Document Imaging Blog

Welcome to eCopy's Document Imaging Blog

Businesses are adopting technology to address electronic workflows and processes --- but these processes are slowed by paper. Document imaging can help solve the paper problem by converting paper into electronic images and distributing those images into digital workflows.

This blog provides eCopy's perspectives on document imaging based on 15 years experience working with end users, MFP and scanner manufacturers, software vendors, and reseller channels. It is our goal of this blog to foster better understanding of document imaging technology through examples of companies who have benefited from implementing the technology and by sharing the experiences/problems/challenges.  We look forward to hearing from you!

If You Buy an MFP, Why Not Use It for Scanning

 
In a recent presentation, MFP Report editor Brian Bissett referenced an amazing statistic from the market research firm Power Decisions Group. He noted that, in 2008, only 33% of US organizations say they are using MFPs for distributed scanning.

Yet his own research shows that 85% of office MFPs sold in the US have some level of network scanning functionality. So the obvious question is, if you are paying for an MFP equipped with network scanning, why wouldn't you use it?

I believe many people don't understand how powerful MFP scanning can be. See my posts on the misconceptions of MFP scanning.

What do you think? Why aren't you using your MFP for document imaging? I'd love to hear from you.

Nike, ASU Panel Presentation on SharePoint Document Imaging

 

Are you planning to be one of the 6K people attending the Microsoft SharePoint Conference next week? If you are, here's a great opportunity to learn how leading organizations are using SharePoint document imaging software. Check out the panel presentation titled "Boosting the value of MOSS 2010 with document imaging."

The session will include speakers from Nike and Arizona State University, who are using SharePoint and document imaging software to streamline workflows, cut costs and reduce carbon consumption. 

The session moderator will be Ralph Gammon, SharePoint document imaging expert and editor of the Document Imaging Report. Joining Nike and Arizona State University on the panel will be SharePoint authority Errin O'Connor, CEO of EPC Group and author of the book Window SharePoint Services 3.0 Inside Out.

Here are just a few of the questions that Ralph Gammon will be asking the panelists:

1. What are the two most important implementation issues when getting started with document imaging software and SharePoint. Will MOSS 2010 improve the situation?

2. Can you actually reduce carbon consumption by using eCopy software with SharePoint?

3. Is security a concern when you tie document imaging to SharePoint? Is it possible to maintain document audit trails?

The session will be on October 19, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. in the Surf 1 conference room at Mandalay Bay. Even if you can't make that time, stop by eCopy's booth (#421) and enter the daily grand prize drawing for a 42" HDTV or a daily mini drawing for a Flip Ultra HD camcorder.

Nuance Acquisition of eCopy

It has been an exciting week here, as Nuance Communications, a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions, announced that they have acquired us. The combination results in a product set and organization that are complementary, expanding Nuance's imaging portfolio with the eCopy ShareScan, ScanStation and PaperWorks product lines, strengthening our mutual MFP vendor and channel partnerships, and enhancing our channel sales, training and support resources in North America, Europe and Asia.

 

The eCopy and Nuance management teams have already begun to work together on integration plans, and we will be reaching out to our partners and customers throughout the process. There are a few items that we can share with you immediately:

 

1. Nuance is committed to the full line of products from both companies

The eCopy and Nuance products are complementary, and Nuance is committed to the full line of eCopy products, including ShareScan, ScanStation and PaperWorks.

 

2. Nuance is committed to eCopy customers, MFP partners and channel partners

All of your eCopy and Nuance contacts remain unchanged, and can be reached through their existing email and phone numbers. The eCopy web site and support resources are also unchanged. 

 

3. Nuance is committed to a strong, combined organization

eCopy has developed an excellent team, with great products and great sales, sales support and online resources, all of which are highly valued by Nuance.  Throughout the integration process we will insure that we can maintain the high levels of product quality and service that eCopy customers and partners need to be successful.

 

Below are a couple of links to some of the initial industry commentary in the blogosphere about the acquisition. And please drop a comment to us here if you would like to weigh in.

InfoTrends InfoBlog

Xerox – Future of Documents

Why Would Xerox Buy ACS if Everyone is Going Paperless?

The picture above is Xerox CEO Ursula Burns with ACS CEO Lynn Blodgett. The photo was part of the announcement that Xerox will buy BPO provider ACS. 

In an interview this morning on CNBC, host Joe Kernan essentially asked Burns why are you buying ACS if the world is going paperless? Burns responsed "We don't see the world going paperless."

It's been my experience that many, if not most, journalists see the topic of document imaging as soon to be dead. Clearly Kernan believes this. 

Journalists believe this because they have for some time operated in an almost paperless environment and their response to the "news" that many offices are going paperless is that this is no longer news.

Journalist should understand that it will be a long, long time before a majority of offices have no need for document imaging technology. If this were not the case, would Xerox be paying $6.4 billion for ACS?

Watch Neo use scan to PDF software and the paperless office to escape Mr. Smith in eCopy video below.

What Works for Distributed Capture

Check out the short article online in Infonomics Magazine providing four tips for using multifunction peripherals and scan to pdf software for distributed capture. The article was written by yours truly.

What Works for Distributed Capture

http://www.aiim.org/capture/infonomics/what-works-distributed-capture.aspx

Social Media & the Paperless Office

Will the rise of social media end the need for document imaging solutions? Read a short article in Small Business Technology magazine where I am quoted on this timely topic.

eWeek Article on Document Imaging and Microsoft Apps

Many organizations struggle with how to best integrate document imaging technologies with their Microsoft applications. A recently published article in eWeek by eCopy's Ed White covers the critical considerations when marrying document imaging with Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, Access and SQL Server. The three-part article is a must read for IT managers implementing document scanning in conjunction with Microsoft technologies. You can read the article by clicking here.

Centralized Versus Distributed Capture at EMC World

As distributed capture gains in popularity, more and more organizations are asking: Should we implement centralized or distributed document imaging or both.

EMC's Captiva product marketing manager Bill Galushia was seeking to help organizations answer this question with a customer panel at EMC World today.

Panelists from Conseco and Eaton Vance, two firms that provide financial services, provided their guidance on why they decided to use both types of capture.

Panelist Patti Bishop, assistant vice president of mutual fund operations for Eaton Vance, revealed that her company decided to invest in decentralized capture because the content being captured is completely unstructured. Often she needed the document owners to characterize the document to get the right process started. After all, who knows more about the documents than the document owners.

Bishop is certainly doing it right at Eaton Vance. She is saving 30 - 35% by bringing document imaging in house and she has increased the number of pages being captured by 200%. She has accomplished this, in part, by using EMC Captiva InputAccel with eCopy software at her MFPs.

Net Generation and the Changing Office

With every new generation comes an increased technology savvy and evolving work approach. But the Net Generation – the first group of “digital natives” – is shaking up the office workplace such as no other age bracket.

 

It often feels like this group was born with cell phones and handheld gaming devices in their hands, and can’t imagine working without keyboard and mouse at the ready.

 

And these natural born techies see paper as archaic. This permeates their personal lives – try and find someone in their twenties who gets their daily news from a newspaper. They are also a prime audience for digital devices like Amazon’s Kindle.

 

Paper as archaic also extends to their work lives where they are as comfortable reading a document on a monitor as baby boomers are reading the same document in hardcopy. Paper in the workplace also strikes against the environmental instincts of this age group.

 

Industry researcher IDC says the Net Generation “feels that their companies have not yet adopted electronic processes.” This is a risky position for organizations that want to attract the best and brightest.

 

Here are three steps organizations can take right now to help the Net Generation thrive in the workplace – and contribute to their potential.

• Start the transition away from paper. Document scanning software can help you connect paper-based information directly into the applications that run your businesses. It delivers easily proven ROI – there’s no reason to wait.
  
• Look for software that enables staffers to work with electronic documents like they do with hardcopy information. Adding annotations, signatures, highlights, blackouts and whiteouts to scanned documents. Tapping optical character recognition (OCR) to create easily searchable text.
  
• Embrace the Net Generation as tech mentors in the office. This is a perfect opportunity where the students can become the teachers. Let them experiment in ways to drive paper out of workflows – and lead and teach the rest of the organization.