In this Article
Over the last few years, there have been a number of changes to our solution and product names. You may have noticed that we have created ‘Enterprise Output Solutions‘ as an umbrella term for our service portfolio. Last year, we introduced the PLOSSYS® Distribution Engine, a product that is often used with our output management solution, but can also be used independently for digital distribution. This development has not taken place without reason: our products are moving ever closer together through the consistent implementation of our platform concept and we want to give our solutions a uniform appearance in future under our PLOSSYS® umbrella brand. In this context, we are introducing a new naming scheme to which we will also gradually adapt our existing products. The next release of PLOSSYS® 5 will therefore not be PLOSSYS® 5 5.9, but PLOSSYS® Output Engine 6.0.
Background
SEAL Systems is a company with over 40 years of history. Over the past decades, we have developed numerous products for our customers. Anyone who looks back on such a long history knows what often comes with it: a sympathetic proliferation of product names.
Everything from a single source – the platform concept
In the past, we have talked about four subject areas when presenting our solutions:
- Enterprise Output Management
- Conversion and Publishing Solutions
- Solutions for SAP
- Solutions for PLM
Today we summarize these topics under the term Enterprise Output Solutions. Our conversion solutions are increasingly used in output management projects in the course of digital distribution; we integrate output and conversion into SAP and PLM solutions. Technologically, our solutions are based on a common, modern technology stack and are designed as cloud-native applications. Administration, client, monitoring, configuration, logging and accounting interfaces of the output and conversion solutions are combined in common applications. Together with the common interfaces and services for digital output, our output and conversion solutions form our Enterprise Solutions Platform.
The products that we offer on the basis of this platform are now combined under the umbrella brand PLOSSYS®.
The PLOSSYS® product family
In the medium term, we will convert all our components to the new naming scheme; the sequence will depend on the work on the individual components: when a major change is due, we will take the opportunity to convert the component to the new name and version scheme. In the end, we will have a modern, standardized range of components with a uniform versioning scheme across all components. The first solutions in the PLOSSYS® product family are the PLOSSYS® Distribution Engine and the PLOSSYS® Output Engine.
PLOSSYS® Output Engine
The PLOSSYS® Output Engine is the heart and technical basis of SEAL Systems’ output management solutions. It solves all requirements relating to the company-wide printing and distribution of documents and information and is a technological pioneer for operation in the cloud.
PLOSSYS® Distribution Engine
The PLOSSYS® Distribution Engine is the solution for complex document processing and digital distribution. At the touch of a button, documents can be transferred or procured from different source systems, automatically processed (converted, merged, stamped or watermarked, etc.) and distributed to customers, partners and internal departments via one or more digital distribution channels.
Semantic Versioning
What about versioning now? PLOSSYS® 5 5.9 becomes PLOSSYS® Output Engine 6.0 – and then?
In fact, we are fundamentally changing our versioning scheme again at this point. In the past, there were different approaches for each component – three, four or five places, sometimes with letters and patch levels. How extensive a change to a version is, was previously only recognizable by reading the release notes. We are going to change that: All components in the new naming scheme have three-digit version numbers:
- In the case of incompatible changes, the first digit will change
- If new features are added, the second digit changes
- If only bugs have been fixed, the third digit changes
This not only makes it easier for our development team, but also for our customers. This well-known scheme is called semantic versioning, precisely because the version numbers are given fixed semantics.
What will change for you?
Nothing. Technically, nothing will change for our customers who are currently using PLOSSYS® 5 or with whom we are talking about PLOSSYS® 5. Their contracts will remain valid and we will replace PLOSSYS® 5 with PLOSSYS® Output Engine in our offers. The platform concept will give us even more flexibility in the future when creating customized solutions for our customers, with the advantage that they will be based on a uniform technology stack and share many interfaces.
Interested?
Are you not yet using our PLOSSYS® Output Engine or would you like more information about the name change or the new functions?
Send us your non-binding inquiry!