Cumulus 8.5 adds metadata smarts
Canto has announced the release of Cumulus 8.5, a major upgrade to the company's digital asset management product line, adding native support for metadata in more than 20 languages, and automated workflow improvements.
Users can now see and search for metadata in their native language, and options are available
for translators and others who need to work with multiple languages. In addition to metadata values, virtually all aspects of Cumulus can be localised, including category, layout and template names, and help messages.
Cumulus Sites, the company's Web-based file sharing interface, now enables users to upload files to Cumulus, and edit metadata. All user permissions are global in Cumulus, so no additional work is required for the management of Web users.
Offering a new option for file distribution, Cumulus can create PDF contact sheets that include direct download links behind each thumbnail. Downloads can be originals, or variants processed on-demand using watermarks and other options. All file types are supported.
"This is great for organisations that distribute catalogs, portfolios or documentation," said Canto marketing director, David Diamond. "Users click a thumbnail and the download starts. Cumulus version control helps ensure that files downloaded this way are always up to date."
"Workflow automation options have been added to drive advanced production chains, such as creating asset variants, copying files to remote locations for backup or publishing, applying metadata templates and changing permissions," Canto CTO, Thomas Schleu explains.
"Based on events like new records or metadata edits, Cumulus 8.5 can perform on-the-fly image processing, update metadata or production statuses - even change visibility and access permissions,” he said.
Metadata edits can be validated against rules that ensure email addresses and other structured values are properly formatted before a record is saved. Cumulus administrators have control over account settings, which helps standardise installations, and reduces confusion for users.
Administration duties can also be assigned to "deputy" administrators, enabling organisations' departments to manage their own users.
Improvements made to the Cumulus Vault, the product's version-control engine, virtually
eliminate any performance difference between Vault file transfers and standard network
transfers. A new OS-based central asset storage option makes direct Cumulus access from
within InDesign and other production applications easier.
64-bit support is available for the Cumulus Server for Windows, Mac OS (Intel) and Linux;
the Cumulus Java Classes; the Cumulus Scheduler; Cumulus Sites and the Cumulus Web
Client.
DataBasics, regional distributor of the Canto Cumulus digital asset management system, has announced that although Canto has raised the entry level and Software Maintenance prices world wide for the Cumulus 8.5 product based upon expanded features and services, DataBasics will maintain the current prices - and take them lower where possible.
Despite world price increases for Cumulus 8.5, the favourable exchange rate between the Euro and Australian dollar has allowed DataBasics to absorb the price rise and even decrease some entry level costs.
Ricky Patten director of DataBasics, said, "The Cumulus business the last few years in the region has exceeded $A1 million per year and we want to break right through that figure and set new records. We're not going to let Canto spoil the party so we're going to absorb the price rises and let the Australian and regional community continue to purchase Cumulus at the existing price point."
Cumulus 8.5 is available at no additional charge to customers on active service agreements.
A single user edition is $A594 inc. GST, while Cumulus Workgroup Entry 8.5 is $6875 and the high end Worgroup “business server” is $16,775.