PlanWell Collaborate is Offically Released

Today PlanWell Collaborate is officially released. If you have not yet heard about PlanWell Collaborate (PWC) you will very soon! After many months of research and development ARC has released PlanWell Collaborate; a game changing application for the AEC marketplace.

PlanWell Collaborate is a cost-effective and easy-to-use Web 2.0-based application that accelerates project team coordination and improves file sharing; PlanWell Collaborate replaces inefficient project management tools like FTP, email or spreadsheets. With PlanWell Collaborate, project teams can easily share documents, increase team accountability, and reduce delays without the complexity and steep learning curve associated with traditional project management software.

PlanWell Collaborate can be used independently or inside Microsoft Outlook(R) to create a working environment that is easy-to-use, familiar and immediately accessible. Project communication and document sharing happens in real time inside a central project portal, so projects start fast and stay on track with current information. With no software to install and a cost-effective software-as-a-service pricing model, users can be added or removed from the project as their participation is required.

Because PWC is completely a cloud based solution it has significant appeal to any business entity that is project centric.

PlanWell Collaborate will be sold and supported by a select number of PWC certified reprographers who understand how design and construction project teams use documents to communicate and collaborate.

PlanWell Collaborate is available as software-as-a-service (Saas) for individuals, project teams and business enterprises of all sizes. Standard pricing is set at $25/seat per month.

For more information or a 30-day free trial, visit http://www.planwellcollaborate.com/, or call your PEiR Group representative at (925) 658-0200.

Staying On Top of Copyright Rules

“Can you copy these four pages out of this book for me?  ”More importantly, does everyone at your front desk know the right answer?

U.S. copyright law is remarkably strict!

Making a single copy of a copyrighted work without authorization of the copyright owner can get you in trouble, even if you believed that the work wasn’t protected or thought that you had permission of the copyright owner.

Penalties can be severe and can include lost profits, damage claims up to $150,000, attorney’s fees, and more.

Knowing what you can do and what you can’t with copyrighted material is a serious legal issue, and anyone in your business who comes into contact with customers should know the basics.

Luckily, it’s easy to educate them.

The PEiR Group has posted training material on copyright issues on the PEiR Group's intranet. To find these documents visit the members resources area under best practices library:  sales/tech/prod/ .

In the materials, you’ll find information on how to protect yourselves from liability issues, what circumstances require a written release from liability, as well as useful documents to have within reach when customers come to the counter with a magazine, book or photo in hand.