Such economies for a company with $15 million in annual sales can justify the sizable investment in this extended system over the years. "All the hardware and software on the network total about $800,000, but you might buy the same computing power today for $250,000," says Raymond. Installing the network was at first a way to avoid buying a larger minicomputer, while preserving the company's investment in the one it already owned. With the local-area network, Triple-A could put off adding processing power while prices came down, Raymond recalls. "Whenever the system's response time started to slow down, we would add more processors to handle the data flow. It ended up costing us much less than trying to upgrade our minicomputer," he says.
As an added dividend, the integration of data from far-flung departments results in fewer errors in office functions. For example, when inventory receipts are being entered, the application program on the network can get into files and check purchase order numbers, inventory levels, and work orders to make sure that all records are accurate and current, within seconds. As soon as an entry is made by one department, all other departments have access to the information, within limits. "Software on the network creates a system of security password clearances to limit data access," says Raymond. "Each manager creates a security profile of those employees who should have access to different types of records and files."
Unlike Andrews & Kurtz's Ethernet network, which relies on software supplied by Xerox, Triple-A's network uses programs supplied by an independent computer consulting company. The company, InfoPro Inc., based in Franklin Park, Ill., also sold Triple-A the ARC network. Security protection software is one of nearly 600 programs written or modified to Triple-A's needs by consultants who are always on call. "There are always two people from lnfoPro on the premises working on new programs and enhancing existing ones," Raymond explains. He stresses the reliability of both hardware and software.
The ARC network system and Ethernet both use coaxial cable similar to TV cable to connect devices, but there the resemblance ends. The ARC cable actually is of a different design, allowing information to be sent along greater network distances. Ethernet will reach a maximum network length of two miles, but ARC can be extended up to four miles by adding a $1,200 repeater for each 2,000-foot extension.
A less-costly alternative to the ARC network, Digital Microsystems Inc.'s HiNet local-area network (about $28,000), was chosen to deliver interoffice mail electronically at G. H. Hastings Advertising. The ad agency, based.in Berkeley, Calif., handles high-tech advertising and marketing for medical, scientific, and computer software companies. Memos and ad copy that used to be walked around to various desks in the 16-employee company now travel by HiNet.
When a copywriter, for example, pushes the appropriate key, the monitor screen displays any waiting messages. Sending a message is as simple as typing in the recipient and message and completing on-screen instructions. "We have done away with a lot of paper -- only layouts still have to be walked around," says Greg Hastings, the company's owner and president.
Hastings almost chose an ARC network: "We wanted a system that would give us stand-alone word processing and accounting while allowing us to pool data for marketing reports, statistical analyses, and other database applications. The HiNet seems to give us the same capabilities as an ARC network, at one-third the price."
This HiNet installation links a Digital Microsystems hard-disk memory device with seven Digital personal computers, distributed throughout the company's 5,000-square-foot offices, and a pair of letter-quality printers. The HiNet system communicates at only one-twentieth the speed of Ethernet, but for a small (up to 30 stations) network, this is hardly a problem. "If the system has to do something particularly time-consuming, like sorting through a mailing-list file with thousands of labels on the hard disk," says Hastings, "it may take five seconds to come back with the information, but usually the response is almost instantaneous. "
According to Hastings, the HiNet system's advantages include its compatibility with the CP/M operating system used by many popular business-oriented personal computer programs. "For our first use, word processing, all we needed was CP/Mbased software bought straight off the shelf of the computer store where we bought the network," he says. The software chosen was the best-selling WordStar word processing program, published by MicroPro International Corp. in San Rafael, Calif. For data management, Selector V software from Micro-Ap Inc., of Dublin, Calif., was put to use. "We built up a database that gives us a competitive edge in reporting industry trends," says Hastings. "We can evaluate industry advertising expenditures, market shares, and marketing strategies. We can provide clients with weekly tabulations of activity in their markets, including dollar amounts spent on advertising by rivals and the number of inquiries registered from magazine ads. We can budget campaigns much more effectively by consolidating the information we have at our disposal."
Through a "gateway" circuit, which allows communication outside the network, Hastings can link the HiNet system by telephone to his terminal at home, 20 miles away. "I can access the database or use a word processing file at any time," he says. "I can even run the printer at the office from home, so hard copy is ready for me at the office first thing in the morning. Communication with other networks or computer systems can further broaden the network's reach. Hastings expects soon to "conduct branch banking through the network -- for electronic funds transfer and keeping tabs of balances in our bank accounts. We're also starting to make use of commercial databases like CompuServe and Dialog to add to our database. A local-area network gives you the flexibility to expand as your needs and expertise expand."
