Elite Document Solutions

The Terminal

2007-01-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, so has anyone seen the movie, "The Terminal" starring Tom Hanks? Yeah, that's pretty much what's happening to me right now, although my time here will end after 10 hours and I'll be on my way home. So what happened? Honestly, I couldn't tell you. The situation appeared to be the same as on the way to Guam, where I actually went through Customs and was technically outside of the airport until I went back through security after picking up my connecting ticket. This time around, somehow I missed Customs altogether and was on a bus to the Main Terminal. Once there, I was able to get my connecting ticket (I'm flying a different airline for the last segment) but when I asked how do I get a train ticket to Tokyo, I was told that I wasn't allowed to leave the terminal. When pressed for more information, I found that technically, I could leave if I wanted, but they would not permit me to make the connecting flight. No explanation was given that I understood. I tried again at the Airport General Information booth (the previous exchange was with an airline agent) but received even less information than before. Whatever the reasons, the authority figures were clear: "Please stay here."

So, here's what I have to look at for the last few hours:

There is a ton of duty free shopping here:
Fake Plastic Food. This was a great looking menu: But the "Morning Menu" was my favorite - Guinness, Hot Dog and French Fries:
Here's what I actually had for breakfast - Buckwheat noodles in a soy broth and scallions, and prawn tempura on the side (really good):

Well, I guess that about completes the blogging for me for the time being. I still have to fly a dozen or so hours to get to L.A., then drive another hour or so to actually get home, but unless something really cool or bizarre happens between now and my pillow, I'll be signing off.

Return Trip Note 1 - Airport in Guam

2007-01-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

I couldn't live-blog this segment because I needed a pre-paid wireless card at the airport in Guam (no online purchases) and the store wasn't open at 2:00am. So, here's what I wrote offline:

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Its 2:00am Saturday and Im back at the airport in Guam. In a nice bit of symmetry, it happens to be about the same time of day as when I arrived here, only its 72 hours later. My return trip takes me back through Narita and on to Los Angeles, but with one major difference theres a 10-hour layover!

So, what do I do with the time? Should I just chill in the airport? Definitely not. The airport has a travelers guide that suggests visiting the city of Narita, which is only about 15 minutes away by train. That sounds pretty good. One more option is to visit Tokyo, which is more like an hour away from the airport by train or 1.5 hours by taxi. This option is definitely the most appealing. Id like to see Ginza the shopping district and/or Akihabara the electric town where you can find all kinds of electronic gadgets and japanese anime/manga stuff. Unless it's dumping rain or sleet or something, I'm "going all in" to see Tokyo.

Here's how I estimate the time breakdown:

· Arrive in Narita: 7:15am Saturday

· Approx. 1 hour to clear security and pickup my ticket to LAX from the United counter (Im flying JALways from Guam to Japan)

· Approx. 2 hours to buy train tickets and wait for next available train to depart, (includes travel time to Tokyo)

· Estimated available free time in Tokyo: 4 hours: 10:00am 2:00pm

· Approx. 2 hours for travel time back to airport and to clear security again

· Approx. 1 hour wait time prior to flight leaving

· Flight departs for LAX: 5:05pm Saturday

· Arrive in LAX 9:45am Saturday

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Yes, I've been Working!

2007-01-19T01:55:00.000-08:00

I know it's been hard to tell so far, but I am indeed in Guam for business. I just finished up two days of onsite training with our new customer, The Judiciary of Guam. The focus of our sessions were on the EliteForm product and the various ways it can present data from the system.

When I arrived on Thursday, I met with Mike Duenas while setting up for the day. Initially, he wasn't sure how much of the software they'd actually use. Robert Gamindes and George Gogue joined us a few minutes later, and we got started.

I always provide a 'big picture' overview when I begin. This usually involves a big drawing on a dry erase board or easel showing how the Elite software fits into their environment. I like this approach because it shows the basics of how the software works and encourages questions early on. Once the overview wraps, I follow it up with a live look at the software, keeping with the key concepts presented earlier.

After lunch, I had George "take the wheel" and create an invoice from our sample forms list. With a little bit of work, George was able to create the invoice, test print it, and modify it further to get a reasonably completed version. I even showed him how to create a color version of the document. He was pretty happy with the resultant printout of the color document! I should have snapped a pic of the proud "forms parent!"

On Friday, I covered the advanced features of EliteForm in the morning session, including the various distribution methods available with the software. In the afternoon, I had Mike give the software a try with a report they currently generate but has no form associated with it (plain spooled data). Mike was able to crank out a pretty solid looking form in no-time!

After two days of work, the guys were pretty excited about the software. They were coming up with various scenarios and plans for deploying it out to several different departments.

I want to say thanks to Mike, Rob, and George for being generous hosts. They indulged my obsession on Thursday for finding good tempura and treated me to some island breakfast fare followed by a big ribeye today. I had a great time visiting with them.

Here's a picture of Mike and Rob. (George escaped the camera's eye).

Photo Blogging

2007-01-17T02:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, so here's some pictures of my leisurely drive around the island today. Click to see a larger image. Enjoy.

There's nothing like waking up to a view like this:

Here's a picture of the Talifak bridge on the western edge of the island. From the "Guam Island Guide Map" this bridge was built around 1785 by the Spanish who were creating a coastal road connecting the villages of Hagatna and Umatac. This road was called El Camino Real (something we California residents know a thing or two about).
Here's an interesting bridge at the southern tip of the island. Good thing traffic was non-existent. I stood in the middle of the road to get this shot:

Hey, I just realized- I've unintentionally photographed only bridges! What's up with that? Anyway, here's another one: Saluglua Pools on the eastern side of the island:

These stairs at the Saluglua Pools make me think of Ancient ruins:

Another look at the Saluglua Pools:
Waterfalls aren't the only thing that caught my eye at Talofofo Falls. These guys have got it made in the shade:

Arrival

2007-01-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

Whew! That was quite a journey to get here. Guess what? I'm going to bed. More pics after I revive.

Ready to queue

2007-01-16T03:03:00.000-08:00

Layover in Narita

2007-01-16T02:41:00.000-08:00

After 11 or so hours, I've arrived in Japan. The clock on my laptop shows it's 2:35am Tuesday, California time. Tokyo looks to be about 17 hours ahead (after 7pm Tuesday evening). The flight was pretty decent. All seats had little LCDs in the headrests each equipped with individual remote controls. The best part was the in-flight entertainment - On-demand movies (approx. 80 different movie choices!) with full viewing controls like pause, rewind, etc.. Food was pretty decent too - teriyaki beef with rice for lunch, spicy chicken and fried noodles for dinner. Nice work, Singapore Air!

Getting around Narita airport is surprisingly easy. Clearly marked signs in English and helpful people abound. The layover here will be about 3 hours, followed by a 3-3.5 hour flight to Guam. I should arrive in Guam about 2am Wednesday, local time (9am Tuesday back home?).

Hello from LAX

2007-01-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hi, this is Jack and I'm Elite's "Road Man." What's a road man, you ask? I'm the one who visits customers at their sites, wherever that may be, to setup, configure, and train on how to use Elite's various software offerings. I've been doing this work for 10 years and it's pretty interesting. Today I'm headed to Guam to visit a new customer. I hear the weather is pretty terrific this time of year (read: Summer-like), so that will be a nice change of pace from typical "winter" training visits. Sounds like the plane's boarding now, so I'll post again after I arrive in the connecting city - Narita, Japan.

Corporate Opportunities for the Zune?

2006-12-28T15:27:00.000-08:00

Planning on buying a Zune by the end of the year? by ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes -- A few weeks ago the media were predicting the death of Microsoft's Zune portable media player based on the fact that the software wasn't yet Vista compatible. Well, now it is.

And what possibilities could there be for your company and the Zune?

Happy New Year Everyone!

"IT Consolidation: The ultimate less is more — or how to get a grip of your assets"

2006-12-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

This is a really interesting article that delves into the process, pitfalls and promises of strategic IT Consolidation. Theres a podcast of this article and it's transcripts also available at briefings direct.

Broadly dispersed datacenters are a huge and growing expense to enterprises — yet the demands for more applications delivered fast and reliably is mounting. Can enterprises have it both ways: Fewer datacenters and better performance? Can they cut operating costs in doing so, and protect their resources from disasters?

The IT Consolidation topic is no small item. With some 70% of IT budgets being consumed by operating costs — including real estate, electricity and labor — the need to rationalize the location and capabilities of strategic datacenters is a top concern. Yet the decision to consolidate sets off a breathtaking domino-effect of considerations, from business continuity to data and applications modernization to planning for mergers and acquisitions.

Any thoughts on this? Happy Holidays...

New Electronic Document Legal Amendments

2006-12-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

I read an article in Intelligent Enterprise today on e-discovery rules being amended. It caught my eye, not only because I have been in the electronic document management and business correspondence industry for 10 years, but it just shows how much more the electronic documents and correspondence is being accepted as valid and secure records. I have encountered folks along the way that still think that an electronic format of their business documents and correspondence will not hold up in court or how electronic signatures may not be legal, although they have been for years.

Currently e-mail messages, attachments, word process documents, spreadsheets and presentations are within the scope of electronic-discovery request. But are you aware the Supreme Court and Congress have amended e-document-related aspects of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure accordingly. The new rules took effect Dec. 1, 2006.

Electronic-discovery request will now also include graphics, digital images, instant messages, audio and video recordings, and voicemail messages. Information must be retained not only from desktops, laptops, network servers, backup systems and archive media, but also from personal digital assistants, handheld wireless devices, mobile telephones, paging devices and audio systems.
You can take a look at what the specific amendments state at Intelligent Enterprise.com.

I would enjoy reading your thoughts and comments on this topic.

MGM Company Overview

2006-11-21T12:50:00.001-08:00

"I have been very happy with the product over the years. Customer support is very good and response time excellent." - Mary Wickman, Project Analyst for MGM

MGM MIRAGE, one of the world's leading and most respected hotel and gaming companies, utilizes eliteFORM for Invoicing and Statements. The MGM MIRAGE owns and operates 23 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has investments in three other properties in Nevada, New Jersey and Illinois.

For more information about MGM MIRAGE'S relationship with Elite contact the sales team or email Mary Wickman at mwickman@mgmmirage.com. Please visit the company's website at www.mgmmirage.com

Homecrest Company Overview

2006-11-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

In response to the rapidly evolving outdoor living market, Homecrest has been redefined with new leaders, owners, and manufacturing strategies, and a bold new emphasis on marketing and trend-driven design.

This 50-year old outdoor furniture brand combines a rich history of quality and classic design with today’s demand for affordable luxury and versatile living. Homecrest is poised to build its future on consumer needs, innovative new products and global opportunities.

HC currently uses the eliteCHECK solution for accounts payable and payroll checks. Especially utilizing conditional mapping of external data as well as conditional logos and signatures. For a closer look at Homecrest products and press releases visit homecrest.com.

Corporate Podcasting?

2006-11-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

What's your Corporate Podcasting strategy? Recently I read an article about how podcast will soon be used for something more than downloading your favorite TV show or workout music. Podcast are easy to create, portable and the "end user" or employee could download and take important information with them from the office for uninterrupted listening on weekends or long business trips.

What would you use for your podcasts? Notifying changes in HR policy? Monthly meeting updates? Training sessions for new employees? If technology support tips were available on elitedocuments.com would you use it?

It's forecast by The Diffusion Group that the use of podcasting among U.S. consumers is growing at a compound annual rate of 101 percent. By 2010, 56.8 million Americans will be using "time-shifted digital audio files," or podcasts, TDG predicts. Podcasting might not be the first discussion at your next meeting. However, it just might be something that you mention to your IT department.

For more information on how to start podcasting for your company, Click here.

Elite Automates Allied Refrigeration

2006-09-19T10:56:00.001-07:00

Owner and President of Allied Refrigeration, Robert Nichols, stresses customer service. But with just a handful of employees at each location, operational effeciency is vital. Even in 2001, electronic signature capture was already on the Information Technology project list. Allied realized that paper management was an obstical to both efficiency and customer service...

To read more of this case study or other affluent companies that have chosen to work with Elite:

http://www.elitedocuments.com/resources/cases