SMARTDRAW IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:

Manager of Information Systems Selects SmartDraw for Easy Network Documentation

Gregory Caporale is manager of information systems at Cramer Rosenthal McGlynn, a leading investment and financial planning firm based in New York City. He is responsible for IT support for the entire firm, from simple helpdesk requests to major network and application development.

"When I started working at the firm, there was a lack of documentation for network infrastructure," said Gregory. "I needed a quick and easy way to create network diagrams."

Gregory was familiar with Microsoft Visio^®, but knew it was expensive and somewhat difficult to learn. A friend of his recommended SmartDraw, and he decided to give it a try. Right away, he could see that it was much more user-friendly than other programs.

"Within minutes, I had created my first diagram," said Gregory. "Compared to the alternatives, SmartDraw is less expensive and easier to use."

Gregory found that SmartDraw automated the creation of network diagrams, server cabinet layouts, floor plans and more. He even used it to create timelines and charts for an office move.

"I'm very impressed with the professional-looking documents and charts I can produce with SmartDraw," said Gregory.

Unlike other graphics programs that provide users with a blank screen and expect them to draw, such as Visio^®, with SmartDraw, users select from a template that is specifically designed to create the type of illustration they need. For example, SmartDraw contains dozens of SmartTemplates for network diagrams, floor plans and timelines.

After selecting the appropriate template, users simply enter the information and SmartDraw does the rest: building the graphic automatically using built-in rules and professional design themes to guarantee polished, presentation-quality results in just a few minutes. In addition, SmartDraw features one-click export to popular document types such as PDF and PowerPoint^®, making it easy to share SmartDraw creations with others.

"I shared my SmartDraw diagrams with my superiors and even vendors," said Gregory. "Everyone was impressed. My CFO even started using SmartDraw after seeing what I could do with it."

According to Gregory, the biggest benefit of using SmartDraw in his office is increased productivity and major time-savings.

"SmartDraw has definitely saved us time," said Gregory. "Now, we don't have to scramble around guessing where a server is or what its purpose is. When there are network problems we can easily trace out the wiring using our diagrams."

Users can download a free trial at www.smartdraw.com.