I read a post recently titled Customer-centric and easy-to-use is the new business model (The Alibaba story) that really hit home. The author, Gerry McGovern, a customer-centricity guru, points out that Alibaba, the world’s biggest online commerce company, has defined a clear mission of “making it easier to do business across the world”, as founder Jack Ma put it. I think it’s safe to say that this model has merit, as the company claims the biggest IPO in the history of the world.
As a long-term Apple user, (my first Mac had a hard drive with 512 KB memory) I can say that their progressively intuitive interfaces have been a compelling reason for me to continue using their technology. In fact, the Macintosh project started with an Apple employee named Jef Raskin who envisioned an easy-to-use, low-cost computer.
Apple has stayed true to this model to present day, according to technology industry analyst Jeff Bajarin. In an article published by Time Magazine, Bajarin outlines six key principals that set Apple apart from the competition, three of which are:Continue reading
With the advent of LTE, HSPA+, and Wi-MAX (collectively referred to as 4G) information can be transferred at speeds never before thought possible. 4G for most of us is old news. However, it occurred to me that organizations rarely consider how this efficiency can actually be utilized. Most of my peers/colleagues utilize one form of a cloud drop box or another. These tools are great for one or two Power Point presentations and maybe a couple case studies. I remember the first time I turned on my iPad/Mobile HotSpot and opened cloud app. ABC, it was information at my fingertips when and where ever I wanted it—I felt a sense of freedom. As time passed I added more and more “IMPORTANT” content to my personal cloud. Certainly you can all guess what happened next. The pile of paper in my cloud was 10x the size of the stack of paper on my desk at work. 4G connectivity, the cloud and “IMPORTANT” information is a great tool. If you add one more piece to the puzzle (enterprise content management) it can be invaluable to your organization.
For a moment try to imagine where organized, “MOBILE” and secure content could add value to your organization. Content that is safely tucked away behind your firewall yet still available to the appropriate men and women in the trenches. The applications begin to seem endless. As you know almost any type of files can be managed inside an ECM solution.
In one scenario a construction manager is remodeling the third floor in a local university building. It becomes immediately apparent that the plumbing was modified at some point to accommodate for an additional bathroom. The CM only has the original blue prints in his/her possession. What he/she needs are the updated “As-Is” drawings. These documents have of course been printed, folded and filed away back at HQ. It is obvious now that dollars are about to be spent on the recovery of these drawings. The only question that remains now is; how many dollars could be saved?
Decision makers and labor workers alike can all benefit from the innovation of fast mobile internet. However, the content being sought after or delivered must be organized and secure. I challenge anyone who reads this post to add a comment below: How can high speed mobile internet and content management be effectively combined to reduce cost or increase an organization’s bottom line?
Joshua D. Gilmore
Account Executive
ImageSource Inc.
This is a question we ask our customers when choosing scanning hardware for their Enterprise Content Management solutions. It is easily overlooked when reviewing the specifications of a scanner, as it is a separate hardware purchase and generally is a business process requirement not a scanner specification requirement.
When there is a need to “imprint” or “stamp” a scanned document, it is required to have the date of the scan on each and every page that is processed. This requirement usually is used for tracking purposes or compliance to show that the document was scanned.
Do you Pre or Post-Scan Imprint?
Pre-Scan imprinting is the most common option that allows the organization to have the stamp on both the physical paper copy and the scan. The pre-scan imprint will print on the document PRIOR to the image reaching the scanners imaging lamps. So the imprint stamp will also be a part of the scan image.
Post-Scan imprinting is generally utilized when an organization needs the data or tracking mechanism on the physical paper after the scan. This is mostly used to indicate if a page of paper has been processed or not. The stamp is NOT on the scanned image.
Can I automatically imprint on a flatbed scanned documents?
Keep in mind when purchasing a scanner with a flatbed – either integrated with the scanner or as a detachable USB connected flatbed – there is no automatic imprinting option for the documents scanned using a flatbed. Flatbed scanned documents will need to be manually stamped to meet requirements – either pre-scan or post-scan.
Another option for imprinting is “Software Annotation”…
If only a data or tracking on the scanned image is needed, software annotation could be considered. With software annotation you have greater flexibility on where the imprint data can be placed on the image. Keep in mind software annotation needs to be part of your batch scanning process and is a separate software purchase to your hardware scanner.
So keep this information in mind when considering what is the “best fit” for imprinting based on your business process AND scanner requirements.
Megan Lane
Inside Sales
ImageSource,Inc.
There has recently been a lot of chatter in our industry about machine, and I want to share a few thoughts about how ImageSource’s ILINX Advanced Capture platform tackles this topic. Our approach is to deploy a neural network-based document processing model that does not rely on templates. Our machine-learning platform supports custom-developed content classification projects with much faster turnaround than traditional rules-based models. The result is significantly faster time-to-production with more reliable and accurate results for our customer partners. ILINX machine learning offers:
Our solutions leverage machine learning to create pre-built form classification algorithms in the lab, which provides a more-flexible and efficient way to develop new document processes.
For the sake of this article, I’d like to focus on the goals of almost every AP automation project:
For the initial document discovery, a technique called “clustering” can be used to automate the logical grouping of like documents. Clustering, in this example, refers to different categories of like invoices, checks, receipts and remittances. Documents can be organized automatically. Invoices from one vendor can be grouped together, such as receipts to travel documents. The result is a set of documents grouped by likeness that can then be further evaluated.
Next, each cluster, if part of a required document, can be given a document type (or class). The training set can then be imported into the machine learning ILINX solution designed to automatically identify key characteristics of each document type (often called “feature extraction”). This trains the neural network for each document type. When performance is not ideal for a specific class, the customer can add those misclassified or unclassified documents to the class sample set to “re-train” the neural network.
Data extraction is simplified by taking sample invoices that have been processed, along with the data required for each document. Together, these automatically train the software to locate the matching data and derive positional algorithms for each data field. The software uses the processed data for each page and locates the corresponding data on every document. The solution will do this for each sample and then automatically create algorithms based upon exact location, changes in placement across each example and relative position to other data, among other elements. The knowledge worker simply examines the results.
The technology used to configure the system also makes real-time adjustments. Complicated projects that typically would take weeks, if not months, are significantly reduced. Machine learning technology streamlines the manual processes used in production and helps reduce overall labor costs.
This effort can be applied to automate both paper-based and electronic document-based processes in a single workflow.
by Terry Sutherland, CEO, ImageSource
If you would like to learn more about how ILINX machine learning can automate your business please contact us at inforequest@imagesourceinc.com or
Forrester Research analyzed and evaluated ECM technologies and came out with The ROI of Imaging. Forrester Research, Inc. is a global leader in business and technology. They define imaging as software for scanning, capturing, indexing, retrieving, processing and archiving digital images of documents and electronic forms. Many organizations rely on paper intensive business processes and because of that, imaging is a very important component of Enterprise Content Management’s value.
