NT bridges mainframe desktop gap

Exhibitor opens its document vault

Mainframe client-server may not be an oxymoron after all. Cypress for Windows NT from Information Systems Corporation (ISC, Rochester Hills, MI, http://www.cypressdelivers.com) is a client-server document output system that migrates document management from a mainframe to NT-based clients. Storing up to 4 billion pages per repository, the solution will be showcased at Knowledge Management Expo (KMExpo).

"Not long ago the halls of every major corporation were ringing with that same message: 'Get off the mainframe and get with client-server,' " said Mary Hinz, president of ISC. "But the legacy applications are still producing valuable corporate information. Cypress is designed for the Windows NT platform, but it was designed by a group of mainframe developers. They developed a system that is designed for companies that are accustomed to centralized control."

Key to the software's capacity to give enterprise access to documents is its ability to let users view and modify information within those documents regardless of the applications or platforms on which they were originally created. That DocuVault, specifically built for NT, lets Cypress automatically retain document composition and fonts no matter how the document is ultimately output.

According to David Hinz, director of marketing with ISC, Cypress differs from a database-driven document management system by providing a central repository for documents and for all the elements within those documents (e.g. fonts, logos, graphics). Hinz pointed out that the ability to retain document formatting is especially important in those industries in which companies are legally bound to retain archival records"As people start expanding the enterprise and want to put documents anywhere, anyplace, there's been no good facility," Hinz said. "We have a unique output management system--Cypress captures a document, freezes it and makes sure that the print stream is exactly the way the printer or viewing mechanism wants."

"This makes the enterprise segue painless, "Hinz continued. "Unix isn't going away; it costs too much to set up a new architecture--that's where Cypress fits in. Companies can't scrap their existing enterprise mainframe system."

At KMExpo, Cypress will be demonstrated for data center managers who want to take that next step.