Centra (NASDAQ:CTRA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2019 to Jun 2024
Release Incorporates New Components that Increase Enterprise
Application Value and End-user Adoption; Includes Centra's Next
Generation Client for Live Events
Centra Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRA), a leading provider of
software and services for online learning and training, today
announced Centra 7 version 7.5. This release provides significantly
enhanced support for organizational acceptance of enterprise
applications including the introduction of three add-on components
that provide a complete solution of integrated software, services and
best practices. Created to address the many challenges of application
implementation, end-user adoption and user competency, Centra 7.5
includes a new performance support system and sophisticated live help
component for personalized, on-the-job learning. These new components
lower production application support costs and increase compliance to
standard business processes. This new release also includes enhanced,
custom reporting capabilities for program and progress measurement
tied to enterprise applications.
Centra 7.5 also includes enhancements to Centra's core technology,
Centra Live, with a next-generation client for real-time sessions,
essential for traditional pre-go-live training and change management
initiatives. Centra Live now offers a refined user interface, enhanced
voice-over-IP audio and live video experience, and tools for
interactivity for richer, more engaging sessions. With this complete
and integrated solution, organizations will realize higher enterprise
application adoption and utilization, optimized business process
execution, and faster time to business value -- all benefits
attributed to learning programs. This announcement was made today at
the 2005 ASTD Conference and Exposition.
Organizations adopting Centra 7.5 will have access to product
components and professional services that will address the online
learning and training needs required to support enterprise
applications. New add-on modules include:
-- Centra Info Guide - An on-demand performance support system
that delivers up-to-date information about corporate policies,
procedures, and practices, and context-sensitive application
help, providing low-cost, self-service assistance to employees
as they are doing their work. Key to the continuation of
learning after virtual classroom training, formal self-paced
training, or blended programs are complete, Info Guide brings
corporate and application knowledge to the desktop when needed
to help employees perform business tasks - not just to conduct
application transactions. Centra Info Guide integrates with
Centra Knowledge Center, Centra's Web-based knowledge portal
for formal blended learning programs, enabling users to
effortlessly access relevant, personalized training materials
with a single click.
-- Centra Instant Assist - Employees can effortlessly transition
from self-help to live expert assistance with Centra Instant
Assist. This component provides real-time application or
business procedure support through online chat with help desk
representatives. Accessible from Centra Info Guide, employees
conveniently and quickly access experts and, through tight
integration with Centra Live, may share their desktop
virtually for fast issue resolution.
-- Centra Performance Insight - A Web-based enterprise reporting
system that provides customized business intelligence reports
in sophisticated yet easy-to-understand formats. Custom
application training progress reports provide visibility into
an organization's ability to "go live" on time with competent
users. Combine Centra and enterprise application data into a
single report to attribute trends in business performance to
organizational learning and collaboration.
-- Content Development Services - Adding to a wide range of
consulting, education and training, implementation, best
practices, and support services, Centra's content development
services provide assistance for live online training, blended
learning programs, and performance support. Content services
for training span needs analysis, adaptation and repurposing,
creation, and delivery. New services assist organizations in
architecting, designing, and creating content and information
for Centra Info Guide. Centra's experienced staff of content
developers can author meaningful, up-to-date, and job-specific
support materials, including application instructions,
demonstrations, simulations, process mappings, and procedures.
These new components are designed to shorten application rollout
cycles and drastically lower travel, facilities and telecom costs
associated with traditional rollout methods, ultimately reducing costs
for an organization on a recurring basis. They also lower help desk
costs for business-critical applications in production use.
Organizations maximize their enterprise application investment by
increasing employee productivity through more targeted training, less
time out of the office, increased proficiency and end-user adoption of
the new business processes. Centra 7.5 allows organizations to deliver
personalized training to employees through a combination of
self-service and live online learning, provide access to key subject
matter experts for support, and automate the gathering and reporting
of key rollout progress and effectiveness metrics. Beta customers have
applauded Centra's integrated solution that gives them a single system
that addresses the multiple needs of end-users while providing both
application and business process support accessed through one
application.
"When implementing an enterprise application, our research shows
that companies that understand the correlation between training and
end-user adoption and invest more in training throughout the
application lifecycle have a higher success rate," said Bruce
Richardson, Chief Research Officer at AMR Research. "Helping customers
address the complex learning and change management challenges around
ERP deployments has been a part of Centra's legacy. Now they have
taken their deep domain expertise, best practices, and core software
and added new modules that will go further to address major pain
points of organizations deploying enterprise applications such as SAP.
"
Enhancements to Centra's Core Technology
The new graphical interface provided by Centra 7.5 delivers
streamlined, intuitive menus and improved tools and features for live
sessions that promote high end-user adoption. Centra 7.5 integrates
with end-user desktops and popular business applications, embedding
collaboration into day-to-day workflows. By integrating with instant
messaging, email and calendaring tools, enterprise applications and
learning management systems, Centra supports and accelerates the
collaborative requirements of existing business processes.
Improvements to Centra's "Smart Client" Technology, a deployment
design that exists today, makes it easy to deploy client software on
desktops throughout the enterprise while minimizing IT support and
corporate lock-down policies.
Ease-of-Use Enhancements
Centra 7.5 provides a simple user interface layout and controls
including toolbar buttons and drop-down menus that have intuitive text
labels, icons and keyboard short-cuts, moveable panels, drag and drop
content, and a welcome screen that displays a simple set of
instructions for new or infrequent users. Easy-to-use tools for
interactivity include a new object-oriented whiteboard tool that saves
all notes, images and markups and an enhanced survey editor. This
version also includes a simple way to invite others when in a live
session. Post-meeting activities are made easier through a user
interface dialog that makes it easy to publish a recorded session and
email a meeting summary.
Packaging and Availability
Centra 7.5 is scheduled for general availability in June 2005.
Components of the application and add-on modules can be licensed
separately, or together as a complete enterprise online learning and
training environment that can be installed on-site or accessed through
Centra's secure ASP. Pricing varies based on configuration and scope
of services. Call 1-800-414-3591 or 781-994-1168 for details.
About Centra
Online learning and training solutions from Centra create
workforce efficiencies and enable organizations to share and exchange
business-critical information with geographically distributed
customers, partners, prospects and employees. Centra's solutions
integrate real-time communication, collaboration and learning, and
departmental business processes with applications that accelerate
enterprise application rollouts, sales and channel training, workforce
development and customer training initiatives. Currently available in
9 languages, Centra solutions can be deployed as on-site software or
through its ASP service and are supported by an active ecosystem of
value-added partners, including Siebel, PeopleSoft, SAP and Deloitte
Consulting. Organizations across every major industry and market
sector choose Centra, including Wyndham International, Weyerhaeuser,
Underwriters Laboratories, BMW and Stanford University. Headquartered
in Lexington, Massachusetts, Centra serves a worldwide customer base
throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more
information, visit www.centra.com.
Note to Editors: If you would like an onsite demo of Centra 7.5
during the ASTD Conference and Expo, contact Stephanie Goebel at
781-929-3705.
Safe Harbor Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
With the exception of the historical information contained in this
release, the matters described herein contain forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements about the
beliefs and expectations of management regarding the Company's future
performance, the Company's strategic initiatives, its ability to
achieve and maintain a leadership position in real-time conferencing
and collaboration, demand for the Company's software services and
management's goals and objectives regarding future results of
operations. These statements reflect management's beliefs and
expectations as of the date of this statement, and involve risk and
uncertainties that may cause actual results, events and performance to
differ materially. These risk factors include, but are not limited to,
risks associated with the Company's ability to successfully execute
its strategic plan, the effect of the Company's cost-cutting measures
on its operations, acceptance by customers of the Company's Enterprise
Advantage Subscription pricing model, significant changes in our
senior management team, customer fulfillment of the entire term of
multi-year subscription contracts, uncertainty of market reaction to
the Company's sales and marketing efforts, product demand for and
market acceptance of the Centra 7 collaboration platform, the
Company's ability to sell and deliver its Enterprise Application
Rollout and Sales Effectiveness solutions and other future products,
the effect of economic conditions generally on the market for IT
spending and for the Company's products, the results of future
research and development activities, the impact of competitive
products and pricing, technological difficulties and/or other factors
outside the control of the Company.
There is no assurance that the Company will be able to implement
its growth and operating plans as anticipated, or achieve its revenue
and earnings goals. For a description of additional risks, and
uncertainties, please refer to the Company's filings with the SEC,
including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2004 and its Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2005,
which are available at www.centra.com/investorrelations. Readers are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking
statements contained herein, which speak only as of the date hereof.
The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of
any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to
reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect
the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Centra is a registered trademark of Centra Software, Inc. All
other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their
respective owners.