Category Archives for ecm

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.

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.

 

AIIM Capture and Business Process Survey

Here are some great bullets from the latest AIIM Survey:

  • The strongest driver for scanning and capture is improved searchability and knowledge sharing across thebusiness, followed by productivity improvements, reduced office costs and better customer service.
  • 58% of SharePoint users are not storing scanned image files and only 9% are executing any workflow or BPMwith scanned images. File sizes and the ability to handle scanned image throughput are the biggest concerns.
  • 39% of responding organizations reach positive payback on their investments in scanning, capture and BPMwithin 12 months, rising to 60% within 18 months. Automatic document classification shows a particularly highreturn for the 19% of respondents utilizing it.
  • 60% of respondents have one or more capture and BPM systems. Of these, 39% have a single system in usefor all applications. Of those with multiple systems, 80% are looking to converge to a single system.
  • Although respondents expressed a preference to source workflow and BPM as part of an ECM suite or as partof SharePoint, the decision maker for capture and BPM is likely to be a department or Line of Business head,compared to a Head of IT or Head of Compliance for the ECM system.

http://www.aiim.org/pdfdocuments/IW_Capture-and-BPM_2010.pdf

Scanning to SharePoint: Capture Drives Search

So what is the most important part of any SharePoint scanning and capture implementation?

In any ECM system, Capture drives search.

I cannot emphasize this point enough, and time spent in assessing the front end process of any organization will pay huge dividends over time.   Below are 3 key focus areas to examine during the planning phase of any SharePoint ECM / Scanning and Capture implementation:

  1. Standardization is key. Define your site, library, folder and column structure on day one.  Use a capture technology that can create a repeatable, standardized capture process regardless of the user or device.  Ensure that the technology you utilize has the ability to create dynamic library, folder name and file name structures.  Don’t settle for hard-coded folder and file naming structures where you have no control.  This is absolutely critical to “findability” for all users.
  2. Automation creates repeatable processes. The less human intervention, the better.  Technologies like Advanced Data Extraction (ADE) provide automated column population, field validation and exception processing.  Automating the whole collection process drives correct search criteria, and allows for the utmost in efficiency.
  3. Create PDF Image with Hidden text through OCR.  Column based search is great for most of our needs, but to provide the most powerful search repository, adding Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to any process is critical.  Choose a technology that provides multiple OCR engine options.  Why?  Not all OCR engines are optimized for all operations.  Some are built for speed, some built for accuracy, others are just built.

PSIGEN and Atalasoft Partner to Provide a Powerful SharePoint Document Management Solution

IRVINE, Calif., July 21, 2009 – PSIGEN Software, Inc., the leader in advanced capture and scanning solutions for Microsoft SharePoint, today announced the formation of a partnership with Atalasoft, Inc., the makers of the Vizit SP – the SharePoint Document Viewer.

The partnership was created to offer an end-to-end Document Management/Document Imaging solution for all organization sizes and types adapting easily to both Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) environments. The combination of advanced capture and viewing technology will provide an affordable, feature rich option to a market with few alternatives.

“By combining the world’s most feature rich capture product, PSI:Capture, with the sophistication and simplicity of Vizit SP we can give every range of business an affordable, out of the box, easy to configure solution set for SharePoint.” said Bruce Hensley, President of PSIGEN Software, “Creating this partnership is a huge step forward for the SharePoint world in both functionality and price point.””

“We designed Vizit SP to improve how users view and collaborate on PDF and TIFF documents over the web stored in SharePoint.” said William Bither, President & CEO of Atalasoft. “Combining Vizit SP with PSI:Capture results in a best-of-breed capture and viewing ECM solution allowing organizations to leverage their existing SharePoint investments to automate paper-intensive work processes.”

About PSIGEN
PSIGEN Software is the innovative leader in advanced capture and document management solutions. For more than 14 years, PSIGEN has provided software to improve all the processes around the conversion of paper to digital documents. The solutions focus on cost reduction, flexibility, standardization, and improved efficiency. PSIGEN delivers these solutions through a network of resellers and distributors in the US and abroad. For more information, visit www.psigen.com.

“PSIGEN” is a registered trademark in the US, the EU and other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks belong to their respective owners.

CONTACT: PSIGEN Sales and Marketing: Stephen Boals, Vice President of Sales, 949-916-7700 x230.

About Atalasoft
Atalasoft builds software that improves how users interact with documents over the web through innovative image viewing, annotating, and processing technology. Products include DotImage, the leading imaging toolkit for .NET developers, and Vizit SP, the Document Image Viewer for SharePoint. Atalasoft is listed as one of Inc. Magazine’s 100 fastest-growing software companies and is a member of many industry organizations including AIIM, ARMA, and is a member of the TWAIN working group.

Founded almost a decade ago, Atalasoft’s products power over 1000 document management, ECM, and EMR applications built by ISVs, System Integrators, and Enterprises deployed to millions of end-users worldwide. Industries that Atalasoft serves include Healthcare, Financial Services, Legal, Government, Education, and Manufacturing. For more information, visit www.vizitsp.com or www.atalasoft.com.

CONTACT: Atalasoft Sales and Marketing: John Casanova, Director of Business Development, 866-568-0129 x711 or at john.casanova@atalasoft.com.
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PSIGEN PSI:Capture Review

Looking for a way to get large volumes of paperwork into SharePoint?  How about scanning a document at a copier with a cover sheet and having it show up in SharePoint with index fields all filled in?

I have written a review on PSIGEN’s PSI:Capture software, link here PSIGEN PSI:Capture Review. I have been reselling their software for about 4 years, and this new version is incredible.  Auto-processing and SharePoint Migration are the highlights.

Scanning into SharePoint with PsiCapture

Need an application for scanning documents into SharePoint?

I have been playing with the newest version of Psigen’s Advanced Capture product for digital imaging, PsiCapture. I have been selling Psigen’s products for about 4 years now, and this version resets my expectations for an advanced capture and scanning application. The product user interface has been streamlined, and the scanning workflow is as simple as clicking down the module stack on the left hand side of the GUI. There is now a comprehensive Document Type wizard, which walks you through the creation of your Document Templates. Below are some other highlights:

-The ability to enable document types for auto-import. This allows true distributed capture using MFPs, through the use of intelligent barcode cover sheets.
-A built in Barcode Creation utility that allows you to build templates, and then create cover sheets on the fly, or tie the creation to a spreadsheet or database.
-2D barcodes are now supported, and can be created with the utility.
-The reporting capability has been enhanced, and it is simple to run a number of reports on the scanning activity.
-Migration to just about any Document Management System, including a new connector to Microsoft Sharepoint / MOSS 2007

For an overview of the company, more info, reviews and datasheets, click below:

Psigen PsiCapture Information

eCopy and SharePoint

More and more organizations are taking the leap into a centralized document repository, through the use of Microsoft SharePoint. SharePoint is an oustanding tool for collaboration, and accels when utilizing Microsoft Office documents. But what happens when you create a SharePoint site that will require the uploading of numerous scanned documents? How can you standardize file naming, metadata population and the overall document imaging process?

One of the best solutions I have found is eCopy ShareScan. eCopy is a document capture solution that can be connected to just about any Multi-Function Copier or Dedicated Scanner. The challenge with traditional scanning solutions is that they usually require dedicated scanner hardware that is connected to a PC. This provides a one to one solution, allowing only the PC user to scan documents. With eCopy, you can provide a one-to-many relationship, and share the scanning capabilities of your copier or scanner with an entire office or department. It has a simple, easy to use touch screen interface that even the most technically challenged user can learn to use. It can provide a rapidly deployable solution, with quick adoption, and low training requirements.

eCopy provides a SharePoint Connector that allows quick integration into any site, with all security in tact, and the ability to require metadata fields. For larger organizations, you can configure one ScanStation, and then publish the configuration to all the others on your network. For more info on eCopy and additional tools, go to What is eCopy? or for other SharePoint Scanning Utilities, click on the following link SharePoint Scanning Utilities.

Scanning Documents into Microsoft SharePoint

SharePoint was designed for collaboration with Microsoft Office, and it does a fantastic job, especially with MOSS 2007. But what happens when there are paper documents that need to be added to a site through a digital imaging or scanning process? What options exist?

Below are some key areas to evaluate before deciding on the type of scanning application you require:

Scanning Volume

What type of page and/or document count will your users be scanning each day? Scanning and Capture applications are divided into two separate segments: basic and advanced capture. For users that are scanning just a handful of documents, say below 20 per day, basic capture applications will suffice. What constitutes a basic capture app? All of the scanner manufacturers provide basic capture applications with their hardware. These applications allow you to scan to file (Usually PDF or TIFF), and then you can just use the SharePoint interface to add the file. There are some applications out there that actually interface with the SharePoint server to provide upload capability either directly through a SharePoint menu, or through a “middleware” application that interfaces with SharePoint. The links below provide information on several applications:

Scanning and Capture Application for Microsoft Sharepoint

What if you have high-volume scanning needs where you are scanning boxes of paperwork into the SharePoint Server? This type of requirement will usually require an advanced capture application, like Psigen or Kofax, that will interface with a high speed scanner, allow you to utilize document separator sheets, and provide the ability to batch upload documents and metadata. Links below:

Distributed versus Centralized Capture

How do you envision your users scanning documents? Will you place the power of scanning in the end user’s hands, or will you have a centralized scanning process where documents are sent to a centralized facility for scanning? This decision is usually tied to the volume of scanning required, and most organizations will choose a hybrid method where both options are available. Placing desktop scanners in the hands of key users, or enabling a copier with an application like eCopy can provide a simple conduit into SharePoint for the masses. The centralized capture route is great for higher volume, or when you want to insure standardization and compliance.

Savvy or Technophobic Users?

Capture applications can be painfully complicated, or extremely simplistic. You need to gauge the learning curve for each type of technology, and insure acceptance. Simple is better for organizations that are new to scanning and capture technology. Making the process as simple as possible will encourage users to scan and add files to the repository. eCopy is an outstanding, yet simple application to get your feet wet in capture, below are some links to read up on eCopy:

What is eCopy?

If you have tech savvy users, and require a high horsepower application, checkout PsiCapture from Psigen or any of the other advanced capture apps:

Document Capture Links

SharePoint is a powerful tool for collaboration and sharing, and any of these applications can help image paper documents into the repository.