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Two of the newspaper industry’s most important technology providers have joined efforts in an exclusive effort to develop a web-based application that will benefit the clients of both companies. The companies will collaborate on a groundbreaking data interface designed to make it even easier for publishers and distributors to conduct business with iControl. The new interface, SyncEasy, will simplify activities such as statement reconciliation and discrepancy resolution, by streamlining the flow of data to and from iControl to publishers or distributors. SyncEasy will be tested with select publishers and distributors by spring, and will be widely available by late summer 2009. Syncronex will work exclusively with iControl, and the solution will not be compatible with any other third-party billing solutions.
“In talking to many of our publisher and distributor clients, and having been a VP of circulation with the Philadelphia Inquirer until last year, it is no longer a matter of dispute that our program, with its checks and balances, is the right approach to scan based trading,” said Michael Proebstle, iControl’s Vice President of Publisher Relations. “And yet, it is common sense that in a challenging economy overall and in particular for the newspaper industry, we needed to lend a helping hand by enhancing automation. SyncEasy will enable our partners to save hours of labor and payroll each week, without compromising quality or depending on the understanding of our process that resides in the head of one or two individuals on staff.”
Syncronex President & CEO Mike Pirello said: “Our clients consistently told us that iControl is the best consolidated billing solution out there, and that if we were looking to partner with any of the companies in the field, iControl must be that company.” He added: “In talking to the team at iControl, we were impressed with how eager they are to add value to their program; how deeply aware they are of the challenges publishers and distributors face, that we felt we could do something truly extraordinary together. We are confident that our collaboration will yield tremendous efficiencies and added value to the entire supply-side of the equation, which in turn will lead to more sales and more profits for iControl’s retail clients.”
iControl Chairman & CEO Tal J. Zlotnitsky explained the compatibility of the two companies: “First and perhaps most importantly, both iControl and Syncronex share a passion and a long-lived historical commitment to the newspaper industry. Syncronex and its recently acquired division Mobile Computing, better known to many of us as MJ Systems, are among the most respected brands in the business. I find Mike Pirello and his team to be creative and bold, but not smug. That is a combination of characteristics that are emblematic of the kind of organization we are committed to being. We look forward to a partnership that provides cost-savings and enhanced automation to our supply-side partners, and I’m confident that’s precisely what we will achieve when SyncEasy is available as an option to all of our supply-side partners, later this year.”
Syncronex (syncronex.com), based out of Bellevue, WA and Charlottesville, VA, is a company “dedicated to newspaper success,” as touted on its own website. The company provides in-house circulation software including wireless and web-enabled automation of circulation functions to publishers such as Gannett, Media General and numerous others. iControl is the leading newspaper category support and billing consolidation provider to retailers, serving CVS, Barnes & Noble, Safeway, Winn Dixie, and other retailers in all 50 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
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michael.probestle[.]icontrolusa.com 
