Folio Corp. Unveils Folio Fusion, Software for Integrating Folio VIEWS and Lotus Notes; New Product Helps Customers Leverage Their Investment in Lotus Notes

Business Wire, Jan 23, 1995

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 23, 1995--Folio Corp. Monday unveiled Folio Fusion, software for integrating Folio VIEWS and Lotus Notes into a state-of-the-art system for accessing, adapting, and distributing large amounts of electronic reference information.

Folio Fusion, which is being shown publicly for the first time here at Lotusphere '95, will be available in March, 1995. Lotus Notes is the industry standard platform for developing and deploying groupware applications.

In a related announcement Folio has signed a marketing and distribution agreement with GroupQuest Software, a leading provider of third-party Lotus Notes-related applications and utilities. GroupQuest Software will market and distribute Folio Fusion to Lotus and Folio Business Partners (see separate announcement).

Folio VIEWS Adds Significant Value to the Lotus Notes Environment

Folio Fusion will give Lotus Notes users integrated access to the significant information handling capabilities of Folio VIEWS including:

-- large capacity and compact storage for archiving and retrieving over-extended Notes information,

-- optimized electronic publishing of Notes information on CD ROM and floppy disk,

-- robust search and retrieval of information from within Notes to Folio infobases

-- hyperlinks from Notes databases to Folio infobases.

In addition, integration with Folio VIEWS gives Lotus Notes users access to the large body of information available from commercial publishers in Folio infobase format. Thousands of electronic titles are currently available in Folio format from more than 400 U.S. and internationally based publishers in such professional fields as legal, accounting, tax, insurance, banking, medicine and pharmaceuticals.

Folio Fusion Helps Users Leverage Their Investment in Lotus Notes

Folio Fusion helps Lotus Notes users realize significant added value from their Notes investment through three points of integration: 1) queries that can be applied across a Notes database and a Folio infobase; 2) NFOLinks (hyperlinks) that can extend from a Notes database to a Folio infobase; and, 3) a filter which converts Notes database information into Folio infobase format, allowing that information to be electronically archived, or published and distributed on floppy disks or CD ROM.

Scenarios Describing Uses for Folio Fusion

According to Ron Sanders, product manager for Folio Fusion, "The practical value of Folio Fusion is evident when describing scenarios of how the product will be used.

"In one scenario, in a large accounting firm, Folio Fusion is used to help Lotus Notes users extend searches for information outside the Notes environment. Because much of the information accountants need is already available in their firm in Folio infobase format, Folio Fusion will allow them to be working in Notes, perhaps compiling a document for a distributed workgroup project, then "fire off" a search from within Notes that will extend to the Folio infobases available to them. Using Folio's clipboard function, that information can then be cut-and-pasted (assuming appropriate copyright permission and security privileges have been granted) from the Folio infobase to the Notes database, preserving all applicable formatting.

"In another scenario, a large consulting services company using Lotus Notes to track a consulting project might include all applicable documentation for the project in a Notes database. Included are proposal documents, regulatory information, corporate guidelines and policy statements, contracts and other legal documents, related e-mail, and other information. Once the project is completed, Folio Fusion provides an excellent way to off-load all of that information into a compact, easily retrievable form in a Folio infobase. With Folio's Underhead Technology, the information is automatically compressed to about half its original size and can still be easily retrieved, cut-and-pasted, and even updated. Meanwhile, the Notes system is relieved of the overhead and system performance issues associated with storing large amounts of historical information.

"Several large insurance companies have found Folio VIEWS to be an optimal means of storing and distributing internal policy manuals. In a large insurance company with hundreds of separate manuals, the Folio Fusion NFOLinks feature allows Lotus Notes users to insert links in Notes databases that will link to particular references in Folio infobases. The links mean rapid access from the Notes environment to the answers insurance company employees need to satisfy customer requests.

"Another likely scenario is the commercial publisher who uses Lotus Notes and the public Notes Network to distribute newsletters and bulletins. Folio VIEWS gives those publishers the capability to distribute compact, dynamic compilations of those documents on CD ROM or floppy disk. This is especially applicable to notebook and laptop computer users who are constrained by limited system resources.

"These scenarios are only a few of the ways Lotus Notes customers will benefit by integrating with Folio VIEWS through the Folio Fusion product," said Sanders.