The Calgary (Alberta ) Sun and a number of other newspapers that use hardware and software from Agfa are benefiting from the company’s remote service, IntellSyst, which Agfa rolled out last year on selected digital platesetters, digital plate processors, software and proofing engines.

IntellSyst allows Agfa to diagnose and troubleshoot equipment placed at users’ sites via the Internet.

Case in point: The Sun, which began using the service less than a year ago, was able to remotely diagnose and correct a problem that was causing the newspaper (daily, 62,975; Sunday, 92,505) to output two to three blank plates each day on its Agfa 3850 CTP platesetters. The problem was costing the newspaper roughly $1,500 a year - “enough to want to fix it,” according to Brian Whipp, systems manager.

IntellSyst is based on intelligent agents that constantly monitor device performance. The app is engineered to provide customers with faster response time to problems and to get equipment back on-line as quickly as possible, Agfa said.

“Certainly there are times when we would like (Agfa staff) to see what we’re seeing just as if they were here,” Whipp said. “With IntellSyst, if we have five servers, they can hook up to each one.”  

IntellSyst does not require a virtual private network, or VPN; instead it runs under Windows and resides on a central database that includes performance data about a particular newspaper’s equipment.

Tracks problems

This data allows Agfa’s service team to access information and performance history on equipment and software, allowing techs to understand conditions at the time when a particular problem occurred. This also allows Agfa’s support personnel to assist field engineers, the company said. Because IntellSyst also sports proactive monitoring capabilities, the service can notify Agfa about problems as they occur and before they become critical, the firm said.

The service is included with Agfa’s warranty.

Some 70 papers use IntellSyst, Agfa said, including the Ottawa Sun, Metroland Printing of North York, Ontario, Journal Register Offset of Exton, Pa., Lawton (Okla.) Publishing, Day Publishing of New London, Conn., Star News of Wilmington, N.C., Chesapeake Publishing of Easton, Md., and Charleston (S.C.) Publications.