Document Imaging Blog

Capture for Content Management Systems - EMC Announces Captiva eInput 2.0

EMC last week announced Captiva eInput 2.0, a Web-based distributed document capture solution designed to make the scanning and indexing of paper documents from remote offices faster and easier. This is the second announcement within a week from a large ECM system vendor that is focused on capture – further emphasizing the growing focus on document imaging within the ECM space.

Captiva eInput is an extension to the Captive InputAccel platform and basically allows employees in remote locations that do not have access to a centralized scanning location for scanning paper into InputAccel to scan a document to a Web interface, where it can then be indexed and routed to the InputAccel server for processing. It is a great application for a single worker using a desktop scanner attached to a personal computer.

However, what both of these recent announcements have not addressed is how to use shared scanning devices for distributed capture. Shared networked scanners and MFPs populate almost every office location with more than one or two employees. And having already made the investment in these devices, it does not always make financial or operational sense to also provide single-user scanning devices for capturing documents. Using an MFP or networked scanner to scan and distribute documents is easy and, by using a document imaging platform, can provide multiple distribution options for those documents vs. being tied to a single destination.

When considering how to use a shared scanning device, you should consider the following:

• Authentication at the scanning device is essential to ensure only authorized users have access to the network and applications
• Authentication should provide an audit trail of what was sent by whom
• Authentication should match existing corporate security policies
• Companies should look for features such as session logon; authenticated Scan and Mail; and activity logging

Workers today are found in many differing office environments and a distributed document capture solution should be implemented to address the needs of all of these environments. The capture suites that many ECM companies are putting together help address some of the environments and can easily be supplemented by third-party capture solutions to deliver a complete solution.

Document Imaging & Security

Document imaging makes it possible to integrate paper documents with existing electronic processes. But how do you ensure that the document imaging process is safe and the integration into the electronic processes is secure and meets information policy requirements and regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley?

Since paper documents frequently contain information that is confidential or sensitive in nature, the security of those documents must be assured, perhaps even more so that their paper originals.

To achieve this security in document imaging, three key areas must be addressed: users, documents, and devices.

Users: When using a shared device in a public area to scan documents, authentication is essential to ensure that only authorized users have access to the network. Authentication can also provide an audit trail of what was send and by whom. Authentication at a scanning device should match existing corporate security policies and users should look for features such as session logon; authenticated Scan and Mail and Scan and Fax that dynamically integrates with the corporate e-mail and fax applications; and activity logging. 

Documents: With document imaging solutions, encryption, secure deletion of temporary files and inbox security can help keep scanned documents visible only to those with proper authorization.

Devices: Security should be in place that limits the activities that can be performed at a shared scanning device. At a minimum, the document imaging system should provide the same level of network security as any desktop system on your network, including: restricted network access; auto logon and application startup; application lockdown; physical security of PCs; and eliminating any removable drives.

Stringent user, document and device security standards enable companies to extend their electronic security protection to paper documents, opening up the wealth of productivity benefits that can be achieved through document imaging.  Download the white paper Addressing Document Imaging Security Issues for more information.