gen-i implements Dairy Board global search

gen-i implements Dairy Board global search facility

AUCKLAND, 31 May 2001 – Internet Integrator, gen-i limited, has completed a project to give the New Zealand Dairy Board (NZDB) staff access to detailed business and scientific information on a global basis.

The project, New Zealand’s first major implementation of Autonomy, provides the capability to search across unstructured information stored in a wide variety of repositories.

NZDB staff required easy access to information necessary to do their job, irrespective of their business role, where they were located and where information was stored. After evaluating best of breed products NZDB selected Autonomy due to its unique ability to do true content searching, its support of Natural Language searching and its capability to integrate with existing Knowledge Management Tools, such as Vignette.

gen-i’s task was to resolve the diverse requirements of NZDB’s business units, research information for scientists and industry, and market and economic information for the strategy-setting marketing staff.

The challenge for NZDB was using the technology to enhance communication across divisions and across geographical and technical boundaries. “gen-i was selected as the integration partner because of their ability to integrate solutions into complex technical environments,” says Deborah Crowe, NZDB Project Manager. “In addition, we felt they had a grasp of the big picture and from the outset they clearly understood what we were trying to achieve, and were committed to delivering it successfully.”
Autonomy technology is based on its ability to analyse a document, extract the key concepts in the text and determine which ideas are the most important, making search results more effective. Autonomy can automatically categorise documents for identification, create communities of interest by putting users with related interest in contact with each other and work across any language.

gen-i integrated Autonomy across NZDB’s Lotus Notes, Vignette (v/5) and Novell Netware platforms, while accommodating a wide range of user needs and maintaining security of source data.

“A key component of the implementation involved working with the users from each of the Business Units to determine their unique requirements, and then collating that into a workable solution,” says Paul McTaggart, Managing Principal at gen-i.

The production environment currently indexes over 40 internal and external data sources which saw Autonomy indexing in excess of one million files. It is anticipated that this will grow to over 200 data sources in the near future.

Each of these repositories has its own locations, security issues and data structures. Autonomy now provides seamless access to that information for NZDB users globally through a single point of access. gen-i worked closely with Autonomy and NZDB to overcome a number of challenges, including implementing the world’s first implementation of Autonomy security features on Novell.

“gen-i have shown a can-do attitude and a commitment to customer satisfaction which has been paramount in the success of this project,” says Allan Anderson, Chief Executive of New Zealand Dairy Research Institute and Project Sponsor.

The project has created a web-based tool that gives NZDB users global information through a single point of access. Autonomy is used by staff involved in Marketing, Management and Research & Development to find and access information that is stored in Lotus Notes, Vignette, Novell Network files and selected external web sites, from anywhere in the world.

ENDS

About gen-i
gen-i limited is the first and largest New Zealand-based e-business Internet integrator, focussing on designing, building, implementing and supporting e-business solutions and systems for large corporate customers. With more than 400 people at offices in major centres in New Zealand, gen-i extends customer support worldwide – both online and through a network of service partners.
gen-i has four major areas of focus and expertise: Infrastructure, Ventures, Field Force and Procurement.
gen-i Infrastructure is geared to providing and supporting all the hardware, software and networks required for today’s e-business – and to achieve that in a number of new ways. gen-i Ventures is an Internet innovation operation geared to providing knowledge and experience, including building e-commerce sites, Intranets, extranets and implementing and supporting a wide range of e-business and traditional applications. gen-i field Force is New Zealand’s leading technology engineering onsite capability, expertly trained and ready to deploy or maintain the country’s leading technology networks. gen-i Procurement provides a fast, easy and cost-effective way to select, purchase, install and maintain office technologies.
Prior to its name change in 2000, gen-i traded successfully for more than 20 years as Wang New Zealand.

About NZDB
More than 90 percent of the 1,500,000 tonnes of dairy produce manufactured each year is sold overseas, making the New Zealand Dairy Board the country's largest single exporter and the world's largest dairy export marketing organisation. It has total annual sales of around NZ$7.7 billion.
The Dairy Board's prime function is to market overseas all dairy products manufactured in New Zealand for export. The Board works with the dairy companies to ensure their manufacturing programmes match the demands of the international marketplace. It also integrates the industry's shipping, packaging, transport, storage and quality control needs and provides necessary support services in the form of financial facilities, data processing, livestock improvement and administration.
International sales of milk-based products earn around NZ$4.5 billion a year, representing approximately 21 percent of New Zealand's total export earnings.

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