Collection-Master’s Client Server is one of the product’s most significant advances in performance, data integrity, and reliability. The Client Server leverages almost any hardware and makes it “Better than Distributed Mode”, but there are ways to improve performance.

First, let’s talk about CPU/Threads. More cores/threads equal better performance and the VMWare license usually allows 8 cores before licensing costs increase.
Vertican’s Recommendation: 8 CPU/threads on the server, more is better, but may be cost-prohibitive.

Now, let’s look at memory. Even though it might look like the server isn’t using all of the memory, every remaining bit of available memory is dedicated to caching data.

VT Recommendation: 32 GB of memory is the least that should be allocated. If the F:CLSINCDATA folder is larger than 32 GB, then 64 GB is appropriate. If the data folder is larger than 64 GB, then 128 GB is appropriate.

And then there’s Data Storage Media Strategy. In a perfect world, all storage would be the fastest flash memory storage available in solid-state drives, but magnetic hard drives or cloud storage may be used for archiving data. Regardless of the storage chosen, it is important to remember that encryption “at rest” is an important part of the solution.

VT Recommendation: Drives should be self-encrypting and many times the storage subsystem will provide encryption. Also, use 15K RPM drives for “Static Information” particularly for very large data like media. And, if you move F:CLSINCDATA, F:CLSINCHISTORY, F:CLSINCSHARE, or F:CLSINCPERM to an SSD drive, you will have a significant performance gain. Moreover, all the folders in Secure Data will significantly benefit from an SSD drive.

You can use the following the table for reference.

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Collection-Master Network Diagram

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Contributed by Luis Gomez, Chief Strategy Officer

A significant way Vertican is working towards its brand promise of data with integrity is in how all data is stored and maintained within vExchange.

In a recent Mastermind training session for vExchange Dashboard users, participants expressed the wish to preserve a functionality called You Create Claims (YCC) which they often use on the YGC platform. Diego Hernandez is the Product Owner for vExchange and responsible for guiding its strategic vision. We spoke with Diego regarding Vertican’s plan for this functionality in vExchange.

vConnect: Describe YCC as it pertains to YGC.

Diego: Back when YGC was first launched in the 1990s, integration among industry software platforms was imperfect and very sporadic. So we needed to allow users a workaround to interface with YGC by manually entering data. Times have certainly changed. Now data interfacing is a reality across just about any industry. For example, you can access and book virtually any flight on Kayak.com because it is integrated with countless airlines worldwide.

To give you a little more background on YCC, it is also referred to as Claim Entry when accessing it through the web portal. It provides YGC users the ability to manually generate YGC records. This enables data to be delivered to Forwarders or Receivers without going through the user’s collection system (System of Record).

vConnect: What are some general reasons that YGC users attempt to bypass the System of Record and use YCC?

Diego: YCC could be used to update accounts in batches, place new accounts, make inventory change requests (to Senders only), and post multiple transactions including payment and cost reversals.

vConnect: What are some other common yet specific scenarios when falling into the YCC habit?

Diego: Scenarios that come to mind which incidentally also put our clients at a risk for compliance infractions are:

• Some Senders and Receivers use YCC to send messages to specific accounts (i.e., Records 09 and 39).
• Some Receivers use YCC to acknowledge placements, send legal or compliance codes, post payments, and create reversals of existing payments previously transmitted though YGC.
• Both Senders and Receivers tend to manually generate a variety of different YGC records

vConnect: What if a user does not have integration to YGC? For what other purpose can YCC be used?

Diego: Sometimes third-party vendors may not have YGC integration in their System of Record and therefore YGC users may leverage YCC to manually create

and transmit the data with those vendors.

vConnect: Sounds like YCC provides a lot of “workarounds”. So why is using YCC comparable to a “bad habit”?

Diego: Well, the problem is that any records created using YCC will only be transmitted to one of the two parties, to the Receiver or to the Sender. This also means that information will not be updated into the System of Record of the user who generates the files. This practice can undoubtedly create a discrepancy of information that may negatively affect operational or compliance audits.

vConnect: So YCC, which users may consider convenient or a quick fix, creates a great disservice to clients?

Diego: Absolutely. Generating data that is out of sync with the System of Record interrupts the accurate flow of vital information into our financial system. YCC also creates a risk to Vertican’s brand promise of data with integrity, again because some information or transactions will exist on YGC but may not exist in a client’s System of Record.

vConnect: With YGC being discontinued, in conjunction with the release of vExchange, what should clients do in order to satisfy the Sender or Receiver without YCC?

Diego: vExchange users simply need to create the appropriate tasks in their Systems of Record and update the required information to generate vExchange records or the appropriate business adapter records. Vertican will always do things in the best interests of our users. Eliminating this option of manually creating and updating files using the web portal instead of the client’s System of Record, not only avoids risk of data discrepancies and reconciliation issues which could eventually create audit findings, it supports data with integrity at all times.

When the data in a client’s System of Record doesn’t meet the Sender’s requirements (or there are flaws in the data), users have often used web access as a means to manually add or change information. It is both Vertican and every user’s obligation to ensure data and record accuracy at the root and stand by the critical need to maintain synced data.

We recently built a guide, How to Troubleshoot vExchange/CMvX, to give users guidance in how to remediate issues correctly.

Whether it’s Vertican’s or a firm’s home-grown software, the platform our clients use should always be the System of Record. This means data should continually be synchronized in vExchange so that very same data will be identical to all parties on all the platforms.

Diego Hernandez, vExchange Product Owner

Cliff’s key role with Vertican Technologies is as a Development Engineer. We talked with him about his work at Vertican and found out why he chose this portrait.

What is your title and when did you begin working at VT? Development Engineer – Interchange Development Center (IDC). I began working for Vertican right out of college back in 2004, where I started off as a Technical Support Representative. Though we weren’t Vertican back then, it was CLS at the time.

What sort of work did you do before joining Vertican? I worked as a luggage driver at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, where I grew up. I worked there after graduating high school but attended college in the United States. I have lived in the States ever since.

What is a typical day at Vertican like for you? We have tons of meetings! I handle new programming implementation for Collection-Master (and some Q-Law) as well as bug fixes, creating mapping specs for clients, and answering questions regarding our development vendor for vExchange.

What do you like most about working for Vertican? I truly like and appreciate my coworkers, especially my immediate team members. They are very hard working, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. Oh, and equally as important, they all have great sense of humor.

If you could learn anything new, what would it be? I understand some Spanish and Italian, but I would really like to learn to speak Italian or even German fluently. I have also always wanted to learn how to play the guitar.

What was your very first job and how old were you? When I was 12 years old, I was a grocery packer for a local supermarket.

Word on the street is you take a great VT headshot photo? Tell us about it and how that began. Haha, that goes way back to my CLS days. A colleague and I were testing out his new camera; we took a few fun, albeit corny, headshots. My “headshot modeling reputation” has followed me around ever since.

What is something about you that may surprise your colleagues? About three years ago, while in Morocco on vacation, I ate cow brains. That same vacation, I participated in an overnight campout in the Sahara Dessert. Very cool experiences!

What (else) do you like to do outside of work? Traveling is one of my favorite things to do when I have the time. I’ve been to Spain and Italy several times. I’ve also traveled to Greece, Cuba, Belgium, Japan, Thailand, Dominican Republic, and Mexico. Aside from traveling, I also enjoy discovering new movies and music.

Share something exciting you did in the last 12 months. On my recent trip to Mexico, I visited the infamous Hotel California in Todos Santos, which inspired the Eagles’ song of the same name. It’s quite the tourist attraction these days.

Do you have a favorite movie, artist and/or book?

Movie: The Godfather

TV:  The Sopranos and Game of Thrones

Musical or Other Artists:  Bob Marley and Jay Z

Book or Author:  Paulo Coelho

Please share a favorite quote.  – “The humble shall be exalted.”- Matthew 23:12

Liz’s key role is as a Client Success Representative. We talked with her about trying to knit, Tiny Living, and romanticizing Ghost.

What is your title and when did you begin working at VT? Client Success Representative, March 18, 2019.

What sort of work did you do before joining Vertican? I worked for JCPenney Corporate from 1986 to 2016. From 2016 to 2018, I went to college and received my Associates Degree. I also worked at Lakeland Regional Hospital from 2017 to 2019 in the Urgent Care unit.

What is a typical day at Vertican like for you? My day starts with opening Apptivo (Vertican’s new ticket management program). I review all the open tickets and make notations for the Tier 1 support staff (other Client Success Representatives) on advancing their tickets. I work on my open tickets and schedule meetings with clients.

I will meet with the CSR’s regarding how to solve their clients’ issues. If we cannot figure it out, we take it to our Daily Support meeting with Michelle, our supervisor, and the Business System Analysts so that we all learn together as a team.

Also, I work with new associates after they have completed the initial training. I shadow them on working new incidents after they have been put into rotation. I provide documentation if they are not familiar with how the application works. We will mock setting up a client’s issue in our system to see if we receive the same result.

Finally, I work on updating documents and assigning documents to be updated to the Client Success Representatives. It is a great way to teach yourself how an application really works.

What do you like most about working for Vertican? Great people. The family atmosphere of a smaller company. The executive staff knows my name and has a genuine interest in the Vertican family. The work is challenging. You never deal with the same issue twice in one week. Our team is receptive to teaching each other and finding the best solution. I learn something new every single day.

If you could learn anything new, what would it be? Actually, there are a few things I would like to learn. Years ago, before she passed away, my mother tried to teach me how to knit. We used to do crochet and needlepoint projects together when I was younger and I grasped those concepts easily. Knitting has not been as easy for me to learn. Maybe because I put too much thought into the steps. As children, we don’t really look at why we are doing something; we just do it. As adults, it’s not as easy. Another item I would like to learn how to do is make pottery. I kind of romanticized about it after watching the movie Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. I’ve never been able to find a pottery group in any of the places I’ve lived.  Maybe after I retire, I will find a pottery class in whatever retirement village I move into in 10 years. LOL

What was your very first job and how old were you? My first job was as a salesperson at Times Square Stores in paint, plumbing, and hardware at the age of 15. I mostly stocked shelves and did inventory control.

Word on the street is you’re a fan of Tiny Living? Tell us about it and how that began. I am obsessed with Tiny Living. Whether it is in a 700 sq. ft. house or an RV. I have been romancing this idea for about two years now. At first, I thought people were nuts. How can anyone live in 200 or 400 sq. ft.? It is insane. I have had the huge house with the huge payments to go with it. After I sold my home in 2014, I moved from 1600 sq. ft. to 850. Talk about a culture shock. There was an upside, less to have to clean. I realized that I could live without STUFF. Here I am seven years later, and this idea has not left me. There is a lot of logistical stuff that I have to figure out, especially reliable Wi-Fi, installing solar panels, wheels, or no-wheels. I recently found out I can rent out a Tiny Airbnb to see if the lifestyle is something I will like. If I like it, I will start looking at builders. Wish me luck.

What is something about you that may surprise your colleagues?  I attended my first concert when I was 36; it was a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band.

I did not learn to drive until I was 22. I had to learn after I moved to Texas from New York City.

What (else) do you like to do outside of work? I enjoy the beach. I like to people watch mostly. I also do Pilates.

Share something exciting you did in the last 12 months. Teaching myself how to make candles. Also, I drove to Texas in February right after the snow/ice storms to meet my granddaughter, Aurora. It was exciting getting to meet her.

Do you have a favorite movie, artist and/or book?

Movie: Pride and Prejudice, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

TV: I like to stream mostly – The Kominsky Method, Call the Midwife, Grace and Frankie, The Great British Bake Off

Musical or Other Artists: Led Zepplin, The Who, Jim Morrison, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and anything 1960s or 1970s

Book or Author: Patricia Cornwell