Controlling calendars and copyrights with Ellisoft
By Basheera Khan
Hairdressers, mechanics, gym owners, freelances of all varieties - prepare yourselves for a revolution.
Swansea-based software developer Ellisoft is currently completing work on Diary Manager, an
application designed to marry the flexibility of mobile technology with the power of the Web. The result, says company founder Simon Ellis, will dramatically change
the way service providers interact with their customers.
As all entrepreneurs know, inspiration strikes at the most unlikely times. This was the case for Simon, who had his brainwave while having a hair cut. The result? Day book management software which
will allow users to open their calendars up to clients through the Web, allowing the latter increased flexibility and choice in booking appointments.
The software will have SMS functionality built-in, which means any service provider using the product will be able to send their clients a text message reminder of appointments, thus reducing the risk of
cancellations and the resultant losses in revenue.
Although the primary target is the hairdressing industry, Simon believes the software could benefit anyone for whom time really is money.
Simon says his initial market research is very promising; several select hair salons have displayed an interest, and with product demonstrations lined up for February this year, he is confident that Ellisoft
Diary Manager will experience widespread take-up in the next six months.
Although the core components are ready, further development has been postponed for the short term, as Ellisoft has been sub-contracted to develop data collection and analysis software for a
corporate client. The product is due for completion by the summer of 2004.
Once that's off the ground, he says, the next project he'll focus on is Stegnify, an application for protecting copyright by encrypting information within images.
Simon says, "Stegnify is something I have always wanted to do. Once the message is embedded into the picture, it should prove impossible to alter or remove the message."
The user interface will be very simple, says Simon. To apply Stegnify to a folder of images, the user would have to "type a message, choose a folder, click Stegnify and go for a cuppa." The encoded
information will be retrievable through Stegnify as well.
Simon sees this product as an extremely easy and cheap way to ensure that copyright information is always available. "If you were to have a gallery full of images and someone nicked all of them and
palmed them off as their own, you would be able to retrieve the message and thereby prove ownership of the images," he says.
Stegnify will be released as soon as it is ready, says Simon, and will be available as freeware or donationware.
Simon started up his company in September 2003. A recent graduate from the University of Wales Swansea, Simon has received business support from The Prince's Trust, Business Eye, and
Broker Cymru, which helped him through the New Deal for Disabled People programme provided through Jobcentre Plus by the Department for Work and Pensions. Simon has been deaf since birth,
but says he has met life's challenges through the understanding of
his teachers and lecturers at school and University and with the ongoing support of his family.
Contacts
Ellisoft
Tel: (18002) 01792 869 167
E-mail: simon@ellisoft.co.uk
Web: http://www.ellisoft.co.uk
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