Service

Arbortext Development & Maintenance Services

We can help you to maximize your existing Arbortext and FOSI infrastructure by enhancing your technical information capabilities.

Key information

Is your FOSI solution stuck in a rut?

Since you started using FOSI, it is likely that much has changed in the world of publishing.

Now more than ever, there is the need for multi-channel output with the distribution of content on mobile devices as well as print and online.

Changing technology may mean your platform integration needs to be looked at or compliance requirements may demand an update to your technology.

As one of the few organizations in the world with deep experience of FOSI, we offer a two-step approach to enhance your technical capabilities and meet your long-term needs:

  • FOSI Health Check. We can health check your current solution and make a recommendation on action required if any. This is a short exercise that works through the key considerations to come to a recommendation and provides a high-level roadmap as an output.

  • FOSI Migration. We can provide migration paths to alternatives such as Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher.

Now is a good time to review your FOSI solutions

PTC recently announced that while it will still deploy FOSI, it would do so in a ‘sustain’ mode, meaning that no bug fixes or support help have been available since June 2015.

This means that now is a good time to look at your FOSI solutions and determine if any changes should be made to help you to:

  • Extend your system capabilities. We work with you to analyze your systems to determine how to migrate or augment your current FOSI environment. A functional design and architecture are provided to meet or exceed your strategic goals.
  • Take advantage of new features and functionality. By upgrading your systems to the latest versions of software you can take advantage of cutting-edge features and functionality. Functional enhancements such as Schematron for custom business rules, Smart Copy-and-Paste, and custom development to enhance system connectivity boost your enterprise quality and productivity.
  • Enhance your software and system support. As part of our service, we augment the support of your systems by providing around-the-clock resources and specialized training to help your staff. You may also run on an older version of Arbortext software. Through analysis of your environment, we determine the best approach for upgrading to the latest version. The newest versions of Arbortext have extensive productivity enhancements such as:
  • Custom business rules to check your content while authoring. Smart Copy-and-Paste to quickly insert content into technical publications from Word, HTML, and FrameMaker.

Considerations

Q: Should I move from FOSI to XSL-FO?

That depends.

While XSL-FO offers a low total cost of ownership for the software infrastructure, it does have limitations in its functionality to produce more complex technical publications. GPSL will help you determine the software that works best for you to optimize your publication infrastructure.

Q: Are there other software packages that may suit my needs?

Possibly.

GPSL is well-versed in many publication so_ware packages including Arbortext, Quark, Antenna House, and Web-based XML Editors. We will analyze your goals and requirements and create the most cost-effective architecture for your enterprise.

Q: Do you recommend outsourcing parts of my publication infrastructure?

Outsourcing some or all your operations may make sense in some cases.

As part of GPSL’s health check process, we will provide a report detailing recommendations to enhance your enterprise along with options to give you alternative strategies.