Category Archives for distributed scanning

Ooops. Did we backup the file cabinets?

If you look at the headlines over the past few years, you cannot help but notice the number of natural disasters that have occurred. In my conferences with IT and Departmental Management, I always pose the question when discussing business continuity or disaster planning: Do you have a plan for your paper?

Just about every company has implemented some type of plan for backing up their important digital files. Some go to the extreme with data snapshots that can be recovered from multiple locations. But companies typically don’t take the same strategy with their paper assets. The good ole file cabinet, the protector of all things paper will provide protection, right?

Companies need to take a good hard look at their paper, and assess the business impact should disaster destroy their file room. Backing up your paper nowadays is not hard, nor expensive when compared to the legal implications and time it would take to reproduce (if possible) contracts, customer files, sales records and the like.

Any paper backup plan involves a concept i call Bridging the Gap (BTG). BTG involve hardware and capture software to digitize and build the bridge to the digital world, and then a repository on the “other side” to house the records and make search and retrieval simple. The repository can be as simple as a set of named network folders, or as complex as a true ECM system like MS SharePoint. Take the initiative and backup your paper today.

SharePoint Scanning Planning – Part 4 – Document Scanning Models

Document Scanning Models

After doing some planning on the hardware types and document scanning volumes, the next step would be to examine what type of model you need to deploy.  There are typically 3 standard  models for document scanning and capture: Centralized, De-centralized and Distributed.

Each model has its own pros/cons, and below I will examine each, and dive into some detail.

Centralized

Ah, the centralized model.  Some call this old school scanning and capture, as for many years, this was the only way to get the job done, and convert your paper to digital form.  This model provides a centralized scanning center to provide mass conversion for the organization.  The operation can be run by in house personnel, be managed by a services provider in house, or be outsourced to a scanning service bureau.  It requires high volume/high speed hardware, and typically utilizes advanced capture software to allow for the utmost in automation and efficiency.  The software and hardware operators are typically highly trained, and there are usually only a few of them.  Paper and/or digital media is shipped to the centralized location and processed through a set, standardized capture workflow.

Centralized Pros

  • Easily standardized process due to a limited number of skilled/trained scan operators
  • High speed hardware/software results in minimal processing time once paper is received
  • Centralized reporting and control of overall process
  • No loading on WAN infrastructure
  • Centralized backup and restore

Centralized Cons

  • Usually a high time delay for availability of documents
  • High cost due to shipping of documents
  • High maintenance costs
  • High training costs to bring on new operators
  • Disaster recovery planning issues if centralized site is down
  • Operators are typically not knowledgeable in the documents they are indexing

Decentralized

Over time, as bandwidth and scanning hardware/software prices went down, the obvious move was to decentralize the whole scanning and capture process.  This move placed scanning in the branches, and allowed the whole document capture process to be performed by those who had working knowledge of the documents.  Smaller, desktop class hardware could be used, and most capture companies made batch scanning and upload to the centralized repository simple to accomplish.

Decentralized Pros

  • Scan operators are well versed in the documents they scan
  • Documents are available almost immediately
  • No shipping or transfer costs for documents
  • Branch control of the whole scanning process

Decentralized Cons

  • Standardization can be an issue
  • No centralized control or reporting
  • WAN Bandwidth consumption can be high
  • Licensing costs can be high depending on software utilized

Distributed

The advance of network-based scanning devices and the lowering of bandwidth pricing led to the newest model, the Distributed Model.  Distributed Scanning allows for just about anyone in the organization to walk up to a network scanning device/scanning copier/fax machine and send documents to a repository.  The devices are typically multi-faceted, and along with repository integration, can provide scan to network folder, FTP and email.  Collaborative back-end systems, like Microsoft SharePoint, lend themselves nicely to this model, as they allow anyone to participate in a Document Workspace.

Distributed Pros

  • Put scanning in the hands of everyone in the organization
  • Provides a great launching pad for collaborative solutions
  • Simple, easy to use interfaces allow for minimal training and quick adoption
  • Capture and indexing is now in the hands of the true document owner
  • One-to-many solution provides a single device to service many users

Distributed Cons

  • Lack of standardization without software addition
  • Security and document control can be major issues
  • Bandwidth from smaller branches can be a problem with larger scans
  • Lack of hardware integrations with back-end systems

So, most organizations today are combining the above models to create a Hybrid Scanning and Capture solution, and leveraging all the strengths together to minimize the weaknesses of any one model.   Another strategy is to tie scanning models to specific business processes, as most lend themselves nicely to specific scanning and capture workflows.

Hardware and Choosing Your Scanning Model

 

Most organizations will choose their model to leverage their existing hardware investment, but this can be lead to decisions that seem good at the time, but if deeper examination occurs, it can make sense to realign hardware with the best model.  Take for example, a company that instantly leans toward a distributed model, and attempts to leverage their copier fleet that is currently under lease.  If you examine the part of this guide that covers scanning hardware, copiers will not always fit for the type of scanning you need to perform.  Take for example a branch accounting department that is looking to scan receipts or check stubs.  Will the copier perform well with mixed original sizes?  Just a word of caution to examine the paper, workflow, and document types to get the best feel and adapt the best model.

Document Routing and Microsoft SharePoint

See a ton of companies struggling with the question:  How do i get my copiers to scan to SharePoint?

I go back and forth on the idea of panel applications that enable intelligent routing at the copier.  It always comes back to contention at the device.  I recall one instance where an admin had all her documents piled on the copier, they were using eCopy, and she was scanning one document at a time, and sending them to SharePoint.  During her 20 minutes of copier hoarding, at least 10 people walked up, and walked away.

There are several things that i believe are absolutely critical to enabling copiers as scanning and capture onramps to SharePoint:

  1. Document Separators are an absolute requirement!!!  You have to be able to take a whole stack of documents, place barcode/routing separators between them, throw them all in the hopper and hit the green button.
  2. Intelligent Routing is required.  Separators need to provide document intelligence, and give the user the ability to pre-index the document through the use of a barcode creation utility, or an Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) routing sheet with check boxes.
  3. Flexibility in routing is required.  An application that can provide automatic routing to SharePoint based on barcodes or checkboxes can provide ultimate flexibility for the users.  The ability to route to site, library and folder is necessary, and the need to set content type and file naming is also a key.

Here is a sample of a routing sheet:   Scanning Route-SP-Dynamic-Template

SharePoint Governance and Document Capture

So, SharePoint Governance is the big topic of late, and the ability to control and manage your SharePoint infrastructure is extremely important.  The whole concept applies even more so to document scanning and capture, and there are some key requirements you need to look for in any application that will be your onramp to SharePoint 2010:

  • Make sure that the application has the ability to control the whole scanning process from start to finish
  • A Quality Assurance module is absolutely required to allow for validation and checking of not only image quality, but also the quality of your data
  • Fields within the scanning application should not only map to columns in SharePoint, but also it should be absolutely required that fields can map to file naming standards and folder naming.  This will allow for standardization of the overall process.
  • Fields should also be allowed to map to libraries for dynamic, and controlled placement of documents into specific repositories

The overall control of this process will ensure organization, and allow governance of end user operations when capturing documents to the SharePoint Platform.

PSIGEN Releases PSI:Capture 4.0

Ok, talk about a game changer.  Take a look at version 4.0 of PSI:Capture, the new release from the mature document capture company has over 100 new features.  It provides the ability to perform Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) to read hand printing, a whole set of new forms processing technology, enhanced Optical Character Recognition – OCR for SharePoint, and Dynamic Routing for SharePoint.  For a list of features and functions, go to Document Capture 4.0-PSI:Capture.

 

A Little more on Scanning and Capture Models

So, in examining a corporate strategy on how best to deploy a scanning and capture solution for SharePoint, there are typically 3 models:

  • Centralized
  • De-centralized
  • Distributed

Each model has its own pros/cons, and below I will examine each, and dive into some detail.

 

Centralized

Ah, the centralized model.  Some call this old school scanning and capture, as for many years, this was the only way to get the job done, and convert your paper to digital form.  This model provides a centralized scanning center to provide mass conversion for the organization.  The operation can be run by in house personnel, be managed by a services provider in house, or be outsourced to a scanning service bureau.  It requires high volume/high speed hardware, and typically utilizes advanced capture software to allow for the utmost in automation and efficiency.  The software and hardware operators are typically highly trained, and there are usually only a few of them.  Paper and/or digital media is shipped to the centralized location and processed through a set, standardized capture workflow.

Centralized Pros

  • Easily standardized process due to a limited number of skilled/trained scan operators
  • High speed hardware/software results in minimal processing time once paper is received
  • Centralized reporting and control of overall process
  • No loading on WAN infrastructure
  • Centralized backup and restore

Centralized Cons

  • Usually a high time delay for availability of documents
  • High cost due to shipping of documents
  • High maintenance costs
  • High training costs to bring on new operators
  • Disaster recovery planning issues if centralized site is down
  • Operators are typically not knowledgeable in the documents they are indexing

 

Decentralized

Over time, as bandwidth and scanning hardware/software prices went down, the obvious move was to decentralize the whole scanning and capture process.  This move placed scanning in the branches, and allowed the whole document capture process to be performed by those who had working knowledge of the documents.  Smaller, desktop class hardware could be used, and most capture companies made batch scanning and upload to the centralized repository simple to accomplish.

Decentralized Pros

  • Scan operators are well versed in the documents they scan
  • Documents are available almost immediately
  • No shipping or transfer costs for documents
  • Branch control of the whole scanning process

 

Decentralized Cons

  • Standardization can be an issue
  • No centralized control or reporting
  • WAN Bandwidth consumption can be high
  • Licensing costs can be high depending on software utilized

 

Distributed

The advance of network-based scanning devices and the lowering of bandwidth pricing led to the newest model, the Distributed Model.  Distributed Scanning allows for just about anyone in the organization to walk up to a network scanning device/scanning copier/fax machine and send documents to a repository.  The devices are typically multi-faceted, and along with repository integration, can provide scan to network folder, FTP and email.  Collaborative back-end systems, like Microsoft SharePoint, lend themselves nicely to this model, as they allow anyone to participate in a Document Workspace.

Distributed Pros

  • Put scanning in the hands of everyone in the organization
  • Provides a great launching pad for collaborative solutions
  • Simple, easy to use interfaces allow for minimal training and quick adoption
  • Capture and indexing is now in the hands of the true document owner
  • One-to-many solution provides a single device to service many users

Distributed Cons

  • Lack of standardization without software addition
  • Security and document control can be major issues
  • Bandwidth from smaller branches can be a problem with larger scans
  • Lack of hardware integrations with back-end systems

So, most organizations today are combining the above models to create a Hybrid Scanning and Capture solution, and leveraging all the strengths together to minimize the weaknesses of any one model.   Another strategy is to tie scanning models to specific business processes, as most lend themselves nicely to specific scanning and capture workflows.

For more information, view a webinar on Distributed Scanning and Capture at the link below:

Distributed Scanning and Capture Webinar

 

What scanning and capture model should you choose?

Model, what the heck does that mean?

In traditional scanning and capture, there are 3 well recognized scanning models: centralized, decentralized and distributed.  Below I will cover each in detail:

  • Centralized – Ah, centralized…the old school method.  Imagine a room with ten blue hairs, feeding big iron scanners, and the hum of paper over rollers filling the air.  This is the traditional scanning model, where paper is shipped to a centralized location, and a few highly trained operators with high speed scanners capture and process paper.  This process is easily standardized, but usually the operators are not the knowledge workers that know most about the documents.
  • De-centralized – As bandwidth got cheaper, companies began to look for ways to put the scanning task into the hands of the end users.  The decentralized model provides branch level scanning, usually with smaller desktop hardware, and gives more control to the knowledge workers.  Things get scanned more quickly, and the indexing process is less error prone.
  • Distributed – with the advent of network connected scanners, copiers and fax machines, distributed scanning has evolved to be the model of choice for SharePoint.  It puts the scanning and capture task in the hands of everyone in the organization.  It does have some drawbacks though:  usually you need some software to standardize and govern the whole process, security becomes an issue with scanner availability, and most manufacturers have limited integration options for ECM.

Typically, a SharePoint Scanning and Capture environment requires some type of Hybrid Solution that can be a mesh of all models.  Beware, you will need a capture application that can prosper in all different types of environments.