Poll Results: What type of scanners are companies using to scan to SharePoint?

Conducted a poll over about 3 months, and wanted to see what type of devices people were using to scan to Microsoft SharePoint.  The results are in tune with what I see in the field, as folks are using a distributed scanning model with SP to put scanning into the hands of the knowledge workers.  Below are the results:

SharePoint 2010 and Document Sets

So many good posts coming out on the web for 2010. Working to figure out all the angles on how to improve SharePoint as an imaging, scanning and capture platform. Document sets seem to be a great focal point. Great article outlining them and how to use:

Document Sets and SharePoint 2010

SharePoint Document Scanning and 2D Barcodes

I have had a ton of inquiries on where to find the barcodes I have shown in my previous post – Using 2D Barcodes when Scanning into SharePoint.  There is a great site that lets you create these at the following URL:

Online 2D Barcode Generator

I use this link to create barcodes for demos, etc., and have many customers that have purchased the Datamatrix or PDF417 font for generating barcodes on their own documents internally.

Note that you need a document capture solution to read these at scan time.

PSIGEN and Atalasoft Create SharePoint ECM Bundle

LAS VEGAS, Nevada, October 19, 2009 – PSIGEN Software, Inc., the leader in advanced capture and scanning solutions for Microsoft SharePoint, and Atalasoft, Inc., the makers of Vizit SP – the SharePoint Document Viewer today announced the release of a SharePoint Document Management bundle at the Microsoft SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas.

The partners have bundled their technologies 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.

Microsoft SharePoint Server is a powerful collaboration platform currently experiencing mass adoption across the enterprise, primarily for sharing office documents, replacing network file shares, document management, and as an intranet portal. Atalasoft’s and PSIGEN’s combined solution enables these organizations to realize additional benefits of SharePoint by providing cost effective document image capture, viewing, search and more advanced document management capabilities that leverages existing SharePoint investments.

“In today’s world, being able to put together the best of breed products like Atalasoft’s Vizit SP and PSI:Capture to create a seamless solution, will provide the on ramp to SharePoint that users and IT departments have been demanding”, said Bruce Hensley, President of PSIGEN.

“This combination of advanced capture and document viewing & management with Microsoft SharePoint is the ideal ECM solution enabling businesses to easily and cost effectively automate their paper-based processes,” said William Bither, President & CEO of Atalasoft.

The package is available through both PSIGEN’s and Atalasoft’s vast and growing Reseller Network.  The partners will be presenting their bundled technology offering at Microsoft’s SharePoint Conference is Las Vegas, October 18-22.

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 and Neudesic Partner to Provide Customized SharePoint Document Imaging Solutions

IRVINE, Calif., September  14, 2009 – PSIGEN Software, Inc., the leader in advanced capture and scanning solutions for Microsoft SharePoint, today announced the formation of a partnership with Neudesic, a Microsoft National Systems Integrator and Gold Certified Partner.

The partnership was created to offer customized Document Management/Document Imaging solutions for all organization sizes and types, providing a structured offering with SharePoint as the back end repository.  The combination of PSIGEN’s advanced capture technology and Neudesic’s Microsoft product expertise will be unmatched in the industry.

” We are extremely excited about this partnership, as we believe what the SharePoint market has been missing is highly functional, packaged solutions  that don’t create a never ending construction zone.” said Bruce Hensley, President of PSIGEN Software, “Together we provide expertise in diverse areas, which when put together, we believe will significantly increase the ROI on SharePoint Imaging Projects””

“PSIGEN provides a fantastic document imaging and management solution for SharePoint that aligns perfectly with our goal of delivering the most effective solutions in the shortest possible time,” said Parsa Rohani, CEO of Neudesic. “We’re excited to partner with PSIGEN and look forward to bringing our clients unmatched capability and value across a broad spectrum of SharePoint solutions.”

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 Neudesic

Neudesic is a Microsoft National Systems Integrator and Gold Certified Partner with a proven track record of providing reliable, effective solutions based on Microsoft’s technology platform.  Neudesic’s technical and industry expertise empowers enterprises to enhance their technological capacity and respond to business opportunities with a greater level of efficiency.  Neudesic was established in 2001 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.  Neudesic offers its products and services nationwide with offices located throughout the United States, and a global presence based out of Hyderabad, India.  For more information about Neudesic’s products and services, call (800) 805-1805 or visit our website at www.neudesic.com.

CONTACT: Neudesic Marketing Director, Melissa Ward, 949-754-4524.

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Should I use Microsoft SharePoint for Document Imaging?

Ah, the debate goes on.  Can SharePoint really be used for Document Imaging?  Is it really capable of storing tens of thousands of image files?

There are a number of vendors out there building some really cool tools for high-volume import of image files into the SharePoint system.  But before utilizing this application for a true imaging tool, I think you need to ask some really pointed questions during the planning phase:

  • How many pages per day are you going to be scanning?  Microsoft recommends that a Document Library should have 2,000 or less objects.  Why?  Mostly for performance reasons, as the system will display all the items within a library on a single page.  You can get around this with some planning.  Take for example an accounting department that is scanning invoices.  Maybe you create a new library each month or week to maintain optimal performance.
  • Is your server hardware up to the challenge?  SharePoint requires some decent horsepower if you are going to be serving up large image files.  Remember, these files are stored within a SQL DB, so you may need to tier off your web server and DB server.
  • What type of capture application are you using?  How you capture scanned images can really have an impact on the overall performance of the system.  If you are scanning with a high volume app like PSIGEN’s PSI:Capture, then you may want to schedule upload of images during off hours so there will be a minimal impact on the end-users.  If you are utilizing eCopy, and just scanning individual documents throughout the day, there will be a minimal impact on the server.
  • How often will users be retrieveing the images?  If SharePoint is just going to be an archive for images that are rarely accessed, then network bandwidth may not be an issue.  If the images are constantly accessed by multiple users at 6 branch offices and internet users, then you will need to place high importance on network infrastructure. 

For more info on SharePoint, and additional articles on planning for a Document Imaging System, go to ScanGuru.