Value of Technical Publications in the Enterprise Network Security Industry

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1 Position Paper on Value of Technical Publications in the Enterprise Network Security Industry The Writers Block 1 1

2 The Writers Block 2 2

3 Introduction This paper presents the value and need for qualitative Technical Publication in the outgrowing Enterprise Network Security industry; to market the products at a higher value proposition. Technical publications created in the Enterprise Network Security industry include a wide variety such as user guides, white papers, data sheets, reference guides, promotion campaigns, and demos. The network security market is undergoing a variety of transitions and is still growing despite slowing economies worldwide. Network security products remain popular because they offer comprehensive security with strong performance advantages and convenience to customers. The market remains competitive as more comprehensive solutions are taking hold in larger businesses. The worldwide network security appliance and software market is forecast to reach $6 billion in With continuously increasing product models and fast track product launches, most of the companies outsource their documentation requirements. Outsourcing such requirements also involves steps to protect Intellectual Property and Non-disclosure of data of products that are not yet released into the market. TWB - Leading Technical Documentation Outsourcing Company TWB is a leading technical communication company with an excellent record of providing unmatched technical documentation to many major multinational companies. TWB is the preferred technical and marketing documentation service provider for leading enterprise network security companies. TWB helps customers with all their technical and marketing documentation needs such as datasheets, cheat sheets, product summaries, press releases, and brochures. TWB works closely with client teams located globally, and assists them in meeting their worldwide product announcements and launch deadlines. TWB works round-the-clock with client teams and provides worldclass documentation that facilitates timely distribution of documents around the globe. Knowledge is people, money, learning, flexibility and competitive advantage. Knowledge is more relevant to sustained business than capital or labor. And yet knowledge remains the most neglected asset of a business. TWB helps you unlock and share your technical knowledge with the world. TWB believes that technology cannot exist without being communicated effectively. The Writers Block 1 1

4 Enterprise Network Security Technical Publications The world of Enterprise Network Security is becoming more complex and sophisticated everyday. With the Enterprise Network Security industry growing rapidly, research firm IDC predicts that the network security market is set to grow to $6 billion dollars in 2013, up from $987.2 million in After a brief period of fall in 2009, the global network security market is showing signs of stabilization and growth from the second quarter of Technical publication is an integral part of product development, marketing and sales. Companies are looking forward to expand their markets on a global level, with customer centric business models. For selling the products, companies need sales and marketing material. These materials provide product specifications, accessory details, and services and support information. Challenges and Solutions Some of the greatest documentation challenges that most companies face today include: Timely availability of quality documents during product release Cost cutting in a multi-vendor business environment Managing large volumes of documentation for new products releases The Enterprise Network Security industry relies on business collaterals and product documentation for sales and marketing, and also to reduce support costs. The products need to be documented for both worldwide audience and internal global sales and marketing teams. It is sometimes difficult to manage high volumes of documentation requirements for upcoming product releases on time. As a result, most of the documentation requirements are outsourced to companies that provide quality and on-demand technical publication solutions. Benefits TWB s critical offshore support for Enterprise Network Security product marketing documentation has helped the world s largest dedicated security technology company to successfully market their solutions. Key benefits that the company has drawn from TWB s offshore delivery are: Quick turnaround time Significant savings in operational costs Minimal reiterations due to TWB s expertise in the Enterprise Network Security domain and creating marketing documentation Minimal interaction with TWB, enabling the company s process owners to focus on their core functions The Writers Block 2 2

5 Value of Technical Publications Technical Communication for Transferring Product Knowledge Communication for Different Levels of Technical and Product Knowledge The purpose of technical communication is to transfer product knowledge to end users in a comprehensible manner. The strategies of communication and levels of information vary depending on the type of product and audience. Providing end users with information about a product s operation and maintenance is critical to the market performance of the product. Hence, the need for quality documentation is imperative. In today s business scenario, technical publications are often developed as an afterthought. This usually results in inaccurate and incomprehensible documentation, which, in turn, renders the users incapable of using the products. Accurate, readily understandable, and quality documents determine how a product sells in the market and result in increased customer satisfaction. Faulty Assumptions that Result in Problems in Documentation The faulty assumptions listed below result in incomprehensible documents: Developers know their products better than anyone else due to time constraints and limited resources, many companies assign their documentation tasks to the programmers. This more often results in the creation of technologycentered information, while end users require task-oriented information. In technical publications, audience is the focal point. Hence, the style, language, and content must vary depending on the type of audience being addressed. It is because every user has a specific role in the implementation and usage of the technology. Therefore, it is important that documents be created keeping in mind the role of the person who will use the document. For example, when you document a software application designed for highly technical users, it is sufficient to provide the users with quick reference information to use the application. For users who start without technical or product knowledge, it is important to provide detailed product information along with instructions on how to use the product. Attractive Publications as Useful Marketing Tool Besides transferring knowledge, technical publications are also used for marketing a product. Before a product is released in the market, information about the product needs to be effectively communicated to the customers. Well-designed, accurately presented, and attractive marketing collaterals increase the market prospects of a product and reduce support costs. Documentation of complex applications requires a longer learning curve for the writer - learning the product will not be a major obstacle for writers with the right technical background. The Writers Block 3 3

6 Conclusion Price Competitive Growth in the Enterprise Network Security: As the Enterprise Network Security industry is poised to grow rapidly, competition will ensue from both new players as well as established companies. Established technologies will be subject to downward price pressure and competitive costing. However, the competition for new technologies will continue to be derived from innovation and differentiation. Value of Technical Publications: Technical Publications are very essential for transferring product knowledge to the end users. Provisioning of proper material to use the technology and products enables the user to accept and efficiently use the product. Faulty assumptions about documentation lead to inaccurate and hard-to-understand material. This also decreases the changes of marketing the products in the global markets. Role of Documentation Outsourcing: With the Enterprise Network Security industry being competitive, security providers consider outsourcing the documentation needs to well-established Technical Publications Solutions providers. This will help them cut costs and at the same time deliver their products on-time with quality documents. The Writers Block 4 4

7 TWB Services TWB is India s leader in technical communication outsourcing and education. TWB offers a complete suite of services that allow our customers to effectively publish their technical knowledge with their people and processes. TWB s customers range from Global 500 including Cisco, Accenture, McAfee, LG, Samsung, Citrix, SAP, Siemens, AOL, Intel; Indian technology majors including Infosys, Wipro; Global defense majors - Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell, DRDO, HAL; and exciting technology startups. TWB's expertise in technical communication ranges from IT Products and Outsourcing, ITES, Banking, Financial, Aerospace, Defense, Ship Building to Hi-tech Manufacturing, and Discrete and Process Manufacturing. TWB s services include: Technical Marketing Solutions Datasheets Cheat sheets Solution Briefs/Solution Brochures Presentations Products/Corporate Profile Brochures and marketing collateral Web content Audio and video scripts Press releases Direct mail Newsletter design copy Sales catalogues Sales sheets Short Reports Proposals Case Studies Lab Reports Memos Progress/Interim Reports Writing for Electronic Media Illustrations Graphic Designing Info graphics 2D & 3D animation Line drawings and illustrations Process Documentation Workflows Standard Operating Procedures ISO Documentation CMM Documentation Deployment and Support Installation and Configuration Guides Operations Manual Technical Product Datasheets Administrator s Guide API Document Configuration Guide Functional Specifications Document Installation Manual Interface Document Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM) Maintenance Manual Online Help Operation Manual Product Demo Product Specifications Document Product Overview Document Quick Reference Guide Release Notes Requirement Analysis Document SDK Document Troubleshooting Manual User Manual Open Source Documentation Programmers Guides Functional Specifications Document Use Cases Online Help /Context Sensitive Help Troubleshooting Guides Qualitative Analytics for Decision Support Economic Business Research Industry Analysis Market Opportunity Analysis Competitive Business Analysis Company & Prospect Profiling Reporting Solutions Assessment of Unmet Market Needs Status and Potential of Technologies Benchmarking of Strategies Vs Competition Forecasting Sales Force Effectiveness Market Assessments Competitive Intelligence Opinion Leadership Emerging Markets - evaluation and research Documentation Quality Management Copy Editing and Proof Reading Managing Writing Editing Services Layout and Design Creating SLAs Business Documentation Business Proposals Legal Disclaimers Policy Manuals Style Guide Design Template Design Content Management Single Sourcing File Version Control Document Naming Conventions Consistent Document Formatting Data Transformation Web site Development Web 2.0 development Web content Web applications Translation and Localization Services Software Translation Services Document Translation Services Localization (L10N) Testing Internationalization (I18N) Testing Records Management Document Management Solutions Record Management Storage and Retrieval The Writers Block 5 5

8 TWB Software Tools Expertise r technical Our technical proficiency proficiency in software in software and authoring and authoring tools tools includes: includes: Unstructured Content Development Microsoft Word Adobe FrameMaker Adobe InDesign QuarkXPress Adobe PageMaker Illustrations Adobe Flash CS4 Professional Adobe Illustrator CS3 CorelDRAW Microsoft-Expression Graphic Designer Xara Xtreme (Windows & Linux) CuteDraw Publisher3D(for animation) Sketsa SVG Editor (for vector graphics) Techsmith Camtasia Arbortext IsoDraw (technical illustrations for 2D and 3D) Graphics/Animation Adobe Flash Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Adobe Fireworks Microsoft Silverlight Databases Microsoft Access Microsoft SQL Server Flowcharting Microsoft Visio igrafx EDraw RFFlow Flowbreeze Smart Draw XML Structured Editors Epic FrameMaker+SGML X-Metal Macromedia Captivate Graphics/Animations Adobe Flash Adobe Photoshop Adobe Fireworks Online Help JavaHelp Adobe RoboHelp 7.0 HelpScribble WebWorks Publisher PowerCHM Doc-To-Help WinCHM HelpSmith 2.1.1(Windows) Fast-Help MadCap Flare Help-Server NVU Help XML XMetal Microsoft Word 2003, Microsoft Word 2007 CMS/ LMS Sharepoint Moodle Joomla, WordPress Media Wiki CMS Builder Author-it (formerly AuthorIT) Alfresco Multimedia/Authoring Adobe Flash Adobe Dreamweaver Microsoft FrontPage Adobe Captivate Multimedia/Authoring/ Supporting tools Adobe Flash Adobe Flex Adobe AIR Adobe Dreamweaver Adobe Acrobat Microsoft Silverlight Adobe Authorware Adobe Director Adobe Captivate Trivantis Lectora ASP.NET JSP JAVA Standards SCORM 1.2 / 2004 AICC W3C Section 508 QTI XML Development and Publishing tools XSLT/XSL EDD The Writers Block 6 6

9 Industries Served TWB services a wide range of technology and knowledge-driven industries, helping them meet their markets better. These TWB include: services a wide range of technology and knowledge driven industries, helping them meet their markets better, these include: Banking, Insurance and Financial Services Consulting and Business Services Defense, Aerospace and Hi-Tech Manufacturing Education and Learning IT, ITES ITES/ KPO/ BPO Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Process Manufacturing and Allied Industries Steel, Ship Building, Construction and Aviation Telecom and Digital Communications TWB TWB has has been been the the preferred preferred technical technical documentation documentation outsourcing outsourcing company company for: for: The TWB Building No: 4062, 19th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Bangalore India. Landmark: Behind Carlton Towers US Office: TWB Norwegian Wood Drive Austin, TX Telephone: / Telephone: Corporate Enquiries: corp@twb.in The Writers Block 7 7