EnvisionWare, one of the major companies providing RFID, self-service, and related products and services to libraries has been acquired by Volaris Group, an operating company of Constellation Software, Inc (CSI). This acquisition is the fifth company involved in library technologies that has been acquired by CSI.
EnvisionWare develops software for managing public computers in libraries, for managing and recovering cost for printing, as well as self-service stations, automated material handling, and other RFID-based technologies. EnvisionWare ranks as the second largest company in the US self-service and automated material handling sector. Bibliotheca, with over 400 employees is the largest, with involvement in a broader range of products and with customers spanning all geographic regions. EnvisionWare is the largest provider of computer reservation and print management software. EnvivisionWare's products are used in over 10,000 libraries, mostly within the US.
The company was previously owned by co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Mike Monk, who continues to lead the company under the ownership of Volaris Group. According to Monk, “Selling the EnvisionWare to Volaris Group was attractive since it retains the integrity of the company and protects its customers and employees.” EnvisionWare has seen strong growth throughout its business history, with 15–20 percent annual growth in recent years.
EnvisionWare Business History
EnvisionWare was founded in October 1998 by Mike Monk and Rob Walsh as Interface Software. Initially Rob Walsh served as the chief executive officer with Monk as vice president of marketing. The company's early products included the LPT:One print management system and Launch Command, a menu system for public library workstations. In 2001 the company adopted the name EnvisionWare. Mike Monk became chief executive officer of EnvisionWare in 2011 as co-founder Rob Walsh shifted to pursue other interests. EnvisionWare began developing RFID-based products in about 2006.
EnvisionWare Products
In addition to its print management software, EnvisionWare also developed PC Reservation, a suite of tools managing public access computers in libraries. This product has evolved through multiple versions of technology and is currently offered through a multi-tenant cloud platform as the CloudNine Reservation Service. The product can be used to place reservations not only on public computers, but also for meeting rooms, 3D printers, or any other device or resource. Other software products developed by EnvisionWare include:
- Branch Manager. Communicates alerts from RFID exit gates and other applications to designated staff stations. Library workers can view relevant data from the trigger of the alert, such as the gate location or item type. They can also receive diagnostic alerts from other self-service, copy payment, and ILS statuses.
- Central Management, a set of tools to monitor and manage the library's public computers and to view and manage software applications running on them.
- Library Document Station, which “enables patrons and staff to copy, email, scan, fax, upload to Google, and send to a smartphone or iPad in just minutes. Staff can also send to both ILLiad and OCLC Article Exchange, as well as charge for scanning, faxing and copying services.”
- eCommerce services to enable credit card and other payment methods at self-service stations or from staff workstations.
- OneStop, a self checkout system that can integrate checkout, return, print and copy payment, reservations, and fine management in a single platform that shares computer and payment hardware
- EnvisionWare Enterprise Reporter, a web-based analytics tool that creates reports and visualizations using data from all EnvisionWare products installed as well as external data sources.
- 24-Hour Library, a free-standing self-service vending library for checkout of popular materials, holds pickup, and automated return.
EnvisionWare partners with manufacturers such as Lyngsoe Systems for sorters and other automated materials handling equipment, integrating its own RFID and software components.
About Constellation Software
Constellation Software, Inc., a publicly traded company based in Toronto, Canada, purchases and operates technologyfocused companies. The company, founded in 1995, has acquired over 400 companies and reports annual revenue exceeding $3 billion annually.
Unlike investment firms, CSI retains the companies it purchases permanently, placing them within one of its six operating companies. While it guides its portfolio companies through its best practices for business operations, each remains independent with its own executive leadership, development processes, and business infrastructure. Incumbent executives may exit the company when it is acquired by CSI or may continue in a leadership role.
EnvisionWare is the fourth library technology business acquired by Volaris Group. SoftLink, based in Australia, was the first venture for Volaris Group into the library technology industry when it was acquired from a group of stakeholders in September 2013. Volaris Group has since expanded its vertical market for libraries with the acquisition of Brazil-based PrimaSoft Informática in 2018, and BiblioCommons in February 2020. (See “Consolidation Takes a New Form: BiblioCommons Acquired by Constellation Software” Smart Libraries Newsletter March 2020). ResourceMate, a library management product oriented to smaller libraries, was acquired by Harris Computer Systems, another CSI operating company, in April 2017.
