HELIOS - Xinet Compared

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List of Suppliers:
- Equilibrium
- HELIOS
  : Future of DTP
  : HELIOS Suite
  : PDF Server
  : HELIOS Workflow
  : macademy addons
  : UGSoft addons

- Canto Cumulus
- Dynagram
- Farrukh
- Adstream
- SeeFile
- Printable

Business Solutions:
- Digital Asset Mgmt
- Creative Solutions
- PDF Workflow
- Digital Distribution
- Prepress & Printing
- Document/Image Mgmt

GASAA Major Sponsor

PODi Member 2008-9

Adobe Bronze Partner

A Dozen Reasons for choosing HELIOS instead of Xinet

Why are HELIOS solutions superior to products from Xinet? Here are just a few of the many reasons why customers request HELIOS rather than Xinet. If you have any questions about these points, we can provide the details that led to these conclusions.

1) HELIOS is the technology leader

HELIOS has led in the introduction of many technologies, such as ICC color management support, AFP 3.1 support, PDF workflow support, PDF-native OPI, etc.

2) Is PDF workflow important?

Then FullPress should not be considered. Their use of the shareware Ghostscript application precludes serious consideration: Ghostscript supports composite PDF only, with no color space preserved, no Distiller job or security options, and no resolution preserved.

HELIOS PDF HandShake provides extremely strong PDF printing and OPI support, and uses Adobe Acrobat Distiller for the highest quality PDF generation.

3) Is content repurposing important?

HELIOS ImageServer provides server-based image conversion (file format, resolution, colour space, and compression), either fully automated, or via drop folders. HELIOS uses the Heidelberg CMM for the fastest and highest quality color space conversions available. Xinet FullPress has no comparable capability.

4) Is color management important?

HELIOS applications incorporate the renowned Heidelberg CMM (co-developed by Heidelberg and HELIOS). HELIOS server-based ColorSync ICC color management is known for its high quality output. Xinet's Color Vérité is not.

5) Remote file management

HELIOS WebShare offers much more secure and much faster remote file access than Xinet WebNative, at a far better price. For complete details, see:
http://www.helios.de/products/WS/WebShare.html,
http://www.helios.de/products/WS/security.html, and
http://www.helios.de/products/WS/speed.html.

Xinet WebNative is slow and cumbersome to use, with poor security (the primary server must be exposed to the Internet), sending cleartext passwords over the Internet with every packet, and file access security is not enforced.

6) Digital Asset Management

Xinet only offers a 'one-size fits all' DAM solution. HELIOS partners with a wide range of vendors to allow the end-user to select the most appropriate solution for their needs. Using HELIOS APIs, these companies offer very tight integration between their DAM solution and HELIOS ImageServer. Options include BrighTech MediaBeacon; the Canto Cumulus HELIOS Companion; OPIX Media City; OKS OPAS-G, and more.

7) Server platform options

HELIOS supports all major UNIX server platforms, including Linux and Mac OS X. Migration to a new HELIOS server is easy. Xinet runs only on Sun, SGI, Linux, OS X and Windows, with no migration tools.

8) Superior cross-platform client support

HELIOS EtherShare and PCShare offer tightly integrated cross platform file and print server support for Macintosh and Windows clients. HELIOS support for AFP 3.1 provides the most advanced features to Mac OS X clients. HELIOS ImageServer has full cross-platform support for layout files, document previews, and the OPI TuneUp XT. Xinet has no comparable capabilities.

9) Greater OPI flexibility and remote workflow support

HELIOS ImageServer allows finer control of layout file generation (parameters can be specified per folder) and much better support for remote OPI, especially when used together with WebShare. Script Server enables automation of many procedures.

10) Up-front and annual costs

Bottom line, HELIOS is much better value. Many customers who switch to HELIOS from Xinet cite the burdensome annual Xinet maintenance charges.

11) Transparency

HELIOS is very open in their dealings. Extensive product specifications, complete documentation, TechInfos, update list, the HELIOS SDK, and a full feature 30 day Test Drive are all available on the HELIOS website. In addition, the HELIOS-USERS listserv connects end-users with HELIOS.

Xinet is very secretive. Aside from marketing content, their website has little actual technical information about their products. They are correct that many buyers are easily swayed by fancy brochures, but for those buyers who wish to perform due diligence and actually investigate the Xinet products, detailed information is not readily available.

12) Partners

"You can judge a person by the company they keep." HELIOS OEM partners such as Heidelberg, Agfa, Creo, CCI, and many others attest to the quality and value of the HELIOS offerings. HELIOS works together with other companies to make integration easy, so that customers can get best of breed solutions. DAM vendors take advantage of HELIOS APIs to provide a range of solutions.

* Cumulus HELIOS Companion: See the unique advantages of HELIOS UB with Canto Cumulus 7 (html) compared to Xinet FullPress with WebNative Venture...

Typical benefits HELIOS UB provides to the Canto Cumulus customer, by function:

* Additional image and document formats supported

* Content re-purposing
    o Highest quality ICC color space transforms
    o Fastest image conversion
    o Photoshop path and clipping path extraction/insertion

* Preview images
    o Faster preview generation
    o Multi-page InDesign and QuarkXPress document previews
    o Multi-page PostScript document previews

* Increased speed with LIVE Updates
    o When an asset is placed on the file system the DAM can immediately recognize the new file and make it available with previews and available metadata.
    o Reduction of Network Load by cataloging at the server.

...more info