| | Major Scottish Publisher Saves Time And Money Using WS_FTP Pro
D C Thomson Recommends Ipswitch Inc.'s Market-leading FTP Software
Founded in 1905, key Scottish publisher D C Thomson & Co Ltd produces more than 200 million magazines, newspapers and comics each year from offices in Dundee, Glasgow, Manchester and London. The largest major national publisher still remaining on Fleet Street, D C Thomson employs approximately 2000 members of staff across the sites. Across a total of 575 PCs and 240 Macs throughout the company, departments have the facility to update the web pages on a Windows NT4 platform. This process is supported by D C Thomson's preferred FTP software, WS_FTP Pro from Ipswitch Inc.
"Originally, our web updates were completed using a combination of file transfers and Frontpage, which wasn't ideal," explains D C Thomson's Systems Project Manager, Peter Scobbie. "It became apparent that we needed to simplify the process for our staff, speed it up and introduce some kind of standardised file transfer system which could also be used for software support, like downloading software updates and bug fixes."
"We knew WS_FTP Pro was a popular option and we had numerous recommendations from our colleagues, as well as good feedback during the evaluation phase," continues Peter. "We were using a Mac-based FTP programme, but we couldn't use the same system on our PCs as well and wanted to standardise what everyone was using. None of the other software programmes we looked at were as comprehensive and easy to use as WS_FTP Pro."
WS_FTP Pro is a Windows-based file transfer client application that is used to transfer files between a user's local PC and a remote FTP server connected via a modem and telephone line or by a local area network.
With WS_FTP Pro, users can connect to any remote FTP server on the Internet, browse through directories and files, and transfer files in either direction. In addition, users can create, change, and remove remote directories and view, execute, rename, or delete remote files. WS_FTP Pro also supports anonymous logons, which allows users to access the vast store of information on publicly accessible FTP sites around the world.
One of the major benefits of WS_FTP Pro is its ease of use. The latest version offers the user a choice of two interfaces, classic and explorer, and both simplify the act of moving and transferring files on the Internet to a click of the mouse, particularly useful to less technically-minded users.
"The classic interface is still my preferred method, along with my technical colleagues. The explorer interface is great for normal' users, but lacks the feedback about communication progress/failures that is critical to the technical users," continues Peter. "Now we can provide the software to non-technical users and their screens aren't over-complicated by unnecessary information. Plus, it only takes them a few minutes to grasp the basics."
WS_FTP Pro is also available in a Software Developer's Kit, allowing the creation of custom applications. With a choice of languages that includes C++ and Visual Basic, developers can create standalone FTP applications or add network file transfer functionality to existing custom applications. For example, developers can use the development kit to write applications that post frequent updates to Internet or Intranet servers or automatically download documents or programs at separate times and intervals.
On a daily basis, HTML files are uploaded to the web through WS_FTP Pro and EXE/DLL files are downloaded from D C Thomson's software suppliers. Peter concludes, "Company-wide WS_FTP Pro is relied on heavily every day. Currently we have 30 licenses that are spread across the departments between our 815 machines. The plan is to increase the number of licenses as our web presence grows, possibly to our non-web departments. WS_FTP Pro has saved us both time and money, as well as successfully standardising our FTP system. It has provided us with a solid base from which to grow our web-based activity and due to its ease of use, this is set to expand rapidly."
About D C Thomson, Co. Ltd.
D C Thomson is a major Scottish Publisher, founded in 1905. It has 2000 employees at 6 sites across the UK and is the largest major national publisher still remaining on Fleet Street. D C Thomson produces more than 200 million magazines, newspapers and comics each year, including Scotland's Evening Telegraph, selling more than any daily newspaper in Dundee and The Sunday Post, one of Scotland's biggest selling newspapers, with a distribution of over 650,000 a week. The company's head office is in Dundee, with further offices in Dundee, Glasgow, Manchester and London.
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