An Innovative Blend…ILINX® Capture with Canon ScanFront 220 / 220P

This week I wanted to highlight a great ImageSource combo that delivers an All-IN-ONE system that is perfect for Workgroup Capture.  This blended technology provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art scanning solution for any organization, regardless of size.

ILINX® Capture is a powerful web based application that allows you to capture information any place, any time.  It can be used for ad hoc and production scanning and indexing.  All you need is access to a browser and you can capture documents from anywhere in the world!

With ILINX Capture you can import and process emails, faxes and business documents and it is easily integrated with third-party and legacy systems. Once released from the scanner, the documents enter the ILINX Capture workflow system; allowing access to documents and batches from a thin web client.  ILINX Capture was a winner of the 2010 Product Innovation Awards -  Network Products Guide.

Now blending ILINX Capture with Canon ScanFront 220 / ScanFront 220P scanner, this allows you to plug your captured information directly into your office network.  With the user-friendly touch screen, you can scan directly to e-mail, FTP, shared folders or USB memory and it releases to a comprehensive workflow system that is assessable from any browser. 

Worried about security and access to your network? The Canon ScanFront 220 / ScanFront 220P has robust security features offering fingerprint authentication with easy remote management.

Check out the demo of how it works on You Tube - you will see how easy it is to apply innovation in your workflow processes!

For more information see the PDF below.

Dynamic Duo – ILINX Capture & Canon ScanFront 220P

Megan Lane
Inside Sales
ImageSource Inc.
Phone 360.943.9273
iPhone 360.481.5946
www.imagesourceinc.com

  

Centralized, de-centralized or outsourced capture – some surprising results!

In-Process Capture… Centralized Production Scanning… De-Centralized Distributed Capture… the discussions on which strategy is best for a company when addressing their document capture needs can have interesting outcomes. 

There seems to be no “right” answer, the technology choices for capture are continuously growing and changing and a company’s Enterprise Content Management (ECM) needs can be very specific.   A recent research study by AIIM produced some surprising results when they reviewed the issues and potential benefits of different approaches to document capture.  Document capture encompasses document scanning, image correction, recognition of text, barcodes, form fields etc. and output to an appropriate format for subsequent processing or archive storage.

One surprising and interesting outcome that AIIM states in their introduction of the report; “The report concludes that there is a move back to centralized scanning operations, along with a greater investment in capture and recognition software to automate date capture and indexing processes.”  At ImageSource, we have also seen an increase in companies utilizing the newer model of “distributed scanning” – at the local level to office staff processing the capture documents. The value of capturing something at point of origination and placed into an imaging business process earlier does save time and money.

Allow your business needs to dictate they type of capture solution that makes business sense for your organization.  This may include multiple avenues. Many of our customers utilize both centralized and de-centralized capture – depending on their specific business needs.   We have also seen companies move towards an increase in distributed/ de-centralized capture for their 3 – 5 year strategic ECM plan.

 So how do you work out what is the best approach for your needs? And it can vary from department to department within the company!  This is one of the greatest challenges the C-Level and IT staff come across when developing an ECM strategic technology plan. As an independent ECM  Integrator, ImageSource is uniquely qualified to help discover the ideal mix of Capture technology to conquer business challenges.  We help chart a strategic course, whether the business requires in-process capture, production scanning, distributed capture or mailroom solutions.

One other surprising result of the AIIM study was the statistics that shows a very strong return on investment (ROI) and compelling case for scanning and capture investments.  Capture is an enabling process that is a combination of improved user access to information and reduced costs.  The study showed that ROI for capture was reported within 12 months to 18 months! That is a significant and impressive return!  Yet the study shows that justifying ROI is still a huge impediment to adoption -one that many of our customers face when presenting the case to change “how things have been done”. 

The greatest benefit of research is that it stimulates all the interested parties into discussion and planning mode.  So what ECM strategies will your company implement – centralized, de-centralized/distributed capture or outsource it!

Megan Lane
Inside Sales
ImageSource Inc.
Phone 360.943.9273
iPhone 360.481.5946
www.imagesourceinc.com

  

Character versus Reputation!

I was reading a professional colleague’s blog before New Year’s Eve and was surprised at a quote that highlighted the difference between “Character versus Reputation”.  Matt Younquist – Career Horizons recited a quote from Coach John Wooden which said;

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

Working at a company (ImageSource Inc.) whose expertise is providing full-service Enterprise Content Management integration, the concept of Character versus Reputation is enacted every single day.  ImageSource provides infrastructure and services that streamline information processes using advanced paperless technologies.  Our goal is to help customers leverage their information assets through document imaging, distributed capture, workflow and integration with existing business software systems.  Our comprehensive approach, including analysis, training and support, will advance efficiencies, security, compliance and competition through your entire organization.

We work side by side with our customers to incorporate change within an organization and the many challenges that come hand in hand with this process.  Often when ImageSource is being considered for a project, our reputation precedes our presentation based on existing customer referrals and the large list of successful project implementations.  However, the true character of a company, its culture and people shines or fizzles when unexpected challenges arise throughout the life of the customer/vendor relationship.  ImageSource has proven that character is more important than reputation (even though they are inexplicably linked), and the proof shines via our customer loyalty, our expertise and continued success. 

Another quote comes to mind from Coach John Wooden; “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable.” I believe each person at ImageSource strives to achieve this every day and that our customers return the favor.

Check out Coach John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success” model – it is something to aspire towards as a company and as an individual. May your New Year be as successful as ours will be and have fun considering whether character or reputation is more important!

Megan Lane
Inside Sales
ImageSource Inc.
Phone 360.943.9273
iPhone 360.481.5946
www.imagesourceinc.com

  

The Simple Act of Document Scanning – It’s Not So Simple…

Many people think that scanning documents only requires putting it in the feeder tray and pressing “scan”, but there are many steps that need to be followed when scanning documents into your Document Management System.  Documents come in many shapes, thickness, sizes, and conditions, so the first step is to properly prepare the documents for scanning.  “Document prep” is a highly important step before scanning, this assists in achieving the rated speed of the scanner and to avoid damage to its components.  This includes removing staples, paperclips, or any metal fasteners that might be attached to the documents so that you do not cause damage as the paper is fed through the scanner.  You also want to remove any post-it notes or small receipts and attach to a regular size piece of paper to avoid miss-feeding or jamming.  Any crumpled or folded document will need to be flattened out so they feed correctly through the scanner.  This seems a time consuming first step but it actually makes the scanning process more streamlined and efficient.

Once your documents are properly prepped, it is time to scan them.   Often scanner operators will use separator pages to separate the batches of documents, to index the batches together correctly.  This saves time with data input on the operator’s side.  Scanning software functionality such as Kofax VRS, allows the operator to either manually alter the document to improve quality, or set up settings automatically to do this and speed up the quality assurance (checking the image) process.  Once the batch of documents is scanned, Capture Software such as ILINX Capture or Kofax Capture allows the operator will use specific index fields to associate metadata with the documents. These metadata fields will accompany the image once released into repository software so that the document can be searched for and found in the future. 

If done correctly, scanning documents can be an efficient business process that will save your company time and money….it is as simple as that!  For a demonstration of document scanning (even bring your own documents), attend Nexus.  Call Inside Sales at 360-943-9273 and mention this blog for a registration discount!

 

 

Andrea Latham, CDIA+

Inside Sales

ImageSource, Inc.

Phone 360.943.9273

www.imagesourceinc.com

The Wonderful World of Enhanced Bar Code Recognition

Capturing and reading bar codes has been done for many years, but more recently it has expanded due to color technology.  There is more information to assist in bar code interpretation and the enhanced bar code ready is able to achieve more accurate readings of all supported bar code types at lower DPI (dots per inch) levels and varying levels of quality.  Some prospective users of this technology are not sure exactly when this process can take place, at scan time or during recognition and the answer is…both!

The EBC (Enhanced Bar Code) module is an add-on from Kofax to their Capture product, but can also be added to other Capture products as well.  The EBC can be used at scan time if that is more effective for the scanning process, but also can run at recognition if you have many scanners capturing bar code information which needs to be released and processed at the same time through the server. 

Enhanced Bar Code recognition is also included in the KofaxVRS product in the Workgroup and Professional versions.  The EBC, when used directly from the VRS product can only be run at scan time, not at recognition.  So if you are in need of that capability, you may need to look into purchasing the separate EBC add-on directly to the Capture product.  If you have more than one installation of Kofax Capture, be aware that you will need to purchase the EBC module for each installation that needs that capability. 

In addition, ImageSource offers www.ilinxcapture.com to compliment an existing batch capture environment.  ILINX Capture allows content to be submitted in an adhoc manner from around the enterprise and offers enhanced bar code capability.

Some of the new improvements to the EBC functionality includes the ability to work with grayscale images in addition to having improved bitonal recognition capability.  Another significant advancement is the support of two-dimensional (2D) bar codes.  If you have any questions or need more information on this or other Kofax products, give ImageSource, Inc. a call and we can certainly help!

 

Andrea Latham, CDIA+

Inside Sales

ImageSource, Inc.

To Renew Or Not To Renew…There Is No Question!

The current business model for enterprise level capture software suites is not simply to sell you a product and walk away, but rather it is to become a partner. The initial purchase is the beginning of that relationship. When you invest in a software suite such as Kofax Capture or ILINX Capture, you are modifying your business processes to accommodate the features and capabilities of the product to hopefully improve you productivity.  Once these capture products become part of your work life you will want to keep up your maintenance/software Assurance/upgrade assurance, so as new versions are released, you take advantage of a new feature or simply to stay compatible with your current operating system. If it was worth investing in originally it is worth maintaining.

Some customers choose not to adopt the partner model and never buy maintenance beyond the first year. Then the day comes when the system goes down and they don’t even know where to start to fix the problem.  And in order to get the current version, the manufacture requires them to pay for all the back maintenance plus a reinstatement fee. Sure the first reaction might be to start over fresh with another product, but once you look at changing your processes to accommodate a different product, you can quickly eliminate the savings you thought you were getting in the first place.

In terms of license volume reduction, it has been my experience that the customer is only saving hundreds of dollars today with the potential of spending thousands in the future.  I think that it is a bold move by some manufacturers  to enforce the “all or nothing” approach to license renewal but it is really in the best interest of the customer to keep current with all of their licenses.  I think this was a driving force when this policy was constructed.  I think it causes a lot of work for more than one person to keep track of licenses that customers may or may not be using when they are considering just a partial renewal.  That is one of many reasons why end users are becoming more and more interested in ILINX Capture, to avoid the hassles of volume-based licensing.  The pro’s to renewing software assurance are obvious and the expenditure is nominal; the cons are sometimes surprising and the expenditure is often alarming.

Whether using Kofax or ILINX Capture, staying current gives you the comfort of knowing that you are entitled to the necessary software to upgrade when the time comes.  And partnering with ImageSource, Inc. lends the right expertise to get the job done right the first time!

Andrea Latham, CDIA+

Inside Sales

ImageSource, Inc.