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Cadweb sets new standards with the release of it's groundbreaking Version 7
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July 2006
After 2 years of research and development, Cadweb are pleased to announce the release of the latest version of their market-leading platform, Cadweb.net. There has been a major database and functionality rewrite that significantly increases the security of the platform, it's ability to be customised to client requirements and it's speed. What was already a secure, straight forward and lightening fast system just got better!
Cadweb.net Version 7 could not come at a better time. Users’ expectations are increasing all the time and performance has disappointed with speed (or lack of it) and over complexity the most frequent complaints.
“We are confident users will see a demonstrable difference in the performance of this platform. So we are offering FREE trials so users can experience and judge the difference for themselves.” said Francis Newman Cadweb Head of Sales and Marketing.
Version 7
The genesis of this rewrite started when it became clear that the scope to improve the then current version (Version 6) was diminishing. The possibilities offered by new technology not available when Version 6 was written in 2000 meant that planning and design started in earnest in late 2004. The main design goals were to improve the system’s simplicity, increase it's speed at any particular loading, whilst preserving Cadweb’s trademark high level of security.
The construction of the system was complete by last winter, since when system testing and debugging has been carried out to refine the finished product. The result is a seamless release of a platform that will serve the development path for the next 3 – 5 years. This will include it's compatibility with mobile technologies while taking advantage of the new peer-to-peer technologies.
Speed
From user surveys undertaken, system response time and simplicity were the most important criteria when judging the level of satisfaction of an Extranet.
In the current Internet environment of Google and Broadband, users have come to expect a rapid response from any website and their patience has become very short. The ‘rule of thumb’ is that a website user will wait for the amount of time it takes to drum the table three times. If there is no response within this timeframe the website’s satisfaction rating, thus it's reputation falls rapidly and dramatically.
Cadweb operates in parts of the world where Internet accessibility is still very costly and bandwidth restricted, thus users and clients welcome any system that optimises their use of existing connectivity. As a result more effort went into improving the speed of version 7 than any other area. During trials and stress testing of the system over the last 6 months version 7 was, on average, 4 times faster than the current version. Furthermore, version 7 has a new architecture that allows for continual and incremental improvements to the speed of the platform throughout it's expected lifespan.
Simplicity
There is such a wide variety in the projects now run using the new Cadweb.net platform in terms of project size, stage and type that it is no longer efficient to provide one system to cover everything. The new platform is now totally intuitive so that when a project is set up it can be used straight away without any of the endless delays caused by “Security Permissions” or “Administration” debates that are a feature of the set up of most Extranets. The new platform can now be dynamically adapted to suit all the changing information flow conditions that a project will undergo throughout it's lifecycle.
Security
Cadweb has always felt it important to guarantee the Legal Admissibility of the audit trail provided by Cadweb.net. This involves guaranteeing a file’s transfer across the Internet (a public network).
Cadweb Version 7 incorporated all the latest ‘network Intelligent’ Internet file transfer technology. This technology is similar to that used by the file sharing and music/film downloading sites such as Napster, Kazaa and BitTorrent. The incorporation of this new technology dramatically improves the performance of the platform and makes it's setup and use quicker and more dependable for users. Users will be able to ‘fire and forget’ no matter how many files they are sending or what size they may be.
“By giving this level of service, we are setting the standard that clearly separates the wheat from the chaff. Cadweb.net version 7 shows that all project extranets are not the same. Just imagine! Having certainty that what you send is what is received. If you are using a system that cannot offer such a straight forward guarantee, you might as well save your money and continue using email.” said Cadweb’s Head of Projects & Operations Christopher de Carlo.
“We are confident that this is world beating technology, it knocks the spots off anything else I’ve seen out there.” said Chris Newman Cadweb CEO and in charge of the development program. “This platform will allow us to provide the fastest most reliable service and at the same time keep it as simple as it has always been. Version 7 is rather like an Iceberg, you can only see 10% of what is there, the unseen 90% is ensuring that the system responds quickly and reliably, so users can get on with their jobs of designing, building and managing buildings. We are the unseen service in the background, helping to deliver the project and therefore make the users look good!”
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Ends
For further information please contact Francis Newman on 0208 964 5040.
Notes to Editors
- Founded in 1995 Cadweb is the longest and oldest, established project extranet provider in the UK. Cadweb is now recognized as the de facto market leader in it's field with a long and growing list of blue-chip clients. Project Extranets provide an internet based central searchable repository for project information whereby project data can be stored and retrieved by all members of a construction project.
- Cadweb.net provides an internet based, central, highly searchable repository for all project information, whereby project data can be stored and retrieved by all members of a construction project.
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