Viki Solutions of Victoria, British Columbia, has been purchased by Chicago’s BLUE Software, which develops BLUE-branded software-as-a-service technologies for Brand Lifecycle Management, primarily used within packaging sectors. Viki Solutions develops online proofing and real-time collaboration software.
BLUE Software explains the acquisition ties in well with its existing software and opens its products up to more premedia and creative agencies, DAM providers, digital and print publications. Afshin Mirmotahari, former CEO of Viki Solutions, becomes Chief Technology Officer of BLUE Software. The Chicago company currently focuses on consumer products, retail and pharmaceutical industries, stating its SaaS platform is employed by more than 81,000 users and 3,100 companies worldwide.
“We are thrilled to welcome Afshin Mirmotahari and the entire Viki team to BLUE,” said Scott Strong, CEO of BLUE Software. “For more than five years we have worked strategically with Viki Solutions as the industry leader in online proofing and real-time visual collaboration. Since our initial engagement with Viki, our clients have been impressed with how technically advanced their solution is at providing the ability to proof and manage large and complex files.”
BLUE Online Proofing module users currently employ Viki Solutions tools to collaborate in real-time on a range of file formats, including document, image, audio, video and 3D – with content accuracy, markup and approval tools, revision comparison and advanced proofing features.
The acquisition will add capabilities in the coming months to BLUE including extensions for BLUE’s automated task routing through integration with third party solutions; a colour-matching module that can be added for colour-accurate online proofing; responsive design with touch support for tablets, touch displays and hybrid devices.
“I have been in the workflow business for the past 20 years, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that you can count the true experts in the field of collaboration and print-accurate preview on one hand,” said Stephen Kaufman, who moves into a new Chief Product Officer role at BLUE Software. “Afshin is on that hand and his team embodies his passion for excellence and his deep domain expertise. From the time we first integrated their core product all the way through co-developing advanced API-driven automations, the Viki management, development and support teams have always been highly responsive to our needs.”
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