Hansen Annual User Conference – NETWORK 2004 – Sets Attendance Record. Showcases Innovative Customers, New Products, and the Future Computing Standard for Government – Hansen 8
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sacramento, CA, September 7, 2004 - Hansen Information Technologies (Hansen®) announced that its Annual User Conference, NETWORK, set an all-time attendance record in its return to Lake Tahoe. NETWORK 2004 attracted over 500 delegates from the United States, Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, and South Africa. As part of this year’s conference, keynote speakers included Charles Moose, former Chief of Police of Montgomery County, Satya Nadella, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Business Solutions, Carolyn Purcell, former CIO, State of Texas, and author Dr. Robert Kriegel. Legendary R&B band Tower of Power provided entertainment at Hansen’s Annual Customer Appreciation Dinner.
“This year’s conference was our best ever,” stated Chuck Hansen, Chairman and CEO. “Our venue was the perfect setting to have one-on-one meetings with almost all of our users that attended the conference. It was a great opportunity for us to exchange ideas and suggestions, learn more about our user’s business processes and workflows, share our vision for creating our next generation solutions, Hansen 8, and to hear the latest about their family and friends.”
“A hot topic at this year’s conference was the migration to Hansen 8, our 100% XML Web Services suite of products,” stated Bryan Klann, VP Channels. “With 500 users of Hansen 7 and five-times that number using products from other vendors that don’t have next generation products, we were delighted to introduce our clients to a growing number of Microsoft-certified Solutions Partners to help plan their migration to Hansen 8.”
Hansen 8
Hansen 8 has arrived! Already implemented at Oldham County, KY (pop. 50,000), and with implementations underway at Collier County, FL (pop. 251,000), City of Tampa, FL (pop. 318,000), and Riverside County, CA (pop. 1.5 million), new and prospective users, alike, participated in a wide range of technical sessions, user presentations, and hands-on workshops to understand the power of Hansen 8. Representing the next generation Hansen release, conference participants were amazed with Hansen 8’s breakthrough feature-rich capabilities and architectural foundation, including:
- 100% XML solution, written in C#, adopts Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI), and Web Services Description Language (WSDL) standards,
- 100% Web Services architecture -- no plug-ins, no adaptors, no message brokers,
- 100% Server-side solution -- eliminating application software and support for PC workstations,
- ZERO Client-side software -- no software downloaded to your PC – only Internet Explorer,
- ZERO Legacy code -- completely re-written to support migration for current and prospective users,
- Personalized user interface, including your personal email, customized dashboards, and applications,
- Workflow and business rules-oriented approach,
- Field-level data security and encryption,
- Open API, for certified developers and end users to integrate third party applications or custom-developed VB.NET applications,
- Mobile solution companion products and field devices,
- Map Drawer, representing the only product on the market that integrates location-based information with business processes, using either ESRI or Intergraph GeoMedia geospatial solutions.
While Hansen 6 was released in the 1980s containing only 68 data tables and Hansen 7 was released in the 1990s containing over 2,700 data tables, by contrast, Hansen 8 contains over 30,000 business objects.
New Products
Major new products were announcements at this year’s NETWORK 2004. Supporting last year’s acquisition of Microsoft Business Solution’s (MBS) largest independent software vendor for the government market, Hansen announced its new Comprehensive Annual Financial Reporting (CAFR) Tool to develop all year end financial reports, management discussion graphics, and analysis, in accordance with GASB 34. Initially developed for MBS financial applications, Hansen has positioned its product to integrate with any third-party financial application. Recent projects have integrated its tool with Oracle’s Government Financials and SunGard’s HTE Financials. Other financial products will also be supported. Hansen’s CAFR Tool is immediately available.
Hansen also introduced its new Computer Aided Mass Appraisal (CAMA) solution, in partnership with Vision Appraisal, Inc. (Northboro, Massachusetts). With over 300 users, including the cities of Boston and Washington, D.C., Hansen now offers the only integrated Land Management (i.e. Permits, Code Enforcement, Licensing), CAMA (i.e. Appeals, Appraisals, Revaluations) and Tax Billing and Administration solution. As part of its strategic alliance, Hansen will be certifying Vision Appraisal to market Hansen’s Tax Billing and Building Permit applications in the New England market. The addition of CAMA makes Hansen the only vendor able to offer a comprehensive solution that can manage 100% of a government’s revenue stream, including the management of billing, payment and accounts receivable of Property Taxes, Utility Bills, Building Permits, Grants, Licensing, and other fee-based revenues.
Migration to Hansen 8
At this year’s NETWORK conference, Hansen announced its migration plan for both existing and new customers. Users were presented with two options: Rapid Deployment Upgrade Option and Comprehensive Migration Plan Option. While current licensed users of Hansen 7 receive Hansen 8 at no additional charge, the only cost of migration includes professional services and revised service and maintenance agreement. With over 500 users of Hansen 7, Hansen has developed comprehensive migration roadmaps to help its worldwide customer base adopt its next generation release, Hansen 8.
Migration plans were also introduced for government agencies using older custom-developed applications or outdated third party legacy applications. The uncertainty about the financial stability of their existing vendor, risk of de-supported products that were acquired through merger or acquisition, departure of key developers of in-house or custom-developed applications, and lack of a next generation product from their existing vendor, were some of the reasons most often cited by Hansen’s newest clients in selecting Hansen 8. In preparation for their migration, Hansen has augmented its staff with Certified Solutions Partners to help migrate users to Hansen 8. Limited in number and, in some cases, geographic territories, Hansen is in the process of certifying a number of pre-authorized Microsoft Business Partners to assist it in its introduction of Hansen 8.
During the conference it was announced that all Hansen 7 users would be supported until December 31, 2008.
Featured Customer Presentations
This year’s conference featured over 40 presentations from Hansen users, partners, and consultants, sharing their experiences in managing government operations and financial management. Hansen NETWORK 2004 included presentations by the ciities of Albany, Las Vegas, Monterey, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Shoreline, Tempe; counties of Fairfax, Martin, New Castle, Oldham, Riverside, San Mateo; and Metro Water of Nashville and Davidson County, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Union Sanitary District, and the Western Australian Department of Industry and Resources.
Hansen was honored to recognize its 2004 Annual Power User Award Winners at the
conference. Most notably, it was announced that the Halifax Regional Municipality
(pop. 340,000) completed its s1 millionth citizen service request, while the
City of San Antonio Development Services Department had processed and completed
over 35% of its total building permits via Hansen’s hosted Internet DynamicPortal,
representing the most successful automated permit operation of any major city
or county in North America.
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About Hansen
Founded in 1983, Hansen is the world's leading provider of applications that help manage the daily operations and financial management of government. The company’s latest release, Hansen 8, represents a breakthrough in public sector information technology adopting a 100% XML Web Services open architecture. Headquartered in Sacramento, California, the company is a privately held corporation that employs over 250 people with offices worldwide.
For more information, please visit Hansen's Web site at www.hansen.com.
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