Audubon, Pa.— December 4, 2014—RSI Content Solutions, a publishing automation and content management solutions provider to the publishing industry, is pleased to announce that it has been named to the 2014 EContent 100 list of companies that matter most in the digital content industry for the fourth year in a row. Selection of the companies for the EContent 100 list falls to a team of judges including editors from Information Today, Inc., EContent magazine contributing editors, and other industry experts. Additional companies on the list include Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, O'Reilly Media, and others.

"This year we had three new judges and lots of new companies to consider. We also included a new category: Big Data. These days, data is the driving force behind almost everything on the web. From the targeted ads you see while surfing your favorite sites, to the articles and videos that those sites serve up to you, data is behind it all. Congratulations to all of the companies on this year's EContent 100 List and kudos on all they contribute to the digital content industry." - Theresa Cramer, Editor- EContent Magazine

RSI Content Solutions' flagship product, RSuite CMS, is the leading publishing automation solution for publishers of any size to manage their full lifecycle of content.  RSuite is trusted by leading publishers worldwide including Audible (an Amazon company), Oxford University Press, LexisNexis, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Science and Education and many more. 

“Our team is thrilled to have been named to the EContent 100 for the fourth year in a row,” stated Barry Bealer, CEO/Co-founder, RSI Content Solutions. “We strive to build and deploy cost effective publishing automation solutions that help our publishing clients realize their multi-channel publishing goals."

To learn more about RSI Content Solutions and RSuite CMS, please visit www.rsuitecms.com.

About RSI Content Solutions

Since 2000, RSI Content Solutions has helped companies automate their publishing process by implementing cost effective and scalable content management solutions.  With a global publishing client base, RSI Content Solutions flagship product, RSuite CMS, has helped STM publishers, education publishers, trade publishers, government organizations, and non-profits transform their publishing organizations to meet their multi-channel publishing goals.  For more information, please visit www.rsuitecms.com.

RSI began as a consulting company for publishers. In that role, we were often asked by our customers to document their as-is workflows and recommend new ones that would drive electronic product development and efficiency. We spent a lot of time creating massive diagrams. A lot of time. These projects were sometimes useful, and sometimes not. They were useful when we and our customer stopped analysis and documentation before the point of diminishing returns and turned our focus instead to implementing real change and on breaking down barriers to it. They were not useful when our customer was more focused on the perfection of the workflow documentation than on what they could learn from it. (Like, “Whoa, do we really need three different people to perform the same review cycle?” or “Does the author really need a print-perfect PDF proof?”)

As we transitioned to becoming a software solutions provider, workflow analysis was one of the more interesting and challenging areas because we had to actually make those new workflows work in the real world. The timing of this shift for us was accompanied by a shift in perspective by many publishers. Most of our business sponsors no longer have patience (or budget!) for extended analysis projects. They want change, and they are willing to take on some risk to make it happen. Fortunately, what our customers want and what we’ve found really works align nicely. 

Bottom line: Most teams come to us already knowing what they want to change about their business processes (at a high level), can list their most obvious inefficiencies, and have no way of knowing about the other ones that lurk until they move to an environment where they can measure them. Sometimes this is because another consultancy has helped them plan, but usually it’s because they are smart people and they know their own processes because they live with them every day. (Sometimes teams don’t know these things, but that points to management and staffing problems and that’s a post for another day…)

Because most of the teams we work with already know, roughly speaking, what they need and want to do, our job is to guide them towards a workflow implementation that reflects their big goals for change (usually being digitally-driven rather than print-driven), works for every day users, is flexible, and provides enough reporting to inform ongoing improvement. And to get it in their hands quickly. 

Even though we and our customers are smarter than we were ten years ago, there are still plenty of pitfalls in implementing workflow. This is especially true of a system that enables automation of content transformation, product delivery, and other common publishing tasks. Everyone is looking for the Easy Button.

Here are the best practices we follow when implementing RSuite workflow.

1. Keep it simple, keep it loose. Our customers today are mostly willing to forego months of analysis, but they often still want to reflect hundreds of discrete steps in their CMS workflow. Unless you have a legal compliancy concern, this is a waste of effort and will make your team nuts. System workflows with a small number of milestone steps give human beings flexibility in working out the daily details of their jobs and avoid the feeling of a police state. Few publishing processes really follow the documented 500 steps, and often that is for good reason. Don’t hem in your staff with a rigid implementation.
2. Automate, but avoid automation dependencies for your workflows. A business process often has several predictable points at which automation is needed (e.g., conversion of a manuscript from Word to XML, generation of author proofs, delivery). It’s tempting to want to plug those steps tightly into your workflow. In the past few years we’ve taken a different approach. We give users tools to run or rerun automations whenever they need to, but don’t have the workflow engine itself initiate the conversion, delivery, and so on. This simplifies (read, cheaper, shorter) workflow implementation and also gives the publisher the opportunity to change a workflow on a one-off basis or permanently with minimal or no configuration changes. 
3. Don’t forget reporting! During a project it’s easy to get caught up in workflow process implementation and not spend enough time creating truly useful reports. Which leads to…
4. Remember that change isn’t a switch you flip. Rolling out your new CMS and workflows is the beginning of change, not the end. Expect that over time you will want to adjust not only the offline details of how you’re working, but also the workflow itself. Create a habit of reviewing reports and looking for bottlenecks and points of frustrations. Make sure you have a staffing plan that enables you to make small changes quickly. This best practice also means you have permission NOT to rationalize all your business processes on day one of CMS launch. Management often has the goal of getting rid of all the unnecessary inconsistencies among teams, and this is a worthy goal. But sometimes it makes sense to step into that level of change incrementally.

We’ve found that following these guidelines results in a system that enables immediate change but with the option for more change when you need it. Not following them can lead to user revolt and management disappointment. 

What do you think? What has and hasn’t worked for you when implementing business process changes?

 

 

RSI Content Solutions, a leading content management software provider, was recognized by Philadelphia SmartCEO magazine as a winner of the 2014 Philadelphia  Future 50 Award. The Future 50 Awards program recognizes 50 of the area’s fastest-growing companies based on employee and revenue growth over the past 3 years. The 2014 Future 50 winners collectively generate $3.2 billion in annual revenue and employ 10,412 individuals in the Greater Philadelphia area.

The Future 50 Awards program, now in its 4th year of celebration in Philadelphia, kicked off with an application process in September 2013. More than 700 local business executives and guests attended a gala on January 16th, 2014 at the Drexelbrook to celebrate the winners and their achievements.

Read the full press release here. 

RSI Content Solutions, a content management solutions provider to the publishing industry, is pleased to announce that it has been named to the 2013 EContent 100 list of companies that matter most in the digital content industry for the third year in a row. Selection of the companies for the EContent 100 list falls to a team of judges including editors from Information Today, Inc., EContent magazine contributing editors, and other industry experts. Additional companies on the list include Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, O'Reilly Media, and others.

“In 2013, our task was to narrow down the ever expanding list of important players in the digital content industry to a mere 100 companies that matter most, a task that is becoming harder every year,” said Theresa Cramer, editor of EContent. “Consequently, the companies that do make up our list can be sure that they are in good company—and that next year, there will be a new crop of companies biting at their heels. This is great for the industry, and exciting for those of us who cover the space.”

Continue reading the press release here.

On January 17th, more than 550 Philadelphia-area executives joined SmartCEO magazine in celebrating 50 fast-growth companies at the Philadelphia Future 50 Awards ceremony. Barry Bealer, CEO and co-founder at RSI Content Solutions was honored for 10 years' of consistent company growth.

Fast forward to the 1:31 mark to learn the answer to the question above!

RSI Content Solutions, a leading content management software provider, was recognized by Philadelphia SmartCEO magazine as a winner of the 2013 Philadelphia SmartCEO Future 50 award. The Future 50 Awards program recognizes 50 of the area’s fastest-growing companies based on employee and revenue growth over the past 3 years. The 2013 Future 50 winners collectively generate $1.23 billion in annual revenue and employ more than 12,000 individuals in greater Philadelphia.

The Future 50 Awards program, now in its 3rd year of celebration in Philadelphia, kicked off with an application process in September 2012. More than 650 local business executives and guests attended a gala on January 17th, 2013 at the Drexelbrook to celebrate the winners and their achievements.

“The companies we are honoring this year are growing in spite of the economic hardships we have all been facing. These companies are investing in themselves, and investing in their people and are rising above the rest. They deserve to be recognized and celebrated because they are moving our economy and this region forward,” says Jaime Nespor, group publisher of SmartCEO magazine, “We are proud to recognize them for their achievements and growth.”

“We are honored to receive this recognition for the second year in a row,” stated Barry Bealer, CEO and co-founder at RSI Content Solutions.  “But it's worth stating that RSI Content Solutions is only as successful as its customers. If our publishing clients can increase revenue and growth through better content management, then we have done our job.”

For more than a decade, RSI Content Solutions has been a trusted content management services and solution provider to the publishing industry. Learn how organizations like Oxford University Press, Elsevier Health Sciences, LexisNexis Pacific, Texas Instruments and many others use RSuite CMS and DocZone and see the latest features of the software at www.rsicms.com.

RSI Content Solutions, providers of two award winning content management products---RSuite CMS and DocZone, has announced today at Digital Book World Conference and Expo that it is expanding engineering operations in South America.  The expanded operations are anticipated to triple the size of the current development team by the end of 2013.

“We see the need to continue to build hybrid on- and offshore teams to provide cost competitive services to our client base,” stated Steve Quirke, vice president of operations at RSI Content Solutions.  “RSI Content Solutions has created a deeply integrated onshore and offshore development team who will deliver affordable development and product customizations.”

The expanded team will supply product engineering and support for both RSuite CMS and DocZone core products as well as specific implementation projects. 

“I am thrilled to be leading up the expansion of the RSI engineering team,” stated Gert Olie, director of engineering for the South American-based team.  “We have a strong team of engineers that have been providing high quality content management development for 15 years. Additionally, we are conveniently located in the Eastern Standard Time zone, facilitating daily communication between teams and customers.”

For more than a decade, RSI Content Solutions has been a trusted content management services and solution provider to the publishing industry. Learn how organizations like Oxford University Press, Elsevier Health Science, LexisNexis Pacific, Texas Instruments and many others use RSuite CMS and DocZone and see the latest features of the software at www.rsicms.com.

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RSI Content Solutions, a content management solutions provider to the publishing industry, has been named to the EContent 100 list for the 2nd year in a row. Now in its 12th year, this list of companies that matter most in the digital content industry is hand selected by EContent Magazine’s judges who are experts in the digital content industry. Additional companies on the list include Amazon, Apple, Facebook, LinkedIn, O'Reilly Media, and others.

“Submissions for this year's EContent 100 list were better than ever, and consequently our judges had their work cut out for them,” stated Theresa Cramer, editor, EContent.  “What truly makes a company successful in the digital world? That's the question we set out to answer with this year's EContent 100 list.”

RSI provides content management software to traditional publishers, media companies, and technical documentation teams. Its enterprise software solution, RSuite CMS, serves many global publishers and has become a trusted content management system.  RSuite CMS has proven to reduce the time to market for new product development by more than 50%, deliver packages of content in a fully automated fashion to licensees, and reduce content conversion budgets through multi-channel publishing.

 “It brings us great joy to be honored along with the other distinguished companies who are shaping the industry,” explained Barry Bealer, CEO and co-founder of RSI Content Solutions. “Our staff puts great effort and dedication to support publishers and media companies as they navigate the digital landscape and discover ways to not only survive but also thrive during this exciting time.”

To learn more about RSI and how organizations like Oxford University Press, Elsevier Health Science, LexisNexis Pacific, and many others use RSuite CMS and see the latest features of the software, please visit www.rsicms.com.

RSI Content Solutions and Data Conversion Laboratory have surveyed and collected input on the state of technology adoption and digital revenue metrics from publishing and media organizations. Join us for a webinar on December 6 as the survey results are revealed and analyzed by Barry Bealer, CEO and co-founder of RSI Content Solutions, and Mark Gross, CEO of Data Conversion Laboratory. 

Don't miss Barry and Mark's insight and perspective on 

• How publishers are approaching the digital landscape to benefit customers
• How organizations recognize increased revenue from multi-channel publishing
• What you can do to achieve greater revenue from digital products in 2013

Webinar Details | 2012 Publishers' Survey Results

Title: Reality Check: The Truth from the Publishers' Perspective

Date: Thursday, December 6, 2012

Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST

Space is limited.
Reserve your webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/198740406