Business Need

Faced with an outdated, bulky, and restrictive online media library, Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau approached NetPublishHost looking for a new, modern Digital Asset Management solution that would allow for quick and easy updates to their website and offer customers, employees, and members of the press a well-defined and secure venue for accessing the Bureau's vast photo libraries.

NetPublishHost Solution

The first step in fulfilling the Visitors Bureau’s needs was to create an online media storage and retrieval system. Armed with Extensis, Inc.’s Portfolio digital asset management software, the Bureau was able to create a dynamic and easily searchable library for use by the media. NetPublishHost took the solution a step further by providing a hosted server and the NetPublish Server software the Bureau would need to exhibit its Portfolio catalogs online.

Additionally, NetPublishHost created a customized NetPublish template that would integrate seamlessly with Huntington Beach’s current website. This complete solution would allow the Visitors Bureau to easily make alterations to their existing media library, upload the changes to the web using the NetPublish Assistant in Portfolio, host their extensive collection on one of NetPublishHost’s dedicated servers, and create a viewing atmosphere for their media library that was indistinguishable from the rest of their website. NetPublishHost also designed a custom template specifically for internal use by Huntington Beach employees.

The final step was to create a user authentication system, allowing the Bureau to regulate who had access to the library. NetPublishHost created a solution that required prospective media library users to submit an application for a user account and receive approval prior to receiving access to Huntington Beach’s high-resolution images. A Bureau representative would be able to allow or disallow access to select users via a secure administrative area. If someone attempted to access the images who had not provided the correct authentication, he or she would be redirected to a “failed login” page. This entire solution was created using a MySQL Database using MD5 encryption storage methods. NetPublishHost programmers also utilized PHP, Java Script, and CGI/PERL when constructing the system.

Final Results

Thanks to the use of Portfolio and NetPublishHost’s hosting and web development solutions, Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau now boasts a contemporary and easily updateable site that provides web visitors an easy-to-use interface for searching and browsing the Visitors Bureau’s photo libraries. In addition, Huntington Beach is now able to limit access to high-resolution images to select users using the authentication system created by NetPublishHost.