Knowledgeone Corp announces ’Really Useful’ Apps in the Cloud

by Frank 23. March 2017 06:00

After 34 years, it I finally time for us to be a disruptive force in the Information Management industry.

We have leveraged off our industry knowledge, experience, expertise and our core product RecFind 6 to create a number of what we call “Really Useful Apps in the Cloud.”

This is a new deployment model for us and it provides a very low cost way and very easy way to ‘roll out’ information management applications for small to medium customers and ‘cash-strapped’ small departments in large organizations. No computer room, no servers, no consultants, no trainers and no IT staff required. We manage everything, including backups; all the customer has to do is sign up and use the App.

This is the easiest and lowest cost way for any organization to profit from really useful, state-of-the-art core business applications.

 All of our new Apps are “Powered by RecFind 6” which since 2009 has proven itself to be one of the world’s best regarded information management solutions. It is fast, stable and scalable and ultimately configurable to solve almost any business process need. The initial Apps are:

 

Records Management

Manage all of your physical records including File Folders, Documents and Archive Boxes. A full complement of RM functionality including searching, reporting, classification, retention and tracking. Track records using fixed and portable barcode readers. Meet all compliance requirements.

Records & Document Management (eDocs) 

All the functionality of our Records Management App plus the functionality to capture, classify, index, OCR and manage all types of electronic documents including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Emails, scanned documents, photos, images, drawings, plans, etc. Meet all your eDiscovery needs

Asset Tracking

Register, track and value all of your important assets. Utilize workflow and email alerts to ensure all tasks are completed. Use scheduled reports and saved searches to alert you to all pending actions. Track all of your assets with fixed and portable barcode readers. Easily produce reports for management.

Software License Tracking

Record and track all of the software used in your organization. Utilize workflow and email alerts to ensure all tasks are completed. Easily manage reviews, renewals and maintenance. Know exactly what software you have and what licenses you have. Easily produce reports for management.

Contract Tracking

Record, manage and track all of your contracts plus all actions including reviews and renewals. Capture all original electronic documents (including all new versions of a contract) and emails. Utilize workflow and email alerts to ensure all tasks are completed. Never lose track of a contract or contract renewal again.

Collection Tracking

The ideal solution for any collection both large and small. Perfect for museums and art galleries as well as private collections. Record, value and revalue any valuable item. Track items in and out of your collection using both fixed and portable barcode readers. Record the details of the ownership and provenance. Record and manage the details of all insurance including renewals. Add photos and videos to better record and display your collection.

Work Tracking

The ideal solution for any small business to record and track assigned work, especially when dealing with contractors. Ideal for property management or any project involving the management of work orders. Record and track each assigned work order with workflow and email alerts for due and overdue matters. Automatically notify key people when work is completed or overdue. Never lose track of work again. 

Accounts Payable Tracking

Capture invoices, purchase orders and delivery dockets. Register all of your suppliers and supplier contacts plus all the people responsible for approving invoices in your organization. Once an invoice is received, utilize workflow and email alerts to manage the approval process. Produce management reports for invoices received, paid and unpaid. Easily track the progress of any invoice throughout the approval process.

Membership Tracking

Suitable for all membership management applications. Record the details of each member, be automatically advised of all due renewals. Use the bulk email feature to email all or selected members with notices, updates, newsletters, etc. Produce management reports, search for and select members by criteria. Automatically email members when their membership is due for renewal. Have complete control of all membership matters.

HR Tracking

Capture and record the details and histories, including job offers, applications, resumes, previous job history, etc., of all your employees.  Automatically manage and record all employee reviews. Automatically advise managers when reviews are due and overdue. Use the bulk email feature to select all employees or groups of employees for news updates, policy updates, etc. Manage all leave applications. Ensure that you are meeting all industry compliance standards.

Pricing

All Apps are provided on a low cost monthly subscription model based on the number of user licenses selected by the customer.

Other Costs

The low monthly subscription cost is all the customer will pay unless it requires ancillary services like us uploading and formatting its data (as opposed to the customer’s staff entering it manually using our browser client). We do offer optional services because we know from our 34 years of experience that not all customers will be self-sufficient. Unlike many online applications, if a customer wants help, we will provide it.

Free Support and Training

Support is free via email or using the support form on our website. We will also provide demos and training courses free of charge, also on the website.

We have built a new website and a new fully automated provisioning and delivery model. This is an ‘Amazon-like’ model where we intend to provide all the Apps the big guys provide but at a much more cost-effective price and delivered instantly over the Internet. The quality will be at least equal and the support will be both free and, we believe, better.

Over time we will add more Apps to our portfolio and plan to respond to customer demand. That is, if there is enough demand for a particular App, we will build it and add it to the list.

Sanctity of the customer’s data

We will host in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand to begin (other countries later). It is most important to host a customer’s data at a compliant data centre in the data’s country of origin. The customer’s data is protected, key fields are encrypted and the data always belongs to the customer; we claim no rights over customer data. When a customer leaves the service, or when requested, we will provide them with a SQL Server backup of their data. Importantly, we do not hold financial data of any kind including bank account and credit card details. All financial data is held separately by our banking partners.

This new service will be launched on July 1, 2017.

Have you considered Cloud processing? There are significant benefits

by Frank 6. May 2012 06:00

Most of us have probably become more than a little numbed to the onslaught of Cloud advertising and the promotion of the ‘Cloud’ as the salvation for everyone and the panacea for everything. The Cloud is promoted by its aggrandizers as being both omnipotent and omniscient; both qualities I only previously associated with God.

This is not to say that moving business processing to the Cloud is not a good thing; it certainly is. I just wish that the promoters would tone down the ‘sell’ and clearly explain the benefits and advantages without the super-hype.

Those of us with long memories clearly recall the early hype about what was then called ASP or Application Service Processing or even Application Service Provider. This was the early progenitor of the Cloud and despite massive hype it did not fly. The reasons were simple, neither the technology nor the software (application and system) were up to the job. Great idea, pity it was about five years before its time.

Unfortunately, super-hype in our industry is usually associated with immature and unproven technology. Wiser, older people nod sagely and then wait a few years for the technology to catch up with the promises.

As an older (definitely) and wiser (hopefully) person I am now ready to accept that all the technology required for successful and secure Cloud processing is now available and proven; albeit being ‘improved’ all the time so still take care not to rush in with experimental technology.

As with many new technologies the secret is KISS; Keep It Simple Stupid. If it seems too complex then it is too complex. If the sales person can’t answer all of your questions clearly and unambiguously then walk away.

Most importantly, make sure you know all about all of the parties involved in the transaction. For example:

1.    What is the name of the data centre?

2.    Where is it located?

3.    Who ‘owns’ the rack and equipment and software at the data centre?

4.    What are the redundant features?

5.    What are the backup and recovery options?

6.    Is your vendor the owner of the co-hosted facility or do they subcontract to someone else? If they sub-contract is the company they subcontract to the owner or are they too just part of a chain of ‘hidden’ middle-men? It is critical for you to understand this chain of responsibility because if something goes wrong you need to know who to chase.

There are a lot more questions you need to ask but this Blog isn’t the place to list them all. I am sure your IT team and application owners will come up with plenty more. If they don’t, wake them up and demand questions.

Most small to medium organizations today simply do not have the time or expertise to run a computer room and manage and maintain a rack of servers. There is also a dearth of ‘real’ expertise and a plethora of phonies out there so hiring someone who is actually smart enough to manage your critical infrastructure is a very difficult exercise made more so by most business owners and managers simply not understanding the requirements or technology. It often becomes a case of the blind hiring the almost blind.

Most small to medium enterprises also cannot afford the redundancy required to ensure a stable and reliable infrastructure. A fifteen minute UPS is no substitute for a redundant bank of diesel generators and a guaranteed clean power supply.

Why should small to medium enterprises have to buy servers and networks and IT support? It isn’t part of their core business and this stuff should not be weighing down the balance sheet. Why should they be devoting scarce and expensive management time to activities that are not part of their core business?

In-house computer rooms will soon be become as rare as dinosaurs and this is how it should be, they are an anachronism in this time and age; out of time and out of place.

All smart and business savvy small to medium organizations should be planning to progressively move all their processing to the Cloud so as to lower costs, improve service levels and reduce management stress. I say progressively because it is still wise to get wet slowly and to take little steps. Just like with your first two-wheel bicycle, it pays to practice with the training wheels on first. That way, you usually avoid those painful falls.

I like to think I am a little wiser because I still have scars from gravel rash when I was a kid. I am moving my RecFind 6 customers to the Cloud and I am moving my in-house processing to the Cloud but just like you, I am doing it slowly and carefully and triple-checking every aspect. I don’t take risks with my customers or my business and neither should you.

One last thing, I have the advantage of being very IT literate and of having a top IT team working for me so we have the in-house expertise required to correctly evaluate and select the most appropriate technology and options. If you do not have this level of in-house IT expertise then please take extra care and try to find someone to assist who does have the level of IT knowledge required. Once you sign up, it is too late. Buyer’s remorse is not a solution to any problem.

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