Original publication date: December, 2006

Softshare ECS Arrives in Time for the Holidays

ECS 5.0 will be here just in time for the holidays! Start the New Year off right with our new version of Softshare's Electronic Commerce Server. ECS 5.0 brings with it a new "flavor," a new Web management module, and several important new features.

New Flavor: ECS Lite

For the first time ever, we're offering a scaled-back version of Softshare ECS. ECS Lite has been added to the ECS 5.0 family for those of you who need a modest communications application to pair with Softshare Delta, our data translator, but who don’t require all the advanced enterprise management capabilities that come with ECS Standard.

Click here for a side-by-side comparison of ECS Lite and ECS Standard. Or, to learn more about ECS in general, visit our ECS Web pages.

If you're currently running Vista in conjunction with Delta, consider upgrading to ECS 5.0. ECS and Delta tightly integrate with each other and by pairing the two, you'll have real-time communications, better data visibility, and more control over data flow and exception handling. To help you realize these advantages, Softshare is offering a special promotion. Through March 2007, we'll discount the cost of ECS Lite or ECS Standard by your original Vista purchase price. Call or e-mail a Softshare sales representative for more information.

WebECS

One of the most exciting enhancements in ECS 5.0 (Standard and Enterprise versions) is the addition of the WebECS module. WebECS lets you manage various aspects of ECS from the Web—or even a cell phone. The same ECS client utilities that you access locally from your desktop will be available as parallel Web utilities in WebECS, accessible from any computer with Internet capabilities. Click here to view the WebECS interface.

Note: WebECS is not available in the ECS Lite version of 5.0.

Other Great Enhancements

ECS 5.0 incorporates numerous feature enhancements in addition to the new WebECS module. Here we've listed the top five enhancements:

Improved document-centric view in Data Administrator. In ECS 5.0, Data Administrator's document view will be more intuitive for any user familiar with the e-mail paradigm. For example, we've retitled the Sender/Receiver columns to From/To. Similarly the Type column has been changed to "Subject" and the Created column now reads "Date."
Real-time Web services implementation. We've added a new synchronous immediate response type for HTTP input paths. This response type allows ECS to send back Web services responses before processing the payload. So instead of responding to the request after processing the payload (5-10 seconds), ECS is now able to respond within 1-3 seconds. (Available in ECS 5.0 Standard and Enterprise versions only).
Mailbox Setup Merlin. If you're communicating with Softshare's network, the new Mailbox Setup Merlin will help you easily set up that connection. You provide the Merlin with your Softshare mailbox number, password, and communications protocol and the Merlin will do the rest.
Tracking of related batches and documents. A new tab, titled "Conversation," has been added to the bottom pane of Data Administrator. This tab consolidates all related documents, showing sequence and directional flow.
Connection of event rule criteria with "OR" operators. Previously, if you entered multiple match criteria for an event rule, all criteria had to be met in order for the event rule to process. With ECS 5.0, you can now also use "OR" joiners to signify that only one criterion out of several must be met in order to trigger an event rule process.

Request Your Upgrade Today

If you're currently running ECS 4.1 or an earlier version, call or e-mail a Softshare sales representative for 5.0 upgrade pricing and information. If you're on Softshare's software maintenance plan, be sure to mention it—it's worth 50% off the standard upgrade price.