Australian developer launches world first in Microsoft environment
Announcement posted by ConverterTechnology 26 Jun 2003
ConverterTechnology cuts file conversion costs by up to 90%
Australian-developed ConverterTechnology (formerly known as OfficeConverter), the only automated file conversion solution currently available, has launched a 100% file conversion service based on its file conversion software.
ConverterTechnology can provide an immediately measurable return on investment by cutting costs of manually converting files created in early versions of Microsoft Office to Office XP, 2000, 97, and the soon-to-be released Office 2003, by up to 90%.
A large Australian oil and gas exploration company, for example, wanted to upgrade more than 1.6 million files from Office 97 to Office XP. The files had been created in Microsoft Access, Excel and Word, and a number of these had migrated originally from Microsoft Office 95 to Office 97. The cost of manually converting and repairing the files was estimated to be more than $4.5 million. Using ConverterTechnology, however, the organisation saved more than 85% of its estimated project cost.
By licencing our technology and methodology, this company was able to enjoy a beneficial Microsoft upgrade, quickly and cost-effectively, said Marius Coomans, industry pioneer and ConverterTechnology CEO. We also provided assistance, such as helping with the planning of the migration process, and providing training and tips on how to streamline the process and reduce rollout time.
Now, with our 100% service offering, we can undertake the entire conversion process, from beginning to end, on behalf of a company, said Coomans, who estimates the emerging market for automated file conversion solutions to be worth more than A$100 million a year in Australia alone.
ConverterTechnologys development started in 1997, initially for Y2K. The solution has been modified over the years, with a million-dollar investment a year ago enabling further development of utilities and methodology and resulting in substantial improvements. The solution has been provided commercially in its current form since July 2002. Although developed in Australia, 75% of ConverterTechnologys sales currently come from the US.
The greatest document conversion costs associated with migrating from one office productivity suite to another result from converting highly customised documents, such as templates and documents with embedded macros, said Tim Hickernell, vice-president META Group. Companies often put too much focus on converting simple, rarely used documents and not enough on converting complex documents used in core business process automation.
ConverterTechnology, with its solid, proven methodologies that streamline the whole conversion process, is saving companies millions of dollars and months of work, whether they are upgrading many files, as the example above shows, or just one single, complex mission-critical application.
A US-based legal firm, for example, had developed an application on Microsoft Word that was extremely complex and generated the majority of its contracts with many built-in macros. While there was only a handful of Word templates in the application, the companys IT team believed it would be impossible to upgrade and then repair the files. The company was about to undertake a two- to three-month project recreating the application in Microsoft Word XP, when it turned to ConverterTechnology, which successfully migrated the application in less than two days!
Coomans explained that although new versions of Microsoft software were designed to increase productivity by focusing on desktop trends and new technologies, an estimated 40% of Australian companies were still locked into business applications based on the early Microsoft Office 97 version.
This is not surprising when one considers just how painful the upgrade path can be, said Coomans. Significant changes in the programming library between Microsoft Office 97 and Office 2000 have resulted in numerous incompatibilities between the different files, making manual conversion of these files especially Microsoft Access databases costly, time-consuming and highly disruptive to a business.
Said Tony Wilkinson, Product Marketing Manager Microsoft Office, Microsoft Australia: We see ConverterTechnologys ability to reduce the time and cost of migrating onto the latest Microsoft Office platform as extremely positive. We believe this automated solution delivers customers a real and quick return on investment for any file migration initiatives.
About ConverterTechnology
Australian-developed ConverterTechnology is the only solution currently available that can automate the costly and time-consuming task of manually converting files created in early versions of Microsoft Office to Office XP, 2000, 97, and the soon-to-be released Office 2003.
With ConverterTechnology, companies can upgrade all their files more quickly and cost-effectively than the time and cost it would take to manually convert just their mission-critical files. ConverterTechnology also helps companies leverage existing technology investments and deal with compatibility problems. As new computers are introduced with current versions of Microsoft Office applications installed, many companies with substantial investments in Office 97 need to be able to share files across these different versions of the software.
ConverterTechnology detects and scans all files before repairing them. Conversion errors are reported and with this information, users can quickly verify the magnitude of their conversion project. There is reduced reliance on high skills as the skills and knowledge required to convert and repair files are built into ConverterTechnology.
ConverterTechnology is deployed in countless organisations and government agencies, including American Energy, US Air Force, Cummins Diesel, McDonalds Australia and the South Australian Local Government Association.
ConverterTechnology can provide an immediately measurable return on investment by cutting costs of manually converting files created in early versions of Microsoft Office to Office XP, 2000, 97, and the soon-to-be released Office 2003, by up to 90%.
A large Australian oil and gas exploration company, for example, wanted to upgrade more than 1.6 million files from Office 97 to Office XP. The files had been created in Microsoft Access, Excel and Word, and a number of these had migrated originally from Microsoft Office 95 to Office 97. The cost of manually converting and repairing the files was estimated to be more than $4.5 million. Using ConverterTechnology, however, the organisation saved more than 85% of its estimated project cost.
By licencing our technology and methodology, this company was able to enjoy a beneficial Microsoft upgrade, quickly and cost-effectively, said Marius Coomans, industry pioneer and ConverterTechnology CEO. We also provided assistance, such as helping with the planning of the migration process, and providing training and tips on how to streamline the process and reduce rollout time.
Now, with our 100% service offering, we can undertake the entire conversion process, from beginning to end, on behalf of a company, said Coomans, who estimates the emerging market for automated file conversion solutions to be worth more than A$100 million a year in Australia alone.
ConverterTechnologys development started in 1997, initially for Y2K. The solution has been modified over the years, with a million-dollar investment a year ago enabling further development of utilities and methodology and resulting in substantial improvements. The solution has been provided commercially in its current form since July 2002. Although developed in Australia, 75% of ConverterTechnologys sales currently come from the US.
The greatest document conversion costs associated with migrating from one office productivity suite to another result from converting highly customised documents, such as templates and documents with embedded macros, said Tim Hickernell, vice-president META Group. Companies often put too much focus on converting simple, rarely used documents and not enough on converting complex documents used in core business process automation.
ConverterTechnology, with its solid, proven methodologies that streamline the whole conversion process, is saving companies millions of dollars and months of work, whether they are upgrading many files, as the example above shows, or just one single, complex mission-critical application.
A US-based legal firm, for example, had developed an application on Microsoft Word that was extremely complex and generated the majority of its contracts with many built-in macros. While there was only a handful of Word templates in the application, the companys IT team believed it would be impossible to upgrade and then repair the files. The company was about to undertake a two- to three-month project recreating the application in Microsoft Word XP, when it turned to ConverterTechnology, which successfully migrated the application in less than two days!
Coomans explained that although new versions of Microsoft software were designed to increase productivity by focusing on desktop trends and new technologies, an estimated 40% of Australian companies were still locked into business applications based on the early Microsoft Office 97 version.
This is not surprising when one considers just how painful the upgrade path can be, said Coomans. Significant changes in the programming library between Microsoft Office 97 and Office 2000 have resulted in numerous incompatibilities between the different files, making manual conversion of these files especially Microsoft Access databases costly, time-consuming and highly disruptive to a business.
Said Tony Wilkinson, Product Marketing Manager Microsoft Office, Microsoft Australia: We see ConverterTechnologys ability to reduce the time and cost of migrating onto the latest Microsoft Office platform as extremely positive. We believe this automated solution delivers customers a real and quick return on investment for any file migration initiatives.
About ConverterTechnology
Australian-developed ConverterTechnology is the only solution currently available that can automate the costly and time-consuming task of manually converting files created in early versions of Microsoft Office to Office XP, 2000, 97, and the soon-to-be released Office 2003.
With ConverterTechnology, companies can upgrade all their files more quickly and cost-effectively than the time and cost it would take to manually convert just their mission-critical files. ConverterTechnology also helps companies leverage existing technology investments and deal with compatibility problems. As new computers are introduced with current versions of Microsoft Office applications installed, many companies with substantial investments in Office 97 need to be able to share files across these different versions of the software.
ConverterTechnology detects and scans all files before repairing them. Conversion errors are reported and with this information, users can quickly verify the magnitude of their conversion project. There is reduced reliance on high skills as the skills and knowledge required to convert and repair files are built into ConverterTechnology.
ConverterTechnology is deployed in countless organisations and government agencies, including American Energy, US Air Force, Cummins Diesel, McDonalds Australia and the South Australian Local Government Association.