PR Firm Juggles Information and Documents More Efficiently With Window Vista

“Instant Search is a time-saver, especially when I’m on the phone with clients,” Winston. “I can easily locate and pull up past memos or trade show recommendations and instantly be up to speed.”

-Melissa Winston, Account Supervisor, Litzky Public Relations

Litzky Public Relations wanted to revamp the outdated technology of its network. Productivity and file management needed upgrading. Tapping the IT expertise of its IT partner, eMazzanti Technologies, the PR firm installed a network solution that included Windows Vista. Instant Search, Flip 3D and Shadow Copy provided efficient document management, and Internet Explorer 7 enhanced online safety while enabling timely Real Simple Syndication (RSS) news feeds.

Business Needs

Litzky Public Relations prides itself on being agile, flexible and innovative. With a growing staff and a recent move to a larger office space, Litzky’s network infrastructure needed improvements. Five older core servers, hardware incompatibilities and disparate versions of software were at odds with the increasing volumes of information managed by 25 employees. The staff wanted to work more effectively from remote locations, collaborate more easily and work more efficiently on documents.

Litzky Public Relations needed a new, up-to-date network and technology, from server to keyboard, to increase its productivity and support its expanding portfolio of consumer product clients.

Solution

With the help of eMazzanti Technologies, the firms’ IT specialist, Litzky Public Relations created a robust network makeover that included Window Vista as part of the solution. Several features were particularly helpful in the improvement of information and document management.

Instant Search

One of the most helpful features in Windows Vista for finding and managing documents is Instant Search. This new capability allows Litzky personnel to rapidly locate virtually any type of file located on hard drives or servers. Users can access Instant Search from practically anywhere within Windows Vista or Microsoft Office 2007.

Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7

The combination of Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7 enabled Litzky to easily discover, read and subscribe to Really Simple Syndication (RSS) news and Internet feeds specifically associated with its clients’ industry and products. In addition, its users benefit from an extra layer of protection through Dynamic Security Protection against a variety of malware and fraudulent Web sites seeking personal data.

Flip 3D and Thumbnail Images

Integral to managing documents more efficiently is Litzky’s use of Flip 3D and Thumbnail images. These features are particularly helpful when numerous documents need to be open for reference at the same time.

Shadow Copy

Also beneficial as a powerful document management tool is Shadow Copy. Users can right-click on any document to revert to a previous version, or restore a version that’s been accidentally deleted. It’s a document safety net.

Benefits

Instant Client Preparation

When clients call, Instant Search delivers instant preparation.

“Instant Search is a time-saver, especially when I’m on the phone with clients,” said Melissa Winston, account supervisor at Litzky. “I can easily locate and pull up past memos or trade show recommendations and instantly be up to speed.”

Instant Search is also a valuable tool for the creation of pitch letters or client budgets.

“Instant Search not only enables the whole office to search our own computer hard drives but the servers as well,” said Winston. “Regardless of the type of document — budget, pitch letter, database — or where it’s been filed.”

Another way Litzky stays on top of client needs is through the use of Real Simple Syndication (RSS) news and information feeds via the Internet.

“As a public relations agency, our business is not only landing our clients in the news but monitoring what’s going on in the media nationwide,” said Winston. “Being able to easily set up RSS feeds from sources that provide industry news and information is a huge help.”

Faster, Safer Navigation

Better navigation between open documents means more efficient project management.  “I often have press releases, e-mails, editor call-down spreadsheets and editorial calendars all open at once,” said Winston. “Flip 3D and Thumbnail images make navigation simple and fast. I just couldn’t do that with Microsoft Windows XP.”

Shadow Copy provides a type of document safety net that helps users recover documents.

“Document version control can be overwhelming, but Shadow Copy keeps us on track with its ability to revert back to the most recent version,” said Winston. “The restore feature also saves us if a file is accidentally deleted or a previous version is preferred.”

When technical problems happen, Windows Vista provides a faster way to solve them.

“The Problem Reports and Solutions capability in Windows Vista is amazing,” said Carl Mazzanti, president, eMazzanti Technologies. “It logs problems for future action and actively searches the Web for solutions.”