1999 Press Releases

New OrgPublisher for Intranets Version 3 Gives Companies Web-Based Reporting Tool, Org Charting and Improved Data Integrity

IRVING, Texas - Sept. 6, 1999 - OrgPublisher for Intranets version 3, available today from Aquire Inc., transforms enterprise and enterprise resource planning (ERP) data into graphical, interactive management reports and organizational charts from a Web browser. This software incorporates a Summary Engine for automatic numerical calculations in reports and charts and helps companies reduce administrative costs, improve data integrity and promote corporate communications worldwide.

"Greater efficiency is the name of the game," said Lois Melbourne, founder and president of Aquire Inc. "OrgPublisher for Intranets eliminates the age-old problem of not having accurate, easy-to-understand information that's needed on the spot and at the spot you are located. It's self-service access to valuable information. Whether you need to forecast the effect of a merger or re-org, analyze departmental budgets, chart out all your contractors or look up someone's title or phone extension, OrgPublisher delivers visual reports and charts across the intranet." Aquire last issued a major upgrade of the product in 1997.

According to Wyatt Watson Worldwide, a leading global management consulting firm, the number of large U.S. companies moving to self-service human resource functions to secure intranet sites has doubled. In 1998, 50 percent of companies surveyed had moved some human resource services online. In 1997, the number was 27 percent. Melbourne added that Aquire customers are increasingly exploring Web-based approaches to HR functions and enterprise/ERP reporting, from online employee rosters (photographs included) and interactive job postings to budget analysis.

For Excel Communications, a telecommunications company based in Dallas, OrgPublisher version 3 is expected to save thousands of dollars this year. "The challenge for any company with hundreds of remote locations is the ever-increasing administrative time and costs to ensure that processes are consistent, accurate and timely," said Paul Dumas, Excel Communications vice president. "Add the shifts and re-shaping of our industry, and the issue becomes not only more burdensome but more mission critical. By going with OrgPublisher and publishing on our intranet, we simplify the process and optimize our workflow while cutting our costs in half." Initially, the company expects to save at least $75,000 this year using OrgPublisher.

Colgate-Palmolive, which uses OrgPublisher with its worldwide SAP R/3 system for intranet-based organization charts, has also discovered its power as a de facto data-integrity tool.

"We have a dynamic organization that includes a large number of new personnel and employees who have moved from one department or office to another area, so it's quite a job to keep the data pure," said Chester Gittleman, director of the company's human resources information systems. "By using OrgPublisher, we get a picture - a snapshot - of the organization and get a screamingly obvious view of data errors."

OrgPublisher's Enterprise Edition is Open DataBase Connectivity (ODBC)-compliant, allowing reports and org charts to be generated from data stored in virtually any database, including Microsoft Access, Oracle, SAP and SQL Server. It is also Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) compliant using a free utility. Reports and organizational charts can be viewed from a Web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, with increased functionality with HTML, a Netscape plug-in or an ActiveX plug-in. A trial version of the product is free and may be downloaded from http://www.Aquire.com. Minimum system requirements are a 486 personal computer, 16MB of RAM and 8MB of disk space running Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT or 2000.

Pricing is based on the number of persons charted, starting at a list price of $1,000 for 100 persons charted. Individual quotes are available for charting needs beyond 20,000 persons charted.

OrgPublisher's Personal Edition, which is for smaller companies wishing to create org charts without enterprise connectivity, is available for $450.

Key Features of OrgPublisher for Intranets 3

Publishing Wizards: Publishing Wizards provides point-and-click org-chart creation by automating preferences - such as chart style, colors, hyperlinks and photographs - as well as fields to include in each employee record, from titles and phone extensions to numerical data such as budget figures and head counts.
Summary Engine: This new feature embeds quick-time numerical data into online management reports and org charts for quick data analysis.
Drill Up/Drill Down: Users viewing reports and charts may drill up and drill down through the company's organizational structure , giving them immediate access to the "big picture".
ODBC and LDAP: Open DataBase Connectivity (ODBC) and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) compliance opens the world of online reporting and org charting to any company and technology platform, from legacy systems to client/server environments.
Web-Based: Reports and charts can be automatically created, updated and then distributed using Web-based technologies. The finished charts can be easily published on the Internet or an intranet.

About Aquire
Aquire, Inc., based in Irving, Texas, is a leading provider of enterprise/ERP management reporting and organizational charting software. Aquire serves more than 450 customers in 25 different countries, with OrgPublisher being used to chart more than 1.1 million employees worldwide. This year, the company was named one of the fastest-growing companies in Dallas-Fort Worth, and expects to continue double-digit growth.