UK's FCO Purchases License from Excalibur

The UK-based Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has purchased Excalibur's Retrievalware to manage documents in its various divisions. The FCO will license Retrievalware to support its own Minerva public records office archival system, which manages up to 15 million documents. The contract extends to 200 of FCO's embassies, consulates and high commissions. Retrievalware will also be used in FCO's anti-fraud initiatives for standardizing visa applications. An FCO spokesman said that the purchase came down to Retrievalware's pattern recognition technology, semantic capabilities, speed and flexibility. Retrievalware "provides us with fast and accurate retrieval of information," he said. The product's compatibility with FCO's existing technology infrastructure enables FCO "to implement a knowledge management solution while maintaining effective use of existing resources."