said.

Our take: Great price; good feature set; outstanding references. That last point goes a long way to overcoming our main concerns—tiny staff, own data center.

2. THE LIST

Total companies: 254 (see who's on The List at http://www.extranetnews.com/)

ADDED: DMC's DocuNet; see article above.

3. TIDBITS

• For an outstanding report on Collaborate West, held in Anaheim at the beginning of November, see John Latta's excellent WAVE Report issue 243. Here's a tiny excerpt: "Buzz words were everywhere: Perceptual collaboration, community hubs, bridges, disorganized paper processes, e-learning, intelligent information, and electronic meetingware. Yet, words crept into the comments like - Why has this market not taken off? A seminar said it well: "Make sure that the pilot (collaboration) solves a specific problem, is visible to the whole organization, and has the full support of those who will use it." http://www.wave-report.com
  
  
• BOM.com has launched a new partner program; read about it here: http://www.bom.com/company/partners.htm
  
  
• International Building Show; January 21-24, 2003; Las Vegas, Nevada.

• Creating the Real-Time Enterprise, December 10-12, 2002 - San Francisco, CA. For more information see: http://www.dci.com/brochure/rtesf/

· Project World 2002, December 10-13 Santa Clara Convention. 10 one- and two-day pre-conference workshops, 3 keynotes, 26 conference sessions, networking opportunities. See: http://www.projectworld.com/live/20/events/20SCL02

• International Air-Conditioning Heating Refrigerating Exposition; January 27-29, 2003; Chicago, Illinois
  
  
• COFES2003, May 15-18, 2003, Scottsdale Plaza Hotel, Scottsdale, AZ. Be there. http://www.cofes.com

4. QUOTE OF THE WEEK

It is our duty as men and women to proceed as though the limits of our abilities do not exist.

—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Entire newsletter copyright (c) Cyon Research Corporation 2002