INDUSTRY NEWS SHORTS

COMBINING ENTERPRISE-SCALE CALENDARING AND SCHEDULING into its Livelink intranet technology is the goal of Open Text's (Waterloo, Ontario) acquisition of the assets of OnTime software operations from FTP Software (North Andover, MA). The next version of Livelink will emphasize enterprisewide project collaboration more than ever, and group scheduling will only serve to enhance Livelink's already powerful capabilities, according to Open Text.

"Both Livelink and OnTime customers will reap the benefits of this acquisition," said Brett Newbold, president of Open Text. "Open Text plans to fully support OnTime customers and will continue to enhance OnTime. We plan to invest in tight integration between Livelink Intranet and OnTime so that both Livelink and OnTime customers see tremendous value added to their original investments."

The combination focuses on one of the key functionality layers required of knowledge management technology: the ability to foster connections between people within an organization or an inter-organizational work team, according to analysts from the Delphi Group (Boston).

"With its current focus on project collaboration in the white collar work environment, Open Text can take advantage of users' continuing frustration with the limitations of general purpose calendaring and scheduling tools if they can add a transparent and elegant approach to this important function within Livelink," Delphi added.

Open Text will acquire the OnTime Software operations of Campbell Services for $6.7 million and the combined companies will employ nearly 400 people.

A MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT has been announced by Filemark (Natick, MA) and Data General (Westboro, MA). Filemark will provide the information archival and retrieval solution for Data General's AV COLD solution. Data General's AV COLD product is based on Filemark's Smarti Core,
which is a Windows-based, SQL client-server solution for high-volume, online information storage and retrieval.

"This will enable both companies to deliver comprehensive solutions incorporating Web-based access and application integration, even more quickly than before," said Michael Fowler, director of marketing for Data General's imaging business unit. "One of Filemark's strategic long-term goals is to increase the availability of the Smarti solution through channel alliances," said John Bernard, president of Filemark.

THE POPULAR SERIES of make-document-management-understandable TechGuide booklets authored by the Rheinner Group (Hingham, MA), a research, consulting and training firm, will now be published and distributed by KMWorld magazine. The 1997 series is being updated by authors and Rheinner Group principals Raimund Wasner and Donna Amrhein. New titles for the 1998 season are currently being sponsored.

AN AGREEMENT between data mining software developer ISL Decision Systems (King of Prussia, PA) and Vision Associates (White Plains, NY), a consulting firm specializing in business intelligence, is designed to provide businesses with comprehensive data mining solutions.

Vision Associates will add ISL's Clementine data mining solution to its list of recommended data mining tools. "Since Clementine runs on an Intel platform, customers can get started quickly with minimal risk and low initial investment," says Chris Watkins, strategic alliance manager at Vision Associates.

A LIST OF THE FASTEST-GROWING PRIVATE COMPANIES published by Inc. Magazine includes Microsystems Technology Inc. (MTI, Tampa, FL). MTI, a developer of OCR and software solutions, achieved a 2,055% growth in revenue during a five-year time frame.

OPTICAL DRIVE AND JUKEBOX SUPPLIER Maxoptix (Fremont, CA) has formally announced a management buyout from its parent company, Kubota of Japan. The management group, led by Gary Potts, Maxoptix's president and CEO, purchased all of Kubota's stock for cash. Maxoptix has announced that it will also relocate the manufacture of its optical drives to its Fremont location.

The company says that will give Maxoptix complete control of procurement and logistics, while increasing flexibility to respond to customer requirements.

A NEW DOCUMENT AUTOMATION AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, DocNet, has been introduced by NEPS (Londonderry, NH) and Intercon Associates (Rochester, NY). DocNet is Internet/LAN/WAN-based, combining electronic form delivery and publishing capabilities with database query, version and revision control, document security, audit reporting and other document management functions.

"We're excited about DocNet and the extensive document management, forms publishing and Internet document delivery capabilities it brings to the marketplace," said NEPS President Darryl Dobin. Available by the end of the year, DocNet costs $4,995 per server with 20 clients, or $19,995 per server with unlimited clients.

TO BOLSTER MIDWESTERN SALES, TomaHawk II (San Diego) has acquired Image Management Systems, a privately held document scanning and conversion company, based in Chicago. IMS will become part of TomaHawk II's Document Imaging and Conversion division (DICO), which will be relocated to Vernon Hills, IL.

The move enhances TomaHawk II's Midwest sales and marketing efforts, says CEO Steve Caira, and creates further inroads to the commercial, manufacturing, engineering, architectural and banking industries.

A DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT has been announced by Procom Technology (Irvine, CA) and Optical Laser (Huntington Beach, CA). Optical Laser, a value-added technical distributor of optical and CD-R storage systems, media and document imaging solutions, will concentrate on getting Procom's integrated network storage products into the imaging market. "Procom's online network storage solutions are a perfect complement to our lineup of nearline mass storage solutions such as magneto-optical and CD-ROM jukeboxes," said Arsenio Batoy, Optical Laser's VP of sales and marketing.

INVESTMENTS TOTALING $6 MILLION have been made in document management software company FrontOffice Technologies (San Mateo, CA) by Venrock Associates (Palo Alto, CA), Mayfield Fund (Menlo Park, CA) and Trinity Ventures (Menlo Park, CA).

"This investment supports the imminent release of our intranet-enabled Version 2.1 and the expansion of our business development initiatives into overseas markets," according to Brian Aspland, president and CEO of FrontOffice.

A DIVERSIFIED DIGITAL IMAGING MANUFACTURING and development company, Imaging Technologies (ITEC, San Diego) has signed an agreement to acquire Color Solutions (Cardiff, CA), a privately held color management software development firm. "Adding Color Solutions to the ITEC family is a significant step in our continuing strategy of expanding our offerings in the imaging marketplace," said Dr. Harry J. Saal, ITEC's chairman