|
  |
|
|
New Customer Wins Include Hewlett-Packard Japan and K-Opticom
Milpitas, Calif., Dec 7, 2004 -- Epiance, a leading provider of software for enterprise process intelligence and accelerating people performance via simulations, documentation and performance support, announced the signing of a partnership agreement with
Global Knowledge Network Japan, Ltd. (GK-J), a solution provider specializing in establishment of "Supply Chain of Knowledge"
within corporate entities by utilizing its capabilities in consulting, Human Capital Development and Management (HCDM) planning
and deployment of training/knowledge solution delivery in various modalities. GK-J will market and resell Epiance's Epiplex software
to enhance its solution offerings in Japan.
The partnership with GK-J has already resulted in two new customers in Japan: Hewlett-Packard Japan, Ltd and K-Opticom. Hewlett-Packard Japan, Ltd. is a subsidiary of HP, a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally.
K-Opticom is a leading provider of Internet connectivity services in Western Japan.
"We established a strong, exclusive relationship with Epiance after a thorough investigation of all of the vendors in the marketplace,
" said Shinichi Bitoh, President, Global Knowledge Network Japan, Ltd. "Epiance offers the strongest product in its space and its
product best suits the knowledge solution offerings we provide to our enterprise customers. Also, with Epiplex, we foresee opportunities
to turn our customers in systems integration arena into our partners to deliver Electronic Performance Support solutions jointly to their
end users. Superior support for internationalization and localization with world-class customer support capabilities were other key factors
why we decided to enter into partner relationship with Epiance. We fully share Epiance's compelling vision and roadmap for business
process improvement."
"GK-J has been in the e-learning business for many years and in the past has partnered with and resold competitive products such
as On Demand," said Ravi Ramamurthy, President, Asia Region, Epiance. "Global Knowledge Japan's decision to partner with Epiance
is proof of our product strength validating that Epiance has the best offering for e-Learning, Process Intelligence, and Process
Improvement."
About Global Knowledge Network Japan, Ltd.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Global Knowledge Network Japan, Ltd.
(GK-J) is a solution provider specializing in establishment of "Supply Chain of Knowledge" within corporate entities. Its major
customers include systems integrators, telecom carriers, software/hardware vendors and Non-IT legacy companies. GK-J's services
include consulting, HCDM planning, assessment and training/knowledge solution delivery in various modalities. LMS ASP service,
licensing software products that support knowledge delivery are included in the solution delivery.
Prior to being acquired - in March 2004 -- by Japanese venture capital company JAFCO CO., LTD, GK-J was part of the North Carolina
(US)-based IT training company, Global Knowledge Network Inc (GKNI). Post-takeover, GK-J maintains its business relationship with
its former parent, GKNI, as a preferred business partner, and continues to operate under the same trademark and corporate brand.
About Epiance:
Epiance is the premier provider of business process improvement software solutions. The foundation for Epiance's solutions is Epiplex,
the award-winning, patent pending software suite. Epiance software automatically captures ongoing business processes, enabling
businesses to rapidly document, measure, analyze, monitor and improve business-critical processes. With offices in North America
and
Asia, company global customer base of more than 45 customers includes Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Aetna, USAA, The
Hartford,
SBC, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nippon Steel, Cannon, Microsoft and IBM. For more information, please visit the Epiance
website at www.epiance.com .
Epiance and the Epiance logo are trademarks of Epiance Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective
owners.
| |
 |
Epiplex 4.5 Accelerates Transformation of eLearning and Content-Development Processes Improving Business Performance for Large, Complex Enterprises
Milpitas, Calif., Dec 7, 2004 - Epiance, a leading provider of business process intelligence software, today announced the release of
Epiplex 4.5, the newest release of Epiplex suite of products that provide data-driven process intelligence. An industry-leading solution
for large enterprises, Epiplex 4.5 enables HR and eLearning executives to speed the transformation of content development processes
by capturing and re-using ongoing process activity. The Epiance technology automates a significant part of extensive manual effort currently being expended to document, analyze, (re)design, improve, measure and monitor business processes. Organizations utilizing
the Epiance product suite benefit from the reduction in time and cost to document and analyze application-centric business and now
have the ability to deliver content in a fashion that will provide measurable improvement in business process performance.
Epiplex 4.5 will be available in mid-December.
"Epiance offers a unique solution for the deployment and optimization of enterprise applications," said Josh Bersin, Principal and
Founder of Bersin & Associates, the only research and advisory firm solely focused on What Works® for enterprise learning.
"Epiplex 4.5 extends Epiance's solution with advanced features to help organizations develop e-learning solutions which integrate
and improve important business process."
"Epiplex 4.5 fills a critical technology gap in the business process intelligence market," said Shankar Ramamurthy, Chief Executive
Officer at Epiance. "It addresses the most significant must have advancements that complex organizations need in order to facilitate
the improvement of processes involving close cooperation between Training, IT, and Quality or Six Sigma departments."
New Features & Functionality
Audio and Video Capture Support: Subject matter experts now have the ability to record audio and video while simultaneously
recording the process. The new feature saves organizations valuable time in collaborative authoring with multiple subject matter
experts and content developers.
Enterprise Preferences: Enterprise Preferences improve consistency of content and development processes. The uniformity of process capture and content development ensures that collaborative development works smoothly and that generated content has a
consistent, high quality.
Expanded Enterprise Repository: Complex application and process environments generate large amounts of captured processes and content. The enhanced repository accelerates the development of simulations and documentation streamlining collaboration across
large organizations.
Assessment Module: New application enables organizations to rapidly create computerized assessments for better evaluations.
About Epiance:
Epiance is the premier provider of business process intelligence software solutions. The foundation for Epiance's solutions is Epiplex,
the award-winning, patent pending software suite. Epiance software automatically captures ongoing business processes, enabling businesses to rapidly document, measure, analyze, monitor and improve business-critical processes. With offices in North America
and Asia,
company global customer base of more than 45 customers includes Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Aetna, USAA,
The Hartford, SBC, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nippon Steel, Cannon, Microsoft and IBM. For more information, please visit the Epiance
website at www.epiance.com .
| |
|
Training Fall Conference & Expo, San Francisco,
Calif. - Oct 13, 2004 - Epiance, a leading provider of business process improvement software, today announced it has won two
prestigious industry awards for its innovative products within its Business Process Improvement application suite. The Epiance product
suite simultaneously slashes the time and costs to document and analyze application-centric business and orchestrates delivery of
content in a fashion that will provide considerable and measurable improvement in business process performance.
EPSS central LLC, the leading worldwide provider of content for Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) and Performance
Centered Design (PCD) named Epiance Analyzer the winner of the annual PCD Awards in the category of Extraordinary PCD Tools.
The PCD Awards, presented since 1997, acknowledge solutions and tools that foster business improvement and human performance
by immediately establishing goals, supporting users through best practices, facilitating the proper flow of work, minimizing translation
and providing immediate access to supporting content at the time of need. Epiance Analyzer achieved industry recognition because it enables large enterprises to instrument, monitor, measure and analyze application-centric business processes. Microsoft, an Epiance customer, is using Epiance Analyzer to measure the benefits of upgrading applications on business process performance for large enterprises. The awards are judged by an independent panel of PCD practitioners and featured on www.epsscentral.info
Epiance Contextualization has won a Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Award for the category of Innovative Technology that
recognizes creativity in hardware and software applicable to e-learning. This is the third year in a row that Epiance has won a
Brandon Hall award. Judges looked for novel, creative, innovative technologies or methods that enhance or improve human
performance, e-learning or knowledge management that is making an impact on the e-learning field. Judging criteria included
four areas: 1) Innovation, 2) Impact, 3) Applicability and 4) Usability.
Epiance Contextualization was selected because it allows large enterprises to improve application-centric business processes by
increasing worker productivity. Contextualization improves worker productivity by connecting application context to relevant content, integrating policies, procedures, applications and guidance into business processes. This integration makes it possible for workers to quickly access only the policies and guidance relevant to their current business process.
"Industry recognition of the Epiance products confirms the strength and scope of our product offering," said Shankar Ramamurthy,
Chief Executive Officer at Epiance. "These awards are a tribute to our vision for business process improvement solutions that
significantly increase the productivity of enterprise applications and workforce and save businesses critical time and money."
About Epiance Corporation:
Epiance is the premier provider of business process improvement software solutions. The foundation for Epiance's solutions is
Epiplex, the award-winning, patent pending software suite. Epiance software automatically captures ongoing business processes, enabling businesses to rapidly document, measure, analyze, monitor and improve business-critical processes. With offices in North America and Asia, company global customer base of more than 45 customers includes Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Aetna, USAA,
The Hartford, SBC, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nippon Steel, Canon, Microsoft and IBM. For more information, please visit the Epiance
website at www.epiance.com .
| |
|
An information and idea service of VNU Business Media
Tuesday, December 7, 2004
To subscribe: http://www.vnulearning.com/freeenews.htm
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FREE Web casts of popular Training Fall conference
sessions are available for viewing at
http://www.pqhp.com/vnu/tf04.
Hear from Gloria Gery, Michael Allen and many others!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK
1. More on Leading Sim Tools
2. Corporate University Resources
3. The Skinny on Epiplex ... Continued
Help! Where's Your Answer?
4. Assessing Staff Competencies
5. E-learning in India
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Registration is now open for Training 2005, Incorporating Online
Learning, in New Orleans, Feb. 28-Mar. 2. Register at
http://www.trainingconference.com between now and January 10,
and you'll receive the early-bird rate of $995, a $200 discount.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. MORE ON LEADING SIM TOOLS
What are the leading simulation tools on the market, and which
provide the best value for the dollar? "I am not looking for tools to
create demonstrations of software," says a reader. "I want to create
software simulations with interactivity so a user can go through the
steps required in a process, with multiple levels of feedback. I'm
also looking for tools with a relatively low learning curve."
We ran responses to this query in our September 28 and November 9,
2004, issues. Here are more:
The best simulation tools, says Gary Dickelman (gdickelman@epsscentral.net),
are those that can respond quickly to ever-changing applications with
simulations that are ...
o Of high-quality.
o Can truly support performance.
o Can be maintained with minimal effort.
o Can be deployed instantly to standard, low-cost platforms (e.g., Web servers).
o Require no plug-ins.
o Conform to SCORM, AICC and related reuse protocol (allowing organizations to realize the value of their LMS investments).
o Carry a reasonable price tag.
o Ensure a substantial return on investment.
o Possess extensibility for contextualizing and otherwise embedding simulation solutions into the live application space.("The latter is the most important in terms of supporting performance and ensuring [the] effectiveness of simulations," Dickelman says.)
Which tools meet these criteria? Dickelman explored that very
question with several clients recently -- all of whom evaluated
a variety
of tools (including Epiplex, On Demand Personal Navigator,
RWD InfoPak, IDT Learning, Macromedia Flash, Camtasia, RoboDemo and
others) through formal, corporate-sponsored initiatives.
"After exhaustive studies, pilot programs and measurements, my
clients chose the Epiplex suite (from Epiance Inc. in Milpitas,
Calif.)," says Dickelman. "This is a high-end set of tools that
competes partially in the space of the best-of-breed simulation
tools, but also includes a set of unique features (extensibility to
things like wizards and contextualization)."
According to Dickelman, his clients found the entry cost of Epiplex
to be "substantially lower" than the product's best-of-breed
competitors. Clients also liked the fact that Epiplex made it "marginally faster" to create, maintain and deploy simulations, and
that the product has additional features such as WYSIWYG template editors
and language translators for control metadata.
In Dickelman's opinion, the hallmark of Epiplex appears to be its
mature capture technology. "Capturing best-practice processes in
one
way or another is the trend in such tools (sometimes called
'scanning'). The idea is to automatically identify controls, control
metadata, location of controls and the like," he says.
"Epiplex provides the most comprehensive, non-intrusive and fastest
capture utility. It is the only such tool where the capture utility
is independent of the rest of the suite ... [and] ... several clients
have noted that what used to take them four hours to a day or
more of
work using conventional simulation tools now takes them as little as
15 minutes using Epiplex. But, clearly, it is the
complete
development cycle -- including maintenance and evaluation -- that
enjoys benefits from Epiplex, according to my clients."
Dickelman is president and CEO of EPSS central LLC in Annandale, Va.
http://www.qarbon.com/
After trying and comparing two simulation products, Ann Yakimovicz's
( ayakimovicz@firstam.com ) organization selected
VieweletBuilder
from Qarbon Inc. in San Jose, Calif. over Macromedia's RoboDemo for "price, ease of use, and enthusiastic
support from our IT
department." Because her organization doesn't write code, Yakimovicz
says it was important to find a tool that
would keep the internal
programming staff happy. And, she says, "ViewletBuilder lets us
create executable files. We can put a finished
simulation on CD for
account managers to take to clients. The account managers can use the
CD for a demonstration on their laptops, then leave the CD for the
clients to use on their own."
Pricing for ViewletBuilder Standard is $299; pricing for
ViewletBuilder Pro is $499.
Yakimovicz is training manager of operations at First American Flood
Data Services in Austin, Texas.
2. CORPORATE UNIVERSITY RESOURCES
A reader's organization has decided to create its own corporate
university. "Can others recommend Web sites and/or materials that
can
give us a step-by-step template on how to go about building it?"
Here is a vendor response:
http://www.glresources.com/
Global Learning Resources Inc. in Fremont, Calif., specializes in
helping organizations create corporate universities, as well as with
the creation of overall talent strategies such as recruiting, succession
planning and career development. Global's consulting rates
start at
approximately $2,500 per day. Project pricing and discounts are
available.
http://www.pfeiffer.com/WileyCDA/
In addition, Global's president, Kevin Wheeler, recently authored a
soon-to-be published book entitled "The Corporate University Workbook:
Launching a 21st Century Learning Organization." It will be available
in mid-January 2005 from Pfeiffer for approximately $100.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Training 2005 in New Orleans, La., offers nine
certificate programs conducted by the industry's
top experts. For more information,
visit:
http://www.trainingconference.com/certificate_programs.cfm.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. THE SKINNY ON EPIPLEX, CONTINUED
A reader's organization is evaluating a tool called Epiplex from
Epiance in Milpitas, Calif. (http://www.epiance.com),
which "helps
create e-learning, test suites, and workflow diagrams
relating to any Microsoft Windows-based application software." The
reader wants
to know if other readers have used Epiplex, what they
think of it, and if there are similar tools available on the market.
http://www.vnulearning.com/archive.htm
We ran responses to this query in our August 17, 2004 issue. Here's
one more:
Karen Pendergrass (KPENDERGRASS@beaumont.edu) has been an "avid"
Epiplex user since January 2003 and develops both
instructor-led
classroom training and online learning using the product.
"We are working toward a blended learning approach for most of our
instructor-led classes. We [also] use the 'EpiLearn' component
of the
product for unique systems within our corporation and plan to ...
use Epiplex to create various Microsoft Office tutorials to
supplement our instructor-led classes."
"Epiance has been great to work with when we run into any technical
limitations within their product. I would be happy to share our
experiences with and knowledge of this robust training tool."
Pendergrass is a computer training specialist at Beaumont University,
Beaumont Hospital, in Troy, Mich.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Check out the Training and Online Learning Virtual Expo, the
interactive training buyers' guide. You could win a color Palm Pilot
or cool folding keyboard. For details, go to ...
http://www.virtualtrainingexpo.com/ad.cfm?ad=Home2
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
HELP! WHERE'S YOUR ANSWER?
READERS, IF YOU CAN HELP,
PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS
BELOW THESE QUESTIONS.
4. ASSESSING STAFF COMPETENCIES
A reader's organization is looking for a Web-based tool for assessing
staff competencies that can be integrated into an existing LMS.
"Ideal features would include the ability to create and edit a
library of competencies by job category, assessment tools that would
allow for self-assessment and supervisory assessment and a reporting
function," says the reader. "Has anyone come across this type
of
system?"
5. CHALLENGE: E-LEARNING IN INDIA
A reader is developing a series of Webcasts to teach instructional
design to call-center trainers in India. Her team wants to allow for
cultural differences in how students learn, participate, and give and
receive feedback in a distance learning environment, such as:
o Willingness to give feedback via e-mail to someone a student may not have yet met.
o Comfort with asking a question, as the instructor will not be able to read body language or determine interest in completing
homework assignments that will not affect grades (such as participating in a threaded discussion or following a link to a Web site
with additional resources).
o Etc.
Any suggestions?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
READERS ... CAN YOU HELP?
GREAT! DO THE FOLLOWING, AND WE'LL TRY TO
INCLUDE YOUR RESPONSE IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE:
Your e-mail subject line is the headline we
provide at the beginning of the question to
which you're responding -- for example,
E-LEARNING IN INDIA.
PLEASE INCLUDE this information:
o Your name, job title, and your organization's full formal name, city, state/province and country.
o A brief description of what your organization does.
o Your e-mail address and phone number.
o In order to maintain the integrity of this e-newsletter, readers who have a financial stake in any of the products or vendors they
recommend should FULLY DISCLOSE that relationship when responding to a reader query.
o Vendors, please include your PRICES and Web address. (In order for your response to appear, you MUST include a specific dollar
amount, price range or price starting point.)
Send your response in a
mailto:sboehle@vnulearning.com
with the foregoing information.
| |
|
The company intends to increase its R&D team from the existing 80 professionals to 350 within a couple of years.
BANGALORE, DHNS:
Buoyed with the success of its business process improvement solutions in the US market, Epiance has chalked out ambitious plans to expand its product portfolio by beefing up its research and development (R&D) team in Bangalore.
The company's flagship product, Epiplex, has the capabilities of analyzing and managing business processes besides having documentation and monitoring features. In a nutshell, the software can improve business processes in an organisation, if needed, reducing operation costs dramatically.
As a result the company has an impressive list of clients like General Electric, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, General Motors, IBM etc.
The company intends to increase its R&D team from the existing 80 professionals to 350 within a couple of years. "We want to work
on the next generation of our product portfolio that is slated for release in 2006 or 2007. We want to hire PhDs, post-graduates and experienced professionals not only from IT background but other areas such as mathematics and artificial intelligence," Epiance
Chairman and CEO R Shankar told Deccan Herald.
He said the company had already filed for more than 10 patents for its products and would also focus on developing more intellectual
property (IP) from its Bangalore team.
Epiance, is one of the new generation IT products firms that has software development centre based in Bangalore while the top-
management team located in the US.
The company recently raised $7.5 million in venture capital from Norwest Venture Partners (headed by Promod Haque, ranked by
Forbes as the world's leading venture capitalist) and Outlook Ventures for expansion its sales and marketing operations in the US.
It has hired top executives from SAP, Unisys and other big names.
In Bangalore, the company has proposed to set up its own campus with 500 seating capacity with an investment of a couple of million
dollars.
| |
|
This web seminar features a case study of a Fortune 500 Company. The web seminar will cover issues and problems and the solutions
deployed to manage human capital development efficiently.
The web seminar will also discuss the value that Business Process Performance Support (BPPS) delivers in:
- Process performance
- Reducing cycle times
- Improving productivity
Epiance will be at Training Fall, Conference and Expo in San Francisco. Please stop by booth 605 to meet the Epiance team or see our
latest products and capabilities. Epiance product experts will be on hand to answer any questions and demonstrate our newest product
capabilities.
Epiance welcomes Gary Dickelman, President and CEO of EPSS central LLC, as a guest speaker. Please join us at 11:00am Pacific Time,
2:00pm Eastern Time for this free web seminar. Gary and Epiance executives will discuss what learning organizations must address to
reap the benefits of simulations and separate hype from substance.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
