ABS NS to Debut NS 5

ABS NS will debut NS 5 to the worldwide marine and offshore community. This next-generation fleet management product is the culmination of nearly 20 years of experience. Evan Michaelides, ABS Nautical Systems’ Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, led the development of NS 5 with the goals of providing a revamped look and support for the latest technology standards, while retaining and building on the core functionality that has made ABS NS’s product suite so popular with users. “The SafeNet product line has lived a long and productive life, but it was built with a technology set that is no longer considered cutting-edge,” said Michaelides. “With the introduction of NS 5, we have established a platform that we can build upon for years to come.” From a user standpoint, the single, most noticeable difference between NS 5 and the SafeNet product line is the appearance of the new user interface, which is based on Windows® standards. Longtime SafeNet users will particularly welcome the new sorting and searching capabilities. Rewritten from the ground up in the Java programming language, NS 5 incorporates an open-database architecture and supports the MySQL and Oracle databases.In addition to the various technology improvements, NS 5 incorporates many functional enhancements based on feedback provided by existing clients and other companies that operate in the marine and offshore industries. In particular, many companies are expected to take advantage of the more flexible purchasing workflow.NS 5 will be released in stages throughout the next year. ABS NS expects to launch the Maintenance & Repair and Purchasing & Inventory modules on a limited basis in October 2003, with general availability to new clients in the first quarter of 2004. The Crew Management, Crew Payroll and ISM modules should be available in the second quarter of 2004.In order to facilitate transition to NS 5 for existing clients, ABS NS plans to provide a tool to convert SafeNet central databases to the new product’s format, as well as special interim facilities to permit continued data replication with vessels running SafeNet during the transition period. These transitional replication facilities will be available in the second half of 2004. Courtesy of Nautical Systems