In The Press
Leading Cyber Security Company Uses MadCap Flare to Bring Award-Winning Innovations to User Documentation and Product Guides
Case Study Reviews How Company Uses MadCap Flare to Create a Modern Web and Mobile Experience with Responsive Design and Top Navigation Plus PDF Guides for Multiple Audiences
La Jolla, CA — September 20, 2016 — MadCap Software, Inc., the leader in multi-channel content authoring and a showcase company for Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Visual Studio, today announced that it has published a new case study on Blue Coat Systems, which was recently acquired by Symantec. Using MadCap Flare for single-source, multichannel publishing, Blue Coat technical writers are delivering product guides both as PDFs and as responsive HTML5 Help that automatically adjusts to users’ computer screens and mobile devices. To view the full case study, visit www.madcapsoftware.com/case-study/blue-coat-uses-madcap-flare/.
Rethinking Document Delivery for Today’s Platforms
For years, Blue Coat employed Adobe® FrameMaker® to produce traditional PDFs, including in-depth solution guides and quick-start manuals. Then using WebWorks, the company converted the longer solution guides into online documentation. However, as the company’s product line continued to grow, so too did the number and size of the guides required to support the solutions, creating the need to more efficiently create and deliver content. Moreover, the addition of cloud-based security services to complement its appliances drove the need to modernize its web guides.
The new case study from MadCap Software discusses how Blue Coat technical writers turned to MadCap Flare to publish easy-to-navigate PDF and web solution guides, as well as streamline the delivery of multiple guides for Blue Coat and its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners. It also discusses how MadCap Flare was used to create a web-based deployment mode wizard for users, which earned an STC Chicago Distinguished Award in 2016.
Key benefits that Blue Coat has realized include:
- Topic-based single-source publishing facilitates content reuse and streamlines delivery of multiple guides as online help and PDFs.
- Responsive design that adapts to users’ screens and top navigation provide a modern, intuitive Web experience for desktop and mobile users, while links within the web guides to PDFs and training videos on YouTube let users learn the way they want to.
- Snippets, top navigation and drop-down text in Flare enabled Blue Coat to think out of the box in creating the intuitive deployment mode wizard without software programming. The wizard is now being applied to other solution guides.
- Variables, cascading style sheets and skins enable Blue Coat to customize content, as well as the look and feel, for different versions of its documentation for the company and OEMs.
Blue Coat Technical Writers Share Their MadCap Experiences
The HTML5 responsive design feature in Flare is fantastic. With a single output, I can produce content that looks great on smartphones and tablets, as well as laptops. Flare also has helped us gain greater efficiency for ourselves, as well as help us rethink our content development and delivery. I look forward to seeing how we can continue to innovate working with MadCap.
Chris Freeman | Senior Technical Writer, Blue Coat
Flare really allowed me to experiment and create an innovative wizard that provides a lot of value to Blue Coat customers. And the top navigation skin in Flare was just perfect for providing a clean, intuitive and modern layout,” said Rebecca Altman, principal technical writer at Blue Coat, and winner of the prestigious STC award.
Rebecca Altman | Principal Technical Writer, Blue Coat
“As one of the world’s top advanced web security solution providers, Blue Coat recognizes the importance of empowering customers to deploy systems quickly and correctly,” said Anthony Olivier, MadCap founder and CEO. “We are thrilled by Blue Coat’s innovation in using the single-source publishing, responsive design, and top navigation in MadCap Flare to create an award-winning deployment mode wizard for users and publish responsive multimedia web guides that adjust to users’ devices of choice.”
About MadCap Software
MadCap Software is a trusted resource for thousands of companies around the globe for single-source, multi-channel authoring and publishing solutions designed to streamline the process of developing and delivering training content, learning and development programs, technical documentation, online Help, knowledge bases, and more. From authoring, publishing and translation, to cloud-based content management system, to contribution and review in the cloud, you can streamline content delivery and manage the entire content development lifecycle with MadCap Software. MadCap Software’s services include product training, consulting services, translation and localization, and an advanced developer certification program. Headquartered in San Diego, California, with offices in Austin, TX, MadCap Software is home to some of the most experienced software architects and product experts in the content development industry.
PR Contact:
Rebecca Hurst
Kinetic.PR for MadCap Software
rebecca@kineticprllc.com
650-679-9282
