What we have endeavoured to do is to provide a complete file management system suitable for ISO 9000-2000, although it can be used for any purpose where strict access control and audit trails are required.

The software is designed to work with Microsoft Word and Excel files. Image files such as JPEG can be embedded  in the database. Word is probably the best word processor available, and Excel is probably the best spreadsheet. This software therefore combines the power of Word and Excel with its own specialist features.

The software works within its own two main folders, Secure Documents and Open Documents. These folders can be located either on a stand alone computer or on a network server.

Secure Documents will directly store password protected Word and Excel files. It will not have any sub folders. These files are created from templates located in a source which can be any folder on the system including a pen drive or other removable storage. Basically, you will need to prepare your template documents to your satisfaction before you import them into the program, once in they will be under the control of the program.

Open Documents will have sub folders which you create within the program. These will store non password protected Word and Excel Files which will be copied into the subfolder from a source which can be any folder on the system including a pen drive or other removable storage. These subfolders will also hold the source document image file for any embedded in your database.

Although slanted for use on a local network, it can be used on a single computer if required. Anyone using the program on any computer must first log in. They will then be recognised for whom they are and appropriate permissions allowed. As many users as required may be added, each with their own password which is encrypted and stored in encrypted form. A user will be a member of one of three distinct groups, administrators, power users, and users. How you use this is your own choice. You can just have one instance of each group with people sharing passwords, or better still have multiple members of each group each with their own password. This is better because actions will be logged to individuals rather than the group. These are the permissions:

ADMINISTRATOR: Can add new secure and open documents, delete secure and open documents, edit and view all documents.

POWER USER: Can edit and view secure and open documents

USER: Can view only secure documents, and only edit open documents.

Open in this sense means open to all.

 New folders can be created from within the program either available to all, or restricted to certain users. Files can also be added from a folder such as the My Documents folder or from a pen drive or other removable storage. If added to the "Secure" folder, passwords will be created and a new document or worksheet will be created from the template file with a password to open, a password to edit. However, opening these files from the program by double clicking the filename on the list will open the file subject to the user permissions. There is no way a user of any group will need to know, or indeed be capable of knowing, what the passwords for each document created by the program actually are. These permissions are totally independent of any Windows functionality.

The software will create a complete audit trail in respect of each file:

Date created

Date last opened

Date last revised

Number of revisions

It will also identify the individual or group responsible for each action, dependant on how the users have been set up, see above.

Each user will be required to log in with their password, the program will then open to the Main Screen. This is in the common format of folders being shown on the left, with files on the right. First time use will show empty, bar the Secure Folder.

The program is designed so that the same kind of procedure applies similar actions. Double clicking a folder, whether secure or other is used to add files to that folder. Double clicking a file will open it. If its a secure file, it will only open for viewing and edits if the user has logged on as an Administrator or Power User, if an ordinary User it will open as Read Only.

Adding files to a folder, an administrator privilege,  can be done in two ways, either singly or as a batch. Basically, its just a case of following the instructions on the screen.

Shown below is the dialog for adding secure documents.

System Requirements.

The software is very hardware tolerant, I have tested it on an old computer based on a Intel Pentium 800, basically most machines of this specification are now landfill, however everything worked OK.

As the software uses Microsoft Office Word and Excel you will have to have these pre-installed, however you don't need MS Access as we supply the run time version under licence from Microsoft. So far I have versions running of MS Office 2000, Office XP, and Office 2003. I don't have Office 2007 as yet.

Price £395 single licence, inc. interactive help files (Internet Explorer format)

Extra Licenses for Local Networking (Non client server). £100 per licence.

Client server solutions subject to special quotation, you will also need third party server database such as Microsoft SQL Server.

(This software requires activation)