New version simplifies creation, management and deployment of Digital Asset Management Solutions for users, administrators and system integrators

October 21, 2003, San Francisco, Berlin. Canto, the global leader in Digital Asset Management (DAM) solutions, today announced "Cumulus 6." Workgroup and Enterprise Editions of this new version will be available at the end of November and are geared to professional users.

Both Editions offer many new features and explicit improvements that dramatically simplify the users' daily work when managing their assets. Administrators now have all possibilities to administer the settings of an entire solution at the server. Furthermore, Cumulus 6 incorporates a new central user management. The newly introduced EJaP technology (Embedded Java PlugIn) enables both customers and especially system integrators to customize the available out-of-the-box solutions to meet customer needs. New functions can easily be added and Cumulus 6 can be integrated into any workflow, Enterprise Portal or Enterprise Content Management-solution. Also, with Cumulus 6 Mac OS X clients will be offered for the first time.

One of the three essential design concepts behind Cumulus 6 is the application's Ease-of-Use. Now all assets can be managed and made accessible centrally in one window. Also, an extra keyword list and the asset location can be displayed in addition to the categories. In Cumulus 6 users can easily switch between different views with preconfigured View Sets and even display the information they find relevant regarding to format or task. Cumulus 6 also offers Asset Handling Sets for optimized handling of different formats. These preconfigured sets can be edited and provided centrally by the administrator.

Under both Mac OS X and Windows Cumulus now features a toolbar with the most important functions such as Quicksearch. The toolbar's layout has been adapted to that of Canto's Internet solutions so that switching from the client application to the Internet application becomes easy. The menu structure has been simplified, a new central settings dialog being the most apparent change. Now all settings for users, catalogs and sets can be made in this one dialog.

With Cumulus 6 the administrators workload is dramatically reduced due to the Server-Centric concept. They can now centrally manage all Cumulus licenses as well as the View Sets, Asset-Handling Sets, access rights and further settings and profiles.

The integrated EJaP technology is the third essential design concept. This revolutionary cross platform technology enables system integrators to cut their expense by at least 50 percent. Based on the overall benefits of the Java technology environment, Canto has modified its native applications and designed its jsp-based Internet solutions so that system integrators can write their applications once EJaPs enable the development of seamless workflow solutions using native applications that can even tie into web-enabled, Internet applications.

The new Cumulus product generation also offers various performance improvements. For example, previews can now be prepared to the required display size so that transfer and display can be notably improved. Cataloging also benefits from Cumulus' multi-threading capability. Not only users with multi-processor computers will gladly take note of the fact that Cumulus 6 now allows users to perform multiple cataloging processes simultaneously and even to catalog in the background while working with Cumulus.

The Cumulus client application is now also available for Mac OS X thus offering a better integration than before with the classic environment. Cumulus 6 offers many more new product features in addition to the above mentioned. New field types (e.g. enhanced date and time formats) have been added and users can automatically catalog predefined directories in set time intervals.

"Cumulus 6 offers far more technology and features than the previous versions. However, the most important fact is that it will all the same be easier to use," said Jennifer Neumann, Cantos CEO. "What's more, with Cumulus 6 administrators and system integrators receive a complete and yet totally customizable solution that will keep the cost for customization way below that of any comparable system."

Availability Cumulus 6 (Workgroup and Enterprise Edition ) is estimated to be available at the end of November 2003. Server versions for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux and Solaris, and Client versions for Mac OS X and Windows will be offered. Upgrades will be offered for existing installations. Users who participate in the Upgrade Advantage Program will receive this upgrade within that UAP. For more information on Canto and Canto products go to www.canto.com