Automated purchasing system
OrgSupply
OrgSupply Buyer is eProcurement software that streamlines the entire procurement cycle from purchase to pay. It seamlessly connects an organization's enterprise resource planning system with its suppliers' eCommerce websites and filters all vendor supply lines through a single interface.
Circle 320 for more information
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Data conversion
Cypress Computer Systems Inc.
The Wedge is a durable interface for enhanced productivity in data entry and conversion. It automatically converts data using computers and terminals. Customers can use the Wedge to secure computer access or monitor inventory and employee records. With the use of employee or student ID badges, data can be streamlined effectively for reporting and security purposes. It is operational with Proximity, Wiegand and MagStripe, and can be used with IBM and compatible PC systems, as well as most popular POS terminals.
Circle 321 for more information
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Biological detection unit
Smiths Detection
Bio-Seeq allows users to detect biohazards such as anthrax on-site, providing accurate results in 30 minutes or less. Weighing only 6.5 pounds, the rugged handheld unit can be carried easily and can be powered by batteries, a vehicle adapter or AC plug-in. It has a membrane keyboard with extra-large keys suitable for operators wearing heavy gloves. Six detection modules perform thermal cycling, optical reading and alarm detection for each test. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology is used to identify the DNA modules of anthrax spores.
Circle 322 for more information
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Digital recording technology
Trio Systems LLC.
SoniClear MeetingPro 3.0 allows users to create digital recordings of meetings, lectures, presentations and class lectures. With built-in VoiceBoost Signal Enhancement professional-quality recording technology, every word is captured for easy transcription, duplication and playback. Additional features include a note-taking feature that allows users to find important points within recordings, assistance in transcribing meeting recordings into written records, and the ability to archive in MP3 format for easy posting to CD-ROM, LANs, e-mail or the Internet.
Circle 323 for more information
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Seeking advice
School district collaborates with outside consultant to improve transportation
TransPar Group
Budget challenges forced the Clovis Unified School District, near Fresno, Calif., to reduce operating costs without compromising quality. The district anticipated a state budget shortfall of more than $3.5 million for transportation funding. Consequently, school officials chose TransPar Group to evaluate the district's transportation system.
The consultants' report contained 51 recommendations and an implementation timeline. The district acted on 48 of those recommendations.
Collaboration was a key part of the process, says Joe Bjerke, CUSD director of transportation. “Over the years, there were many things we thought we needed to do, but those changes weren't made, for whatever reason,” he says. “In some cases, TransPar agreed with our ideas and added their credibility to the decisionmaking as an outside consultant.”
Positive changes that resulted from the review include incorporating load-capacity comparisons, using Edulog Routing software more effectively, improving safety for drivers and students, and enhancing oversight through better data collection and evaluation.
The district also incorporated employee relations programs that have boosted driver morale and the level of service.
Circle 325 for more information
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Answering the call
Speech-driven phone system replaces the traditional telephone operator
LocusDialog
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., is the nation's largest single-campus community college, serving more than 73,000 full- and part-time students. It has deployed LocusDialogSTS to answer calls to its main phone line.
The system incorporates speech-enabled call-routing applications, speech-dialed directories and speech-driven information access. It provides highly efficient front-end call answering and call transferring. The College of DuPage's staff, faculty and students, as well as other callers, can simply ask for whom or what they want and get connected without speaking with a live operator.
Gary Wenger, the vice president for information technology at the college, says, “With the LocusDialogSTS handling all calls to our main campus number, we're convinced that our campus users will derive enormous advantages, such as faster connect times and fewer frustrating delays.”
Recognized for its seamless integration with existing telephony infrastructures, LocusDialog speech telephony solutions have been chosen by almost 700 organizations worldwide, including a range of higher-education campuses.
Circle 326 for more information ▸ freeproductinfo.net/asu
Campus security
Prefabricated steel structures can increase safety and save money
B.I.G. Enterprises
At a time when educational budgets are stretched and school violence is increasing, school administrators are taking preventive measures and getting creative when it comes to campus security. Guard booths strategically placed on campuses can influence an atmosphere that instills confidence in personal safety for the student body.
Marty Hoeffel, principal of Alhambra High School, Phoenix, worked for five years to find a solution for the school's overall security and event-management dilemmas. The school's guard booth used to check in visitors to the parking lot during home games was like a sweat lodge in the hot afternoon sun on game days. The ticket booth that had to secure admission receipts and concession sales at major sporting events was secured with a hook-and-eye latch. Pre-fabricated steel construction allowed the school to respond to these concerns.
“On an interpersonal level, it is tough to always be nice when it's 110 degrees in the booth,” Hoeffel says. “You are stranded for a four-hour shift on a small concrete island in a sea of asphalt. Now our employees have a better working environment and, as a result, are more pleasant. Not only are they our first line of defense, but they are also providing our guests with their first experience of hospitality and safety. This helps them do their jobs.
“When you can't afford on-site construction, but still need a safe structure without sacrificing quality, looks and utility, pre-fab steel is the way to go. It met all our needs in a fraction of the time and toll that traditional construction would have taken,” Hoeffel says.
The Guard Booth and Ticket Kiosk can be moved should the need arise.
Circle 327 for more information
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