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  • Accruent Meridian 2024: Streamlining Engineering Information For All Industries

    In today’s rapidly evolving industries, from manufacturing to utilities, managing and leveraging complex engineering information is key to success. In this context, Accruent Meridian 2024 emerges as a robust solution to help organizations achieve compliance, improve efficiency, and manage asset lifecycle information.

    Accruent has designed Meridian 2024 to cater to a wide range of industries, providing seamless access to accurate, up-to-date, and compliant engineering data. In this blog, we’ll explore how Meridian 2024 transforms asset and document management across sectors and how its interactive capabilities can streamline your operations.

    WHAT IS ACCRUENT MERIDIAN 2024

    Accruent Meridian 2023 is a comprehensive Engineering Information Management (EIM) solution designed to manage the complex, highly regulated documentation environments of various industries. Whether you’re dealing with critical infrastructure in oil & gas or managing compliance in pharmaceuticals, this tool offers:

    • Centralized document management for all engineering assets.
    • Version control and audit trail for regulatory compliance.
    • Collaboration tools to streamline workflows across departments.

    INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC BENEFITS OF MERIDIAN 2024

    1. Manufacturing: Accelerate Production with Real-Time Data

    In the manufacturing sector, managing engineering data efficiently is critical to reducing downtime and improving operational efficiency. Meridian 2024 allows manufacturers to:

    • Track asset changes in real-time, ensuring machines and production lines are always running optimally.
    • Monitor equipment performance with easy access to updated engineering data, preventing costly breakdowns.
    • Ensure compliance with industry standards and safety regulations via centralized document management.

    Infographic:

    oil & gas: improve DOCUMENT compliance and asset management

    Oil & gas industries deal with complex regulations and harsh environments that demand top-tier asset management. Meridian 2024 provides tools to:

    • Manage remote assets by ensuring all documentation is centralized, regardless of geographical location.
    • Adhere to strict compliance standards with built-in audit trails and version control.
    • Enhance safety through real-time access to engineering documentation, reducing human error in critical operations.

    Pharmaceuticals: Maintain Regulatory ASSET & DOCUMENT Compliance with Ease

    In highly regulated industries like pharmaceuticals, the margin for error is extremely thin. Compliance and safety are top priorities. Meridian 2024 enables pharmaceutical companies to:

    • Streamline FDA audits by having every document, from equipment manuals to process validations, available at the click of a button.
    • Maintain full traceability with a robust version control system that captures every change.
    • Ensure consistent quality by making sure the latest approved procedures are easily accessible to the staff on the floor.

    Case Study: AbbVie Accruent Meridian Case Study

    Utilities: Enhance Asset & Document Lifecycle Management

    In the utilities sector, companies must ensure that their infrastructure remains operational while complying with ever-changing regulations. Meridian 2024 offers:

    • Improved asset lifecycle management by storing all relevant documentation in one platform, accessible from anywhere.
    • Increased efficiency by reducing the time needed to find or update documentation for field operations.
    • Regulatory compliance through audit trails it ensures accountability for every modification to an asset.

    Diagram:

    Meridian 2024 integrates project with operations documents & assets

    Accruent Meridian 2024 goes beyond compliance and asset management. It also plays a crucial role in project management by integrating engineering documentation directly with your assets and equipment throughout the entire lifecycle of a project—from design and construction to operation and decommissioning. Here’s how:

    • Streamline Project Documentation: Meridian 2024 provides a centralized platform to manage all documents related to project planning, design, and execution. All documents—drawings, schematics, and technical specifications—are linked directly to specific assets, ensuring that the most current information is always available.
    • Efficient Collaboration: Large oil & gas projects often involve multiple stakeholders across different departments and external contractors. Meridian allows for easy collaboration, providing version control, document tracking, and approval workflows, ensuring that all parties are working with the latest, approved versions of documents.
    • Seamless Integration with Assets: Meridian 2024 seamlessly integrates project documents with the operational assets they support. Once a project is completed, the as-built documentation, including manuals, engineering diagrams, and equipment data sheets, can be stored and linked to the respective assets within the system. This ensures that when maintenance or future upgrades are required, teams have instant access to the full historical record of each asset.
    • Track Changes During Projects: One of the greatest challenges in oil & gas project management is tracking changes and ensuring all modifications are properly documented. Meridian 2024’s version control ensures that all changes to equipment, processes, and documentation during project execution are captured and traceable, helping to avoid costly errors or rework.
    • Compliance Throughout Asset Lifecycle: Meridian ensures that regulatory compliance is maintained throughout the entire asset lifecycle, from initial installation to ongoing operation. Each piece of equipment or asset has its associated documents and history tracked in Meridian, ensuring that the necessary certifications, inspections, and maintenance records are always accessible and up to date.

    FlowChart:

    Key Features of Accruent Meridian 2024

    1. Centralized Platform: All engineering documents stored and accessible from a single platform, ensuring no information is lost.
    2. Version Control: Every change is tracked, making it easy to maintain compliance and traceability.
    3. Collaboration Tools: Collaborate across departments and locations, ensuring that engineering, operations, and maintenance teams work with the latest data.
    4. Audit Trails: Keep track of every action, modification, and decision, streamlining the compliance process.

    Cloud & On-Premises Options: Meridian can be deployed in the cloud or on-premises, offering flexibility based on your organization’s needs.

    How Meridian 2024 Drives Digital Transformation

    Across all industries, digital transformation is a key focus. Accruent Meridian 2024 aids in this transformation by:

    • Reducing manual tasks through automation of document management.
    • Integrating with other enterprise systems such as ERP, CMMS, and GIS, providing a seamless digital environment.
    • Enhancing decision-making by offering real-time, accurate data about assets, systems, and processes.

    Quiz:

    Why Choose Accruent Meridian 2024?

    In a world where regulations are tightening, operations are becoming more complex, and downtime can cost millions, Accruent Meridian 2024 is an invaluable tool for any industry. It offers:

    • Increased operational efficiency by providing the right information at the right time.
    • Reduced risks by ensuring complete document traceability and regulatory compliance.
    • Future-proofing your business with scalable solutions that grow with your company.

    Ready to Implement Accruent Meridian 2024?

    Whether you’re in manufacturing, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, utilities, or another industry, Accruent Meridian 2024 can streamline your operations and improve your asset management. Learn more about how Meridian can benefit your organization by scheduling a personalized demo.

    Conclusion

    The future of engineering information management is here with Accruent Meridian 2024. By providing a centralized, flexible, and highly secure solution, it’s empowering industries to achieve compliance, reduce downtime, and drive efficiency. The platform’s robust feature set combined with industry-specific adaptability makes it a go-to solution for organizations looking to stay ahead in today’s competitive landscape.

    To learn more about Accruent Meridian and how it can help your team, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the  SolidCAD Meridian Team.

    The Future of Manufacturing: iLogic & CPQ Software Unleashed 

    The Future of Manufacturing: iLogic & CPQ Software Unleashed 

    In the ever-changing world of manufacturing, the emergence of iLogic-based CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) technologies, such as SolidCAD’s Variant, represents a significant turning point. These innovations are leading us into a new era characterized by remarkable efficiency and unparalleled customization. This blog will look into how the combination of iLogic’s rule-based engineering and the versatile capabilities of CPQ systems is transforming industry standards.

    We’ll explore the significant benefits that iLogic-based CPQ solutions bring to the table, including streamlined operations, improved product customization, and enhanced operational efficiency. By examining these cutting-edge technologies, we’ll show how manufacturers are now better equipped to tackle the challenges of today’s complex markets with increased agility and accuracy, thereby achieving higher levels of customer satisfaction.

    Come with us to explore the endless possibilities that new ideas are bringing to the manufacturing industry. This is leading to a future with no limits, only what we can imagine.

    iLogic: The Driving Force Behind Automated Design 

    iLogic, a key component of Autodesk Inventor, is revolutionizing the world of design automation. By allowing users to create rules that automate and control design processes, iLogic significantly enhances engineering efficiency. This tool is not just about simplifying tasks; it’s about redefining how we approach design in the manufacturing software landscape. 

    Decoding CPQ: More Than Just a Tool 

    CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) software streamlines the way businesses sell complex, configurable products. When integrated with Inventor models, this software empowers sales teams, dealers, and even customers to quickly generate accurate quotes, ensuring manufacturing efficiency and optimizing sales processes. CPQ is more than a tool; it’s a game-changer in the business solutions arena.  

    Real-World Applications of CPQ Software 

    The practical applications of CPQ software are vast and varied. From small businesses to large corporations, the implementation of CPQ software has led to significant workflow improvements and sales acceleration. Check out mk North America’s success story to see how CPQ made a tangible difference. 

    The Evolution of Manufacturing Technologies 

    As we look to the future, it’s clear that technologies like Variant are not just shaping current manufacturing processes but is also paving the way for a more efficient, productive, and innovative future in the manufacturing sector. Subscribe to our blog channel to stay tuned as we continue to explore these exciting developments in the world of manufacturing technology. To learn more about Variant CPQ, try it for yourself on our website, or contact us today at variant@solidcad.ca 

    REAL-LIFE SUCCESS STORIES WITH MERIDIAN

    In the ever-evolving landscape of engineering and asset management, organizations seek robust solutions to streamline their documentation processes. Accruent Meridian has emerged as a game-changer, empowering companies across various industries to efficiently manage their critical information. Let’s explore some real-life success stories where Meridian played a pivotal role:

    1. Energy sector: optimizing workflows

    THE CHALLENGE:

    A leading energy company faced challenges in maintaining accurate records for its vast network of power plants, substations, and transmission lines. Manual paper-based systems resulted in inefficiencies, data duplication, and compliance gaps.

    THE SOLUTION:

    The company implemented Meridian to centralize its engineering documents, including schematics, equipment manuals, and maintenance logs. With Meridian’s version control and access permissions, engineers could collaborate seamlessly. Integration with their Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) ensured real-time updates.

    THE BENEFITS:

    • Reduced Downtime: Faster access to critical information minimized downtime during maintenance.
    • Compliance Assurance: Auditors praised the system’s transparency and adherence to industry standards.
    • Cost Savings: Elimination of paper-based processes led to significant cost savings.

    2. Manufacturing: accelerating product development

    THE CHALLENGE:

    A global manufacturing firm struggled with document version chaos. Engineers often worked with outdated drawings, leading to errors, rework, and delays in product development.

    THE SOLUTION:

    Meridian’s automated version control and revision tracking transformed their engineering change process. Integration with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools allowed seamless updates. Engineers could collaborate on designs in real time.

    THE BENEFITS:

    • Faster Time-to-Market: Streamlined processes reduced design iteration cycles.
    • Quality Improvements: Accurate, up-to-date drawings minimized errors.
    • Regulatory Compliance: Meridian ensured compliance with industry standards.

    3. Construction: managing complex projects

    THE CHALLENGE:

    A construction company faced information overload during large-scale projects. Managing blueprints, specifications, and vendor documentation became overwhelming.

    THE SOLUTION:

    Meridian’s centralized repository organized project documents. Role-based access control allowed stakeholders to access relevant information. Mobile access enabled field teams to retrieve data on-site.

    THE BENEFITS:

    • Project Efficiency: Quick access to project plans improved decision-making.
    • Risk Mitigation: Compliance tracking reduced legal risks.
    • Collaboration: Contractors, architects, and project managers collaborated seamlessly.

    4. Healthcare: ensuring regulatory compliance

    THE CHALLENGE:

    The hospital system struggled with maintaining accurate records for its medical equipment. Compliance audits were time-consuming and error prone.

    THE SOLUTION:

    Meridian’s robust metadata management allowed tagging equipment with critical details. Integration with the hospital’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) system ensured seamless data flow.

    THE BENEFITS:

    • JCAHO Compliance: Quick access to project plans improved decision-making.
    • Equipment Lifecycle Management: Compliance tracking reduced legal risks.
    • Cost Control: Contractors, architects, and project managers collaborated seamlessly.

    CONCLUSION:

    Accruent Meridian isn’t just software; it’s an enabler of efficiency, collaboration, and growth. These success stories demonstrate how organizations, regardless of their industry, can leverage Meridian to unlock measurable benefits. Whether it’s reducing downtime, improving compliance, or enhancing collaboration, Meridian continues to shape the future of engineering documentation management.

    Remember, success stories aren’t just about technology—they’re about the people who embrace it and drive positive change. So, consider Meridian as your partner in achieving excellence! To learn more contact us today  SolidCAD Meridian Team.

    Unlocking Efficiency – An In-Depth Look at Accruent Meridian The Document Management Powerhouse

    Engineering documents and drawings are vital assets for any organization that needs to design, build, operate, and maintain physical assets. However, managing these documents can be challenging, especially when they are scattered across different systems, formats, and locations. How can you ensure that your documents are secure, compliant, and accessible to the right people at the right time?

    That’s where Accruent Meridian comes in. Meridian is a comprehensive software solution that helps you manage your engineering documents and drawings throughout the asset lifecycle. Meridian enables you to store, access, and share documents in a centralized and controlled way, while also providing features such as version control, workflow automation, and collaboration tools.

    But that’s not all. Meridian also leverages rendition and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to enhance document management, collaboration, and security. In this blog, we’ll explore how these technologies work and how they can benefit your organization.

    WHAT ARE RENDITIONS AND WHY DO YOU NEED THEM?

    A rendition is a copy of a document in a different format than the original file, usually in a non-editable format such as PDF or DWF. Renditions are useful for several reasons:

    • They provide a consistent and reliable way to view and share documents across different platforms and devices, without requiring the original software or application.
    • They protect the integrity and quality of the original source documents, which are kept for editing and revision purposes.
    • They reduce the risk of unauthorized changes or tampering with the documents, as renditions are read-only and can be digitally signed or encrypted.
    • They improve document performance and storage efficiency, as renditions are typically smaller in size than the original files.

    Meridian integrates with Accruent Publisher, a separate software component that renders and optionally publishes renditions to the same or to other document management systems. Accruent Publisher supports various rendering modules that can convert different types of files into renditions, such as AutoCAD, Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, and more.

    WHAT IS OCR TECHNOLOGY AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

    OCR, or Optical Character Recognition, is the process of converting scanned images of text into editable and searchable text. OCR technology can help you to extract information from scanned documents, such as invoices, contracts, or reports, and store it in Meridian as metadata or content.

    Meridian uses OCR technology in two ways:

    • To index the content of scanned documents for full-text search. This allows you to find documents based on their content, not just their properties or file names.
    • To extract data from scanned documents and map it to Meridian properties. This allows you to automatically populate document properties based on the information in the scanned files, such as document number, title, author, date, etc.

    By using OCR technology, Meridian helps you to unlock the power of scanned documents and reduce manual data entry.

    HOW DOES MERIDIAN ENSURE DOCUMENT SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE

    Document security and compliance are critical for any organization that deals with sensitive or regulated information. Meridian ensures document security and compliance by:

    • Using a centralized repository with secure global access to store and manage documents, ensuring that only authorized users can view and edit them.
    • Supporting various rendering modules that can convert different types of files into non-editable renditions, such as PDF or DWF, for reference, printing, or distribution purposes.
    • Integrating with network and application firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and multi-factor authentication to keep data repositories safe from intruders.
    • Applying security roles to the folders of a vault, which defines the privileges of the members of the role. The members can be network domain groups, Meridian Enterprise groups, or individual user accounts.
    • Enforcing document workflow statuses, which restrict the actions that users can perform on a document depending on its state. For example, only the owner of a document can change it when it is in the Under Change state.

    HOW ACCRUENT MERIDIAN CONNECTS WITH OTHER APPLICATIONS TO BOOST DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT EFFICIENCY

    Accruent Meridian is not just a standalone software solution. It also connects with other applications to enhance document management efficiency and collaboration. Whether you need to work with 2D & 3D CAD applications, EAM software, or other document management systems, Meridian has you covered.

    APPLICATION INTEGRATION: WORK WITH YOUR FAVOURITE CAD APPLICATIONS

    If you use popular 2D & 3D CAD applications like Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Revit, and Solidworks, you can integrate them with Meridian and enjoy the following benefits:

    • You can access and manage your documents directly from your CAD application, without switching between different systems.
    • You can view the latest and most accurate information about your assets and their documentation, ensuring compliance and safety.
    • You can initiate document change requests from your maintenance management system, triggering workflows and notifications in Meridian.
    • You can link your maintenance work orders to your engineering documents, ensuring traceability and accountability.

    DMS INTEGRATION: COLLABORATE AND SHARE DOCUMENT WITH OTHER DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

    If you use other document management systems like SharePoint, Documentum, or OpenText, you can integrate them with Meridian and enjoy the following benefits:

    • You can collaborate and share documents with other departments or external parties, without compromising security or quality.
    • You can publish renditions of your documents to other document management systems, ensuring that everyone has access to the same information.
    • You can synchronize metadata and content between Meridian and other document management systems, ensuring consistency and accuracy.
    • You can leverage the best features of each system for different purposes, such as document creation, review, approval, distribution, or archiving.

    WANT TO LEARN MORE?

    For those interested in exploring the capabilities of Accruent Meridian and how it can revolutionize their document management processes, the SolidCAD website offers valuable insights and the opportunity to schedule a demo.

    In a world where information is power, Accruent Meridian empowers organizations to harness the full potential of their documents, streamline workflows, and enhance security, ultimately driving efficiency and success.

    To learn more about how Accruent Meridian can help you integrate your EDMS with other software applications, contact us today  SolidCAD Meridian Team. We would love to hear from you and show you how Accruent Meridian can transform your engineering document management process.

    How to Prepare Accruent Meridian and Other Application Software for Ransomware and Virus Attacks

    Ransomware and virus attacks are a serious threat to any organization that relies on digital data and systems. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts or locks your files or devices and demands a payment to restore access. Virus is a type of malware that infects your files or devices and causes damage or disruption. Both ransomware and virus attacks can result in data loss, downtime, reputational damage, legal liability, and financial losses.

    Accruent Meridian is an engineering document management system (EDMS) that helps you streamline document management, ensure safety and compliance, maximize collaboration, and achieve a single source of asset information. Meridian can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud, depending on your needs and preferences. However, regardless of the deployment model, Meridian, and any other application software you use need to be protected from ransomware and virus attacks.

    In this blog post, we will share some best practices on how to prepare your Accruent Meridian and any application software for ransomware and virus attacks. These best practices include:

    • Updating your software regularly.
    • Using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.
    • Avoiding suspicious links, attachments, and requests.
    • Backing up your data frequently.
    • Investing in security software and services.
    • Reducing on-premises exposure and moving to the cloud.
    • Stopping ransomware from spreading and uploading.
    • Having a reliable backup and restore plan.
    • Educating your staff and raising awareness.

    Updating Your Software Regularly

    One of the most important steps to prevent ransomware and virus attacks is to keep your software updated. Software updates often include security patches that fix vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malware. By updating your software regularly, you can reduce the risk of being infected by ransomware or viruses.

    To update your Accruent Meridian software, you need to contact theSolidCAD Meridian Team.

    for more information. You should also update any other application software you use, such as browsers, operating systems, office suites, etc. You can enable automatic updates or check for updates manually.

    Using Strong Passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication

    Another key step to prevent ransomware and virus attacks is to use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your accounts. Strong passwords are passwords that are long, complex, unique, and hard to guess. MFA is a security feature that requires you to provide more than one piece of evidence to verify your identity when logging in. For example, you may need to enter a code sent to your phone or email or use a biometric factor such as your fingerprint or face.

    By using strong passwords and MFA, you can make it harder for hackers to access your accounts and data. You should use strong passwords and MFA for your Accruent Meridian account and any other application software account you have. You should also avoid using the same password for multiple accounts or sharing your passwords with anyone.

    Avoid Suspicious Links, Attachments, and Requests

    A common way for ransomware and viruses to infect your devices is through phishing emails or websites. Phishing is a type of cyberattack that uses fake emails or websites to trick you into clicking on malicious links or attachments or providing personal information. Phishing emails or websites may look like they come from legitimate sources, such as your bank, your IT department, or Accruent.

    To avoid falling victim to phishing, you should always be careful about what you click on or open online. You should never click on links or attachments in spam messages or on unknown websites. You should also never disclose personal information to anyone who contacts you via phone, text message, or email without verifying their identity first. If you are not sure if an email or website is trustworthy, contact the sender directly using a different channel.

    Backing Up Your Data Frequently

    One of the best ways to prepare for ransomware and virus attacks is to back up your data frequently. Backing up your data means making copies of your files and storing them in a separate location from your original devices. By backing up your data frequently, you can ensure that you have a backup copy of your data in case of an attack.

    You should back up your Accruent Meridian data as well as any other application software data you have. You can use different methods to back up your data, such as external hard drives, cloud storage services, or backup software. You should also test your backups regularly to make sure they work properly.

    Investing in Security Software and Services

    Another effective way to prepare for ransomware and virus attacks is to invest in security software and services. Security software and services are programs or providers that can help you detect, prevent, and respond to cyber threats. Security software and services can scan, block, and remove ransomware and viruses from your devices, as well as shield your vulnerable programs and files.

    You should invest in security software and services for your Accruent Meridian software as well as any other application software you use. You can choose from different types of security software and services, such as antivirus, anti-malware, firewall, VPN, encryption, etc. You should also update your security software and services regularly and follow their recommendations.

    Reducing On-Premises Exposures and Moving to the Cloud

    Another proactive way to prepare for ransomware and virus attacks is to reduce your on-premises exposure and move to the cloud. On-premises exposure means the risk of having your devices or servers physically compromised or damaged by malware. Moving to the cloud means using cloud-based services or platforms that store your data and run your applications on remote servers.

    By reducing your on-premises exposure and moving to the cloud, you can lower your infrastructure costs and the burden on your IT staff. You can also benefit from the native security capabilities of the cloud service or platform you use, such as encryption, backup, recovery, etc. However, you should also be aware of the potential security risks of the cloud, such as data breaches, unauthorized access, or compliance issues.

    Accruent Meridian offers different deployment options for your engineering document management needs. You can choose from Meridian Server (on-premises), Meridian Cloud Project, Meridian Cloud Business, or Meridian Cloud for Life Sciences. You should consult with the SolidCAD Meridian Team.

    for more information on each option.

    Stopping Ransomware from Spreading and Uploading

    Another important way to prepare for ransomware and virus attacks is to stop them from spreading and uploading. Spreading means the ability of ransomware or virus to infect other devices or networks connected to the original device. Uploading means the ability of ransomware or virus to send your data to a remote server controlled by the hackers.

    To stop ransomware or virus from spreading and uploading, you should disconnect your infected device from the internet and any other network as soon as possible. You should also isolate any other devices that may have been infected or exposed. You should then scan your devices with security software or contact a professional for help.

    Having A Reliable Back-Up and Restore Plan

    Another essential way to prepare for ransomware and virus attacks is to have a reliable backup and restore plan. A backup and restore plan are a set of steps that you follow in case of an attack to recover your data and resume your operations. A backup and restore plan should include:

    • The frequency and method of backing up your data.
    • The location and format of storing your backup data.
    • The process and tools of restoring your backup data.
    • The roles and responsibilities of your staff or service providers.
    • The communication channels and procedures with your stakeholders.

    By having a reliable backup and restore plan, you can avoid paying a ransom or losing your data in case of an attack. You can also minimize the impact of an attack on your business continuity and reputation.

    Educating Your Staff and Raising Awareness

    The final way to prepare for ransomware and virus attacks is to educate your staff and raise awareness. Your staff are often the first line of defense against cyber threats, but they can also be the weakest link if they are not trained or informed. Therefore, you should educate your staff on how to recognize, avoid, report, and respond to ransomware and virus attacks.

    You should also raise awareness among your staff about the importance of following the best practices mentioned above. You can use different methods to educate your staff and raise awareness, such as training sessions, newsletters, posters, quizzes, etc. You should also monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your education and awareness efforts.

    Is Your Device Infected by Ransomware or a Virus

    Ransomware and virus are types of malwares that can infect your device and cause various problems, such as encrypting or deleting your files, locking your screen, displaying unwanted ads, stealing your personal information, or demanding a ransom to restore access.

    There are different ways to know if your device has been infected by ransomware or virus, depending on the type and severity of the infection. Some of the common signs of malware infection are:

    • Your device is hot to the touch or overheats.
    • Your device is slow, crashes, or displays error messages.
    • You see an increase in random pop-ups or new apps.
    • You receive fraudulent links or requests from your accounts.
    • You have unauthorized charges on your credit card or bank statements.
    • You see a ransom note or a full-screen message demanding payment.

    However, some malware infections may not show any obvious signs and may work in the background without your notice. Therefore, it is important to scan your device regularly with security software, such as Windows Security or McAfee, to detect and remove any potential threats.

    If you suspect that your device has been infected by ransomware or virus, you should take the following steps:

    • Disconnect your device from the internet and any other network.
    • Isolate any other devices that may have been infected or exposed.
    • Scan your device with security software or contact a professional for help.
    • Restore your data from a backup if possible.
    • Change your passwords and monitor your accounts for any suspicious activity.

    To prevent ransomware or virus infections in the future, you should follow the best practices mentioned in the blog post above, such as updating your software, using strong passwords and MFA, avoiding suspicious links and attachments, backing up your data, investing in security software and services, reducing on-premises exposure, and moving to the cloud, educating your staff, and raising awareness.

    Conclusion

    Ransomware and virus attacks are a serious threat to any organization that relies on digital data and systems. Accruent Meridian is an engineering document management system that helps you streamline document management, ensure safety and compliance, maximize collaboration, and achieve a single source of asset information. However, Accruent Meridian and any other application software you use need to be protected from ransomware and virus attacks.

    In this blog post, we shared some best practices on how to prepare your Accruent Meridian and any application software for ransomware and virus attacks. These best practices include:

     

    • Updating your software regularly.
    • Using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.
    • Avoiding suspicious links, attachments, and requests.
    • Backing up your data frequently.
    • Investing in security software and services.
    • Reducing on-premises exposure and moving to the cloud.
    • Stopping ransomware from spreading and uploading.
    • Having a reliable backup and restore plan.
    • Educating your staff.

     

    Accruent Meridian software is a comprehensive solution for document management that can help you streamline your processes, ensure compliance and safety, maximize collaboration, and achieve a single source of asset information.

    To learn more about Accruent Meridian and how it can help your team, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the  SolidCAD Meridian Team.

    How Accruent Meridian Aligns with Agile Principles

    Accruent Meridian is an engineering document management system (EDMS) that helps organizations streamline document management, ensure safety and compliance, maximize collaboration, and achieve a single source of asset information. But how does it align with the agile principles that guide many software development teams today?

    The agile principles are statements that define the agile methodology and act as best practices for agile teams. The agile principles and core values are documented in the agile manifesto, a brief document that defines agile. Agile principles also apply to other project management methodologies derived from agile, such as kanban or scrum.

    In this blog post, we will explore how Accruent Meridian supports some of the key agile principles and how it can benefit your engineering projects.

    Agile Principle 1: Satisfy the Customer Through Early and Continuous Delivery of Value Software

    The first principle of agile is to deliver value to the customer frequently and consistently. This means that instead of waiting for a long time to release a final product, agile teams deliver small increments of working software that can be tested and validated by the customer.

    Accruent Meridian helps you achieve this principle by enabling you to manage and share engineering documents across the entire asset lifecycle. You can easily create, review, approve, distribute, and access documents from any device, anywhere, anytime. You can also track changes, revisions, and versions of documents to ensure accuracy and consistency. By using Accruent Meridian, you can deliver valuable information to your customers and stakeholders faster and more reliably.

    Accruent Meridian helps you streamline document management, ensure safety and compliance, maximize company-wide collaboration, and achieve a single source of asset information.

    Agile Principle 2: Welcome Changing Requirements, Even Late in Development

    The second principle of agile is to embrace change as an opportunity to deliver better value. This means that instead of resisting or avoiding changes in requirements, agile teams welcome them and adapt their plans accordingly.

    Accruent Meridian helps you achieve this principle by providing you with flexible and configurable workflows that can accommodate changing needs and expectations. You can easily modify or create new workflows to suit different types of documents, projects, or processes. You can also use Meridian Explorer to search and browse documents by metadata properties or text content. You can filter your search results by specific values or criteria to find the most relevant documents for your current situation.

    Accruent Meridian provides you with flexible and configurable workflows that can accommodate changing needs and expectations.

    Agile Principle 4: Business People and Developers Must Work Together Daily Throughout the Project

    The fourth principle of agile is to foster collaboration between business people and developers. This means that instead of working in silos or communicating sporadically, agile teams work together daily throughout the project to ensure alignment and understanding.

    Accruent Meridian helps you achieve this principle by enabling you to integrate with other systems and applications that are used by different stakeholders in your organization. You can connect Meridian with ERP, CMMS, GIS, CAD, BIM, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and more. This way, you can ensure that everyone has access to the same information and can collaborate effectively across different platforms.

    Accruent Meridian enables you to integrate with other systems and applications that are used by different stakeholders in your organization.

    Agile Principle 7: Working Software Is the Primary Measure of Progress

    The seventh principle of agile is to measure progress by delivering working software. This means that instead of relying on documentation or reports, agile teams demonstrate their work by showing functional software that meets the customer’s needs.

    Accruent Meridian helps you achieve this principle by allowing you to publish and distribute documents in various formats that are compatible with different devices and systems. You can export documents as PDFs, DWGs, DWFs, TIFFs, JPEGs, PNGs, etc. You can also use the Meridian mobile application to access documents on your smartphone or tablet. By using Accruent Meridian, you can show your work in a way that is convenient and accessible for your customers.

     

    Case Studies & Testimonials

    • Staples, a leading office products company, uses Accruent Meridian to manage over 1.5 million engineering documents across 2,000 stores in North America. Accruent Meridian helps Staples reduce costs, improve compliance, and increase productivity.

    Reference: Featured Customers

    • GNC, a global health and wellness retailer, uses Accruent Meridian to manage over 300,000 engineering documents for more than 8,000 locations worldwide. Accruent Meridian helps GNC streamline workflows, enhance collaboration, and ensure data accuracy.

    Reference: Featured Customers

    • Total Olefins Antwerp, a petrochemical company, uses Accruent Meridian to manage over 300,000 engineering documents and 150,000 objects for its plants in Belgium. Accruent Meridian helps Total Olefins Antwerp optimize engineering change processes, integrate with other systems, and link documents with assets.

    Reference: Total Case Study

    • AbbVie, a biopharmaceutical company, uses Accruent Meridian to manage over 100,000 engineering documents for its manufacturing facilities in the US and Europe. Accruent Meridian helps AbbVie maximize efficiency, improve communication, and ensure compliant control of engineering information.

    Reference: AbbVie Case Study

    Conclusion

    Accruent Meridian is a powerful EDMS that can help you align your engineering projects with the agile principles. By using Accruent Meridian, you can deliver value to your customers faster and more reliably, embrace change as an opportunity to improve, foster collaboration across different stakeholders, and measure progress by delivering working software.

    Accruent Meridian offers you powerful search, ease of use, extensive configurability, and scalability with its Meridian Explorer feature.

    If you want to learn more about how Accruent Meridian can help you achieve agility in your engineering projects, request a demo today!

    Don’t hesitate to get in touch with the SolidCAD Meridian team.

    The Benefits of Accruent Meridian

    How the SolidCAD Meridian Team Can Help You!

    What is Accruent Meridian?

    Accruent Meridian is a software solution that helps organizations manage their document (Agreements, Compliance, Contracts, Drawings, Financial, Insurance, Plans) needs throughout their entire lifecycle. It is designed to streamline document management, ensure safety and compliance, maximize collaboration, and achieve a single source of asset (equipment) information.

    But is it the right software for your needs?

    In this blog post, we will explore some of the benefits and how the SolidCAD Meridian Team can help you implement, configure, manage, and troubleshoot Accruent Meridian software for its best uses.

    Benefits of Accruent Meridian

    Purpose-built for engineering document management: Unlike generic document management systems, Accruent Meridian software is tailored to the specific needs and challenges of engineering document management. It creates a single source of truth for all engineering documents and drawings with audit and version control functionality. It supports parallel changes, concurrent engineering, release management, handover management to internal and external stakeholders, and more. It provides regulatory compliance and reduced risks and costs associated incomplete or outdated data. It also integrates with popular CAD applications and other enterprise systems1.

    Cloud-based or on-premises deployment options: Accruent Meridian software offers flexible deployment options to suit different preferences and requirements. You can choose to host the software on your own servers or use the cloud-based version that is fully managed by Accruent.  The cloud-based version lowers infrastructure costs, reduces IT burden, and provides world-class security2.

    Built-in asset management: Accruent Meridian software not only manages documents, but also links them to physical assets. This enables you to access relevant documents from any asset location, view asset history and status, and perform asset maintenance and inspections. You can also leverage IoT remote monitoring to track asset performance and optimize operations1.

     

    Scalable and configurable: Accruent Meridian software can handle large volumes of documents and users without compromising performance or usability. It integrates with most major EAM systems and allows maintenance teams to access accurate documentation at click of a button. It can also be configured to meet your specific business processes, workflows, and standards. You can customize metadata properties, document types, user roles, permissions, notifications, reports, and more3.

     

    How the SolidCAD Meridian Team can Help You

    Learning curve: Accruent Meridian software is a powerful and complex solution that may require training and guidance to use effectively.

    How can the SolidCAD Meridian Team Help You:

    Migration challenges: If you are switching from another document management system to Accruent Meridian software, you may face some challenges in migrating your existing data and documents. You will need to ensure that your data is compatible, consistent, and complete before importing it into the new system. You will also need to map your old metadata properties and document types to the new ones.

    How can the SolidCAD Meridian Team Help You:

    • Create a data migration strategy and plan to define the scope, objectives, risks, and timeline of the project.
    • Audit and cleanse the source data to ensure its quality, accuracy, and completeness.
    • Map document type and metadata fields between source and Meridian and resolve conflicts and inconsistencies.
    • Design and implement the data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) process using specific tools and techniques.
    • Test and validate the migrated data to ensure integrity, functionality, and performance.
    • Monitor and troubleshoot any errors or issues throughout and after the data migration.
    • Document and report the data migration results and outcomes.

    Cost: Accruent Meridian software is not a cheap solution. It is an enterprise-grade software that comes with a price tag that reflects its value and capabilities. The cost of the software depends on various factors such as the number of users, licenses, modules, features, deployment options, support levels, etc.

    How can the SolidCAD Meridian Team Help You:

    • Scope of Work: Assist in streamlining the size and complexity of your Meridian implementation:
      • Features
      • Integrations
      • Number of Users
      • Deployment Model (Cloud or on-premise)
    • Infrastructure Model: Cost effective and efficient way to host, store and manage Meridian.
      • Dedicated Servers
      • Cloud Services
      • Hybrid Solutions
    • Professional Management: The Meridian implementation and management is not a one-time event. Meridian will need regular updates and maintenance, let the SolidCAD team lower the:
      • Management Costs
      • Headaches
      • Testing
      • Security
      • Future Updates and Maintenance
      • Changing Needs
      • Advancements 

    Industries using Accruent Meridian:

    • Manufacturing
    • Oil & Gas
    • Chemical
    • Pharmaceutical
    • Utilities
    • Infrastructure
    • Government
    • Engineering

    Conclusion:

    Accruent Meridian software is a comprehensive solution for document management that can help you streamline your processes, ensure compliance and safety, maximize collaboration, and achieve a single source of asset information.

     

    To learn more about Accruent Meridian and how it can help your team, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the SolidCAD Meridian team.

    Société de Transport de Montréal (STM)

    Success Stories

    Société de Transport de Montréal (STM)

    View of city landscape shot
    STM

    Summary

    Public transportation – buses, trains, subways, and more – have a wide range of complex assets that are both mobile and stationary. Upgrades, expansions, and new assets become intricate engineering projects involving a broad array of information and documents.

    Hardcopy and manual methods for managing this information and changes are ad hoc and unreliable – causing engineers to use outdated information. This spawns rework, cost increases, schedule delays, and conditions out of specification. This chaos is brought under control with Accruent Meridian’s software for managing engineering information. As a result, projects are more likely to meet the leading KPIs for on-time, in-budget, and within spec.

    Engineering information management reduces rework and helps assures completion of projects on-time, in-budget, and on-schedule.

    Société de Transport de Montréal uses Accruent Meridian in its engineering teams for information management and business process automation replacing unreliable ad hoc manual methods.

    Société de Transport Montréal (STM)

    Public transportation has existed in Montréal for over 150 years, starting with horse-drawn tramways in 1861. Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) became a public corporation in 1951 with the mission to provide Montrealers with fast, reliable, economical transit service. The company now has over 11,000 employees.

    Large Infrastructure with Complex Assets

    From its beginnings in 1861, STM has grown to include four subway lines with 68 stations and over 1,000 cars. The bus system includes 186 bus routes and over 2,000 vehicles. Its paratransit service has 80 mini-buses and other taxi services for people with mobility issues. The infrastructure is widely distributed throughout the city, including rail lines, switchgear, signaling, rail yards, bridges, ticketing stations, bus stops, depots, garages, offices, and more. STM has a wide variety of complex assets.

    The consultation

    First used in Paris, France in 1951 and then Montreal, Canada in 1966, the passenger trains use wheels containing both rubber tires for improved traction and traditional railway steel wheels for guidance through conventional switches. Montreal has steep hills with inclines beyond the capability of steel wheels alone. Engineering projects and maintenance occur throughout the bus and rail infrastructure. The maintenance shop performs upgrades and repairs for the trains.

    Substantial Investment Plan

    STM’s “Organizational Strategic Plan 2025” provides a 10-year strategy, including many bus and metro projects. The C$8 billion investment plan for 2015 to 2025 focuses on improving customer transit experience. The plan initiates a shift that aims to both qualitatively and quantitatively improve the customer experience. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives like converting to electric buses are also included.

    Project Execution Barriers

    The strategic plan involves many projects to engineer the design, procure materials, construct upgrades and obtain new assets. Fundamental to the success of the plan requires an examination of STM’s engineering software tools.

    Engineering Project Execution

    The execution of the plan involves a complex set of timed engineering projects with performance penalties if behind schedule. A study by McKinsey has shown that 98 percent of projects are completed behind schedule and over budget. Obviously, this poor performance would have a serious negative impact on STM’s strategic plan.

    Large Ecosystem for Engineering Projects

    STM engages with multiple contractors across various projects involving trains, buses, stations, and related infrastructure. This ecosystem includes about 20 major contractors, hundreds of smaller contractors, and their subcontractors. Individual engineers and contractors phase in and out of a project over its lifespan of 5 to 8 years.

    STM manufacturing

    Evils of Balkanized Engineering Data

    Storing and managing engineering information using hardcopy documents in file cabinets is problematic. Engineers typically spend 30 percent of their time searching for information, which negatively impacts productivity. Too often, they also end up with older versions. Perhaps a holdover from hardcopy prints in file cabinets, each siloed engineering department stores its copy of drawings with its markups. Unfortunately, older versions of the documents are retained, and the markups are not shared.

    When an engineering department edits a document or makes a change that affects another department’s records, the change stays local and is not known by others. Hardcopy documents and Adobe files in a server do not accommodate automated business processes for synchronization across silos. Manual processes – like remembering to send an email – often fail. This issue gets magnified with the ecosystem of contractors and subcontractors involved in a project. Balkanized engineering data leads to using outdated information, rework, schedule delays, and cost overruns.

    Weak Information Management Compromises Project KPIs

    The key cause of poor project performance involves the use of outdated engineering information and documents. This cascades into many problems, including ordering of wrong materials, fabricating components out of specifications, construction errors, and a variety of other issues. Recovery requires rework that adds costs and creates schedule delays. Sometimes the rework cannot fully bring the work back within specifications causing design compromises. The project KPIs – on-time, in-budget, and within specifications – are compromised.

    Modernization Enabler

    Fundamental to the execution of a project within the common leading KPIs – on-time, inbudget, and within specs – is getting all participants “on the same page” and using current information. This includes the extended enterprise comprising STM’s engineers, suppliers, and subcontractors.

    Common Engineering Information

    Asset information changes many times during an asset’s lifecycle, from asset creation through operations and maintenance and to end-of-life. Data about the asset are handed over numerous times from engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firms; supply chain partners; owner-operators; and internally within each of these organizations. Valuable data can be lost, misinterpreted, or keyed in incorrectly. Tag and equipment data are difficult to manage because they are often in differing formats, exist in various applications and systems, and transmitted by different means. Naming conventions and asset hierarchy provide additional avenues for divergence.

    Managing asset information is difficult among balkanized organizations with independent workflows and KPIs. Balkanized data is often found in mutually distrusting and sometimes hostile groups or functions within an organization. This dysfunction commonly involves the design/build process for assets among the engineering, procurement, and construction functions. It also occurs during the operate and maintain phase of an asset’s lifecycle for reliability engineering, maintenance, control engineering, and others. A common repository for asset information breaks through these barriers by connecting silos to provide access to data and information. This enables an integrated view of the asset’s information, documentation, and data throughout its lifecycle across the traditionally siloed functional perspectives.

    Fit Types of Users

    STM organized access to the engineering data via mobility devices along three types of users:

    • Engineering software application user
    • Technician executing a work order
    • Casual user including subcontractors and management

    Each type of user has specific permissions that fit their roles. This includes organization, locations within that organization, physical location, and permission levels. Permissions has two choices i.e., read/write access, or read only which does not permit editing.

    Business Process Automation

    Business process execution involves cross-functional activities. For example, a change in the maintenance strategy for an asset by the reliability team evolves into changes needed in other areas like maintenance or inspections. Manual approaches, such as email, phone calls, or paperwork orders, are unreliable, often leading to lost alerts and continuing with the old way of doing things. Business process automation ensures that the alerts go to the correct people and the needed action can be confirmed. In addition, a dashboard provides visibility to open alerts.

    Meridian Implementation

    SolidCAD has been partnering with STM for the last 20+ years to implement, support and train resources with Meridian.

    Being the largest Autodesk partner and the only Accruent Meridian partner in Canada brought extensive value to STM, as SolidCAD has been able to deliver tailor made configurations to different engineering departments within STM. Software such as AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Inventor or even Revit are heavily used and generated file formats are handled in Meridian.

    When an engineer opens a document in any of these CAD platforms, the file comes from the Meridian server for the engineering information. Saved changes also go into Meridian.

    Conclusion

    STM has been using Accruent Meridian since 2001. With each new project, its use expanded and now encompasses 12 different engineering departments for a wide variety of assets – buses, trains, lines, and infrastructure. It has proven to substantially reduce the use of the wrong document version and the associated rework. This also improved engineering productivity by nearly eliminating searching for information. The reduced rework and improved engineering productivity enables delivery of projects on time, within budget, and within specifications.

    For further information or to provide feedback on this article, please contact your account manager or the author at rrio@arcweb.com. ARC Views are published and copyrighted by ARC Advisory Group. The information is proprietary to ARC and no part of it may be reproduced without prior permission from ARC.

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    Document Management vs. Content Management

     Document Management and Content Management

    Are they really the Same?

     

    Businesses generally have several software systems to manage their assets, content, data, and documents. Two software systems that often intersect are the Document Management (DMS) and Content Management (CMS) systems. Your greatest Business need will determine the type of system you invest in to manage your assets, content, data, and documents.

    Document management and content management are closely related and appear to be the same thing, however when you begin to analyze DMS  vs CMS, you begin to see the differences.

    Businesses researching options should focus on the type of challenge they are trying to resolve, secondly focus on technologies to address these challenges. If the core challenge is about the long-term preservation of your assets, content, data, and documents electronically, some form of a DMS system would be a likely candidate.

    On the other hand, if the file content is more fluid, typically presented on a web-based interface, then a CMS is the more likely candidate.

     

    WHAT IS DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT (DM)?

     

    Document Management (DM) is a system or process used to capture, track and store electronic documents, such as Adobe, AutoCAD, MS Office files along with digital images of paper-based content.

    Document management can save your business time and money. It provides assets, content, data, and document security, access control, centralized storage, audit trails and streamlined search and retrieval.

     

    WHAT IS A DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DMS)?

     

    Document Management (DMS) to capture, store, manage, retain, assets, data, document content and its related metadata to allow for   regulatory compliance and workflow management. They include the functionality such as create, draft, generate templates, version, collaborate, secure, metadata, access rights, approvals, distribution, search, repository organization, archiving and retention policy management, along with reporting and auditing on these functions.

    The more advanced capabilities in a DMS can include object relationships, workflow, external sharing, auditing, record retention capabilities, co-authoring and more. Your IT team, Information Management team and others tasked with storing and managing your sensitive business information will be the owners of these systems.

    In review, your industry, environment, data, and documents requirements are extremely important when

    choosing a DMS system. An example are the highly regulated industries such as Energy, Health Care,  Government, Manufacturing and Pharmaceutical, these industries require a highly functional, and easily configurable system like MERIDIAN.

    In review, a DMS is used for collaboration or transactional functions to capture digital documents and store paper documents electronically.

     

    WHAT IS CONTENT MANAGEMENT (CM)?

     

    Content Management (CM) is a system or process used to assemble, organize, deliver, retrieve, and govern websites or enterprise business content.

     

    WHAT IS A CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMS)?

     

    A Content Management (CMS) helps store, manage, personalize, and publish content digitally such as websites and other digital media. These are either integrated with other applications or separate applications sharing common Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and repositories.

    A CMS is one software component among a variety to manage a businesses digital asset management, customer data platforms, e-commerce, social media management, marketing automation and CRM requirements. The integration of these systems is described as a digital transformation platform. A CMS offers control over storage, access, and distribution of key content like logos, videos, audio file and documents.

    CMS is like a DMS system however it’s designed to focus on content type management like audio, images, web pages, video and other types like XML, HTML and JSON content.

     

     

    DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DOCUMENT AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT

     

    DATA TYPES

    DMS: Manages structured assets, content, data, and documents and is focused on the formats such as Adobe Acrobat (pdf), ASCII (aim), AutoCAD (dwg), Excel (xlsx), Word (docx), PowerPoint (ppt), Notepad (txt).

    CMS: Manages structured and unstructured data and is focused on formats such as web content Hypertext Markup Language (HTM, HTML), Adobe Acrobat (pdf) files and Digital Assets (images, audio and video) files.

    KEY PURPOSES

    DMS: To capture, store, manage, retain, assets, data, document content and its related metadata to allow for   regulatory compliance and workflow management.

    CMS: To store, store, manage, personalize, and publish content digitally such as websites and other digital media.

    BONUS FEATURES

    DMS: Advanced imaging, rendition, scanning capabilities such as Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Handpoint Character Recognition (HCR), and Optical Mark Recognition (OMR).

    CMS: To provide a custom Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) experience in digital arenas such as kiosks, or personalized spaces.

    INTEGRATIONS

    DMS: Enterprise Systems: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM).

    CMS: Digital Asset Management: Bynder, Writer, Brandfolder, DemoUp and 4ALLPORTAL

    The differences between a DMS vs CMS are subtle and depend on how your business will use them.

    A DMS excels at the preservation and organization of the businesses content, data, and documents.

    CMS is often focused on the content presented at websites, which is not specific to individual documents. An example is the difference between a business’s corporate documents and their company web pages. The corporate documents potentially have legal, regulatory or contractual consequences where each change in the documents are captured like a snap shot in time. The business web pages are constantly updated with new content by authored by various sources. A DMS tracks the documents from cradle to grave and the CMS offers web-based tools to collaborate, edit and maintain content.

     

     

    WHAT A DMS AND CMS LOOK LIKE IN REAL LIFE

     

    Due to their shared functionality, DMS and CMS systems are theoretically similar but what about in real life? Let’s compare DMS and CMS systems that co-exist in one business. The business employs 1,500 employees and implemented a DMS and CMS platform.

     

    Document Management (DMS)

    The DMS is utilized to create and manage various document types (corporate, equipment, facility project, and maintenance). It contains Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities automating the creation of the related document meta data. It also has the automated document workflow functionality to notify the relevant personnel when review and approval is required. This allows for real-time collaboration when the documents are created and edited.

    The DMS offers document version control and audit trail tracking required for environmental, legal, and regulatory obligations. This ensures long-term management of the documents with ability to retrieve current or pervious versions of the documents at anytime.

     

    Content Management (CMS)

    The CMS provides the indexing and categorization of various content types (contracts, invoices, notes, purchase orders, reports and requisitions) providing the ability to store and structure accurately.

    To support easy retrieval of the information from multiple sources the CMS supports integration with other applications. It also supports the creation and publishing of analytic data, reports, internal business, marketing material and employee procedures. The content is in web-focused formats with built-in audio and video capabilities.

    This real life example shows us a DMS and CMS focus on different items: The DMS involves digitizing files, complying with environmental, legal, and regulatory obligations and guiding structured documents and their related meta-data through the whole document lifecycle from cradle to grave. The main purpose of the CMS is proper organization of both structured and unstructured digital assets to support accurate storage, easy retrieval and publishing of digital content.

     

     

     

    CONCLUSION

    So rather than view Document Management (DM) and Content Management (CM) as the same, view them as complementary. Together or alone, they can help your business effectively manage digital information. To learn more about Meridian solutions (EDMS and CMMS) and how they can help your team, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the SolidCAD Meridian Team.

    Why are ‘Generic’ Document Management Tools Costing Organizations?

    Organizations recognize the need for an electronic document management solution to store and manage their documentation

    In many cases to fulfill their business needs the decision is to use a ‘Generic’ document management solution. In the beginning, it seems to be a cost-effective solution however in reality a ‘Generic’ document management solution is missing key features such as:

     

    Key FeatureDescriptionBenefits
    Document LifecycleCreate, Store, Share, Revise and ArchiveEasy Access, Cost Efficient, Integrated, Secure and Increased Productivity
    Automated WorkflowsAccess Control, Permissions, Edit, Review, Approve and IssueEasier Collaboration, Improved Document Quality, Streamlined Metrics, Audit Trail, Time, and Money Savings
    Management of ChangeRequest, Initiate, Create, Version, Review, Update, Approve and ImplementIncreased Productivity, Effective Communication, Better Teamwork and Collaboration

     

    There are several ‘Generic’ document management solutions available, like Dropbox Business, Google Docs, Microsoft SharePoint, PDFelement Pro. Today, many businesses continue to rely on these types of solutions for their document management needs. Their reasons are generally:

    • ‘It’s what we have always used.’
    • ‘It’s saving us money by avoiding the implementation costs of a fit for purpose document management solution.

    Unfortunately, hindsight is 20-20 and Organizations realize the implementation of a ‘Generic’ document management solution came with limited capabilities such as no document lifecycle, management of change, and workflow functionality. This causes inefficient processes, and additional costs according to a McKinsey Global Institute report:

    • Employees spend the average of 1.8 hours per day or 9.3 hours per week searching and collecting document information.
    • Approximately 20% of business time – the equivalent to one day per week is squandered by employees searching for documentation to do their job effectively.
    • The McKinsey Global Institute data shows a knowledgeable employee spends 2.5 hours per day or 30% of the workday searching for document information.

    To remedy the ‘Generic’ document management solution’s inefficient functionality additional budget is utilized to customize the functionality to allow for more efficient functionality and processes. These customizations can cause the document management to become unstable and may void any software warranties.

    Generic Document Management Solutions can work

    Generic document management solutions like Dropbox Business, Google Docs, Microsoft SharePoint, PDFelement Pro and other ‘Generic’ solutions are appropriate for:

    • Small to mid-sized Organizations.
    • Only basic document management functionality is required.
    • Collaboration across departments or external parties is not required.

    These solutions tend to work as a digital filing cabinet, allowing Documentation to be saved and shared to groups in an accessible location. This only functions for non-technical Documentation that don’t require technical reviews or approvals.  It provides:

    • The ability to save, search and share internally across the Organization.
    • Cloud-based file synchronization.
    • Mobile device access.
    • User friendly and easy access to main page, libraries, and lists.

    WHERE GENERIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS FAIL

    While these ‘Generic’ Management Solutions provide a role, the robust functionality required to manage engineering and technical documentation in a project environment is lacking.

    ‘Generic’ Document Management Solutions work best is in a static documentation lifecycle from create to archive. Typically, there are three main documentation lifecycles:

     

    LifecyclesDescription
    ConcurrentCreate, Simultaneous Reviews, Simultaneous Revisions, Approve, Finalize, Issue and Archive
    DynamicCreate, Review, Revise, Approve, Finalize, Issue and Archive
    StaticCreate, No Changes, Issue and Archive

     

    Concurrent and dynamic documentation lifecycles are commonly applied to engineering and technical documentation within a project or facility environment. Due to nature of the project and facility environments these documentation types generally follow a rigorous management of change process involving multiple reviews, revisions, and approvals. This causes the documentation to be difficult to manage, access and distribute to the stakeholders.

    Organizations try to integrate Construction Information, Design Information, ‘Generic’ Document, Finance Information and to the ‘Generic’ Document and Finance Information Management Solution which can cause additional challenges due to the complexities of the integration between the systems along with the limited functionality of the ‘Generic’ Document Management.

    THE TRUE VALUE OF MERIDIAN ENTERPRISE AND MERIDIAN CLOUD

    To effectively manage, access and distribute the unstructured engineering and non-technical documentation requires a robust document management solution powered by for a purpose-built document management system like Meridian Enterprise and Cloud.

    Unfortunately, Organizations struggling with the limitations of their current ‘Generic’ Document Management Solution often struggle to measure and rationalize the benefits of a dedicated Document Management Solution.

    Quantifiable benefits to better understand the Return On Investment (ROI) for a Document Management Solution.

    STREAMLINE AND CONTROL DOCUMENTATION SHARING

    DIFFICULTY: MANAGING PROJECT AND FACILITY DOCUMENTATION

    Organizations often have difficulties managing their medium-to-large projects and facilities due to their inter-department, multi-discipline, and external resources allocated to the projects and facilities. This leads to mishandled documentation because of the multiple reviews, revisions, and approval cycles required to ensure the organizational, legal, and regulatory requirements are adhered.

    An example is a ‘XREF’ file an ‘external reference’ to another drawing file or component. One file can reference multiple files then display them as if they were one file. ‘XREF’ files can be revised, attached, or removed from the main drawing. ‘XREF’ drawings can reference other ‘XREF’ drawings within them called ‘nesting’. Throughout the documentation handover process from the projects to facilities or external resources to the projects, this documentation is often mismanaged then required by the maintenance or operations personnel.

    This type of documentation mismanagement can impact maintenance times and safety leading to additional cost and re-work.

    SOLUTION: MERIDIAN

    Meridian streamlines the project and facility documentation management by utilizing a controlled digital environment to manage the Organizations ‘incoming’ and ‘outgoing’ submissions from their inter-department, multi-discipline, and external resources. This controlled digital environment eliminates the necessity to use uncontrolled or unsanctioned tools such as Dropbox, network drives or email to transfer project, facility legal and regulatory documentation.

    ELIMINATE EXCESSIVE AND UNPLANNED EXPENSES

    DIFFICULTY: HIGH COSTS DUE TO A ‘GENERIC’ DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTION

    The maintenance of a ‘Generic’ Document Management Solution and the ‘make it work’ strategy becomes very expensive to manage. The Organization’s IT team often don’t have the extensive training or experience to customize, maintain, and overcome the limitations of the ‘Generic’ Document Management Solutions.

    This type of excessive and unplanned expenses can cause added pressure to the IT team.

    SOLUTION: MERIDIAN

    Meridian’s Software as Service (SaaS) subscription provides the complete maintenance, support, upgrades, and patches required. The upgrades are provided quarterly, and all users are actively invited to suggest improvements in the application. Outsourcing the system design, maintenance and services reduces the Organizations internal IT team’s maintenance and labor costs by more than 50% when compared to a ‘Generic’ Document Management Solutions maintenance.

    OPTIMIZE THE FACILITY MAINTENANCE DOCUMENTATION

    DIFFICULTY: INADEQUATE WORK ORDER AND MAINTENANCE DOCUMENTATION

    The ‘Generic’ Document Management Solution, project and facility engineers’, technicians, and inter-departmental personnel struggle to locate the correct documentation and specific revisions. This occurs because they are required to search multiple systems. Once the work order or maintenance

    documentation is located, it’s difficult to verify the documentation is the latest revision and latest information. This can drastically slow down the work order and maintenance package preparation leading to:

    • Errors
    • Safety Issues
    • Higher Costs
    • Undocumented Changes
    • Bootleg Revisions
    • Lack of a Single Source of Truth

    SOLUTION: MERIDIAN

    Meridian provides a single source for all documentation with several ways to search for all types of critical documentation, drawings, and associated assets. A user can locate the documentation required via an asset search, location, asset name and several other identifiers. In just a few mouse clicks, the maintenance teams will have all their required information necessary to complete the task efficiently with less man hours.

    Users can also easily mark-up documentation on their mobile device, adding comments and pictures to submit management of change requests directly to the project and facilities teams in Meridian. This type of access allows the most current documentation on any device anywhere.

    Organizations can ensure that the project, facility engineers’, technicians, and inter-departmental personnel can execute work orders efficiently, reducing errors, unnecessary trips, and prep time when executing work-orders. This leads to a reduction in the time, lower associated labor costs, lower preparation, and delivery times. Meridian could save your engineers’, technicians, and inter-departmental personnel approx. an hour a day.

    • Calculation: # of Personnel x $X (hourly rate) x 1 hr. = YOUR POTENTIAL

    This would provide faster issue remediation and the ability to use the savings in other ways.

    REDUCE OPERATING EXPENDITURES

    DIFFICULTY: HIGH LICENSE AND PAPER EXPENSES

    There are significant costs associated with providing documentation to the correct recipients in a timely manner this generally includes printing, copying, collating and courier pick-ups and deliveries to various stakeholders. If any of these tasks are delayed or missed this could cause schedule delays and unnecessary added cost. A dedicated Document Management Solution can eliminate these unnecessary schedule delays and added costs.

    SOLUTION: MERIDIAN

    Meridian offers solutions to both problems. With Meridian, Organizations can often consolidate vendors and licenses into one system, reducing the costs associated with duplicate legacy ‘Generic’ Document Solutions and associated systems. Additionally, by allowing users to access the most up-to-date documentation on any device, Meridian eliminates a large quantity of manual labor thus assisting the Organizations to execute scopes of work and maintenance on schedule and budget. This ultimately leads to savings not only in project and facility costs but also stakeholder time and employee efficiency.

    FINAL THOUGHTS

    In short, the true cost of maintaining a ‘Generic’ Document or Legacy solution is higher than you might expect. Thanks to the large inadequacies (and increasing costs) that come with these solutions, these ‘Generic’ solutions increase an Organizations time, efficiency, and revenue in the long run.

    It’s time to switch from a ‘Generic’ Document solution to a consolidated fit-for-purpose Document Management Solution – MERIDIAN.

    ROI ESTIMATES

    CLOUD DEPLOYMENT

    CLOUD – VALIDATED (MC4LS) DEPLOYMENT

    ON-PREM