The Golden Copy
iPlus implements the concept of The Golden Copy: the means to get information right in one place for it then to be used in an almost infinite variety of forms. The implementation of this concept is of immense value within any industry vertical in which a set of audited and compliant information has to be distributed across numerous channels, such as print ready PDF, screen resolution PDF, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint, HTML for websites, XML and datafeeds. As an example, one iPlus customer now services 137 distribution channels in 6 languages at 25% of the cost to previously service one channel in one language. The consistency of information across these channels is only half the story. iPlus also ensures an exceptionally high presentational quality, and consistency, of brand and corporate styling across the distribution channels it services. It also allows for information to be easily re-branded to facilitate cross selling and marketing of information driven product.
The traditional approach to implementing The Golden Copy concept has been through ever more sophisticated means to achieve straight through processing, STP, on the data to be pushed out in different forms: to have more and more sophisticated programatic filters automatically transforming data for different uses.
IPS's experience is that it is often not the underlying data but information resulting from the human analysis and transformation of that data which needs to be distributed. Therefore, an STP approach is simply inappropriate. Without containing this critical human interaction within the distribution system, it will need to be repeated autonomously for each distribution channel, thus breaking The Golden Copy concept - as well as being unscalable. As a result, iPlus is the first system to maximise the value of market ready information. It enables a corporation to efficiently control the capture of raw data, allowing staff to enrich and verify the data and to create 'market ready information' - always able to edit that information in its source form whilst seeing it in its final form. Once the 'market ready information' is available, take advantage of iPlus' powerful publication and distribution tools, which give an effective and efficient automated method of producing multi channel customer communications.
The advantages
Reduced Costs
The cost of data management and document composition is dramatically cut with iPlus. By automating the publishing process and providing the infrastructure to re-purpose data to multiple output formats, the time and manual labour required for the publishing process is significantly reduced, whilst business opportunities are increased.
In addition to making massive annual savings, users typically see a return on investment within 6 months.
Print specification: 52 pages A4, covers in 4 process colours on 150gsm core silk; 48 text pages in 2 colours - Black and Warm Grey 8 on 130gsm core silk; Sealed, collated and saddle stitched with 2 wires.
Greater Efficiency
Automation with iPlus means that publishing cycles are reduced from hours, days, weeks or even months, to seconds.
By providing a dynamic publishing process, users can respond quickly to market news and last minute changes. Information is sped to market, increasing competitive advantage.
Data Consistency
Through intelligent data management and workflow control, iPlus ensures data consistency across all published formats. Drawing on common sources, multiple output formats and document versions can be generated automatically to fulfill publishing and presentation requirements.
Output formats created at the click of a button include: PDF, Microsoft PowerPoint®, HTML, Excel® or CSV spreadsheet, XML Data feed output. Multi-lingual capabilities (including CJK), mean that marketing communications can be generated globally and locally.
Improved Quality
Quality is assured through the professional layout and the sophisticated typography available in iPlus. The separation of form and content mean that both brand consistency and coherence are achieved through publishing to each channel through an approved and authorized template.
By freeing up a marketing department from the all absorbing drudgery of a manual process, more resources are available to add value and quality to the data and information to be published.
Increased Capacity
The flexible nature of iPlus allows the user to very simply extend the data management and publishing process to deliver data to an increasing number of channels without large additional implementation costs, and maintaining a fast efficient, publishing cycle.
