TechWatch

DOCUMENT TECH
KODAK
www.kodak.com

ROCHESTER, NY-Eastman Kodak's Commercial Imaging Components group has introduced the Kodak i80 Scanner. The duplex i80 offers improved bitonal and color performance with the convenience of capturing both sides of a document in a single pass, the vendor says. Recommended for departmental document imaging applications, the i80 Scanner captures documents, photos and color graphics at speeds up to 35 pages per minute (ppm), with a true duplex speed of 70 images per minute (ipm). Color images are captured at 20 ppm and 20 ipm at 150 dpi. Deskew and autocrop features, enabled with Kodak Capture Software, work with both dark and light document backgrounds for scans and improved OCR read rates. The i80 Scanner's document feeder handles up to 75 sheets at a time, in a wide range of sizes and weights, which eliminates the need for presorting, according to the vendor. In addition, the scanner features a built-in flatbed for scanning exception documents.

LEGACY INTEGRATION
JACADA
WWW.JACADA.COM

ATLANTA-Jacada Ltd. released version 4.0 of Jacada Integrator, featuring J2EE Connector Architecture (JCA) support and new visual data modeling capabilities, which eliminate the need for custom coding, the vendor says. Jacada Integrator includes capabilities for direct integration to IBM mainframe CICS and IMS transactions and for non-intrusive, real-time integration to existing host legacy environments such as IBM zSeries mainframe, IBM iSeries midrange, Unisys, DEC/VAX, Data General, and Unix. Using Jacada Integrator's Visual Data Modeler allows users to create or import data structures into the Jacada Integrator development environment and to perform data mapping and transformation operations among the various data structures involved in the integration process, without writing a single line of code, Jacada claims.

ARCHIVING
BYTEQUEST
WWW.BYTEQUEST.COM

OTTAWA-ByteQuest Technologies, Inc., has released version 6.0 of its suite of products and services. New features include secured scan-to-Web and an integrated records management solution certified to the DoD5015.2 ERM standard, compliant with current ADA and section 508 requirements. The enterprise solution provides a way of managing all departmental records and documents with the ability of satisfying the various business needs of departments within the enterprise, e.g., human resources, legal and finance, according to the vendor.

RULES ENGINE
SUNGARD OIS
WWW.ONLINE.SUNGARD.COM

SALT LAKE CITY-SunGard Online Investment Systems, an operating group of SunGard, has released Synapse 5.0, the latest version of its rules-based expert engine and business-user workbench application. Synapse 5.0, a rules-based system that automates complex business decisions within financial organizations, comprises a rules processing engine and a rule development workbench application that allows non-technical business users to create, test and maintain knowledge bases without requiring programming skills, according to SunGard Online Investment Systems. Enhancements to version 5.0 include a capability to generate JSP or ASP.NET screens directly from the Synapse Workbench; enhanced data connection functions that allow Synapse to map directly to XML and ODBC databases and data mapping to be performed by business users; new support for multi-tiered table structures; and new data, reporting, processing and monitoring services that support the front-end solution, according to the vendor.

PRODUCER SUPPORT
INFORMATION BUILDERS
WWW.INFORMATIONBUILDERS.COM

NEW YORK-Information Builders' latest release of its flagship WebFOCUS software optimizes insurance carrier channels in five areas, according to the vendor: agent performance management, cross- and up-sell coordination, online billing and commission management, online policy printing, inquiry and change, and training and certification. WebFOCUS users have the ability to analyze and share an unprecedented amount of customer information across business lines, and can perform detailed comparative rate analysis for pricing realignment, as well as prioritize marketing efforts across their range of businesses, Information Builders claims. Carriers using the solution can also receive real-time alerts about areas where claim numbers are unexpectedly high or rising.

CRM
DWL
WWW.DWL.COM

ATLANTA-DWL has released DWL Customer version 4.0, which the vendor calls an enterprise's system of record for all customer-related information and transactions. The current version has been updated with increased integration and messaging capabilities and supports multiple means of accessing its enterprise business services functionality, including batch, real-time XML, MQ and an object interface. The solution's batch interface manages batch processing jobs, and the parsing component maps data formats (fixed and variable formats, flat files, relational databases, etc.) to DWL Customer's data standard. DWL Customer's MQ adapter "listens" to MQ queues for customer transactions, and sends those transactions into the DWL Customer transaction manager. Version 4.0 also contains functionality to support institutional/corporate lines of business, according to DWL.

DATA RECOVERY
XOSOFT
WWW.XOSOFT.COM

NEW YORK-Business continuity software solutions provider XOsoft has released Data Rewinder, a software solution for instantaneous data recovery. The product allows enterprises to undo application and database server corruption and return their data to a consistent state quickly and easily, the vendor claims. Rather than take periodic snapshots, the software continuously captures application or database-specific transactions and modifications and journals them for recovery purposes, says XOsoft. In the event of corruptions, Data Rewinder may be used to instantaneously rewind corrupted data resources to their latest consistent state. The solution utilizes existing hardware infrastructure and requires no additional software licenses.

CORP. GOVERNANCE
PROTIVITI
WWW.PROTIVITI.COM

MENLO PARK, CA-Protiviti Inc. introduced the SarbOx Portal, which is designed to help companies improve corporate governance within their organizations, achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and enhance business performance. The solution is available exclusively to the consulting firm's clients. The Web-enabled SarbOx Portal, available to Protiviti clients, serves as a repository for internal control documentation, evaluation and testing. It can assist companies in managing all phases of a Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance program. In addition, it provides organizations with a process-based approach to documenting and evaluating internal control over financial reporting that will supplement their efforts to comply with Section 302 and other related sections of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

WIRELESS PLATFORM
BROADBEAM
WWW.BROADBEAM.COM

CRANBURY, NJ-Broadbeam Corp. has introduced version 4.0 of its ExpressQ wireless platform. The new version features several new enhancements, including seamless network switching for managing multiple wireless wide area network (WWAN) and wireless local area network (WLAN) connections, enhanced security measures with LDAP (lightweight directory access protocol) authentication and AES (advanced encryption standard) encryption to restrict access to unauthorized users, and the support of additional client platforms and networks. ExpressQ compensates for 2.5G network challenges such as IP address changes on client devices and network inactivity timeouts through efficient server-initiated push capabilities and advanced session management capabilities, according to Broadbeam. ExpressQ also improves performance and battery life and reduces communication costs by using a proprietary wireless-optimized transport, efficiently compressing and decompressing all data sent over the air. ExpressQ 4.0's improved client-server fail-over enables clients to automatically and seamlessly recover from an ExpressQ server failure in a multi-server environment. Self-healing server capabilities enable the ExpressQ server to recover automatically if one of its components fails, the solution provider reports.

PRODUCER MGMT.
IITS
WWW.INNOVATIVEIT.COM

OKEMOS, MI-Innovative IT Solutions, Inc., has launched PIN Real Time, a service created to reduce the time needed for appointment and termination approvals/denials, iITs claims. PIN Real Time is available for states that authorize the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) to approve or deny its appointments and terminations based on data in the Producer Database (PDB), a central repository of producer licensing information updated by participating state insurance departments. Tennessee is the first state to offer PIN Real Time to insurance companies selling in the state. and it will be soon be offered by Kentucky and West Virginia.

Anthony O'Donnell has covered technology in the insurance industry since 2000, when he joined the editorial staff of Insurance & Technology. As an editor and reporter for I&T and the InformationWeek Financial Services of TechWeb he has written on all areas of information ... View Full Bio