2011 was the year that Document Locator version 6 came into its own. Originally released late in the prior year, it wasn’t until 2011 that deployments gathered full steam and many of the new system’s capabilities were realized among customers. Workflow had become part of the core product, as did Outlook email integration. And reports were a newly added bonus.

Most people are now using one version or another of Document Locator 6. We know the inherent compatibility of version 6 with Windows 7 will ultimately entice any remaining holdouts, even though there is no need to wait. Any customer who is on annual maintenance and support can take advantage of the upgrade for free.

From those who have already made the upgrade, words of accomplishments are streaming in. Everything from a major property management firm overcoming international regulatory compliance hurdles to one of the nation’s largest transportation companies automating and improving their customer service. Manufacturing customers too especially love the workflow and reporting that automates projects and improves visibility over procedures.

But the past is just too good to remain still, and news of a new release is lurking around the corner. For customers on maintenance and support, look for your Version 6.1 announcements soon!

Version 6.1 will claim to be more of a system enhancement than a boost in features. We consider it a minor update in the grand scheme of the version 6 family. However, it does carry our tradition of innovation that we have maintained throughout the entire release cycle for the version 6 series.

As for the future, releases in the version 6 family will continue well into 2012. With so much happening on the technology front globally, the roadmap can sometimes seem as handy as GPS unit in a Manhattan traffic jam. But, one thing is for certain: our innovation will take advantage of the latest technologies (mobile and Windows 8 come to mind).

Looking forward, we can also seize our optimism for improved economic conditions globally. We have been fortunate to see our own new customer adoption continue to climb. Not just here in the U.S., but also internationally. In fact, we even welcomed our very first customer in Liechtenstein!  (If you are reading this… know that a quarrel has erupted here among those who would be first to visit.)

Many believe that rough economic conditions drive people to reevaluate and improve. Overall, productivity in North America as measured by the volume of output per hour of labor remains healthy. In fact, the amount of time needed to produce an equivalent of 40-hours of output from the 1990’s is said to be down to just 29 hours. Go back to 1950, it now only takes about 10 hours to produce an equivalent 40 hours worth of work.

We like to think that electronic document management has played a part in the productivity equation – an equation where every minute counts. And, with inspiration of our customers, and innovations such as those in the version 6 family of releases, we’ll continue striving to add even greater value to everyone’s productivity quotient now and into the future.

Cheers to all our friends and members at ACEC! We enjoyed a great day on the course at last week’s ACEC Oregon Annual Networking Day Benefit Golf Tournament & Dinner, and many thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit with us on the 10th hole! It was a great day, and great cause… with ACEC proceeds benefiting the ACEC Oregon & ASCE YMF scholarship funds & activities.

Jim Kemp, ColumbiaSoft Communications (L) and Alison Davis, Executive Director ACEC Oregon (R) on the 10th hole at the ACEC Annual Networking Day Benefit Golf Tournament.

We’ve seen the rise in environmental awareness here at ColumbiaSoft. Each year, more and more companies are asking about ways to reduce their use of paper and go paperless. Electronic document management is of course, by its nature, a paperless alternative. But it hasn’t always been the case that so many considered the paperless way for its environmentally sustainable benefits. Mostly it was financial reasons, like reducing the risk of lost information, improving the productivity of business operations, or saving money by reducing the cost of storage, that largely pre-dated the green considerations.

The green benefit has given us all new reason to consider ideas, old and new, that can benefit business and the environment. And, like document management, there’s no shortage of cool ways to green your business. Today’s is a good time to take a few minutes to consider them… and here’s a short list to get started:

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/50-ways-to-green-your-business.html

http://www.cio.com/article/591668/Green_Tech_and_Gadgets_for_Earth_Day

http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/environmentbiz/a/envirfriend1.htm

http://www.earthday.org/

http://smallbusiness.intuit.com/blog/where-small-is-now/2009/09/five-simple-ways-to-green-your-business.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/11-really-simple-ways-to-go-green-at-your-office-and-save-money-too-2010-4#only-print-when-absolutely-necessary-1

http://www.columbiasoftconnect.com/flash/calculators/treesaver/homepage/index.html

We covered this topic in a webinar today on electronic document storage. 

In the recording, you’ll see that we touched on other areas of document storage as well. From accessibility to information for people outside the office who are traveling, working at home, or at satellite offices; to logging, and how when documents are accessed, changed, or approved, audit logs can capture a record of the activity; to even business continuity and how electronic document storage improves recovery planning.