CASE STUDY: CETRA Latex-Free

Problem
CETRA is a medical equipment supply and information services company offering a comprehensive line of latex-free products. To keep healthcare providers abreast of latex alternatives, CETRA previously sold a FileMaker-based CD-ROM version of its catalog. However, this format had significant drawbacks:

• Frequent changes to product offerings required ongoing production and distribution of updates
• Customers in large organizations found it cumbersome to share information contained within a single CD-ROM

Solution
We transformed the CD-ROM catalog into a secure, subscription-driven Extranet application, so CETRA’s web hosting company could manage its availability. The conversion required attention to multiple technical requirements:

• Although the FileMaker database remained the “master” version to facilitate easy updates, the data was exported to MySQL to simplify web hosting
• The web interface was built with our FileSpring software (a combination of PHP and extensions), to accommodate advanced security features (including automated log-in tracking, machine-specific log-in intelligence and notification of account expirations)
• Web-based administrative functions were built into the system, so CETRA staff could manage these functions within a simple browser environment

Results
By eliminating its CD-ROM production and distribution process, CETRA realized substantial direct and indirect cost savings. What’s more, customers immediately benefited by no longer needing to redistribute information updates within their organizations. The risk of access to potentially fatal outdated information was virtually eliminated. And this web-based approach opened doors to new business from large customers who rejected CD-ROM subscriptions.

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