Utah City Uses Fortis Content Management To Streamline Administration
Ogden better manages city contracts and responds quickly to requests for information
Westbrook Technologies, developer of Fortis and FortisBlue enterprise content management (ECM) software, recently announced that the City of Ogden, Utah is using Fortis document management to automate contract management and improve citywide collaboration.
Ogden has a population of 82,702 people and is the center for business and government for much of northern Utah. "Document management is a crucial function of government. In the age of transparency, the need to have documents available at our fingertips is even more pressing," explained Cindi Mansell, city recorder. "Efficient management of records enables citywide collaboration. Having all city documents available in one repository provides a daily benefit, particularly to respond to Government Records Access and Management requests, and e-discovery."
To integrate the Fortis solution with Ogden's IT infrastructure, the city worked with Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services to design and implement a comprehensive document management plan.
Ogden had experience with two other document management systems, so city officials and staff understood its value. However, these systems were complex and required significant IT support. When there was staff turnover in the city's IT department, a significant knowledge gap occurred and no one had the expertise to accommodate the software to changing needs. "We wanted a user-friendly, efficient, economical system, and Fortis fit the bill," explained Mansell.
It's simple enough to allow a non-computer expert to do so," she said. "I add new users and change user permissions as well as tweak document types or index fields."
The city of Ogden uses Fortis Webflow to automate contract management. The Recorder's Office staff enters the name of the contract originator, the contractor, and which account pays for it. They also record the time span of the project and what it is for. All reminders that ensure a project is in compliance with contractual terms are set up when the document is indexed into Fortis.
"Fortis is an ideal solution for state and local government because one system can meet the needs of every department," said Einar Haukeland, president and CEO of Westbrook Technologies. "Fortis is easy to administer and has powerful workflow capabilities. The software's portal capabilities can be used to provide information directly to citizens."
About the City of Ogden
Ogden, Utah is located at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains with views of the Great Salt Lake to the West. The city has a population of 82,702 people and is the center for business and government for much of northern Utah. For more information, visit http://www.ogdencity.com.
About Westbrook Technologies
Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Branford, CT, Westbrook Technologies helps organizations of all sizes manage their documents and data to make people's work lives easier. The company is the developer of Fortis document management software in use at thousands of customer sites worldwide to capture, index, store and retrieve critical information – instantly and securely. Its new FortisBlue product line, accessed from the Internet, has an intuitive interface to make daily document management tasks effortless. For more information, visit westbrooktech.com.
About Ricoh Americas Corporation
Ricoh Americas Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company, Ltd., the 75-year-old leading provider of advanced office technology and innovative document imaging products, services and software, with fiscal year 2010 sales in excess of $23B. Ricoh's fully integrated hardware and customizable services and software help businesses share information efficiently and effectively by enabling customers to control the input, management and output of documents. Ricoh Americas Corporation, directly or through its network of authorized dealers, markets and distributes products in North, Central and South America. For more information, visit www.ricoh-usa.com.
SOURCE: Westbrook Technologies