in this issue

• Project news : new launches for IFEX, Toronto Arts Council and more
• Partner news : EZ Systems and InternetSecure join the fold
• By the numbers
• Readme.txt : Web budgets for beginners

Project news: new launches for IFEX, Toronto Arts Council and more

We're proud to announce the launch of release 1.0 of the new International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) Clearinghouse Web site ( http://www.ifex.org ). For the launch, Xaccute provided completely revamped site design and information architecture, a new database-driven publishing system for the site and the technical know-how to migrate nearly 25,000 records from 3 different legacy database systems to the new system. The results have been dramatic - the site's impact is way up as site traffic has increased nearly 700 percent since the launch even while IFEX' total cost of ownership is down. And that's just phase one - there's more news to come in the months ahead.

We're also proud to announce the Xaccute-led re- launch of the Toronto Arts Council's TorontoArtsOnline project ( www.torontoartsonline.org ). Working within the design standards established for the Arts Council's full network of sites, Xaccute implemented a new publishing system that allows the council to collaborate more effectively with its dozens of community partners to promote arts events in the city of Toronto, to provide increasing integration and ease of management for their network of Web properties and to offer greater ease of use to their growing group of loyal users.

Other projects in recent months - not that we're any less proud of them or anything, it's just there's only so many times you can use the word proud without sounding like a broken record - include enhancements to the online resource directory at the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario ( http://www.pogo.on.ca ) and the launch of Entrewomen.ca's online women's skills and entrepreneurship training events database (http://www.entrewomen.ca/events.html).

Get the full list of recent projects...

Partner news: EZ Systems and InternetSecure join the fold

This past February, Xaccute became the first Canadian member of EZ Systems AS' international Advanced Partner network. Admission to the network acknowledges Xaccute's superior track record in delivering successful content management and workflow automation projects and will allow us to provide even better support for similar projects in the future.

Also in February, Xaccute became a member of InternetSecure's partner program. Our membership allows us to provide superior support for projects involving implementation of secure online credit card transactions in Canadian and US dollars.

By the numbers

1,500 -estimated maximum percentage by which Intranet usage increased at companies whose redesigns were recognized by the Nielsen Norman Group as being among the best of 2003 ( http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20031013.html ).

23 - percentage of IT projects cancelled before completion in 2000, according to the Standish Group ( http://www.standishgroup.com/sample_research/index.php ).

1, 2, 3, 4 - rank, respectively, of executive support, user involvement, project management expertise and clarity of business objectives as factors influencing successful IT project outcome in 2000 according to the Standish Group (see above).

3.50 - value, in US$, of your street address, zip or postal code, phone number, Web site address and date of birth to every marketer you give it to, according to Swipe ( http://turbulence.org/Works/swipe/calculator.html ).

Readme.txt: Web budgets for beginners

Are you starting a new Web project but you're not sure where to begin in terms of planning and budgeting? Then it's Xaccute's Web Budgeting Primer to the rescue. The primer features objective info about the factors that affect the cost of Web projects, the elements of a Web budget, cost benchmarks and typical team composition for different types of dev projects.

Download Xaccute's Web Budgeting Primer for free now...