CSC, a global leader in technology-enabled solutions, is looking at increasing its customers for FirstPoint and FirstDoc enterprise content management (ECM) solutions in the global life science space.

Several customers are already implementing the solutions. More than 4,000 FirstDoc and FirstPoint licenses were recently issued to one of the global top 20 pharmaceutical companies. But the name of the company and the financial terms were not disclosed.
FirstPoint 1.6 version released in September 2008 offers small to mid-size life science companies an ECM solution with the enterprise-wide functionality. The Microsoft Office SharePoint server-based application enables rapid adoption and cost effective scalability regardless of the size of the organization. The version enables real-time collaboration in a controlled environment, increasing productivity while reducing the risk of non-compliance.

Other features include electronic signature, watermarking, PDF rendition management and template-driven workflows that reduce the need for customizations and help users manage multiple vendors. In addition, the new release offers forms management that leverages Microsoft Office InfoPath technology for creation, routing and approval of essential regulatory-driven forms, such as Change Request and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA).

"Managing data and forms, along with documents is critical to drug development process improvements targeted by life sciences organizations," said Michael Naimoli, director, Microsoft Corporation's US Life Sciences Industry Group.

Utilizing SharePoint server and Office InfoPath 2007, FirstPoint enables organizations to centrally manage and route electronic forms and automate time-consuming and error-prone processes, he added.

The version 6.0 of FirstDoc released in December is based on EMC Corporation's new Documentum 6.5 platform. It allows users to personalize SharePoint Web parts according to user role and content access privilege. The personalization capability helps the administrators to increases productivity.

Two discrete modules were introduced to the new 6.0 solution, FirstDoc SharePoint Experience (SPX) and FirstDoc Collaborative Review Experience (CRX). SPX is a cost-effective way to increase user access to combined information and capabilities in a controlled SharePoint Server setting. CRX also leverages SharePoint Server to enable clients the use of familiar Microsoft Office tools, such as track changes in a real-time, multi-user collaborative workflow.