Document Imaging Blog

Extending SharePoint to Support Document Workflows

Next Tuesday, June 24th, Microsoft and eCopy executives will present a Webinar on how to generate more value from Microsoft SharePoint environments by adding third-party document workflow applications that support an organization’s existing business processes.

The featured speaker at the Webinar is John Graham, Microsoft senior product manager, who will discuss the role of SharePoint in enabling electronic document workflows that connect people, information and processes. He will also discuss the types of applications that organizations should consider integrating with Microsoft SharePoint, with a focus on document imaging software.

Among other topics, the webinar will provide information to help organizations:
- Extend SharePoint investments by supporting specific business workflows with third-party applications.
- Choose third-party applications that integrate with Microsoft applications.
- Seamlessly integrate paper-based information into SharePoint with a document imaging solution to move towards a paperless office environment.
- Increase the ROI of line of business applications by utilizing document scanning software that easily converts paper documents into searchable, electronic files.   

The Webinar takes place on June 24, 2008 starting at 2:00 p.m. EDT, and interested parties can sign-up in advance by accessing the event registration site. It features a live Q&A session for the participants to present questions to the expert speakers.

Four Tips for Document Imaging and SharePoint

"Companies are turning in droves to Microsoft’s SharePoint platform, quickly recognizing the benefits of a system that enables better collaboration and document workflows, and therefore improving information worker productivity and efficiency. However, many processes and workflows require information that’s only available in paper documents."

This is the start of an article this week in WindowsITPro, and is a statement that more and more end user organizations can relate to as they implement SharePoint and face the problem of integrating their paper-based and electronic workflows. Document imaging software – made available to any office worker – is the best solution, but there are many choices of which software to use.

When considering document imaging software for use with Microsoft SharePoint, four considerations can help you make a good decision:

1) The document imaging software should have a zero footprint on the SharePoint server.

2) Look for software that offers out-of-the-box functionality and navigation into your SharePoint environment. Document imaging software should adapt immediately to the environment that you have setup – even if you have done extensive customization to the environment.

3) The document imaging software should offer support for all SharePoint Content Types, Metadata, Workflows (Workflow Foundation Server), etc.

4) Security – The software should match the user authentication and access rights settings that have been set on the SharePoint server. There should be no need to setup separate authentication processes for document imaging.

There are lots of additional resources to learn about document imaging for SharePoint, including archived Webinars and case studies, at this link.

AIIM Webinar Q&A – Part 3

In part 3 of our Q&A follow-up to last week’s AIIM Webinar (see part 1 and part 2), I’m going to answer a couple of questions around getting paper documents into Microsoft SharePoint. SharePoint, not surprisingly, is top of mind with Microsoft-driven organizations who are implementing the technology in droves to enable better collaboration and document workflows. And one of the big challenges that these organizations face is how to ensure that knowledge workers are able to include information that resides on paper inside SharePoint.

Our first question asks: How does eCopy know where to send documents and metadata content to SharePoint?

Our integration with SharePoint is done through our Connector to eCopy ShareScan. Our SharePoint connectivity is predicated upon authenticated user access, i.e. the username/password assigned to users who access SharePoint. With this information, users are logged into their SharePoint repository at the MFP and can self-determine where to deposit information by browsing to the site, subsite, document library, etc. at the MFP. Alternatively, eCopy’s SharePoint connectivity can be pre-configured for a dedicated capture operation, for example, scanning resumes to a dedicated folder accessible by Human Resources. In this configuration, there is no user interaction with SharePoint, but the application intelligently knows where to store the document and what indexing information should be included with it, i.e. username, date, document type, etc.

The second question asks: What are the benefits of eCopy with MOSS 2007. And is eCopy a good connector for MOSS 2007?

The answer to the second part is yes, of course.  We recently upgraded our connector to support many of the features that were added to SharePoint in MOSS 2007, including support for multiple content types and workflows.

As for the benefits, I’ll list three of the biggest. 1) Our SharePoint Connector replicates the user’s desktop experience with SharePoint at the MFP, allowing navigation through sites, subsites, document libraries, etc. This leads to high user adoption and a reduction in errors because the workflow process is unchanged.  2) The Connector features dynamic connectivity to a live environment, meaning that a user is working with a live environment vs. a static image of the application. So in that environment, if new folders or other destinations are added to the SharePoint environment, these are automatically available to the user during the capture process.  3) From an IT perspective, our SharePoint connectivity requires no changes to the SharePoint environment and there are no modifications or additions necessary to the MOSS server.

We’ll be back next week with the final questions from last week’s webinar (view a recording here).

Bill DeStefanis
Director of Product Management

“Easy to Use” Scanning

Visioneer’s VP of Marketing wrote a post on Xerox’s “Big I, Little t” blog about easy to use scanning solutions. He said that what his customers have told him is that it is important for them to be able to scan documents and send them to a destination such as a back end application by touching a single button – something that Visioneer’s OneTouch solution can deliver. Granted, this is very easy to use. However, it is not always appropriate for companies’ various document workflows.

His post specifically mentions Microsoft SharePoint as a backend application that customers would want to include paper-based information in. This is a perfect example of why it is important to offer employees a scanning solution that is both easy to use AND supports various document workflows. SharePoint is a powerful collaboration and workflow tool for knowledge workers. And those knowledge workers want to be able to include paper-based information inside SharePoint. But it is rare that every document will need to go to the exact same destination, or will need advanced imaging processing. Most of the time, knowledge workers are interested in converting that paper document to a PDF file, possibly OCRing the document and/or adding some simple indexing information for improved search and retrieval, and then choosing the destination (site, subsite, document library, etc.) within SharePoint to send it to. They can not do this when the scan task is pre-defined.

There may, of course, be some cases where a choice of “one touch” scanning for a repeatable scanning task and destination may be the preferable method. An example of this could be scanning in timecards to a destination that the payroll department can access. This type of scanning can be combined with more flexible options in a solution that provides users with the choice to scan and send documents in the way that best meets their workflow needs.

In this scenario, when that user walks up to a scanning device, they may be presented with two (or more) choices – Scan to SharePoint (which allows them to select scan settings and navigate to areas of SharePoint that they have access to) and Scan to Payroll (which automatically chooses the scan settings and routes the document to the destination with one touch). The point is that a document imaging solution that is flexible enough to support any workflow is, in fact, the easiest to use because it does not make knowledge workers change the way that they work.

Choice -- especially when presented in an interface at the scanning device which is comparable to the interface at their desktop -- does not equal complexity. And it benefits employees by saving time and effort, improving accuracy and increasing job satisfaction – all while increasing the value of a shared scanning device.

Document Imaging for Microsoft-Driven Organizations – Webinar Q&A

I co-presented a Webinar on document imaging for Microsoft-driven organizations with Forrester Research last Wednesday afternoon.  A terrific audience of nearly 400 attendees posed a number of questions at the end of the Webinar and I will be posting those questions and answers on the blog this week. If you missed the Webinar last week, you can download a recording here.

The first question I will cover came in from an end user who works for a Credit Union. He asked:

In a distributed capture model, who captures the metadata/index information? How do you best control consistency and accuracy? And, how do you control user/site license costs?

While I hate to start off this week-long Q&A like this, the answer is it depends. A good distributed capture application should be flexible enough to automatically capture metadata information  based on items such as username, date, time, etc., AND present a Windows-like user interface that prompts the user for metadata information. In terms of control and accuracy, this can be addressed by the application designer/administrator through the use of tools such as list boxes, character limitation, mandatory indexing, and other selection fields. In the case of eCopy ShareScan, user selections would be pulled live from the backend application – for example with SharePoint, indexing fields are displayed with options such as content or document type to reflect the same metadata requirements at the MFP that users would see at their desktop. So, if you have trained your users to save electronic documents to a repository, the same process will apply at the MFP.

In terms of controlling user/site license costs, scanning at shared scanning devices like MFPs is typically not charged on a per user basis. When working with a backend application, a users SharePoint CAL is valid at either the user’s desktop and the scanning device, so no additional CAL should be necessary.

A follow-up question to this was also posed:

So, while reducing a centralized scan/capture environment, would we still need a centralized index/quality control-type environment?

Distributed scanning processes are not necessarily designed as a replacement to centralized scanning operations. So, it is very likely that both will be maintained. As far as indexing/QC operations, in an application like eCopy’s those functions are done by the user at the point of capture (preview, indexing, metadata, etc.). However, a distributed capture application can also augment a  centralized capture process, pushing the indexing/QC functions further out to the workforce.

We’ll have more questions on the blog later this week. In the meantime, please feel free to post any questions that you may have about Document Imaging in the comment field below.

Bill DeStefanis

Director of Product Management

AIIM’s State of the ECM Industry Report – Paper Déjà vu

This month, AIIM released its annual State of the ECM Industry Report, which is always a good read and full of good data points collected from AIIM’s survey of end user organizations. Among the many observations in this year’s report, AIIM President John Mancini highlighted a topic that is near and dear to document imaging -- Paper Déjà vu. He says:

There are three dimensions of this problem that we need to help organizations understand. The first is the traditional one – getting rid of paper. The second dimension relates to getting rid of paper from information that was actually born digitally. We have a tendency in the work of blogs and wikis and Enterprise 2.0 technologies to somehow imagine the paper is a thing of the past… And lastly, I think that part of the renaissance of paper concerns in organizations will center around green concerns.

I agree with all three dimensions, but think that a fourth needs to be added to that list: information access. John references this as one of the four major trends in ECM, but in an echo of what I hear from end user organizations, he focuses on electronic information access. For organizations to capitalize on the value that applications like SharePoint and other document tools the reach the desktops of workers across an organization, electronic and paper-based information need to be merged together in these new workflow processes. Providing all employees access to an easy to use document imaging solution can help meet this goal.

Making Scanning & Sharing Documents Easier with SharePoint

Microsoft posted a SharePoint customer case study article today on the Microsoft Momentum site. The article features eCopy document imaging software customer Introgen Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company that used SharePoint and eCopy to meet government regulations. The author, Alan Earls, discusses how eCopy duplicates the Microsoft SharePoint user experience at the MFP. To read the article click on Microsoft SharePont document imaging.

Document Imaging and Legal Practice Management

Ross Kodner of Ross Ipsa Loquiter Blog, which incidently is an amazing source of information on legal technology and document management information, yesterday posted live from LegalTech about the opportunities that SharePoint is bringing to legal. To quote him on one of the standout points of the SharePoint proposition:

The emphasis in practice information tracking on the “individual as a member of teams,” rather than the typical practice management focus on the “matters first, team second, individuals third” approach interwoven through contemporary practice management systems. In other words, most practice managers today are matter-centric: it’s all about the matter. What I saw today was definitely matter-centric, but in a different way. The emphasis was on the people who work on the matters first, then matter info secondarily. That’s a considerable application focus shift. Was that the hint of a wiff of a paradigm shifting nearby?

This same emphasis can be applied to document imaging. When you empower individual users to scan their own documents at shared scanning devices and distribute them to the applications (like SharePoint or any traditional practice management or document management system, it is critical that the scanning process be as easy and intuitive as possible. Here's a great example.

The way this happens is to present the same interface at the scanning device (MFP or scanner) that they see at their desktop. When they log into the document imaging software and scan to -- say SharePoint -- they should be presented with the same options as they see when they open the application at their desktop. NOT just a list of folders or matters, but a list of the ones that they use. Dynamic integration between the two applications makes this possible.

When you make it easy to include paper documents into the applications that run your business, you eliminate the delays caused by paper workflows. And, you empower your employees by making their jobs easier -- which, of course, in turn makes for happier, more productive employees.

Document Imaging Boosts SharePoint 2007 Workflows

When West Chester University’s (WCU) Provost’s office needed a more efficient and cost effective process to collect and distribute lengthy meeting agendas and materials for a 90-member committee, they turned to SharePoint. A streamlined, electronic process was mapped and put in place using Microsoft SharePoint, developing a Portal for the committee and document libraries for monthly agendas and supporting materials.

The process and technology was an ideal solution – except for one problem. A significant amount of the material for these meetings was still generated in paper form. WCU solved this issue by implementing a document imaging solution.

Like the scenario at WCU, SharePoint is used by all the information workers in a business and so it follows that you also need a document imaging solution that allows those workers to scan paper documents themselves directly into SharePoint repositories. This requires the use of a shared scanning device, such as a MFP or networked scanner, and tight integration of the document imaging software with SharePoint 2007.

When considering a document imaging solution for SharePoint, it helps to consider the following:

• The scanning interface should mirror the SharePoint user experience at the desktop
• SharePoint security models and policies, including authentication and access rights setting, should be incorporated
• The document imaging software should have zero footprint on the SharePoint server
• Full navigation of SharePoint sites, subsites and document libraries should be available at the scanning device
• The document imaging software should support SharePoint content types and workflows
• The integration between the systems should be dynamic to eliminate the need to make changes to both systems

Top Enterprise Content Management Trends for 2008

AIIM yesterday announced its Top Enterprise Content Management Trends of 2008. The top-level message of the AIIM findings is that ECM is being driven by collaboration and innovation, as well as the more traditional need for information control.

Top on the list of trends from AIIM is the evolution of Microsoft SharePoint as a serious player in the ECM infrastructure marketplace. We certainly agree and have blogged about that here and here. Or click here to listen to a Webinar about SharePoint and ECM with Forrester’s Barry Murphy.

A second trend is increasing tensions between “control” and “access”. AIIM notes that the pendulum has been on the “control” side for a while, but is now swinging towards access issues.

And not surprisingly, listed among the top 10 trends was The Renaissance of Capture. AIIM notes that as the market expands into mid-sized organizations, there are untapped opportunities in organizations still reliant on paper processes.

If these trends hold and ECM is, in fact, being driven more by collaboration and innovation, than capture will certainly play a significant role. Collaboration, innovation and access to information are all powered by electronic business processes. Paper slows these processes and organizations who are adopting ECM strategies and technologies need to include strategies to incorporate paper into their electronic business processes in order to successfully adopt ECM.

Document Imaging for Microsoft SharePoint

We recently had an opportunity to speak with Tisson Matthew, CTO of Aivea, an IT Consulting firm with deep Microsoft technologies experience, about Microsoft SharePoint and how organizations can leverage the technology, particularly in relation to enterprise content management (ECM).

During the Q&A with Tisson, he commented that “from Microsoft’s perspective, SharePoint connects people, process and information.” That simple message – connecting people, process and information – is certainly one that hits home with almost organization, and probably helps explain the rapid adoption and buzz around the product. And, according to Tisson, SharePoint offers excellent integration between its ECM and collaboration technologies, making it a strong option for IT managers looking for applications to improve how office professionals collaborate and work with documents.

Those documents, in most office workflows, include paper documents. In the Q&A, we asked Tisson what the best way to capture paper-based information into SharePoint:

"It actually goes beyond the fact that office workflows involve paper documents. Tighter collaboration requires ad-hoc document capture so documents are immediately available to people when they need them. To achieve this, companies need to adopt document imaging solutions that make it easy for any office worker to scan documents directly into SharePoint from a readily accessible capture device like a multifunction printer (MFP) or scanner. It helps ensure all relevant information is instantly available by indexing and storing paper-based information to SharePoint. "

Using SharePoint, as well as a document imaging solution designed to work with SharePoint – or any document management or collaboration software in use in your organization – can go a long way in helping connect people, process and information and, in turn, help your employees work more effectively with others.

SharePoint Meets ECM

SharePoint seems to be everywhere these days. Microsoft reports that more than 85 million licenses of the collaboration software have been purchased and many more organizations are using the SharePoint services that come bundled with MS Office. The power and potential of this software is almost unthinkable, yet many companies are struggling to navigate through the "bees nest" of its capabilities and understand how to deploy, use and manage the software.

We were fortunate to be able to speak with Barry Murphy of Forrester as part of an AIIM Webinar on the subject of SharePoint Meets ECM, which provided an overview of SharePoint's capabilities, what applications it is good for, where it falls short and how to use document imaging software with SharePoint. Here's a  recording of the Webinar.

If you are one of the many people rolling out SharePoint and have paper documents that should be included in the system, consider the following when choosing a document imaging solution:

• Ensure that you do not add a footprint on your SharePoint server; the less third-party software that runs on the server, the less likely you are to have to deal with a server crash
• Look for document imaging software that has "out of the box" functionality for your needs; customization costs can quickly run amok with SharePoint roll-outs
• Make sure the document imaging solution can support for SharePoint content types, metadata and workflows (Workflow Foundation Server, etc.)
• Keep security in mind with your imaging solution; the solution should uphold existing security models and policies; it should be able to pick up the authentication and access rights of your environment