Athena Board and Nutrient: A longstanding partnership building secure board paper management
Toni Buffa
The underlying product is solid. The underlying relationship is strong. I know if I’ve got an issue, I can talk to someone about it.
Use case
Athena Board set out to launch a secure, intuitive document management solution for board governance, ensuring rapid time to market while maintaining robust functionality.
Challenges
- Debating building vs. buying: Building a custom document management engine rather than buying a complete solution would have taken more time, resulting in a delayed launch.
- Inability to ensure seamless cross-platform compatibility: Users need a reliable experience across Mac, Windows, and web applications.
Solutions
- Rapid deployment: By integrating Nutrient’s SDK, Athena Board was able to go to market faster without the burden of in-house development.
- Scalable growth: Nutrient’s technology ensures seamless document performance across Mac, Windows, and web applications, supporting Athena Board’s expansion into new markets.
Results
- Athena Board ensures seamless cross-platform performance, reducing compatibility issues and improving customer adoption.
- Athena Board benefits from Nutrient’s ongoing support, providing continuous innovation and a strong foundation for long-term success.
Steve Engel, the founder of Athena Board, recognized early on the need for a robust and reliable document management solution for board paper delivery. With extensive experience in banking, IT, and R&D, he understood the complexities of managing board materials efficiently.
As Engel and his team developed their platform, they needed to integrate it with an existing, proven SDK solution. Developing a proprietary system would have taken three to four times longer, delaying time to market and pulling resources away from Athena Board’s core mission. Instead, Engel turned to Nutrient, confident that its robust PDF SDK could provide the stability and functionality needed to support board governance experts.
“Features, functions, and robustness were the original reason I chose Nutrient… I didn’t want to worry about how the SDK works. I just want it to work.” — Steve Engel
The need for a fast and reliable solution
Athena Board was created to make board meetings more modern by offering a simple, safe way to manage documents. However, as the company evolved, Engel and his team faced several challenges. At the outset, Engel’s priority was to find a solution that worked — quickly and effectively.
Athena Board needed:
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Time to market efficiency — Developing an in-house PDF solution would have taken several months.
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Reliability and robustness — The platform needed an SDK that worked without extensive troubleshooting.
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Advanced annotation capabilities — Users require annotation tools while ensuring document integrity.
Engel was already familiar with Nutrient, as he had used the SDK at a previous organization. He was confident from the beginning that Nutrient would meet his current requirements due to its capabilities, efficiency, and support.
Business evolution and expanding needs
As Athena Board’s customer base grew, so did its platform’s demands. With customers expecting seamless document access across various devices, Athena Board’s development needs outpaced its internal capabilities.
“The needs for various SDKs are too different. They are different enough to be a big pain point, and that’s a big problem for us.” — Steve Engel
From Nutrient, Athena Board needed:
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Scalability — Nutrient’s SDK adapted as Athena Board expanded.
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Cross-platform compatibility — A seamless experience across Mac, Windows, and web applications is essential.
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International expansion — The product had to meet the needs of board governance experts across Australia, New Zealand, and the African continent.
Fast-tracking development with scalable, cross-platform support
With Nutrient’s technology in place, Athena Board successfully launched with a seamless, high-performance document experience. The SDK not only eliminated the need for in-house development, but it also ensured immediate reliability, allowing Engel’s team to focus on building features tailored to board governance rather than backend infrastructure.
Nutrient’s SDK not only provided immediate stability and reliability, but it also enabled Athena Board to scale effortlessly. The solution supports seamless performance across Mac, Windows, and web applications, eliminating compatibility issues. As Athena Board expanded into new markets, Nutrient’s flexible architecture ensured the platform could meet the evolving needs of global governance professionals.
A partnership built on dynamic support
Beyond the technology, Nutrient’s ongoing, responsive support became the cornerstone of the evolving partnership.
For the past 14 years, Nutrient has provided:
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Proactive customer support — Ensuring Athena Board’s team has the resources they needed.
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Collaborative problem solving — Addressing new technical challenges as Athena Board scaled.
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Consistent innovation — Keeping Athena Board’s platform at the forefront of secure board paper management.
“It’s been a positive experience, and that’s not something I can say about other organizations I’ve dealt with. The customer experience is really good, and that’s important. We submit something, and we feel like we’ve been heard.” — Steve Engel
Speed
Athena Board accelerated its time to market by using Nutrient’s SDK instead of developing an in-house document solution.
Experience
Seamless cross-platform support enhanced the customer experience, reducing compatibility issues and increasing adoption.
Growth
Scalability to international markets enabled Athena Board to meet diverse governance needs while maintaining operational efficiency.
Looking ahead
Athena Board’s partnership with Nutrient provided not only the immediate functionality and scalability the company needed, but also a foundation for long-term success. Nutrient’s cross-platform support, scalable architecture, and ongoing customer support have been integral to Athena Board’s ability to grow and innovate. With Nutrient as a trusted partner, Athena Board is confident in its ability to continue providing secure, efficient, and seamless governance solutions worldwide.
