June 2001

Best of AIIM 2001

by The Editors of Transform Magazine

Evolutionary technology, evolutionary thinking. This sums up most of what we saw at AIIM 2001, held April 30 to May 3 in New York. The exhibition demonstrated that the packaging and deployment of enterprise content management technologies is changing more than the technology itself. While this may sound like a slight, the change in thinking is important.

The change boils down to this: content and collaboration technologies like workflow, report management, imaging, document management and even cutting-edge Web content management are now viewed as enablers. They can no longer be islands of information with disconnected interfaces and proprietary formats. Their value increases the more open, connected and, in many cases, transparent they are to the end user. Not surprisingly, a number of AIIM exhibitors showcased integrations with applications such as Siebel and SAP, and e-business platforms such as IBM WebSphere and BEA WebLogic.

While many vendors and end users have made a psychological leap, a study released at the show by AIIM International and Gartner revealed that many organizations have to yet to bring all the pieces together (see related story, "Study Spots Content Enabling Trend").

"While 79 percent of the [1,007] organizations surveyed had implemented some form of e-business infrastructure, the overwhelming majority have not yet integrated key enterprise applications into these e-business systems," stated Cliff Sink, a vice president of business development at Ikon and AIIM International Board Chairman.

According to James Watson, president of Doculabs, interest in enabling was very much in evidence at AIIM. The Chicago-based advisory firm conducted exhibit-floor tours at AIIM, and Watson says more than 300 end users took part.

"People wanted to know how to get their content up on a Web site for customer self-service," Watson says. "They wanted to know how to connect their document management systems to strategically relevant systems like CRM."

While the editors of Transform are responsible for the Best of AIIM selection that follows, we owe thanks for the observations and opinions of technology experts Gordy Hoke, James Just and Jim Minihan of Imerge; Harvey Spencer of Harvey Spencer Associates; Bruce Silver of Bruce Silver Associates; Dan Elam of eVisory; Rich Medina and Geoff Blanco of Doculabs; Julie Gable of Gable Consulting; and Richard Fisher of Giga. -DH

WEB-ERA CONTENT INTEGRATION

Venetica
Charlotte, NC, www.venetica.com
Product: Venice Bridge

How do you bring your enterprise document management into the 21st century? How do you harmonize the multitude of repositories typically found in large enterprises? And how do you keep down the costs associated with large-scale integration activities?

Venetica has an answer in its Venice Bridge content integration architecture. The product offers out-of-the-box integrations for nine leading document repositories to a common, open, Java-based architecture (see "Bridge the Gap to Legacy Content," page 13). The result is that all your document and content repositories get a modern, Java application programming interface that can be linked to Web portals or Web servers, or integrated with CRM or ERP systems. Moreover, Venice Bridge retains native system functionality, so users can still check in, check out, edit and annotate documents just as they would through proprietary clients.

Venice Bridge also lets repositories talk to each other in a way never before possible. Completed integrations include Documentum, FileNet, PC Docs, Open Text, Eastman, Lotus Notes, Domino, IBM Content Manager, Oracle IFS and disk files systems. Even if your document repository is not yet supported, it is much simpler to integrate with Venice Bridge's single application programming interface (API) than to try to integrate with a half dozen repository APIs. Venice Bridge is priced starting at $125,000; its value increases with the number of repositories you need to integrate. -LR

TOTAL CONTENT MANAGEMENT

Gauss Interprise
Irvine, CA, www.gaussinterprise.com
Product: VIP Platform

Content management systems usually fall into one of two groups. Either they manage images, electronic documents, reports and work processes involving compound documents, or they dynamically assemble structured content and rich media assets for presentation on Web browsers. Few, however, manage both kinds of content effectively.

Among the leaders in an emerging trend toward single-system content management is Gauss' VIP Platform. Having acquired Magellan Software and its integrated document management suite last year, Gauss has brought together the technologies required to provide both component-level and document-level content management. At AIIM, the company showed how the two were integrated and could work together in real-world environments.

Gauss' VIP Platform accomplishes combined component and document content management while supporting cross-platform, open standards like Java and XML. While there are other systems that support both levels of content management, Gauss offers a low-cost alternative with less of the time and trouble required in a best-of-breed integration approach. The typical cost for a complete system is $130,000. -LR

XML-ENABLED WORKFLOW

Identitech
Melbourne, FL, www.identitech.com
Product: FYI Forms and Workflow

Optical Image Technology
State College, PA, www.opticaltech.com
Product: XML FormFlow

Many vendors add "XML inside" marketing spins to their products, but Identitech and Optical Image Technology have made significant advances in XML-enabled workflow initiated through the Internet.

The combined e-form and workflow products introduced by these two vendors allow business users or customers to kick off workflows with XML-based electronic forms submitted from internal or external Web-based clients. The workflow systems then look at the XML-tagged data received and pull related content from repositories and data from applications such as ERP systems.

Users in the workflow then receive customized content tailored to the work that must be completed. The system saves time and labor since it conducts the search for relevant content automatically. This makes workers more productive and improves accuracy.

Both systems support complex transactions with multiple routing possibilities, multiple content variables and multiple data inputs, yet they do it in an automated fashion. Both systems also support electronic signatures, so approvals and submissions can remain paper free. Both also offer audit trails of the full transaction lifecycle and an ability to store archival records.

These vendors are working toward the vision of fully automated e-business interactions that adapt dynamically to the content of the transaction. Instead of having to map out pre-defined workflows with human checkpoints, the XML-tagged content determines the routing, initiates the data lookups and coordinates interlocking business processes.

Identitech's FYI system with forms, workflow, imaging and basic report management starts at $150,000 for a 30- to 50-user system installed. Typical pricing for a 25-user Optical Image Technology system with XML FormFlow is approximately $90,000. -LR, DH

IMAGE CONVERSION TO XML

XML Cities
Milpitas, CA, www.xmlcities.com
Product: XML Capture Suite

XML Cities introduced a system that combines document capture, OCR and XML tagging in a single product that automates the task of turning document images into usable, XML-structured content.

XML Capture is a scan-to-XML system. It scans or imports documents, applies optical character recognition (OCR), and then matches the recognized text to a document type definition (DTD) to apply XML metatags. The result is XML content ready to be added to any content repository. If a scanned document or portion thereof doesn't fit any known DTD, XML Capture puts it into an exception folder for human validation and quality assurance. Images can be retained and exported along with tagged OCR results depending on the needs of the application.

The XML Capture Suite uses XML Cities' own color-capable PageGenie OCR engine, and an administrative module provides production statistics for large-scale image-to-XML conversion projects. While other tools exist for tagging computer-readable content, XML Capture is an automated alternative to massive, key-entry conversion of document images into usable content-fitting specific DTDs. Although the cost for the suite has not been finalized, the company expects that it will be about $50,000. -LR

END-TO-END E-FORMS MANAGEMENT

Cardiff Software
Vista, CA, www.cardiff.com
Product: LiquidForms eForm Management System

Most companies still have plenty of forms-driven business processes, but the pieces are falling into place to transform paper-based processes into electronic interactions. Cardiff Software's LiquidForms eForm Management System is a complete system for creating, publishing, routing and processing electronic forms in either HTML or PDF format.

LiquidForms gives users access to a centralized eForm repository using standard Web browsers without proprietary plug-ins or Java applets. The system can route and track e-forms requiring multiple completion steps or approvals. Users have log-in security and can complete and electronically sign e-forms with industry-standard e-signature tools. The PDF forms can be emailed and returned to the system's eForm repository for automated processing. The data from completed forms can be automatically delivered to databases and back-end applications.

Cardiff's LiquidForms Designer allows you to create forms by simply dragging and dropping pre-built data collection components from a library. You then publish standard HTML or PDF forms to the LiquidForms Web Server. The LiquidForms Designer is priced at $1,000 per seat with volume discounts. A Workgroup System supports up to 100 users and is priced at $15,000. A scalable Enterprise System starts at $30,000. -AT

MOBILE TRANSACTION TECHNOLOGY

E-Mobilis
Tel Aviv, Israel, www.e-mobilis.com
Product: Mobility Solution

E-Mobilis' Mobility Solution is a wireless service and transaction support system that was developed last year and has been proven in paper-free proof-of-delivery applications. Mobility Solution employs proxy server technology designed to let field users seamlessly interact with business processes.

The Mobili server combines a distributed database with an adaptive application compression algorithm. This puts key elements of the business process on the portable device, allowing users to work offline even when mobile communications fail or when it's impossible to be in touch with the central server. When the opportunity permits, users can reconnect and synchronize their completed work and continue working online.

The Mobility Solution technology is designed to support courier and delivery services, field service, field repair, distribution and mobile sales. The server can support nearly any portable device, from full-scale laptop computers to handheld computers, smart cell phones and pagers (including Palm, Windows CE and WAP devices). The key advantage is that it lets mobile users work reliably in a real-world environment in which wireless communications are less than reliable. Mobility Solution costs $30,000 per server and $360 per client. -LR

UNSTRUCTURED DOCUMENT PROCESSING

Readsoft
San Diego, CA, www.readsoft.com
Product: Invoices 5-2

The latest trend in data capture technology is the ability to read semi-structured forms - documents such as invoices, purchase orders, and other like documents with variable layouts and page lengths. At least a handful of products are seeking to automate data collection from these documents, but Readsoft's Eyes & Hands Invoices 5-2 is the furthest along in its development.

Invoices 5-2 automates the collection of data such as customer names or numbers, purchase order numbers, product codes, quantities, prices and totals, even if those fields appear in different positions or have slightly different names on forms from different suppliers or customers. The system even handles multiline items, tabular content and multiple-page documents. The U.S.-based customers we spoke with reported handling several hundred varieties of particular document types while capturing as many as a dozen data points per page.

Invoices and other variable forms are a real challenge. You'll need clean, high-resolution (300 dpi) images and plenty of development time to template the basic varieties of forms you'll encounter. Invoices 5-2 helps with built-in image optimization and a validation wizard that recognizes and automatically builds new templates for forms not previously encountered. Pricing for Readsoft Invoices starts at $9,950 for a stand-alone system and $45,000 for a networked system. Invoices works with Readsoft's Eyes and Hands Forms system or as a stand-alone system. -AT

LOW-VOLUME SCANNING AID

Kofax Image Products
Irvine, CA, www.kofax.com
Product: Software VirtualReScan v. 2.0

One of the most time-consuming aspects of scanning is having to rescan documents because images weren't readable the first time. Kofax addressed this problem for production-level environments with its VirtualReScan (VRS) technology (a 1999 winner of our Best of AIIM award). With the release of Software VRS v. 2.0, those with workgroup and departmental scanners using TWAIN and ISIS standard drivers can make scanning easier.

VirtualReScan gives you best-possible image quality without rescanning. The software scans in grayscale and dynamically deskews, crops and thresholds to yield an ideal bitonal image suitable for archiving or data collection. Light and dark documents in the same batch emerge with equal clarity, thus eliminating the need for presorting.

By embracing TWAIN and ISIS, Kofax has expanded VRS support to a whole new range of scanners. This is particularly important with the growing interest in using low-cost scanners in remote offices for distributed scanning. Pricing ranges from $295 to $535, depending on the speed of the scanner and seat volumes. -AT

MIDRANGE, COLOR-CAPABLE SCANNER

Fujitsu
San Jose, CA, www.fujitsu.com
Product: fi-4750C Scanner

There were several yet-to-be-released color scanners demonstrated at AIIM, but one new model that's already shipping and serving a valuable niche in the market is the fi-4750C, from Fujitsu.

This production-level unit provides single- and double-sided scanning in bitonal, grayscale or color. Bitonal speeds top out at 50 pages per minute (ppm)/90 images per minute (ipm) at 200 dpi, while its color speed is 20 ppm/40 ipm at 150 dpi (all speeds are for portrait scanning letter-size documents).

The fi-4750C has a 100-page auto feeder that handles documents up to 11.7 inches by 17 inches. Being a flatbed scanner, the fi-4750C can handle photographs, drawings, maps, books, magazines, catalogs and delicate documents. The CCD delivers high-resolution images (600 dpi/400 dpi optical) for graphics-oriented color work. The red, green and blue LED light sources give you push-button control for color dropout. The fi-4750C costs $10,995. -AT

JUKEBOX MANAGEMENT IN JAVA

U.S. Design
Columbia, MD, www.usdesign.com
Product: Universal SuperStor for Jukebox Libraries

Java is the development platform of choice for the Web due to its cross-platform compatibility. U.S. Design had this in mind when it developed Universal SuperStor, the first optical jukebox management system written in Java.

Universal SuperStor can run on virtually any platform with minimal development. Thus, application developers only need to write to a single API for all versions of their software. A jukebox management system written in Java lets the multitude of content management systems, portals and other Web applications talk directly to an optical archiving system rather than having to go through a drive letter or mount point. Portal developers can even let users fully interact with an optical archive right from a Web browser.

Universal SuperStor has yet to support write-once optical, such as WORM and CD-R, and lacks the advanced storage management and disc virtualization features found in many other jukebox management systems; the company says WORM support will be added within six months. For now, the software supports Universal Disc Format (UDF) on all three available rewritable optical technologies, CD-RW, DVD-RAM and MO. The cost ranges from $1,500 for a 100-slot jukebox to $15,000 for the largest, 1,000-plus-slot libraries. -LR

JAVA-BASED PDF CODEC

Snowbound Software
Newtonville, MA, www.snowboundsoftware.com
Product: RasterMaster/Java

Snowbound's RasterMaster/Java toolkit is unique in its depth, breadth and up-to-date functionality. The latest Java add-on module is a PDF codec. While there isn't much new about PDF, a PDF codec in Java offers advantages. Prior to the development of Java PDF, viewing a PDF involved opening up a separate reader, resorting to awkward clicks of the Back and Forward buttons, or rendering the PDF into HTML on the server, losing many of the advantages of the file format.

Snowbound's PDF Java applet can render PDF documents in line with a Web page rather than relying on external PDF viewers like Acrobat Reader. This means that PDF files can appear within the main body of a Web page. This will allow developers to integrate PDF with Web applications like portals so users can easily make use of PDF-based data and text. Java PDF is $4,600. -LR

DESKTOP OUTPUT MANAGEMENT

Lead Technologies
Charlotte, NC, www.leadtools.com
Product: ePrint

Lead Technology's $99 ePrint driver installs in your computer exactly as if it were a printer driver. When you print to it, it offers you the option of rendering documents into any image file format supported in Lead Technology's imaging toolkit. EPrint can turn a Web page into an image file for archival purposes. It also offers a quick way of converting from one image format to another. EPrint also provides output management capabilities on the desktop. It can relay print jobs to other printer drivers installed on the same machine. This lets the user print or email a document to multiple locations with a single print command.

EPrint is a shrink-wrapped application ready to be installed on a desktop computer. Lead Technologies includes a free software development kit that lets developers tap into the program to point its output to content and document management systems, network attached storage or email archiving systems. This gives businesses the ability to maintain an audit trail for any printed document and convert editable text documents into tamper-resistant images. -LR