JetForm Brings Business Benefits of Electronic Forms to the Mobile Computing Market
July 15, 1997 — JetForm Corporation, the global leader in enterprise-wide electronic forms solutions, whose UK operation is based at Droitwich, is bringing the business benefits of electronic forms (e-forms) to the rapidly growing market for handheld personal computers (HPCs). New versions of JetForm software will now support Microsoft Windows CE-compatible HPCs.
Handheld PCs are enjoying explosive growth – more than 29 percent in 1996 with shipments reaching 1.6 million units, according to market research firm Dataquest. This is particularly true where mobility and convenience are paramount requirements: sales force automation, field services, inspections, transportation, factory-floor management, and health care.
Leading suppliers in this market are manufacturers such as Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Goldstar, Hitachi, and NEC. According to research from Microsoft Corp., handheld PCs enable mobile professionals to accomplish as much as 80 percent of their normal desktop-based work.
JetForm's swift entry into the HPC market is primarily the result of an agreement with Joey Technologies, a leading developer of forms technology for the personal digital assistant (PDA) sector based in St. Petersburg, Fla. Under the agreement, JetForm has worldwide rights to market Joey's software solutions, which will be sold as part of the JetForm solution set and integrated into the complete JetForm family of client and server forms technologies. In addition, JetForm has taken a minority equity interest in Joey Technologies.
Mobile E-Forms: A Compelling Basis for Deploying HPCs 'The handheld PC market is an ideal segment for JetForm,' said Phil Weaver, executive vice president for JetForm. 'HPC users are typically using templates tailored to specific work to capture data – precisely the market that we target for our e-forms solutions.
The prime advantage that JetForm brings is our ability to integrate the HPC with the enterprise through our JetForm? Central technology. This provides full output management – e-mail, fax, printing, and database update – so that corporations can deploy intelligent e-forms that synchronise with the enterprise. By extending the usefulness of HPCs beyond personal tasks to encompass enterprise workflow, JetForm is giving corporations a much more compelling reason for broadly deploying HPCs.
JetForm's HPC-ready e-forms product features an optimised version of JetForm Filler that supports Microsoft Windows CE. Forms previously created with JetForm Design can be quickly re-compiled to run on Windows CE machines. A single version of JetForm Design will support forms creation for both desktop and HPC deployment.
E-Forms: The 'Killer Application' for HPCs
In addition, users will be able to download JetForm forms from their desktops to the HPC.
While away from the office, the user can interact with the JetForm application. Upon return to the office the user can simply upload completed forms files to the desktop computer or server for processing with JetForm Filler or JetForm Central.
Using a JetForm-equipped HPC, users can collect new information, display downloaded schedules, or update inspection results – extending workflow applications to mobile workers. For example, an automotive manufacturer might equip workers with HPCs and forms applications to manage inventory on the factory floor. Drivers for a delivery firm can view route information and changes. Or healthcare professionals can provide point-of-care management through patient-tracking applications.
'We are extremely excited to work with the leader in electronic forms,' said Randy Bukowski, executive vice president for Joey Technologies. 'We believe that JetForm – with their dominant market presence and unique knowledge of structured information capture, management, and output – could potentially change the HPC industry. We are certain that enterprise-integrated e-forms could be the 'killer application' for the HPC platform.'
Pricing and Availability Available immediately, users of JetForm Design can upgrade to the current version of JetForm Design which provides forms creation for Windows CE Filler forms for GBP 495 and pricing for JetForm Filler for Windows CE is GBP 89, with volume discount licences available.
About JetForm Corporation JetForm Corporation headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, is the global leader in electronic forms automation, providing solutions that streamline business processes.
JetForm has major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, China, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. JetForm products design, fill, route, print and manage forms, helping organisations reduce costs and increase efficiency by automating forms processing across local and wide area networks as well as the Internet.
JetForm is a public company with common shares quoted for trading on the Nasdaq National Market System (FORMF) in the United States.
JetForm is a registered trademark of JetForm Corporation. All other trademarks referenced are trademarks of the respective companies named above.
For more information, please visit the JetForm Web site at http://www.jetform.com or
CONTACT:
Ray Malendewicz, JetForm UK
Tel: +44 (0)1905 795 079
e-mail: [email protected]
or
Tony Martin, Managing Director, Portfolio
Communications
Tel: +44 (0)171 240 6959
Fax: +44 (0)171 240 4849
e-mail: [email protected]