SPESCOM SOFTWARE INC.

Enterprise Configuration Management in Nuclear Plants, Pipelines and Offices

ENTERPRISE DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

A handful of pioneering companies set out in the 1980`s to provide a better alternative for managing documents electronically. Three of these, Alpharel, Optigraphics and Trimco who, by the mid-90`s, had amalgamated to emerge as Altris Software Inc, a leading organization focused exclusively on enterprise document management.

CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

By 2000, Altris had a blue-chip customer base and a major investment was made by one of its partner, Spescom Ltd based in South Africa. This investment resulted in Altris becoming a Spescom subsidiary, and forming a cornerstone for the Spescom Group`s global operations. Spescom transferred its powerful configuration management technology and skills to the company. From this combination of document management and configuration management technologies and skills, Spescom Software Inc. emerged on October 1, 2001.

ECM, ENTERPRISE CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, ENTERPRISE CONTENT MANAGEMENT

Our solutions and products are all based on our powerful platform, eB that provides enterprise content management (ECM) and enterprise configuration management functionality in a single environment. This enables us to deliver a range of intelligent data and document management solutions that ensure the efficient capture, management, storage and distribution of all types of information.

eB enables all types of documents and content e.g. Word, Excel, CAD, paper, audio, video, etc., to be managed throughout their lifecycles.

RECORDS MANAGEMENT

It provides the capabilities of a content management suite such as imaging, document management, records management, collaboration and workflow. It also provides the proven disciplines of configuration management -- identification, change control, status accounting and audit to manage products or assets throughout their lifecycles. Built on a modern n-Tier architecture and utilizing the .Net framework, eB provides interoperability and scalability across an enterprise. Its open, standards based architecture and powerful Application Programming Interface (API), enables rapid customization and integration with other business systems.

COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE MANAGEMENT, CHANGE MANAGEMENT, REQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT, ITEM MANAGEMENT

• Requirements management
• Document management
• Item management
• Change management
• Records management
• Collaborative workspace management
• Configuration management
• all on a single platform that is easily deployable, customizable and scalable

• Capture, identify, structure and securely store all the information (documents, content and data) about your assets, products and processes and manage this information throughout its life cycle
• Ensure that conformance between requirements, physical plant/product configurations and all information is maintained
• Control the configuration of your assets, products and processes throughout their life cycles including base lines, modifications, deviations -- even by serial number if required
• Determine the impact of all proposed changes and effectively control the notification and implementation of all approved changes
• Keep records of enterprise critical transactions, emails and correspondence to ensure compliance with regulatory demands and protect your organization from potential legal threats
• Enhance collaboration amongst organizations and project teams by enabling them to work concurrently on designing, building, upgrading and maintaining your assets and products, yet ensuring that full control is kept of all information throughout this process including all changes that are made

PIPELINE INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT, PLANT LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT

Based on eB, Spescom has developed a comprehensive information management solution for nuclear operators, plant life cycle management, pipeline integrity management, and transportation asset or infrastructure. This enables the identification of all design requirements, plant systems, structures and components, pipeline regulations and  requirements, all pipeline segments and equipment, and associated documents, data, drawings and records in a single integrated environment and ensuring conformance between these by means of automated work processes, best practice change management processes and automated change management processes. It also ensures:

CONFIGURATION CONTROL INFORMATION SYSTEM, 49 CFR PART 195, INPO AP-929, 49 CFR PART 192

• Implementation of the ANSI/NIRMA CM1.0-2000 ``Guidelines for Configuration Management of Nuclear Facilities``
• Establishment of an effective Configuration Control Information System (CCIS)
• Ensuring conforming with the INPO AP-929 ``Configuration Control Process Description``
• Establishment of an effective pipeline integrity management plan and process to ensure compliance with 49 CFR Part 192 or 49 CFR Part 195
• Creating a baseline assessment plan and maintaining assessment integrity records
• Managing and controlling all facility, pipeline information (documents, drawings, data, records, etc) throughout their life cycles

Our eB solutions are fully integrated with leading CAD (AutoCAD, MicroStation), GIS (ESRI) and EAM ( MAXIMO, Indus) applications.

Integrated document management is a cost-effective solution to the growing paper-related drain on your company`s profits. Public service organizations are also custodians of vast amounts of information. This information is traditionally distributed in paper form and imposes a massive burden of care onto government and public utility departments who are regulated by law to maintain and make available those documents in a timely manner. And Spescom Software`s solutions are uniquely suited to manage documents within manufacturing environments or government bodies. We have proven experience in successfully eliminating vast quantities of paper documents -- ranging in size from aperture cards to 30-foot-long drawings - -at some of the largest manufacturing enterprises around the world.

Another solution is Spescom Software`s eB CM as a way to automate document distribution and add electronic view, markup, edit, print and fax tools. Spescom Software`s eB CM provides a core imaging capability to further extend the value of your existing system. With this low-cost distribution system, users can view multiple objects such as pages, sheets, markups, sound and video from any network workstation.

Enterprise Document Management Solutions

EB DM DOCUMENT MANAGER, ENTERPRISE DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

eB DM is Spescom Software`s powerful enterprise document management application that enables users to effectively capture, manage, store and distribute all types of documents and content across an enterprise. It  efficiently manages the creation, capture and revision life-cycle of documents that range from paper documents to office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and email to computer aided design (CAD) drawings and geographical information (GIS) data.  This means that the organization can use one document management product for all business needs, whether procedures management or imaging for invoice payables, scanned drawings from vendors or in-house engineering departments.

Benefits:

• Built on Microsoft .Net framework ensures scalability for enterprise wide deployment and strong data integrity
• Standard out-of-the-box interfaces results in rapid deployment and a quick ROI
• eB`s API enables integrators to easily create customized solutions or integrate with other business applications allowing users the most appropriate interface for their work
• One document management product for all business needs -- easy access to and management of all documents from engineering drawings and geographic information data to emails and standard office applications
• Customers have a choice of interfaces into the eB DM system.

eB DM comprises the following elements:

Standard Interfaces

• eB  Browser 

Capture Options

• eB Image Capture
• eB Report Capture (download pdf)
• eB Bulk Loader
• eB Mail Capture (download pdf)

Standard Product Integrations

• eB CAD Connect
• eB GIS Connect
• eB Office Connect
• eB Mail Connect

LoB Product Integrations

• eB Indus Connect
• eB Documentum Connect
• eB Maximo Connect

Server Options

• eB Publisher
• eB Workflow
• eB Print Manger
• eB DM Systems Admin (download pdf)

DOCUMENT COPY AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT, EB DC DOCUMENT CONTROLLER, DOCUMENT CHANGE MANAGEMENT 

The eB DC Document Controller application includes all the capabilities of the eB DM offering but extends these with the addition of document change management, document copy and distribution management and work management. It is typically used when greater control is required over documents throughout their life cycles, such as is the case in regulated industries. In a user-friendly way, it enables users to identify and query documents and associated document data and performs document change management and distribution.  It ensures quick and easy access to documents and their contents, providing extremely flexible access control and permission mechanisms to ensure the safety of company data in a multi-user, complex, organizational environment.

Furthermore, documents may be identified in the context of product and process functional areas that represent the enterprise environment, thus providing a logical way of storing and accessing documents. A document is maintained as a user-defined reference to any data stored anywhere on any media in any format i.e. paper, microfilm, electronic, etc. Electronic master copies of documents are stored in one or more predefined electronic read only vaults and multiple locations for hard copies of documents can be specified.

DOCUMENT INDEXING

Document indexing is the process of identifying a document by a unique number and revision and recording other important data determined by the supported business processes. eB DocController is independent of, and can accommodate, any numbering system.  Attributes such as the title, type of document, status, effective date, date obsolete, user-defined attributes and other user-defined data (characteristics) can be identified and controlled. In addition, cross references to other documents, references to superseded documents as well as references to locations and statuses (available, issued, lost, destroyed) of the various document copies are maintained.

DOCUMENT MASTER RECORD INDEXES

Document master record indexes may be created using the virtual folder capability of eB DocController. Documents can exist in one or more virtual folders at a time and may be structured hierarchically within different group concepts; for example, a system description document could exist in a folder called operation and/or maintenance.  This functionality allows multiple views of information to be created to suit the requirements of many business processes in the enterprise.

DOCUMENT HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURES, DOCUMENT RELATIONSHIPS, COMPOUND DOCUMENTS

Documents may be linked to each other in a hierarchical manner. Document relationships may be classified as one of the following: contained in, propagated from, or referenced by. This allows the definition of compound documents and inter-relationships, comprising other documents to be created and managed by the system. Document hierarchical structures and other hierarchical structures, such as locations and organizational structures may all be viewed graphically.

Record Management for Utilities, Nuclear, Transport And Defense Industries

EB RM RECORDS MANAGER, RECORDS MANAGEMENT SOLUTION

eB RM is Spescom Software`s records management solution. As more and more organizations seek to extend the control of documents as records of corporate transactions, eB RM extends Spescom`s eB DM document management application to provide the management of those records. In order for a document to become a record it must comply with 3 primary rules:

• the declaration that the document is a record
• the ability to archive based on the type and age of the records
• the ability to define the retention and disposition rules to be applied

VERSION MANAGEMENT

A document can be regarded as something created by a person or persons to reflect a particular set of information. However it changes to a record when it is used in a corporate transaction and as such becomes the property of and under the control of the organization with the creator no longer necessarily in control. eB provides version management & access control, allowing records to be archived based on their type and age. eB can classify something as a document and can then upgrade it to a record. eB has extensive capability to configure identification index fields to enable ease of searching and retrieval and provide structured information about the document.  eB allows import of email messages (now also regarded as records of business transactions) and their attachments. 

The email is indexed and controlled like any other document.  Such documents can be elevated to records when appropriate. Electronic files associated with the record are stored in a vault controlled by eB. Access to these files is through the user interface of eB and the permission structure that defines access rules per record category. For disposition of records, eB enables an authorized user to pre-configure search forms to run a report on record status. For example, a form may be generated to allow a report on all records for ``Invoices`` that are more than 7 years old. The RMA then has the option to delete the records and/or modify some of the record information to defer to a future date. 

It is also possible to set up a customized screen to enable automated deletion of records, as per the policy of the organization. This application could also be extended to enable mass changes to index attributes, for example, extending the disposition date on all of the selected documents. It also includes the eB DM Browser.

EB DW DRAWING MANAGER, DRAWING MANAGEMENT

The eB DW Drawing Management application uses eB CAD-Connect, the CAD engineering face of the eB suite to manage drawings within and external to the engineering department of an organization. eB Drawing Management was developed in conjunction with major industrial customers worldwide within the nuclear, transportation, utilities, defense and aerospace industries and involves the complete drawing management process including drawing identification, revision control, work and rendition management.

eB CAD-Connect allows engineering department staff to access eB`s powerful information repository without leaving their CAD application. eB CAD-Connect features the same familiar Windows look and feel as eB while being fully integrated with AutoCAD and MicroStation/J.  When implemented in conjunction with Spescom`s eB DM Browser, engineering CAD/CAM departments are provided with an easy to use, web enabled project collaboration tool.

REVISION MANAGEMENT

The eB Drawing management application has been implemented at many sites throughout the world and has brought the following benefits to our customers:

• Dramatic savings in the cost of creating and reproducing drawings
• Rapid distribution of drawings -- to everyone who needs them (suppliers, customers, partners, etc) whether they are next door or on the other side of the world
• Reduced project completion times due to improved collaboration
• Fast retrieval of latest drawings-- 24 hours a day
• Full integration with the leading CAD systems -- with full revision management