FAQ

No. During development, we have consistently avoided security-critical plugins or costly to install add-ons for your browser. With our latest JS technology, we are one of the first companies in this field to enable web based comfort effects without additional installations at the workplace. Drag & Drop, context menus, etc. are perfectly integrated in sam®. In this, we are leading. Only JavaScript is necessary. If qualified, electronic signatures are required, such as in waste management according to NachwV, JavaScript is additionally required.

Yes, that is no problem. Almost all types of interfaces are conceivable with sam®. A connection to existing eLearning portals or training portals is also easily possible. Details have to be agreed during implementation and parameterization phase. Please also request our sam® interface data sheet.

Your safety and satisfaction is important to us. Secova will never make your data (whether address data, email addresses or order-related personal data) available to third parties without your consent. In particular when processing order-related data, secova acts 100% in accordance with the Data Protection Act. For this reason, secova is the first company that has data protection conformity confirmed and certified by experts. All secova employees are instructed in the field of data protection. Further information can be found in our secova data protection declaration.

In sam®, we use one of the most modern procedures for transaction controls and auditing procedures that are currently available on the market. Our extensive experience in this area enables us, as first technology provider in this field, to create a highly consistent and particularly secure data structure for your business information. For competitive reasons, we do not publish further details here. However, if you wish to have more information on that, feel free to contact us to find out more.

In this case, an installation in your own network (intranet) is useful (see also other questions in the FAQ list). Please contact us personally to discuss the different possibilities. Furthermore, you will soon have the possibility to work with sam®, using our iPhone/iPad app.  For the completion of training courses, it is then only necessary to have a sporadic network connection  (internet/intranet). You will receive further information once you contact us.

A simple single CPU system from 1.5 Ghz and 4 GB RAM, as well as 40 GB hard disk capacity are perfectly sufficient for 90 % of all applications and sizes.

All you need is a browser (Internet Explorer from version 9, Firefox or similar). An activated JavaScript is necessary. If you want to use voice output and videos, speakers or headphones may be useful. Besides that, almost all workstations in your company meet the necessary basic requirements. (unofficial note: in principle, sam® usually still works in older browsers such as IE 8…but without guarantee…)   

sam® is based on the currently most modern and secure technologies on the market. A Linux system specially secured by secova is used as standard (optionally e.g. SLES, RedHat, Debian, etc.) Further technical details and information can be found in our IT data sheets. An installation of sam® on a Microsoft based server is only possible via VMWARE, HyperV, etc. A connection to a Microsoft Active Directory Server or similar is of course possible without any problems.

sam® is accessed via browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or others). Depending on the user agreement, either within your own intranet or via internet. For example on a (hosted) rental system provided by us in our data center in Frankfurt.

In sam®, we use an SQL database with transaction support. In most cases, a MySQL database is used, as we only give a 100% function guarantee on the sam® complete systemising this data base. MySQL is the most widely used database worldwide, with an estimate of 10 million installations. For you, this means a high level of security and access options. Data exchange in all directions can be easily implemented via interfaces.

Depending on your wishes, you can use sam® in three different ways:

1. via internet (in this case we take over all hosting jobs, data backup, provision via our data center in Frankfurt).
2. with a dedicated 19 inch rack server (1U) provided by us or you or
3. ideally in form of VMWARE image (virtual machine)

Of course, you can also use all sam® modules individually. You can choose from a “construction kit”. All modules can be seamlessly integrated. It is more reasonable to combine the numerous modules to unfold the unique and unexpected possibilities of sam®. Details and background information can be found in our presentations.

Yes, that is possible with the new Risk Assessment module of secova. Hazardous substances management, risk evaluation, EMKG, assignment of measures, reporting, Reach & Co. are also possible with this functional module.

Yes, you can also create your own content, training courses, texts and much more directly in sam®. No other software or even programming skills is required. sam® offers comprehensive possibilities for integrating multimedia data. Videos, animations, MP3 files, but also non-multimedia files such as PowerPoint, Word, Excel and PDF files can be embedded or imported in the easiest possible way (the same applies to SCORM compatible content). By the way, sam® is the first eLearning system on the market that offers largely automatic voice output in excellent quality. We would like to show you everything else in our presentation.

All training course content and instructions by secova are exclusively created by experts with many years of experience (learning didactics, learning psychology, ergonomic, software development, etc.). The basic research and technical examination is carried out by other specialists in our team. This way, we can guarantee high quality, especially in the areas of occupational safety, health, environmental protection and quality management. This also applies to all adjoining subject areas like radiation protection, explosion protection, Ordinance on Hazardous Substances, etc.) All training courses go through a multi-stage testing and quality process before they are released and delivered. Several external partners, who regularly check the secova quality standards, are also involved in this process. secova closely works together with technicians of the university of Osnabrück and the chair of cognition research. In all process steps, the human perception and reading behaviour of learners is analyzed and continuously optimized with regard to the content and software elements of the sam® system. This is a continuous process in the further development of learning content and the entire software sam®. Would you like to learn more about it? Please feel free to contact us.

We use a combination of facts, text, pictures, animations and videos, as well as voice output to provide diversified and effective content. Additionally, we regularly embed interactive elements in our training courses to increase the attentiveness of the employees. An ideal learning mix is implemented in sam® by using test questions and other psychological principles of learning as well as findings from cognition research.

Currently, the system supports about 30 different languages – among those are English, French, Spanish, Swedish, and Dutch. If you need a different language, just contact us. We can deliver sam® in any world language within approximately two weeks.

secova is proud to be the first provider on the market to offer voice output technology in a training course system. This enables high-quality audio data to be generated from training course texts. This means that you do not need a cost-intensive in-house speaker and can add sound to your training course texts on your own. Even if the content changes. Without microphone. Would you like to get some more information? Please contact us!

Initially, the abbreviation sam stood for “S”-secova “A”-udiovisual “M”itarbeiter (employee) training course.

Since the training possibility with sam® now only represents a small, but very important sub-area of the entire functional scope of sam®, we no longer focus on this explanation (…besides it sounds a bit outdated). 

If you like, you can also translate sam® with “S”-ecova “A”-rbeitsschutz (occupational safety) “M”-anagement. Although this also does not hit the nail on the head.

“S”-afety “A”-lways “M”-atter is another possibility to translate sam®.

Btw, there is a small, sympathetic learning guide that guides the employee through most of the instructions and training courses.

Guess what’s the name of this little guy? – Exactly: Sammy ?

There are numerous other functional modules available besides the EHS base system. Following, you will find a short overview:

• sam® Incident Management
• sam® Maintenance Management
• sam® Compliance Management
• sam® Survey Management
• sam® Idea Management
• sam® Risk Assessment
• sam® Hazardous Substances Management
• sam® Health Management
• sam® Gatekeeper
• sam® Cockpit/Dashboard
• sam® EHS Manager (App)

If you have any further questions, you can contact us at anytime. You can certainly look forward to it. Here is our contact form.

sam® is as easy to use as an ATM. All employees find their way around quickly after registration without further explanation (in usually less than 5 minutes). Besides short introductions for the administration and editor area, you will receive a personal initial briefing (approx. 1 hour) Afterwards, if desired, a more intensive training for the important key users can be offered.

Besides short instructions, you will find comprehensive online help articles in our Help Center. Those sometimes contain short video sequences or animations with voice over. If you still have open questions, we are happy to help you via our several service channels: you can decide between live chat in sam® or callback service. We can also conduct a joint online training/presentation with you, for example via Team Viewer or Citrix Zoom meeting.

No, sam® is a tool to facilitate the knowledge transfer logistically within the company. Personal contact between employees and supervisors is always important and necessary. Therefore, see sam® as a tool which supports you and your colleagues as ideal combination. Experience shows that your employees are much more concerned with operational issues when a coordinating system such as sam® is in use. Please read further details, i.e. in DGUV regulation 1, TRGS 555, DGUV regulation 100-001 or other relevant comments. If you have further questions, you can contact us at anytime. This is our contact form.

Yes. We place great importance to the compliance of all data protection regulations. Thus, already during the development phase, sam® was equipped with a detailed authorisation concept. Furthermore, we regularly have external experts draw up a data protection and data security report on secova and sam®. This makes sam® and secova the first company in our business field to be able to provide a complete and gapless certification in the area of data protection and data security. If you are interested in more detailed information on that, please contact us.

Yes, because employee-related data is managed in sam®. Although these only relate to the legally prescribed areas in accordance with the Works Constitution Act and the Data Protection Act. But also due to the fact that sam® is often heavily involved in areas of occupational safety. You can also request our IT/HR data sheet. Here you get to the contact form.

At present, acceptance within companies in the field of qualified electronic signatures in accordance with the Digital Signature Act is still over low, as the technical effort is very high, especially in companies with  many employees. However, sam® is already technologically prepared for the requirements of an electronic signature and already uses electronic signatures today. In Waste Management, sam® already works with qualified, electronic signatures. A high level of evidentiary capability and legal security can be greatly increased in sam® with just a few additional functions, without a great deal of additional effort. If you would like to receive more information, feel free to contact us.

It is not possible to control behaviour outside the legally and professionally prescribed framework. Therefore, only the positive performance review is recorded in relation to employees. If you wish further information, you can request our IT/HR data sheet or contact us. Here you get to the contact form.

Generally, you can conduct any kind of training in sam®. In some specialty areas, (i.e.GefStoffV) it may be necessary to observe particular procedures.We are happy to assist you. Feel free to contact us.  As sam® is already Scorm-compatible, content from other providers can easily be integrated without any problems (i.e. external eLearning modules). Additionally, you can also document training courses that were not conducted electronically. Like that, sam® becomes an all-round tool for all types of recording. Recently, sam® introduced the option to carry out effectiveness controls when conducting group trainings. Hint: clicker and group voting system. Contact us at anytime. Here you find the contact form.