office on the street | network week
The decision to change the previous software to Microsoft Outlook with Exchange Server was not made by the city police themselves, it was part of the overarching IT strategy of the city of Zurich. This also included the application-related fundamental decision that the authorities affiliated with the city administration should use the ELO ECM Suite as a DMS system. An integration of the DMS system from ELO into the Office applications from Microsoft was not yet possible in the initial phase. However, a corresponding function within Outlook was required for the operative business of the Zurich City Police. “As long as central archiving of Office documents and e-mails was not yet possible, users increasingly used the file server,” explains Patrick Wirz, well-known head of applications and projects at the Zurich city police. The problem: Without a clear regulation as to which information should be stored, storage quickly becomes confusing and the data is sometimes stored redundantly (multiple storage). This makes it difficult to find the information used later. “The need for mobility has also grown.
A core team was formed from the Organization and IT department (OIZ) of the City of Zurich and the IT managers of the city police, which implemented the ELO ECM Suite and the ELO for Mobile Devices app with the support of ELO Digital Office CH AG and was involved in the development of the ELO Outlook Client acts as an interface to the e-mail system. This has been in operation since 2013.
High demands made
Legal regulations for the storage of business-relevant documents, networking with the service departments and authorities, central storage of Office documents and e-mails in a common folder structure, search functions and differentiated access authorizations – all of this places high demands on the project managers of the Zurich City Police Department . Around 2,200 employees of the Zurich City Police are currently working with the ELO system, in whose basic architecture several client types are installed. The ELO Outlook Client and the ELO Mobile Client on iPad and iPhone are standard, the ELO Java Client is intended for intensive users. This illustrates the enormous scope of the project. In addition to the definition of access rights, there are also questions about the order, the topic tree and the indexing of the documents in the DMS system and on the intranet. “The indexing of the available content and its links involves a great deal of effort. Carefulness pays off, however, as it ensures the quality and user-friendliness of the archive,” says Wirz. But before you can work with the various tools, you have to get to know them. “Thanks to the simple instructions for approval, confidence in the new, centralized digital data management grew and quickly found acceptance,” says Wirz. “Also because the procurement of information became mobile.”
Independent of place and time
Access to digitally archived documents via iOS devices (iPhone and iPad) was a major concern for the Zurich City Police. Because rapid, location-independent information procurement increases the efficiency and responsiveness of police officers in daily use. “Access to e-mails, service instructions and important background information helps to make decisions locally, to act quickly and to answer questions from the population,” explains Wirz. During the introduction, however, the question of data security arose. Closely related to the management of around 2500 mobile devices is the comprehensive operation of ELO for Mobile Devices within the municipal security guidelines. Finally, access rights, a SIM card and a corresponding subscription are added to each device. Now the office goes on patrol, so to speak, since all basic processes can be triggered from anywhere. “Secure and fast access to the required information at all times is a great benefit for the work of the Zurich City Police,” emphasizes Wirz.
Outlook and conclusion
Embedding new software in an existing system, project and committee landscape is complex. Because the various programs already installed can influence each other. In order for all functions to harmonize smoothly with each other, a detailed technical inventory is first required, integration into the IT infrastructure using interfaces and software solutions, extensions and applications that can be flexibly adapted to the individual needs of a company or organization. Because it is often only in daily use that the nuts and bolts that impair work processes seem to die. The Zurich city police are therefore still in close contact with ELO Digital Office CH. “We use the experiences that we make in daily operation with the ELO system to further develop the functions together according to our requirements,” says Wirz.
ELO DMS Desktop and ELO for Mobile Devices
The ELO DMS Desktop software enables seamless integration of the DMS functions with the world of Microsoft Office. Users can access a powerful DMS system directly from programs such as Outlook, Word, Excel or Powerpoint. With the ELO for Mobile Devices application, this is also possible independently of time and space. In addition, ELO for Mobile Devices can be used on all known smartphones and tablets and is available as an app with all functions for iOS and Android.
ELO Digital Office CH AG
Industriestrasse 50b
8304 Wallisellen
+41 43 544 39 00
[email protected]
www.elo.ch