DSGI: The Fax Server Experts

VMware and RightFax

Have you considered placing your RightFax environment in a VMware environment?  

Is your company moving toward VMware for all of you mission critical applications?  Is VMware quickly becoming the disaster recovery method of choice for your organization?  Increasingly companies are looking to consolidate their server environments into VMware, and RightFax servers are no exception.  The RightFax application is fully supported in VMware environment however the challenge is how to accommodate your existing Brooktrout boards in a VMware environment? 

There are a couple of options to explore in order to move RightFax to VMware. 

• First, you will need to off-load the Brooktrout boards from the RightFax Server to a Remote Board Server (RBS).  A RBS is simply a Windows 2003 server platform that the Brooktrout board is installed in and talks to the application server via the network.  The caveat to this approach is that first you must be licensed as a RightFax Enterprise Server. 
• Your server must be able to accommodate the full length, full height, Brooktrout fax board.  Server manufactures have changed the PCI slots in servers so often that the Brooktrout board that you may have purchased even a year ago may not be able to fit in a new server platform because it only has PCI-Express slots rendering your existing board useless.

The second option, SR-140, offers not only a viable alternative to go entirely virtual, but also future-proofs your hardware investment in Brooktrout.  Brooktrout SR-140 is a software solution that emulates the functionality of a traditional Brooktrout board while providing Fax over IP (FoIP) capabilities for integrating fax servers with VoIP networks.  Below are some of the benefits of SR-140:

·         Processing fax without boards reduces complexity and simplifies deployment, logistics and upgrades, which are accomplished with software downloads; the need to stock spare boards is eliminated

·         Basing FoIP on the field-proven T.30 protocol ensures a high level of reliability and enables new T.38-based fax devices to communicate with legacy T.30-based fax devices

·         Allows easy scalability for FoIP up to 120 ports per RightFax server with exceptionally low CPU utilization that saves resources.

·         Enabling FoIP on a VoIP network can reduce toll charges and administrative and maintenance costs.

To date, SR-140 has been thoroughly testing in Cisco and Avaya VoIP environments with more PBX alternatives coming on-line later in the year.  So what options do you have if you are not running Cisco or Avaya and you still want to move to VMware with SR-140?  The simple answer is instead of terminating your analog or digital lines at the Brooktrout board as you have traditionally done, the lines would be terminated at a gateway platform such as a Cisco router.  The gateway would translate the (TDM) to T.38 which is the inherent faxing protocol for FoIP.  

Whether VMware is already your company’s standard or it is coming down the pipe, there are some options to explore.  For further information, please contact DSGI at 952-224-3340 or sales@dsgi.net for a FREE consultation.

RightFax Coversheets - How to Create

We constantly get questions about RightFax coversheets and how to easily create them.  Well, the answer is there really isn't an answer.  Since Word 2000 was released, Microsoft has changed the way that Word renders files that are printed to PCL.  Word 97 and Windows 98 work really well but anything newer is asking for trouble.

The easiest way we have found is to create them in Microsoft Excel and then print to PCL.  MS Excel doesn't seem to have the same rendering bugs that Microsoft Word does.  Here is a link to a sample DSG coversheet in Excel format.

http://www.dsgi.net/RF_Files/RightFaxCoversheetTemplate.xls

You can download this file, edit it in Excel, then print to a HP LaserJet 4 / HP Laserjet 4000 printer.  Complete instructions on how to create the PCL files are posted in the Administrators Guide.

Policy Changes that Impact RightFax Support - What you need to know!

FROM:  Dynamic Solutions Group President Brent Lothrop

TO:       Our valued DSGI customers

RE:       An important message about Open Text changes that will impact your RightFax, Alchemy & Workflow systems and support

Acquisitions generally bring change, and as Open Text continues to integrate RightFax products and support plans into their offerings, we will no doubt have more news to share.

At this time, it is important for you to understand that the majority of the following changes will take effect on July 1, 2009, so please review, as that date is quickly approaching.  We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

1) Open Text Discontinuing "Maintenance Only" Support Plans on July 1, 2009 - Years ago, Captaris began providing us with an option to sell a "Software Version Maintenance Only" program, which traditionally has been bundled with Dynamic Solutions Group (DSGI) Silver / Gold / 24x7 Technical Support offerings.  This has become a popular offering that many of you currently utilize.  However, this option is being discontinued by Open Text.  In lieu of the Maintenance Only plans, Open Text has invited a very short list of elite RightFax partners to participate in a new "Authorized Support Provider" program.  DSGI has been selected to participate in this program. 

 2) Open Text "Premium" Support Plans Transition to "Standard" Support Plans on July 1, 2009 - Open Text Standard Support Plan (Standard Business Hours) will be increasing from 18% to 20% of your system MSLP.  The DSGI Silver/Gold/24x7 support plan minimums are also going up to reflect this increase. The minimum for most server configurations will also increase slightly.  The Open Text Standard Support Plan offering will be limited to Monday - Friday hours, 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM EST.  Coverage under this plan will no longer include Saturday hours.

 3) Open Text "24x7" Plans Transition to "24x7 Extended" Support Plans on July 1, 2009 -  The Open Text 24x7 Extended Support Plan (7x24) will cost an additional 3% of your system MSLP, with an increased minimum as well.  The Open Text 24x7 Extended Support team will ONLY respond to Critical Severity 1 Issues that result in. . .To learn more about these and six other important changes, please contact Brent Lothrop at 952-224-3340 x201 or blothrop@dsgi.net

Dynamic Solutions Group Named Top Reseller in North America of Dialogic® Brooktrout® SR140 Fax Software

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Lis Grant
KC Associates, LLC
612.599.7797
lis@kc-associates.com

Dynamic Solutions Group Recognized by Open Text as #1 Reseller of Fax over IP Technology

The company's continued commitment to its customers and the Open Text Fax Server product have made DSGI the industry's FoIP contender.

MINNEAPOLIS—May 27, 2009—Dynamic Solutions Group, Inc. (DSGI; http://www.dsgi.net), an Open Text Platinum Partner and Authorized Support Provider, today announced that it has been recognized by Open Text Corporation (http://www.opentext.com) as the top reseller in North America for 2008 of Dialogic^® Brooktrout^® SR140 Fax Software, which works in conjunction with Open Text ‘s Fax Server (RightFax) application.

The Brooktrout SR140 provides Fax over Internet (FoIP) capabilities for integrating fax servers and fax document management solutions with Voice over Internet (VoIP) networks. Open Text RightFax Fax Server is a document- and data-capture technology that allows customers to convert paper documents to digital content, and manage associated processes over the Internet. As organizations expand and leverage their IP infrastructures, VoIP and FoIP are quickly ramping up. Both technologies bring traditional telephony applications into data network environments for transmitting phone and fax calls. This consolidation of data and voice communication resources provides cost-effective voice, fax and data transmission.

"It's easy for customers to see the value of implementing FoIP–financially and practically," said Brent Lothrop, President of DSGI. "They get immediate cost savings from network consolidation, plus they see swift improvements in IT management." Lothrop went on to point out that being able to push a consistent fax solution throughout the entire network, including remote locations, lowers costs and streamlines productivity. He also added; "The real winners are our customers who have adopted FoIP into their technical landscapes."

Dynamic Solutions Group organized the first RightFax Users Group and led its inaugural meeting in 2008. The company repeated this role for the Open Text Fax Server Users Group on May 1, 2009 in Bloomington, Minn.

Please visit www.rfusersgroup.com for more information pertaining to future events.

About Open Text
Open Text, an enterprise software company and leader in enterprise content management, helps organizations manage and gain the true value of their business content. Open Text brings two decades of expertise supporting 50 million users in 114 countries. Working with our customers and partners, we bring together leading Content Experts to help organizations capture and preserve corporate memory, increase brand equity, automate processes, mitigate risk, manage compliance and improve competitiveness. For more information, visit www.opentext.com.

About Dialogic Corporation
Dialogic Corporation is a leading provider of world-class, innovative technologies based on open standards that enable innovative mobile, video, IP, and TDM solutions for Network Service Providers and Enterprise Communication Networks. Dialogic's customers and partners rely on its leading-edge, flexible components to rapidly deploy value-added solutions around the world.

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Dialogic and its subsidiaries have over twenty offices worldwide, providing local presence, knowledge and support to serve its customers around the globe. Dialogic's research and development centers are located in Parsippany, New Jersey; Getzville, New York; Needham, Massachusetts; Hyannis, Massachusetts; Salem, New Hampshire; Chicago, Illinois; Fordingbridge, England; and Renningen, Germany as well as Montreal.

Information about Dialogic is available at www.dialogic.com. Also, join our social networking community, the Dialogic Exchange Network (DEN), at www.dialogic.com/den or visit our Facebook and Twitter pages for additional Dialogic news and updates.

Dialogic and Brooktrout are registered trademarks of Dialogic Corporation (“Dialogic”), and any other trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective owner(s). Dialogic encourages all users of its products to procure all necessary intellectual property licenses required to implement their concepts or applications, which licenses may vary from country to country.

About Dynamic Solutions Group, Inc.
DSGI provides fax automation project management, consulting, configuration, implementation and support-from start to finish-with a guaranteed return on investment. The company has been exclusively focused on saving clients time, money, and resources with fax automation since 1998. DSGI is an Open Text Platinum Partner and an Open Text Authorized Support Provider. The company is recognized as a leading Open Text Fax Server reseller. Visit www.dsgi.net for more information.

RightFax End of Life Dates

RIGHTFAX END OF LIFE DATES

Below are the dates for the end of life for RightFax versions:

RightFax 9.4 - Supported until 36 Months after release of subsequent version
RightFax 9.3 - December 5, 2011
RightFax 9.0 - October 1, 2009
RightFax 8.7 - September 1, 2008

If you are running RightFax 8.7 or RightFax 9.0 we highly recommend upgrading to RightFax 9.4. Please contact our Sales Dept at 952-224-3340 x 1 for more information.

RightFax Issue with Microsoft Update KB961501

Issue with Microsoft Update KB961501

Dear DSGI Customer,

A Windows security patch released by Microsoft earlier this week may cause a problem when printing to a RightFax printer (HPFAX). The new Microsoft update changed the way jobs from various applications and process are allowed to interact with the Windows Print Spooler. Because of this, certain fax jobs submitted using the RightFax printer (HPFAX) will NOT fax correctly and will generate a warning error in the event log (See Below).

At this point, if you are experiencing this problem with RightFax, Open Text recommends rolling back (uninstall / remove) Security Update KB961501. This can be accomplished from the Add / Remove Programs under the Windows Control Panel.

For information on the MS Security Update, please go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/961501.

The error you will see in the Application Log through Event Viewer is as follows:

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: RightFax Queue Handler
Event Category: None
Event ID: 3316
Date: 10/06/2009
Time: 3:48:06 PM
User: N/A
Computer: RIGHTFAXSERVER
Description:
PHT:Job separator invalid, job discarded. Attempting to automatically correct separator setting for queue.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please visit our knowledgebase for more information: http://helpdesk.dsgi.net/Kb_ArticleView.asp?ArticleNbr=478

Important RightFax Login Access Information

ATTENTION!
You must now register with Open Text to receive important information & access to patches, upgrades and Knowledge Center.

Register today to avoid delays when trying to access RightFax Service Packs and Feature Packs.

Click Here to visit Open Text and register now! Once at the site click on "Request an Account for Myself" (New Users) --on the right side near the top of the page.

Questions? Please contact DSGI Helpdesk at 952-224-3340 x2

RightFax Users Group - May 1st

Dynamic Solutions Group, Inc. will be hosting the second RightFax Users Group meeting in Bloomington, MN on May 1, 2009. The event is open to any Open Text RightFax users or administrators who are interested in leveraging their existing RightFax software.

Click Here to Register Now!

Build a RightFax Community that:

* Enhances productivity through education, networking and sharing fax automation best practices

* Inspires creative ways to solve business issues with fax automation

Join us for a day packed with RightFax user experiences that will show you ways to cut costs as well as do more with your existing servers.

* Using RightFax and copier/MFD
* Integrating RightFax with Sharepoint
* Integrating RightFax with other applications: Datacap Taskmaster, Oracle, Psigen/Psi:Capture, Artesyl Simple Capture and pdf/pclBurst
* RightFax Migration Strategies
* RightFax and Fax over IP (FoIP)

When: May 1, 2009, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Where: Embassy Suites Bloomington
2800 American Boulevard W.
Bloomington, MN

Cost: $75.00

Includes: Lunch and breaks

Coupon for $300 off the DSGI RightFax 2 Day Administrators Course!

Click Here to Register Now!

Please call (952) 884-4811 for on-site hotel accommodations at the Bloomington Embassy Suites located 2800 American Blvd W, Bloomington, MN 55431

Questions? Contact Brent Lothrop at 952-224-3340, ext. 201

RightFax Electronic Shipping Coming Soon!

OpenText will be providing download access to your new RightFax products starting in May. Watch for details.

New Ricoh MFP integration with RightFax

New Solution Provides Ricoh Multifunction Products with Seamless Integration with Open Text Fax Server (RightFax) or Open Text Fax Appliance (FaxPress)

WEST CALDWELL, N.J., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment, today announced the release of the RightFax Connector for embedded software architecture (ESA) enabled multifunction products (MFPs). Ricoh's RightFax Connector enables businesses to integrate their existing IT and RightFax infrastructure without adding new fax processes or middleware, providing users with a single interface for electronic and hard copy faxing directly from Ricoh ESA MFPs.

Ricoh's RightFax Connector allows businesses to integrate directly with an existing RightFax Server or FaxPress appliance. The RightFax Connector reduces the learning curve typically associated with a fax solution upgrade, all at a lower total cost of ownership (TCO). IT administrators can avoid hidden support costs by being able to integrate a Ricoh fleet directly into an existing RightFax Server. Since no additional software or middleware is required, the RightFax Connector allows IT administrators to maintain familiar MFP environments for all users, who are able to access existing RightFax features from the MFP's intuitive touch-screen interface.

"Ricoh's ability to develop direct integration to an existing RightFax environment through our embedded software architecture will allow us to continue to bring our customers unmatched offerings that bring real enhanced value to core business processes," said Hede Nonaka, executive vice president, Ricoh Americas Corporation.

In addition, environments with shared MFPs are assured that sensitive information and fax documents are kept secure. The RightFax Connector supports all the security features of the RightFax Server and FaxPress such as encrypted email delivery. To further enhance security, user authentication is required at the MFP to verify a user's privileges and tamper-resistant document delivery options are available.

For more information on all Ricoh products and solutions, please visit http://www.ricoh-usa.com/.