NEWS RELEASE
[DATE]
KIWI INGENUITY TAKES ON AMERICA’S CUP WEBSITE
Kiwi ingenuity at its best has become the driving force behind the launch of the official America’s
Cup website.
Local website developer Phosphor Essence was commissioned by America’s Cup sponsor
FujiXerox (FX) to create the America’s Cup website after their novel use of an FX product –
DocuShare – came to light.
The DocuShare is typically used by companies as a web-based document management system.
However, it provides an open Application Programming Interface (API) which allows developers
scope to build customised applications.
It was this aspect of programming flexibility that gave Phosphor Essence the ability to customise
the product to effectively operate as the power or back end for the America’s Cup website.
Phosphor Essence director, Cam Stewart, said designated people had been granted permission
to update information held on the website through accessing DocuShare.
“This means that from anywhere in the world, those designated people can update stories and
information on the website by simply keying in their assigned password. As a result, we’re
expecting to see on the website, information about America’s Cup activities literally minutes after
it has taken place.”
FujiXerox marketing communications manager, Hamish Mitchell, said that to his knowledge, no
other company in the world had used DocuShare in such a way – “it’s kiwi ingenuity at its best”.
“The other alternative for FX would have been to design and build a database system to run the
website. This would have been very expensive and a lot less flexible.
“Using DocuShare in such an innovative way has resulted in the America’s Cup website going
live within a week of it being approved and at a fraction of the cost.”