Picdar News News index MIDLAND NEWS ASSOCIATION UPGRADES TO MEDIA MOGUL JSUITE IN STRATEGIC SHIFT TO BROWSER BASED TECHNOLOGIES Date of News : 13/06/2007 Midland News Association is to upgrade its existing Media Mogul picture and text library system to Picdar’s browser based Digital Asset Management solution, Media Mogul jSuite. The project is to be managed by MNA and will embrace its sister companies as part of a strategy for continuous improvement across all publishing operations. The upgrade to Media Mogul jSuite involves moving the combined digital assets from three sites onto a single system. Media Mogul jSuite, developed to address the publishing industry’s move towards browser-based applications, allows MNA to share assets such as stories and pictures across its print and online titles and to broaden the commercial opportunities with its readership. Philip Walker, Director Information Technology, Claverley Publishing Companies said, “MNA’s upgrade to Media Mogul jSuite is a natural progression in a great partnership with Picdar. We’ve been working together for 12 years, and this upgrade demonstrates our continued belief in Picdar as the ‘state-of-the-art’ for publishers”. Andy Heather, Chief Technology Officer, Picdar said, “With Media Mogul jSuite publishers can now adapt their businesses relatively cheaply, and at much higher speed than in the past. Once publishers can see and manage all of their assets from any location, Media Mogul jSuite quickly becomes a corporate resource, opening up new opportunities for efficiency and growth.” MNA has a long history of adopting innovative technologies to positive effect. In 1964 the Shropshire Star was the first evening newspaper to be printed web offset, in the 1980s the Express & Star was one of the first to embrace the computer revolution, and the group was quick to harness the potential of the Internet. All of its newspapers have a corresponding website, from which readers can engage directly with the news in their area, buy photographs from the newspaper’s archives and access up-to-the minute classified advertising such as cars, jobs, property and local business information. In addition, MNA provides advertising agencies with a comprehensive online planning tool, allowing them to research the reach of the group’s newspapers by title or consumer behaviour. About Picdar Picdar is a market leader in scalable digital-asset management and workflow systems for publishers and other organisations at which publishing is a core function. Picdar's flagship Media Mogul product family enables companies to automate the management and re-use of digital media across print and new media channels. Picdar remains committed to excellent customer satisfaction through superior product performance and exceptional service. Typical customers are newspaper and magazine publishers, corporate marketing departments, and picture libraries. A UK company, Picdar has a blue chip customer base that includes 80% of UK national newspapers and the majority of the UK’s largest magazine publishers. Corporate customers and other publishers using Picdar solutions include world-leading travel company Tui, architects Foster and Partners, and the BBC.