March 2007 Chapter Event

AIIM is the international authority on Enterprise Content Management (ECM).

 

 

The New Imaging Value Proposition:
How Advanced OCR Makes a Difference

About Our Moderator

Virtually every organization that processes moderate to high levels of paper needs a dependable mechanism for extracting data easily. With the advent of advanced OCR (optical character recognition) technologies – and the momentum it’s given to the mature world of imaging – that time has finally arrived.

And with it, VALUE.

    Value to improve processes and save money
    Value to increase your top and your bottom line
    Value to apply these benefits throughout your organization

Please join AIIM New England for a unique dual-panel format moderated by industry advisor Russ Edelman of Corridor Consulting. Designed to provide engaging and educational perspectives, you will learn about Advanced OCR and how it can help your business

  • Panel 1: Advanced OCR Vendors** flex their muscle and share their unique (and not so unique) value propositions. Cardiff, DataCap, Kofax and ReadSoft are participating.
  • Panel 2: End Users share their realities of planning and executing Advanced OCR roadmaps, and avoiding potholes along the way.
  • Network and meet the vendors and end users. Bring your forms. Get the answers you need to move your scan and capture initiatives to the next level.

Corridor Consulting - click for more nfoRuss Edelman
President & CEO, Corridor Consulting
With over 17 years of technology experience, Russ is a true industry leader. He elected to start Corridor Consulting in 1997 with a specific focus on web-based technologies and a concentration in document and knowledge management solutions.

In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of Corridor Consulting, Russ serves as an industry analyst for the DM/KM marketplace. In this respect, he is a member of AIIM's Emerging Technology Group (EmTag) as well as ARMA’s TAC (Technical Advisory Committee). Mr. Edelman speaks frequently at international conferences and writes for leading technology and business magazines.

Email Russ Edelman 

About Our Moderator

[Program Summary Below]

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Sponsors

Cardiff is a leading provider of business automation solutions for the insurance and financial services industries, specializing in processes involving documents, forms and people. Cardiff’s Intelligent Document solution enables organizations to automatically capture information from paper and electronic sources and to manage the process behind those sources by embedding intelligence into them. As a result, businesses reduce operational costs, provide a rich customer experience, increase visibility and ensure compliance to regulations.  Cardiff serves more than 8,000 customers worldwide, including many in insurance, financial services, pharmaceutical, healthcare, education, government and manufacturing industries. Cardiff is an Autonomy Group company (LSE: AU. or AU.L). Visit www.cardiff.com.

Kodak - Click for more infoKodak is the world s foremost imaging innovator  providing leading products and services to the photographic,  graphic communications and healthcare markets. With sales of US$14.3 billion in 2005  the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work.  Consumers use Kodak s system of digital and traditional image capture products and services to take print  and share their pictures anytime  anywhere; businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using Kodak’s solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; creative professionals rely on Kodak s technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images; and leading healthcare organizations rely on Kodak s innovative products services and customized workflow solutions to help improve patient care and maximize efficiency and information sharing within and across their enterprises. More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com . More information about Kodak document imaging scanners is available at www.kodak.com/go/docimaging .

Datacap - Click for more infoDatacap Capture software turns paper documents into information. Since 1988, Datacap Inc. has provided leading document capture and forms processing software solutions to organizations worldwide. Datacap Taskmaster software efficiently transforms documents into information, improves information accuracy and reduces data entry costs. Datacap is headquartered in Tarrytown, NY and has offices and staff throughout North America. Datacap markets its technology directly to end-users and through a worldwide network of resellers and system integrators.

Kofax - click for more infoKofax a division of DICOM Group plc (LSE: DCM.L) is the world's leading provider of information capture software according to research by Harvey Spencer Associates. Kofax products enable the automation of business processes by collecting paper documents  forms and e-documents from throughout organizations transforming them into retrievable information  and delivering it all into line-of-business applications databases and archives. The company's Ascent platform is the most popular information capture application worldwide  and its VRS (VirtualReScan) is the de facto standard for scanning productivity. Kofax products are widely used in: finance;  government; insurance; healthcare; and a broad range of companies and agencies that must capture critical business information from paper and electronic documents and forms.

Readsoft - Click for more infoFor more than a decade, ReadSoft has been laying the cornerstones for a streamlined system, automating each step of a business document flow. We have become the experts in automatic data capture, extracting information from paper as well as electronic documents. Intensive cooperation with business system vendors such as SAP and Oracle have given us extensive knowledge of integration into different ERP systems. With these cornerstones in place, we have been able to deliver what our customers have always asked for — ReadSoft DOCUMENTS, a complete software platform for Document Automation. Visit www.readsoft.com to understand more about why Avon, Sony, John Deere and more partner with ReadSoft for streamlined business processing.

ISI - Click for more infoImaging Solutions, Inc. (ISI), established  in 1994, is a leading provider of Enterprise Content Management Systems using scanning and networked and web-enabled computers to capture and control images and data, and perform business process management functions. As a systems integrator, we specialize in image processing, report management, structured and unstructured electronic forms processing and web based applications. Our services include consulting, application design, software development, hardware selection and integration, implementation, conversion services, training and support. We represent several product providers and consistently monitor the market for new products that meet our strict criteria for adoption into our family of product offerings.

Program Summary

This document has been prepared as a high-level recap of the workshop/conference session that took place on March 22 at The Taj in Boston for the AIIM New England Chapter.

While Corridor was the driving force for the session concept and facilitation, a high level of value was achieved through the participating panelists, AIIM and of course, the attendees. Our goal was to leverage the experiences of all people involved to reflect upon key Advanced OCR issues and the realities of implementing these systems.

March 22, 2007 – AIIM
The New Imaging Value Proposition
How Advanced OCR Makes A Difference

Panelists:

  • Barry O’Brien – Cardiff, Inc. (Autonomy)
  • Drew Reynolds – Kofax, Inc.
  • Paul McKnerney – Datacap, Inc.
  • Scott Harvey – ReadSoft, Inc.
  • Shawn Santomenno – Northeast Utilities System
Key Take Away Points

  • A general and genuine consensus was shared by all of the panelists regarding the stability and maturity of the advanced OCR technologies. They have reached critical mass and are being used in a production capacity by a variety of organizations.
  • The biggest concern voiced by all panelists and participants was that of proper planning for any implementation. While the technology can be complex, the majority of problems are encountered when the process is not properly defined and understood.
  • Most of the panelists believe that a blending of template and rules-based processing is the optimal mix for advanced OCR.  However, not all panelists provided a blended solution.
  • Kofax and ReadSoft felt a key differentiator for their respective products was the ability to integrate with back-end ERP systems. However, both representatives, along with the other two and me (Russ) immediately commented on the importance of setting expectations around ERP integration; rarely is it performed without a substantial effort.
  • All panelists felt that the Advanced OCR technologies had matured to the point where most configuration work is performed through administrative configuration as compared to high level “scripting” or low level “coding”.
  • As a result of the heightened emphasis on administrative configuration capabilities, the cost for implementation has been reduced considerably and economic justification is feasible when 3 or more data entry people are employed.
  • In the future, Advanced OCR will continue to become simpler with the ability to leverage administrative configuration options more extensively.
  • All of the participants indicated that they have a fairly defined process that can serve as a barometer regarding the feasibility of Advanced OCR. By going through this process, you will be able to determine if the technology is or is not a good fit.

Shawn Santomenno, the end user who participated in the event, indicated that once the initial application was successfully deployed, they began to leverage their platform in other capacities.  This has been well received and they continue to have success.  The panelists agreed that internal expansion is common once the initial system is deployed.

Shawn also indicated that if the business case is readily apparent, you should act as soon as possible to implement a solution as the savings and economics are substantial.

A key question raised by a participant was the use of workflow and which workflow product should be used; a pure-play workflow tool, an ECM workflow tool, or an ERP workflow tool.  The general recommendation was that it will be dependent upon standards employed within the organization, coupled with the correct matching of technology for the required functionality.  Yes…it depends!

If you are interested in obtaining assistance with your Advanced OCR efforts or would like to receive a similar report for other sessions conducted by Corridor in March, please feel free to contact Russ Edelman at 781.229.9933 ext. 11 or via email at russ.edelman@corridorconsulting.com

Thanks also for your assistance with The Nice Guy Survey.  If you have any interesting stories where you felt being “Too Nice” prevented you from being more successful, please contact Russ as referenced above. A book on the subject is coming out in the summer of 2008.

 

 

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