It's hours before the deadline. As usual, the client has changes. What else is new? The sign-off ballet goes to intermission again, as you wait for changes being ping-ponged between Toronto and Vancouver.

Well, the Nutcracker is over and your ping-pong paddle is passe. Welcome to the information age, where lightning-fast data transfer will revolutionize the commercial production industry.

The service is called KangaGraph. It was developed by Montreal's Cenosis and Bell Nexxia.

According to Bell Nexxia's associate director, communications, Nicolas Poitras, "It allows anybody in the publishing or advertising industries to exchange very large files over the extranet we are building. So even if the file is 250 megs, you'll actually be able to send it over the network in a couple of seconds."

Poitras continues: "Traditionally, such a large file would have been sent via courier because the e-mail systems just don't accept it."

KangaGraph is a subscriber service, Poitras explains.

"We provide you with the software, the network connection, the support, the upgrades and also, if you need to add other locations to the network, we can do that, as well, for just one price - which is a price per megabyte transferred."

Bell Nexxia is aware of a couple of companies offering similar services. However, Poitras is quick to outline what differentiates KangaGraph.

"I wouldn't say their services are exactly the same. Ours is the first based on an extranet type solution. This means that, as long as you are connected to the server, you gain access to all the users. The other solutions were mostly point-to-point [dedicated high-speed connections between an agency and a print shop, for example].

"We believe it's really going to be an electronic community," continues Poitras. "People are going to start asking, 'Are you on KangaGraph? Can I send you the file?' It's going to be like being connected to the Internet. As soon as you are, you gain access to all the other users. However, because it is a private network, the bandwidth won't be a problem, bottlenecks won't be a problem and security, of course, will not be an issue. It's private and we offer full security on the network," assures Poitras.

Who then is responsible for this exciting new technology?

"The solution itself was developed by Bell Nexxia and Cenosis," Poitras responds. "Cenosis is a Montreal-based company [that] designs customized solutions for the graphic arts community. Basically, they are the mind behind the software - the intelligence. Bell Nexxia is really providing the connectivity solution - in terms of bandwidth and making the service available to lots of customers.

"Basically, we have been developing this together. Instead of simply selling the service ourselves - Cenosis on one side and us on another side - Cenosis created a company called KangaCom. Cenosis owns KangaCom, however, we have warrants to purchase up to 20% of the company. What we gave them, in exchange for the warrants, is some of the technology we developed."

KangaGraph will be available later this month. But, as Poitras says, "customers who are interested in being part of the trial can enrol now."

For information, or to subscribe, Poitras suggests you contact KangaCom's Alan Eugeni at (514) 391-0152) or Bell Nexxia's Line Menard at (514) 391-0078).

Dave Lazar