Distributed, Web-Based Document Capture

Forbes Magazine: What SMBs Need to Know About SaaS...Now

2012-01-17T09:40:00.001-06:00

According to Gartner Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing , the Cloud will be a game changer..."leveling the playing field between growing businesses and larger competitors." Great read and you can get the entire article here.

Best,

Paul

How to Shrink Your IT Spend with SaaS in 2012

2012-01-04T16:53:00.001-06:00

It’s the beginning of the New Year and with it comes new IT budgets. If you’re trying to get that six-figure expenditure approved for your ECM solution – or if you are seeking to better way to capture and share documents than your current centralized system -- take a moment and think about the impact Software as a Service (SaaS) could have.

Is anybody in your organization eager to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on any IT solution in today’s economic climate? Or, if you had a similar IT solution offered in a pay-as-you-go model for a few thousand a month, which option would you seriously consider? Do you want the solution today, or are you going to wait until the economy bounces back? (I keep asking when that will be.)

The fundamental shift in how software, hardware and IT professional services are acquired, used and paid for today is in full swing, and it will likely affect the future of computing and how you purchase and use your systems.

Consider your choices. In the past, either you outright bought the technology or leased it. Now, with SaaS as a viable option, you pay as you go. The numerous emerging SaaS business solution offerings are taking the concept far beyond first-generation application functionality and deployment.

SaaS alternatives are in a prime position to service mission-critical business applications and operations for small, mid-size and large firms. Microsoft and its partners, for example, offer Exchange, CRM and SharePoint services over the Web – and the application offerings won’t stop there.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, SMBs are the most likely to make the commitment to move their business-critical operations over to a SaaS-delivered application model. Time to market and lower costs are the primary drivers behind the adoption rate.

As a result of these ongoing changes in the way software and solutions are delivered, there will be a fundamental change in the way customers desire to use the next generation of computing technologies — including ECM. You have the opportunity to gain enormous competitive advantages to mission-critical applications for far fewer dollars than ever before.

Moreover, from a time-to-market perspective, there is just no comparison between bringing up a SaaS-based application versus the traditional belabored, deadline-fraught, time-consuming and never-ending CapEx budgeting and appropriation process of a full software installation. What was measured in days or weeks instead of months, quarters or years, will now take literally a day.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Imagine a simpler path that doesn’t require procuring any hardware or software. Instead, you sign a multi-year agreement, pay a nominal setup charge; agree to a monthly recurring fee and away you go. And of course, you are out of the business of upgrades (hardware and software), patches and hot-fixes.

So, what will it be in 2012? Shrink or spend?

Distributed Capture vs. Centralized Capture? The Cost Matters.

2011-12-08T14:58:00.004-06:00

Distributed capture or centralized capture? Deciding on which approach to use to cost-effectively manage paper and electronic documents is based on your processes for handling documents, and the technologies used. As cloud computing (SaaS) becomes as familiar a term as the word “social,” managing and processing company documents comes down to these two opposite choices.

Centralized Capture
In a centralized process, all document capture is done at one location. All the system components — clerical staff, software applications, knowledge workers, servers, scanners, repository, etc. — are typically located at corporate headquarters (the gatekeeper).

But if your company has multiple locations around the country, then documents are typically boxed up and periodically shipped to headquarters for processing. That can lead to multiple problems:

Potential for lost or misplaced documents
Delays in document processing and slow turnaround expectations
Transportation/shipping costs
Dedicated staff to process the volume of content arriving at the central office (creating a new cost center)
Space, power and environmental requirements
Equipment, software licensing, ongoing maintenance and support costs that are significantly more expensive than alternative approaches

Surprisingly enough, the centralized approach has traditionally been the favored model of today’s large corporations. Why? “Centralized” is thought to be the obvious way to solve business problems in the IT world. Corporations like the idea of “keeping control.” The solution conforms to a gatekeeper mentality, and the solution stays close to the ivory tower.

But there’s another reason why centralized scanning has been the de facto solution: Many IT staffers at large corporations maintain a preconceived notion that they can build a better mousetrap based on the rationale that “nobody knows our business better than we do”. Hence, they often build their own proprietary document capture systems.

What business is your company in?

Therein lies the problem. Is your company in the business of X, or is it in the business of researching and developing, maintaining, and supporting document capture systems? These days, few, if any, organizations can legitimately justify the cost of building a complete capture application from the ground up, and then adequately maintain and support it, along with the user base, over the life of the application.

How can a proprietary system remain competitive with the fast-paced ECM industry, with all of the technological changes that occur — specifically in document capture, with all of its associated, granular subcomponents?

Distributed Capture

In the distributed model -- capture done from any location – the software can be immediately deployed to serve the needs of internal users (rather than, say, 6 or 12 months from now, if your company’s lucky).

Distributed capture and indexing software enables users to input electronic documents, scan paper documents and input indexed data (or Metadata) from any PC at any location. The content can then be accessed anytime for further processing and/or retrieval purposes. Software for distributed capture is available in the traditional, installed-on-premise method, a pre-configured network appliance, or via the SaaS model, in which companies contract the service and all users access the software using a Web browser.

So, why isn’t everyone moving to distributed capture?

Good question. There is s still a number of people and organizations that think in terms of "centralized" rather than "decentralized." One needs to look no further than our Federal Government to begin to understand why monolithic environments still exist and continue to grow even though we know decentralizing control promises to offer numerous opportunities to lower costs and improve efficiency. Chalk it up to an ongoing, needed education process that a viable alternative exists. It is similar to why some in the business community continue to remain skeptical about the Cloud alternative. Despite the high costs to customers, the majority of legacy ECM vendors are still locked into the old way of thinking about software delivery – conventional installation on-premise rather than SaaS.

Neither is the ECM industry immune from the “centralized is the only way” trend. For years, many vendors downplayed the idea of distributed capture, saying it wasn’t practical because the technology wasn’t ready for prime time.

So far, we have yet to see where a distributed, web-based document capture solution could not perform similar tasks to that of the legacy, thick-client production applications that ECM vendors have been selling for a decade or two. In fact some things are actually performed better in a web environment rather than a thick client. For example client driven database look ups in a web based environment are more secure because they don't require local ODBC or other methods of database connectivity be installed on the local workstations.

The other differential? Lower cost. It’s not unheard of for mid-market or enterprise organizations to incur costs for centralized document capture software systems (from traditional vendors) that exceed six or seven figures. That kind of money simply does not need to be spent on a document capture solution.

In an era where margins are constantly under fire, a distributed capture approach is where your organization’s primary focus should be today and for the foreseeable future. Because it’s no longer a question about capability, it’s about cost.

Free your Forms from Paper - FOREVER

2011-10-07T11:12:00.002-05:00

CAPSYS and Ricoh-EWS jointly participated in presenting Ricoh's eQuill integrated with CAPSYS CAPTURE. There was overwhelming interest in the offering. An elegantly designed device that eliminates the need for a pen, paper based business forms, and a clipboard, coupled with a set of rich Cloud Services, integrated with CAPSYS CAPTURE's Power of Choice Universal On-Ramp for content ingestion, its no wonder why!

Check out CAPSYS' and Ricoh's recently published a whitepaper that we handed out at the AIIM October 6 show in Chicago by clicking here.

Best,

Paul

Fortune 100 Company says, "WOW, what an improvement!"

2011-10-06T17:23:00.003-05:00

That's what a Fortune 100 customer says about the A/P process improvements recently delivered to them by CAPSYS partner, Tronitech located in Indianapolis, IN. In fact, Tronitech's CEO Bud Arkenau headlined the success story in their recent newsletter:

Featured Story

Improving the A/P process at a large Fortune 100 equipment manufacturing company using our custom SaaS model of CAPSYS CAPTURE document management application. We worked with them to develop a process that eliminates the paper handling in the A/P approval and payment process. All paper is now scanned immediately when received and is routed electronically to everyone involved. When the review and apporval process is complete, the documents are passed on to their ECM system for archiving. No more double keying of information, or "where is the document" questions. They also no longer have to worry about who has the document and when they received it. Our solution tracks and stores all that information. As one of their employees said: "WOW what an improvement." Our workflow implementation allowed this company to increase efficiency, decrease man-hours and provided a safe and secure storage solution.

Check out the basic workfllow we used If you have a document process that needs streamlined, please contact Tronitech at: http://www.tronitech.com/Contact.aspx

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Congratulations Team Tronitech! Partners, we love to hear about your mounting CAPSYS CAPTURE success stories, keep them coming!

Best,

Paul

CAPTURE FORMS-BASED DATA AT ITS SOURCE Eliminate Paper and Automate Data Entry Steps for Any Form, Anywhere

2011-09-23T16:09:00.001-05:00

While we might have begun over a decade or two ago toutilize newer methods of information exchange in the form of “electronicrepresentations” of documents, and our collective intent was to consume “lesspaper” within the business community, 20 years later we certainly still have along way to go in order to achieve utopia. Even with a viable alternative technological based platform, thebusiness reality is there are many paper documents used during the course ofdaily business transactions – as hard as we may otherwise try – becauseof economic, process or technology-based reasons that simply cannot be capturedinto a business workflow by any means other than a document scanning andindexing process.

What can realistically be done to better address theseemingly growing appetite for paper consumption in business? Is there really an effective alternative topaper? How does a business handle theintermixing of paper, electronic, and paper replacement technologies into theirdaily operations? Is there a costeffective, acceptable electronic alternative that truly will allow the actual“replacement” of physical paper documents? What about the practical and legal issues businesses face when presentedwith establishing intent, the four corners rule, wet signatures, and assuringthe authenticity of original documents?

Imagine this opportunity for a moment. What if, for example at your local Doctor's office instead of being handed a traditional clipboard, pen and a multi-paged structured form you were handed a "device" that contains all the characteristics of a structured, paper based form, and a writing instrument that has pen/pencil like qualities and was about the size of an Amazon Kindle or Apple iPad? And, the content produced by this device is considered legally binding, eliminating the need for hard copy documents?

About six months ago, we were privileged to be introduced to an organization called Ricoh-EWS that have developed a very interesting piece of technology coupled with a rich set of Web Services called eQuill. We think the Ricoh's eQuill + Cloud Services offering has tremendous potential in the marketplace across many industry verticals.

Connect this device and its rich set of services up with CAPSYS CAPTURE powered by Microsoft Windows Azure, and you have a very powerful Cloud-based means of processing structured, semi-structured and unstructured content.

Check back soon for complete run down on Ricoh's eQuill coupled with CAPSYS CAPTURE in an upcoming co-authored whitepaper. In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about this offering, contact us.

Best,

Paul

CAPSYS CAPTURE Release Module for Microsoft SharePoint 2010

2011-06-09T14:42:00.000-05:00

CAPSYS is please to announce the release of its updated SharePoint release module supporting Microsoft SharePoint 2010. For a product description, please visit: http://slidesha.re/jc1PWY

5 Reasons why SMB's aren't using Cloud?? You decide.

2011-05-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

Recently an article was brought to my attention about why the SMB market is not embracing the Cloud. Clearly, we here at CAPSYS are seeing quite different results not only with the SMB market, but also with Enterprise and Global 2000 clients. Just couldn't let this one go ;-) With that said, the original article and my response can be found here:

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=207087&site=smbservices

Regards,

Paul

CAPSYS Document Indexing Tech Tip!

2011-04-29T09:20:00.000-05:00

Attention user community: Here are a quick set of tips for the document indexing component of CAPSYS CAPTURE that will speed up your indexing process:

Keyboard Shortcut definitions for Indexing Page Functions

New Document [alt - n]
New Empty Document [alt - e]
Append Page to Document [alt - p]
Append All Pages to Document [alt - l]
Clear Indexes [alt - r]
Complete/Release [alt - c]
Unlock Case [alt - u]
Save Indexes [alt - s]
Copy Document [alt - o]
Split Document [alt - i]
Delete Document [alt - delete]

Simplifying the Order Entry Process using the Email Gateway for CAPSYS CAPTURE

2011-04-19T15:00:00.005-05:00

The Problem
Many businesses today frequently utilize email as an acceptable tool for facilitating routine business transactions. Email poses a number of organizational and process challenges when it comes to automating an order entry process. While email serves as a convenient "catch all" for receiving voluminous amounts of incoming transactions, such as purchase order requests, it can create on the receiving side of the order entry process - chaos.

First, we can all agree on the surface the process appears to be very simple: 1) Set up an alias email address on your email server called, "orders@xyz.com. 2) Designate a CSR or somebody on your staff to monitor the incoming email address for orders. 3) Send an order acknowledge back to the customer indicating you have received their order. 4) Process the order like you would any other purchase order you have received via FAX, US Mail, Online, etc.

Unintended Consequences
You may have now come to find out while it all seemed rather easy, you have introduced an entirely new set of problems to deal with: 1) Some customers send a PO request as an attachment to their email which means you have to print out the email msg AND the email attachment so you have the complete record of the PO request. 2) Customers supply their email with an attachment such as a PDF while others choose to send you the raw file that they produced the PO request in (WORD, Excel, TIF, JPEG, etc.) 3) You now have all kinds of different flavors of attachments coming to your CSR who may not be familiar with how to open all the different formats, or he/she might not have the proper rendering software application on their desktop to open up the attachment. 4) You either now have come to realize you must develop some sort of electronic filing system for your incoming email messages and attachments so you maintain a historical bread crumb trail of the transactions or; elect to print out all your messages and attachments and revert back to a paper filing system (only later to prep, scan and index?).

What you have accomplished may all look good from the outside to your customers, but in reality your employees are frustrated with the way all this has panned out internally. Emails are piling up, if you are a seasonal business, this can become really problematic. There is no consistency in which customers create their email messages and attachments. Paper still exists in the process. Somebody internally on your staff needs to sort through the messages by sender to figure out which orders belong to which CSR and forward them on yet again, creating another manual step in the order entry process.

Automated Email Capture with CAPSYS CAPTURE
Automated email input for CAPSYS has never been easier with CAPSYS CAPTURE Email Gateway. CAPSYS CAPTURE Email Gateway QSX supports traditional email systems such as SMTP, MAPI and IMAP which support most of the major mail server configurations. All of the email message content and its associated attachments are automatically captured so we may utilize as much of the message content to facilitate and automated the document indexing process. Further, email messages and their associated attachments are routed to the correct CSR for order processing and are consistently managed and processed day after day. These features dramatically cut down on labor and costs typically associated with error prone, manual data entry processes.

Configuration is a snap! CAPSYS CAPTURE Email Gateway has a simple to use, user interface which is designed for the business analyst to setup and configure. No programming or scripting is required.

Our built in message interrogation capability allows the Gateway to either accept or reject the message based on pre-defined business rules. Each message by replied back with an acknowledgment using an automated message reply. Rules can be based on sender address, whether or not an attachment exists, or if the attachment does not meet the preset requirements.

Find out more about CAPSYS CAPTURE's Email Gateway by contacting CAPSYS.

SMB's finally moving to Cloud? Microsoft sees it that way!

2011-04-05T11:50:00.001-05:00

It was only a matter of time. The Global 2000 organizations got the message loud and clear years ago about the Economic Benefits of Cloud Computing. Will the SMB market finally wake up from its nap? Check out this article posted by CMSWIRE on April 1, 2011. (Thanks for the tip from our friends at Element R Partners http://www.rurelevant.com)

Some gems in the article that caught my attention:

The value of the cloud market in the SMB space is close to US$ 21 billion.
Nearly one in three SMBs use cloud services, with cloud usage among SMBs expected to rise to 42%.
One in three SMBs plan to change the way data is stored, moving more data to the cloud, with many planning to reduce their use of local system hard drives and direct-attached storage.
Microsoft’s SMB Cloud Adoption Study 2011 seems to suggest a gradual, rather than abrupt, change over a period of three years.
"Cloud adoption will be gradual, and SMBs will continue to operate in a hybrid model with an increasing blend between off-premises and traditional on-premises infrastructure, for the foreseeable future,” said Marco Limena, vice president, Business Channels, Worldwide Communications Sector at Microsoft.

Full article available at: http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-cms/microsoft-sees-smbs-moving-to-the-cloud-010730.php

Irresponsible IT Spending by the Government - You Decide

2011-03-17T09:25:00.007-05:00

I can already envision the hate mail that will be forthcoming after this blog post sinks in. But what the heck, government spending is on the top of the list of reasonable thinking citizens these days, so the topic is fair game in my book.

We, like many of you in the IT sector receive RFP's from our various government institutions. Having personally seen some of these RFPs, I am simply amazed at the continued out of control spending on IT initiatives when government spending should be dramatically cut. But, the RFP's and no bid contracts for IT projects continue to freely flow in States that are for all intensive purposes, broke.

Here is a fair set of questions we should all be asking: Where is the money coming from to support the continued spending in On Premise IT solutions? Why are hardware and software maintenance contracts for On-Premise IT solutions continually being renewed for IT On Premise hardware and software products that can very well be replaced with a fully capable, lower cost alternative? Wouldn't you want your government officials looking at viable choices that can dramatically slash their spending habits for the benefit of the tax payer?

The way I see it, our government officials can either choose to save the tax payer large sums of money year after year by looking at an alternative or continue to needlessly spend the precious, limited dollars at the peril of the tax payer. So you ask, what is the alternative in which I am speaking of? Software as a Service or (SaaS).

Now the naysayers are already frantically typing away with all the reasons why SaaS and Cloud are not viable in the government sector: citing data security, physical security, firewall issues, ongoing costs, the current software provider doesn't provide their solution in the cloud - yada yada, yada. The fact of the matter is governmental bodies can save the tax payers real, substantive tax payer dollars on many different fronts without sacrificing features, functionality, security, accessibility, scalability, etc. They just need to make extra effort to actually look for alternative solutions in the marketplace.

As a result of moving to SaaS based IT solutions, they more than likely will achieve entirely new levels of cost savings and new application functionality with SaaS alternatives than any on-premise based solution they have today. Please, don't waste your time or mine trying to refute the facts, many white papers are readily available on the internet by respected industry giants that adequately address those subjects.

Mathematics simply will tell the story better than any crafty word-smithing. Thank goodness mathematics are one of the subjects in the world that still remains on a solid footing. Let's look at real life Total Cost of Ownership example -software and hardware deployment for a Document Capture solution to get my point across, though the exercise can easily apply to any application with some foresight.

When you look at TCO in the document capture market, the typical approach to breaking the initial CAPEX and Annual Reoccurring cost structure is a follows:

To help bring some clarity to an industry inundated with acronyms, I will provide you with some definitions:

# of Conc. Users – Total number of software licenses needed to support user community
Max IPY Page Vol - Some vendors charge on the basis of Images Per Year & cap their annual/monthly license page counts
Annual D.C. cost - Datacenter Charge backs from an outside IT infrastructure provider.
Projected PSG – IT Professional Services Group charges that are assessed for outside IT consultancy contractor services.

In this example, the customer is presented with the traditional option to continue to spend your tax payer dollars on annual software assurance and IT support contract for an existing document capture solution with an annual cost of $157,559. Special Note: this illustration doesn't even address the required tax payers dollars to initially purchase the actual software application. We are just focusing on the operational costs to support and maintain the application. Ouch.

First, notice the Year 2 TCO: $157k Annual Invoice conducted through an expensive and time consuming RFP process, and board approval process vs. $57k SaaS, Annual operational expense billed on a Monthly basis. As a tax payer, which option is represents the more fiscally sound decision and which would you prefer your governmental body to choose -$57k or $157k?

Second, take notice of the fact that there is the entire elimination of the annual data center cost! That's right, there is no charge…$0. Why? Because the outsourced IT firm that was charging back the government to stand up, install, maintain, patch, hotfix, support, etc. the server infrastructure that was used to provision the on-premise IT system isn't needed anymore. It is all managed by the SaaS provider who is the subject matter expert on the application. The SaaS provider provides the infrastructure designed and optimized to support their system, thus, there is absolutely no need to pay a third party outsourcing provider. So there is even more benefits than just the economic aspects. Interesting thought isn't it?

Thirdly, let’s take a look at the first years cost: Monthly/Annual Cost + Annual D.C. Cost + Projected PSG Cost which = Year One TCO or $165,559. Or, alternatively the government officials can choose the lower cost alternative of $44,757 + 0 + 24k = $81k. Huh, the governmental officials have a choice to either spend $81k vs. $165k in the first year. As a tax payer, which option would you like your governmental body to choose?

So, the next time you are at your local county board meeting and / or you see a State or Federal RFP issued for IT products and services, you now know there are viable options to the age old out of control spending that has been occurring for decades - at least in the world of IT. Write me back and let me know your thoughts!

Best,

Paul

What does the Microsoft Azure opportuntiy mean for you and your business?

2011-02-07T16:00:00.006-06:00

To Embrace the Cloud or Not, that is the question before all of us ;-)

Have you given much thought to the Microsoft Azure Cloud Computing strategy and its inevitable effect on your business?   Or, when somebody mentions Azure, does Prime Rib immediately come to mind?

BTW, Microsoft points out that the best way to remember how to pronounce Azure is to think of it like this: "AS you are walking through the door."

Microsoft Azure and Cloud computing is quite the buzz in the world of IT these days, how much time have you and your executive team dedicated towards a single discussion around the subject? Are you aware of the massive Cloud initiatives currently underway by Amazon, Apple, Salesforce.com (force.com) and others?   Microsoft sees those vendors as a serious competitive threat to the traditional Microsoft based datacenter/on-premise based solutions - if they see competitive Cloud offerings as a threat, how does your organization view the Cloud? How will the Cloud affect your ECM business? What will the Cloud do to the traditional pricing models that exist in the market place today? What will the Cloud do to my top line revenue growth forecasts? How do I address commission/comp plans? Can I finance Cloud receivables? These questions are just a tip of the iceberg. You can either stick your head in the sand and ignore the challenge and deny the opportunity or you can choose to face the challenge head on and find the "opportunity."

You can see the topic of the Cloud will open an entirely new set discussions at an executive level and will present a new set of challenges.

No doubt there is a whirlwind of change occurring right before your eyes with your customers. If you haven't been talking to them about Cloud-based initiatives they are contemplating, I'll betcha dollars to donuts your competition is.   The economic value proposition is simply undeniable and let's face it, "dollars and cents" do a lot convincing these days with buyers in the sales cycle.

First, if you know nothing about Microsoft Azure, here is a great set of resource to start with, although I promise you reading through the abundance of Microsoft authored whitepapers will take more than a few minutes: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/whitepapers/

For the sake of time, let me provide you with an abridged version. Microsoft Azure is a group of computing services based offered via the "Cloud." In other words, rather than buying, installing, provisioning and maintaining your own hardware/OS platforms, why not exploit the massive availability of web-accessible Windows servers in the market today?

Today, Microsoft Azure services can be broken down into the following 4 major categories:

1) Windows Azure AppFabric;
2) SQL Azure (which CAPSYS CAPTURE announced support in early February);
3) Windows Azure and;
4) Windows Azure Marketplace.

Windows Azure: A Windows environment similar to what you have experienced in the past, only this time hosted in the Cloud for the purposes of running applications and storing data on computers in Microsoft data centers.
SQL Azure: Relational data services in the cloud, based on SQL Server - again hosted in Microsoft's Datacenter.
Windows Azure AppFabric: Cloud-based infrastructure services for applications running in the cloud or on premises, hosted in Microsoft's Datacenter.
Windows Azure Marketplace: An online service for purchasing cloud-based data and applications.

So, why should you care and how does affect your business as a CAPSYS business partner, what is the opportunity for you and your business? Here are a handful of points to noodle on and get your started in the right direction:

Are you interested in "completely resetting the table" from a competitive positioning standpoint or do you like the idea of walking into a competitive situation and saying "we can do that, or me too?"
Do you sleep well at night hoping for the "one hit wonders" every quarter that you have banked on for years knowing that that they are growing further and farther in between due to CAPEX restrictions or;
Are you interested in a more predictable revenue/profit growth model? Albeit at a smaller clip than on-premise transactions, but PREDICTABLE.
Have you grown tried of fretting over whether or not your largest Software Assurance Renewals are actually going to "renew" year after year? Or, perhaps your customers have caught wind of the "game" and know to beat you up every year for a 10% discount while your vendors are somehow justifying raising their cost to you for SWA renewals? Tired of getting squeezed?
Are you interested in putting forth a solution in front of your prospect that any on-premise based competitive offering would have a very difficult if not impossible time task of matching or beating terms of: Time to Market, Cost and ROI?

If any one of these questions hit a nerve, than you should give serious thought to looking into Cloud based solutions because the Cloud is positioned very well to address everyone of the questions/challenges raised here plus offer plenty more opportunity than I can discuss in this post.

One other point I will leave you with. Consider Microsoft's massive marketing machine and give some thought how your business can effectively ride that wave. Did you know that you can market your solution through Microsoft's Pinpoint online marketing engine - for free? Assuming you are an authorized Microsoft Partner. Don't have a Microsoft Azure solution to go to market with? Well, if you are an authorized CAPSYS Business Partner, than you need to rethink your answer because YES you do! CAPSYS now supports Microsoft SQL Azure. So, update your Microsoft Pinpoint profiles. Perhaps your business is not currently a Microsoft Authorized Business Partner. visit www.https://partner.microsoft.com/ and as Larry the Cable Guy says, "Get 'er Done!"

Economic Value Proposition and Creative Marketing on behalf of one of our valued Partners

2011-01-11T10:47:00.003-06:00

There is something to be said about going the "extra mile" to get your point across. Our industry for many years has relied on publishing its customer successes using traditional printed materials, then relying on proactive PR efforts to hopefully pick the story up and publish it in some trade journal. Well, times have changed as a result of social media. Here is a fine example of - courtesy of one of our business partners - what I personally think is a more creative way to get your partner successes evangelized in the marketplace - YouTube. Yes, a bit more pricey than traditional forms of marketing, but from a cost and impact per impression standpoint - rather hard to beat. Plus, as we have all seen, YouTube videos have the potential in going viral. Rather difficult task for a printed case study to become "viral."

Note that this video focuses on the customer talking about how they re-engineered their internal business process - essentially "externalizing their business process" and making it directly available to their partner channel via CAPSYS CAPTURE. With CAPSYS, this customer now has found a new, innovative way to externalize the economic value of the process directly to their elite partner channel. Hey, enough of my talking...watch the video and let us know what you think?

Bekins Van Lines Outflanks the Industry Giants!

20 Years later...No Brainer Opportunity

2010-11-17T15:50:00.014-06:00

Our industry for over 20 years now - even to this date, continues to over complicate (needlessly) the ECM buying process for the business consumer. There is a plethora of choices, compounded by the fact beyond the usual providers in the market, there is a huge indirect channel of solution providers in the marketplace. You also have the Regional, National, and Multi-National Systems Integrators who are looking for their piece of the ECM pie. Adding to the already complicated buying process, you have the MFP vendors and their respective channel partners all who make various claims as to their offerings and value add in the overall ECM marketplace.

Let's zero in on the Document Capture component of the market for a moment. Question: after 20 years in the industry, has any software vendor made the buying process or implementation process any simpler? It is nearing the end of 2010 and you still take software out of a box - granted on a DVD now - pop the DVD into your DVD drive and run a Setup.exe. Or, perhaps you go to a secure FTP site and download, then run a Setup.exe. Well, you don't run the Setup.exe, you have your authorized business partner providing the solution do that for you, or have the software vendor fly their Professional Services team out to run a Setup.exe. Yep, that is what 20 years worth of software engineering efforts in the Document Capture market has brought to you the Business Consumer. Innovation? Aren't you ready for an experience that is radically different, more importantly an alternative that saves time, money and is more efficient for everyone involved?

You the Business Consumer - the ones with the business problems you are trying to solve with limited dollars and resources - shouldn't be plagued with chasing down your IT staff to spec out servers, operating systems, databases, etc. Only to then move on to having your purchasing departments bid out server hardware to save a few pennies on the dollar. Maybe, after all this passage of time, 90 days later - after you cut all your PO's, equipment and software begin to finally roll in. Schedules of your IT staff become available, your integrator or PS team from the software vendor begin to arrive, and your installation & configuration begins.

Meanwhile, you spent all that cash for products -software and hardware - but you have nothing to show for it other than pieces and parts that need to be assembled by those "in the know." Your business process is still lacking the efficiencies, lacking the organizational compliance mandates, and your department is bleeding cash. You basically bought a very expensive "erector set" and patiently will need to continue to wait until your expensive erector set is finally all assembled, tested and put into production.

And, from a Channel perspective, the value add of our Channel Partners should not be bogged down in software installation processes and hardware provisioning. Our Channel Partners should be focused on delivering cost effective Document Capture solutions that solve problems and offer the lowest cost of ownership in the industry. Their focus should be on the customer's business challenges and they should be focused on problem solving.

So, it got us all here at CAPSYS thinking. Can we significantly simplify the buying and implementation experience for both our Channel Partners and our Business Consumers when it comes to On-Premise based Document Capture solutions? We have already successfully tackled the option of Software as a Service - CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE...but what about simplifying the On-Premise option?

The Birth of CAPSYS AXIOM
Going back to the tail end of 2009, we had on the drawing board the concept of developing a Single and Multi-user document capture network appliance. A solution that we could pre-install and largely pre-configure for our Channel Partners and the Business Consumer -90% complete if you will. That means the operating systems, SQL, CAPSYS software application, transactional content management workflow, etc. are all pre-installed, provisioned, pre-tuned - "matched" if you will - to server hardware that will meet the performance demands placed upon it. All the same features and functionality that you would get with a traditional on-premise solution, but designed in such a way that we remove all the headaches previously described for both our Channel Partners and the Business Consumer. The end goal: design a solution that could be made available in a "small form factor, superbly packed with features, functionality, and simplicity."

On 9/27, my InformationWeek arrived in the US mail. Low and behold, the headline on the front page of the magazine was, "Rise of the Appliance." In that article they cited how all the major IT suppliers - interestingly enough - OUTSIDE of the ECM industry - are quickly rushing to bring out an "appliance based solution." Companies like: HP, IBM, SAP, Microsoft, Teradata, EMC...you get the point. Full article available here.

We temporarily shelved the idea because of other pressing development priorities and mixed responses from our channel partners whether or not the concept of a "network appliance" would make logical and practical sense in the marketplace. In hind site, perhaps we should have released of CAPSYS AXIOM earlier in the year. Hey, like any other company, we were faced with limited resources and only so many hours in the day, so you have to face "reality" when it strikes you square between the eyes.

So, while my industry has failed for the last 20 years to simplify the Document Capture buying experience and implementation process, at least we did our small part and have stepped up to the plate to address an obvious, major void in the market. I am CERTAIN others will follow shortly. Word on the street is a major publicly traded company in the industry is soon to announce their appliance based solution...shhh, don't tell anybody though ;-)

One caveat to my generalizations about our industry....FileBound from MarexGroup has significantly simplified the ECM experience with FileBound Express. Hats off to their innovation, creativity and recognizing the weaknesses in our industry. As for the rest of ECM software publishers, take your lumps and listen up.

Integrating Remote Deposit Capture with Distributed Document Capture

2010-10-12T17:08:00.006-05:00

We've been involved with a CAPSYS and Eastman Kodak partner who identified a rather interesting, really money savings application opportunity. Who isn't interested in money savings ideas these days? The project goes like this:

The Problem
This particular end user organization has a facility where they have been doing centralized document capture for years using a competitive thick client document capture solution integrated with a Content Management System for the content repository. The organization has large departmental document scanners to handle the voluminous amounts of documents that are rec'd on a daily basis from its network of independent agents. Contained in the batch of documents are business checks that are paying for the services rendered. The checks are separated by the mail room personnel who subsequently hands the checks off to accounting through an interoffice mail process. The mail room continues with prepping, sorting and scanning the remaining business documents.

Some of the independent agents are very good about turning the documents and checks around daily or weekly via their favorite courier (FedEx or UPS), others are not so expeditious about turning the information back to corporate in a timely and predictable manner. The current process is shall we say, inconsistent, has plenty of room for errors due to potential missing checks or missing supporting documents.

Further, the checks may take a week or two to process due to their "in flight status." Because the current process is "centralized" - beginning with a mail room operation who has to sort/prep/classify/distinguish the checks from the business documents - using interoffice mail, the checks eventually make their way from the mail room to the accounting department who then follow through with generating the typical AR receipt matching process, and eventually deposit the funds with their respective banking institution.

Whew, I left out a lot of minutia, but you are beginning to get the idea. Frankly, not all that uncommon of a business process.

A Partner with Vision
After our partner carefully examined this client's situation, they proposed the better mouse trap. Capture the checks and business documents at point of origin with CAPSYS Capture - where the problem begins. Enable and empower the independent agents to capture the check and supporting documentation using inexpensive, TWAIN compliant document scanners - in this case, Eastman Kodak i1220's.

Now, the customer's independent agents immediately capture the check and the supporting documents at point of origin using CAPSYS via - you guessed it, a web browser. Everybody knows how to use a web-browser, so training is a snap. The documents immediately follow the structured Transactional Content Management Workflow that is embedded inside of CAPSYS Capture. Yes, that is what where the business process begins, thus a rules based workflow inside of a document capture makes all the sense in the world!

CAPSYS' workflow engine automatically detects and differentiates the check from the remaining business documents, routes the check to the Eastman Kodak t6000 Remote Deposit Capture solution which produces the X937 Cash Letter and Check Image(s) for presentment and deposit to the customer's banking institution. Since we captured the check and the supporting business documents together as a "batch" we are able to carry forward all of that data and post to the customer's ERP system, noting that the funds were received and the deposit was made, including a check number, a link back to the Content Management System for image retrieval. All of the supporting documents that tie the check back to the transaction are also linked and archived to the Content Management System for future retrieval.

Of course "stuff happens" and in a non-perfect world, imperfections are likely to occur. With CAPSYS' built in rules based workflow engine, you have the ability to deal with the exceptions that might occur...we deal with those in CAPSYS using Exception Queues. Exception Queues provide the ability for the customer to view exceptions and deal with them accordingly (rescans, add additional pages, delete pages, etc.).

The End Results

Checks and Supporting Documents are Capture at Point of Origin, where the problem begins;
Centralized Scanning and all of the associated headaches and costs with centralized scanning are eliminated (CAPEX expensive hardware, software, reoccurring maintenance contracts, etc.);
Eliminates the expense required to Federal Express/UPS/US Mail checks and documents to the central office for processing;
Funds are deposited the same day they are collected (remember, Cash is King);
The CAPSYS/Kodak t6000 Solution allow the customer to be completely independent of any proprietary check imaging bank solution. The solution is completely portable from one bank to the next, in today's banking climate, that is absolutely essential;
The client's business partners are all in compliance with customer's standardized operating procedures;
If the Transactional Content Management Workflow Process needs to be changed, it all done using a graphical user interface, no programming required;
On premise or SaaS...the deployment choice doesn't matter, take your pick.

Now, think about all the applications that exist out in the market place where you can apply this exact same winning formula: Individual Health Insurers who take applications and checks on the spot, contractors who complete a job and accept payment via check, transportation firms who are inundated with paper work and accept checks upon delivery, the list goes on. And, because it is entirely web based app, any where you have access to the internet, you can scan the business documents and the checks right there on the spot. If you have a browser on your desktop, you are already have way there. No more need to incur the costs and time delays with Federal Express/UPS/USPS mailing documents.

Are your wheels spinning? A Closed Loop Business Process that minimizes risk, maximizes profitability.

SaaS based Document Capture - No Brainer decision

2010-09-24T11:04:00.004-05:00

It makes all the sense in the world: scan, index, QA, rules-based batch and document workflow processing, all conducted over the web via a browser. Take it a step further and have all this functionality w/o having to buy and install any client or server software, SQL databases - regardless of how simple or complicated your document capture process may be. No server hardware needs to be purchased either...regardless if your content management systems is located on-premise or is SaaS based.

From a partner perspective, your sales cycle is accelerated and measured in days or weeks. Your focus is on the matters of addressing the business needs of your client via your professional services organization. Their focus is on provisioning the service: configuration & integration. No need to fight the battles with IT anymore about who is buying the servers, where are they buying them from, when they will be delivered, how much is the business user being charged by IT to manage the application servers, or if by chance you get the rare opportunity to sell the iron, OS, DB, etc...the need to wrestle over doing business in single digit margins - the turf wars are finally over.

From an end user perspective, you get immediate value, return on investment, and lowest TCO compared to any other on-premise alternative. The SaaS based transaction is likely to be SALES TAX exempt - so it saves your organization some precious cash as well(check with your CPA or CFO). From a time to market perspective, on-premise based rollouts are simply no match for SaaS based capture solutions. From a time to market perspective, the age old on-premise delivery option is no match for SaaS!

It really is a "no brainer" decision.

Is your ECM project "a go or no go?"

2010-09-13T11:33:00.004-05:00

The economic data continues to look rather bleak, GDP forecasters for Q3 are predicting somewhere around 1.0-1.5% GDP. That is extremely weak and expectations are unemployment rates will continue to grow higher in the near-term. The month of August from a stock market perspective delivered the worst performance in 9 years. Growth predictions for the 4th quarter are almost non-existent from the reports I have been reading.

So, how does all this very alarming economic statistics affect the data and document capture world?

Well, if customers in either the commercial sector or public sector continue to look for the means to pay for ECM projects - via the traditional capital expenditure process (software, software assurance, hardware, hardware maintenance, professional services) they are simply going to run into significant road blocks, delays and perhaps entire project cancellations. This is especially true in the public sector with declining tax revenue being the norm - which are the primary source of funds used to finance public IT projects.

Let's face it, the Executive Teams throughout Corporate America take into account the economic climate when making informed business investment spending decisions. One would reasonably expect the Public Sector would wake up to the stark reality of budget crunches and maintain some semblance of fiscal responsibility with our tax dollars.

Corporate spending on IT related CAPEX projects certainly are not immune from economic data and certainly will affect those business decisions - whether the projects are "a go or no go." Today or within the last hour, the economic data might be ok, and the Executive Team may be in support of your ECM project, but come tomorrow that may quickly change and without notice, the Executive Team may have decided to immediately shut down your ECM project. As I write this, fuel costs shot up .25 per gallon overnight...the trucking and transportation industry no doubt are all talking about the dramatic, unexpected increase in costs of doing business that didn't exist last Friday, but now exist come Monday morning!

However, there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel - Software as a Service (SaaS). For CAPSYS customers and CAPSYS partners, CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE provides a viable alternative to stalled, dead, or no-decision ECM projects because CAPEX budgets are either frozen, non-existent or have been completely vaporized. The Software as a Service option takes the mystery and uncertainly out of whether or not your ECM project will be funded because you aren't seeking six figures of CAPEX budget dollars to support your project.

Interestingly enough, we are finding that our partner's Global 2000 customers are tracking with the SaaS trend more quickly than the mid-market. I suspect this is because the mid-market organizations still are emotionally attached to maintaining physical possession of their equipment, software and data. Mid market companies are eventually going to get the message...save your cash, embrace SaaS and get business done today...if you don't, your competition will.

CAPSYS Tech Tip

2010-08-11T10:29:00.000-05:00

Did you know that you can release documents and associated metadata to multiple repositories from CAPSYS CAPTURE? For example, you are working with a customer that has deployed SharePoint in their Human Resources department and FileBound in their Finance/Accounting department. For each document type, you select which repository (i.e., Document Management System) you want to release to by simply placing the Release Module QSX on the Document Type process map (Standard licensing policies apply).

CAPSYS CAPTURE can release to a unique repository for each document type. Additionally, you can even release the same document type to multiple repositories simply by placing each release module QSX in sequence on the Document Type process map. CAPSYS CAPTURE can be used to perform all of the document and data capture needs for a client regardless of the number of document management systems are installed - they don't need a different document capture product for each system! Very cool, huh?

Customer Satisfaction Surveys - A sound business practice and you can learn much by simply listening!

2010-07-21T15:59:00.005-05:00

A CAPSYS business partner located in the Midwest recently shared with me the results from their Customer Satisfaction Survey he received for a very recent implementation of CAPSYS Capture Online - the Software as a Service (SaaS) alternative to the traditional on-premise document capture option.

Before I go any further, how many of you make it common practice to conduct formal "Customer Satisfaction Surveys? Before you answer that question, continue reading on.

Second, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that our CAPSYS partner takes a very unique approach towards managing their customer relationships: Conducting customer satisfaction surveys after each engagement, not just once or twice a year. Kudos to the partner's management team for designing and executing upon a disciplined customer relationship management process!

The overall objective of the project was to provide the customer with a budget savings opportunity- more specifically, for the line of business owner - achieved by replacing the existing capture solution with the lower cost CAPSYS alternative. The cost savings would not only be measured in savings by eliminating annual software assurance dollars but by also eliminating the internal charges that were being assessed by the IT department - in excess of $10,000 per year!

The total projected annual cost savings shared by the customer to the CAPSYS partner indicated the annual savings was expected to be in excess of over $30,000.00. Not bad.

Ok, its one thing to "claim" the savings during the sales cycle, but what were the actual savings? From the customer's mouth, "a whopping $39,753.00!" Now that is a rather remarkable story in an of itself. However, the real story only begins with the money savings. I was rather jazzed to see the results of the customer survey:

On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 - poor, 3 - average and 5 excellent), please rate the performance of our organization as it related to the "XXXXXXXX Document Capture Project":

A) Met Original Business Objectives - 5

[The End User] is now very happy with the CAPSYS software functionality and stated that it is meeting her expectations as presented in the sales cycle. [The End User] did go back and examine the cost savings and confirmed that CAPSYS has in-fact reduced her costs by about 40%, as predicted in the sales cycle. The CAPSYS features & functions also met their objectives so they are very happy overall in this area.

B) Delivery of Expected Features/Functionality - 5

The CAPSYS software functions as expected. [The end user] likes the CAPSYS interface and likes the software much better than [their previous Enterprise] capture software package.

C) Met Delivery Time-line - 3

This rating had to do with the time-line delays due to [customer's] rigid security & Firewall issues. [the end user] was very clear that she understood these issues were outside of [the CAPSYS Partner's] control. [Customer's] IT staff & resources were problematic for her but it still ended up delaying the project and causing issues for the business.

D) Overall Project Cost - 5

[The end user] was very happy at the overall cost. She appreciated that [the CAPSYS partner] honored the fixed bid commitment and did not bill her above the [agreed] contract amount for services. She is very pleased with how [the CAPSYS partner] handled the issues and will let other [Enterprise End User] business units know that [the CAPSYS Partner] and the CAPSYS organization are great companies to work with and that CAPSYS is a great product.

E) Professional Services Cost - 5

See above. Very happy, felt fees were very fair.

F) How would you rate [the partner's] technical expertise related to the services delivered for this project? -5

[The Partner] did a great job! [The end user] said the engineer assigned on the project was very knowledgeable on the CAPSYS software and very responsive. Also happy with technical support department and the support she has received so far.

G) Please rate your willingness to recommend [the partner] for future Capture/ECM projects at your company. - 5

[the end user] is very willing to recommend [the partner] & CAPSYS to other [end user] divisions as they inquire about the CAPSYS solution. Given my conversation with her today I believe [the end user] will be a tremendous advocate for us at [the end user]. She also expressed, she liked the sales process, SOW, documentation & our support is great. Very happy with the software, much better than [previous Capture software vendor]. It’s easier and less complex to use.

Overall, a very satisfied customer and a very satisfied CAPSYS business partner. Congratulations and job well done!

Document Boss says ECM industry is going to get pounced upon!

2010-07-01T13:35:00.004-05:00

I love these kinds of articles: edgy, thoughtful and in this particular case, Document Boss furthers along (indirectly) the value proposition of CAPSYS. Our partners over the last 15 months rapidly have embraced the SaaS Capture opportunity and this article further confirms our thought process - that our cherished partners have made the correct decision. The author says, "SaaS does have some strong economic arguments in its favour, as follows:

Reduction of customer's IT requirements
Consequential lower operating costs
Speed and ease of deployment
Departmental flexibility where management can circumnavigate their own IT “gatekeeper”

The author continues with, "The end user is now primed for a [ECM] SaaS revolution and the real barrier is no longer the customer (not to the same degree, anyway) but the supplier. The end user is now primed for a SaaS revolution and the real barrier is no longer the customer (not to the same degree, anyway) but the supplier."

To the CAPSYS Channel, congratulations on making the correct decision to embrace the SaaS revolution. You are poised to propel your businesses to the next level and leave the competition behind in the smog of ancient thinking. You have an abundance of opportunity before each of you and your customers are ready and willing to hear your unique value propositions. Good selling!

Full article from Document Boss here.

Compliance Alert! Are Copy Machines and MFP's a security risk?

2010-06-29T10:01:00.005-05:00

The ECM industry has been rather strangely silent on the issue of inherent security risks of the copy machine industry, namely the Multi-Function Peripherals (MFP)s. Recently, CBS did a rather revealing story on the subject of copy machines that include a hard disk drive used to store the documents that you copy, scan, email, etc. What is rather alarming here is the images on the hard drives are not automatically erased after the user completes their work. Imagine that?

That means all that sensitive data that you have been copying, perhaps containing personal identity information, health history, financial data, employment and payroll data etc. is on that copy machine's internal hard drive - unless someone takes the extra precaution of deleting it from the copy machine. Would you even know how to delete the images from the hard drive? Were you made aware such a security risk exists in your organization? Worse yet, when your Facilities and/or Finance department says the equipment has reached end of life and it is time to swap out the dinasour with the latest and greatest copy machine, who is taking the responsibility of erasing the hard drive and verifying all that senstive data on the copy machine has been eradicated?

The silence is rather deafening, isn't it?

Hey, the good news is at least one of the MFP manufacturers discussed in this story sells an OPTIONAL utility to wipe that hard drive clean. Question? Why isn't such a utility considered a STANDARD no cost feature on all copy machines given the fact that the copy machine/MFP vendors know the security risk exists by design with every copy machine/MFP that ships out the door? Perplexing.

Tip of the hat to the innovative team at Digital Copier Security in Sacramento for addressing this major industry GAFFE!!! Nice job CBS picking this story up and running with it.

Before you roll out or refresh all those MFP's, consider the organizational security and liability risks and make sure they are adequately addressed. Or, consider using document scanners for the job as the only ones to contain hard drives are usually the large mainframe, production document scanners. And, if those document scanners happen to have a hard drive, be sure you zap them before you retire them from your operation.

Full story can be found on YouTube or by clicking here

Larry Ellison clears up Cloud Computing for all of us!

2010-06-03T15:24:00.002-05:00

A colleague of mine sent this YouTube audio sound byte of Larry Ellison from Oracle speaking on the subject of Cloud Computing....he sums it up as follows: "What the hell is cloud computing?" Put aside all his rambling on about the subject, I think he is largely on target.

Yes, the industry is attempting to repackage and redress itself like it did years ago when "Time Sharing" on a mainframe was the trend until the Micro-VAX from Digital Equipment Corporation emerged, then the mini to the PC, back towards the the adoption of a PC server (thanks to Novell) and Citrix terminal servers, ASP's in the 90's, co-location to virtualization and now SaaS/Cloud Computing in the 21st Century. The pendulum has swung!

Interesting perspective...I will leave it that. View the audio playback http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FacYAI6DY0 and you be the judge.

CAPSYS Partners Get SaaS-Y - End of the Paralysis Sales Stage.

2010-05-26T09:51:00.001-05:00

Let's face it, with the economic conditions that have been thrust upon each of us and seemingly with no end to the challenges any time soon, the general business climate has been rather frustrating at times.. However, there is some good news to cheer about!

It is amazing to me to see the creative and innovative approach our channel partners are taking to bring CAPSYS web-based capture solutions to their prospect and customers. One angle that is of particular interest to me I would like to share is the Software as a Service or Cloud alternative to traditional on-premised based offerings.

Our channel partners are beginning to clearly see the CAPSYS cloud as a viable alternative to traditional on-premised based capture solutions. Why you may ask?

Predictable, Reoccurring Revenue Stream
Lower Costs, Better Margins
Rapid Deployment Time
Elimination of CAPEX budgeting process
No Annual Software Maintenance

For example, one of our partners services the Pharmaceutical industry. This particular organization was using one of the traditional Tier 1 document capture vendors. The customer was getting budget pinched with the reoccurring internal costs to support the existing infrastructure. Yet, they desired to expand the system, but struggled with the justification due to the additional software licenses, along with the additional annual maintenance required on top of the already enormous annual maintenance charges measured in 10's of thousands of dollars. And, on top of all these charges, the customer was faced with refreshing the capture servers and OS's which also was very expensive due to internal IT charges being assessed back to the line of business. It was clear from the customers perspective the project wasn't going move forward until the any time soon - perhaps when the economy turned around. So, in this instance, the customer and the partner entered into the "paralysis" stage of the sales cycle. Sound all to familiar?

Having heard about the CAPSYS CAPTURE Software as a Service offering, the partner reached out to us, laid out each of the frustrations and obstacles they were facing with the customer. In a short period of time, the partner worked out a program to switch out the legacy capture software vendor with CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE. There were added bonuses the customer would receive when the partner proposed the making the switch to CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE:

Elimination of a thick client based capture solution to a web-based capture solution;
Inclusive of a rules-base capture workflow engine - something the other vendor lacked;
Concurrent user licensing model, which allowed the customer to expand across the enterprise without breaking the bank.

Whats the moral of the story?

If you run into a situation where your sales process and sales person has reached a stage of "paralysis", then take a serious look at the SaaS alternative:

Predictable, reoccurring monthly expenses for the partner and your customers;
No upfront software charges for you the partner or your customers;
No annual maintenance charges with annual CPI increases;
Elimination of the hardware and OS and annual SWA expenses;
No Internal IT costs being billed back to the line of business owner;

It is all good news you can cheer about!

DEX Imaging joins international channel network of partners

2010-05-21T10:14:00.001-05:00

DEX Imaging joins international channel network of partners

May 18, 2010 – Today CAPSYS announces it has added another quality reseller to its partner program. INDEX DataFiles, Inc. d/b/a DEX Imaging out of Tampa, FL has executed an agreement to resell the full family of CAPSYS CAPTURE products and subscription services.

DEX, founded in 2002, is the largest and fastest growing independent dealer of Konica Minolta and Kyocera document imaging equipment in the United States. Though they sell & service award-winning printers, copiers, fax units, multifunctional systems, mailing equipment, large format devices, and a full line of document management solutions, they also offer a depth of experience and expertise that separates us from our competitors.

DEX Imaging is a FileBound reseller. For more information, please see their website: http://www.deximaging.com/

tieBridge joins CAPSYS International channel network of partners

2010-04-26T15:45:00.000-05:00

April 26, 2010 – Today CAPSYS announces it has added another quality reseller to its partner program. tieBridge, Inc. out of Falls Chuch, VA has executed an agreement to resell the full family of CAPSYS CAPTURE products and subscription services.

For over ten years our business focus has remained on the delivery of technology driven business solutions that are aligned with the strategic objectives of public sector agencies. We are committed to delivering reliable and high-quality solutions as a trusted advisor and a strategic partner to federal agencies. Our management team is led by former public sector CIOs recognized for their innovative, strategic approach to government technology implementation - including winning a Hammer Award. We match our top notch consulting expertise with a highly focused customer orientation - something that many larger firms are unable to offer.

tieBridge’s founder and management have served in senior executive roles in government, utility, and private sector organizations. They understand the need to comply with government objectives while ensuring quality, cost, and performance goals are met. tieBridge professionals work with the latest tools, technology and techniques to measure and meet performance-based objectives. We partner with our clients to select and apply the best approach to ensuring mutual success.

tieBridge is a KnowledgeTree reseller.

For more information, please see their website: http://www.tiebridge.com

CAPSYS Announces New Reseller, OptCorp Consultores of Santa Cruz in Bolivia

2010-04-20T09:47:00.001-05:00

CAPSYS ANNOUNCES NEW RESELLER TO ITS PARTNER PROGRAM

Odyssey S.R.L. joins national channel network of partners

April 15, 2010 – Today CAPSYS announces it has added another quality reseller to its partner program. Odyssey S.R.L. (d/b/a OptCorp) out of Santa Cruz in the Plurinational State of Bolivia has executed an agreement to resell the full family of CAPSYS CAPTURE products and subscription services.

Odyssey/OptCorp is a company dedicated to the management and process optimization, based on the development and implementation of high-tech computer systems in home businesses financial, commercial, and industrial services. OptCorp SRL has established itself as a team capable of developing information systems and management control that meet the requirements and methods of operation of companies that hire our services.

Our goal is to provide practical and creative solutions for quality, reliability and according to customer requirements, creating tools to assist planning and decision making.

Odyssey/OptCorp is a KnowledgeTree reseller.

For more information, please see their website: http://www.optcorp.com.bo/ or http://www.odyssey.com.bo

What is Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and what benefits does BPO offer my firm?

2010-04-16T16:01:00.001-05:00

BPO essentially allows your firm and your firm’s key personnel to focus on its core competency and relieve itself of burdensome, but necessary repetitive tasks by outsourcing those tasks to a third party business partner for fee – usually based on a per item or transaction fee. A common functional area to consider outsourcing to a trusted business partner and that we will discuss here is the Accounts Payable function.

Accounts Payable is generally considered a highly repetitive process, is common across all organizations regardless of size or industry and largely is known to become highly inefficient when the job functions and systems have been internally developed and modified over an extended period of time without the benefit of outside review.

To address the problem - and not surprisingly - more accounts payable clerks are added to the department, the influx of paper builds, payable cycles begin to get extended, discounts are missed, and the inefficient and poorly designed business processes naturally begins to spiral out of control without giving much thought to the actual costs that have been placed upon the organization to support the AP function.

When an organization is experience growth either through the addition of people and paper intensive processes, outsourcing the AP function to a BPO firm will allow the organization to focus on its core competencies. The organization can leverage the BPO's workflow process automation methodologies, its compliance/ERP expertise and efficient business practices, and allows the organization to directly benefit from a technology stack specifically optimized to address the challenges associated with Accounts Payable departments of small to mid-market organizations.

Time to market is the yet another significant advantage of engaging with a BPO firm. Consider how long it will take you firm to seek board approval, budget, purchase, implement and support a Accounts Payable automation solution integrated with your ERP solution such as SAP, Oracle Financial, etc. vs. engaging with a BPO who already has such an infrastructure that can be spun up and fully operational in days or weeks.

Lastly, the concepts of BPO can be extended beyond Accounts Payable example to other functional areas such as: mortgage processing, new applicant processing, claims processing, lock boxes, Human Resources, back file or paper to digital conversion processes, and many more functional areas.

Come See Us at our Booth at the FileBound 2010 Partner Conference in Las Vegas April 11-14!

2010-04-09T09:28:00.000-05:00

We are looking forward to seeing you at the FileBound 2010 Partner Conference! Come by our booth and say "Hello"! We would like to see you again (or meet you for the first time) and discuss how we can meet your document capture needs for either FileBound On-Site or FileBound On-Demand solutions.

CAPSYS CAPTURE is a Web-based, document capture solution that helps global enterprises to automate document driven business processes resulting in a reduction in operational costs, increased productivity and a rapid ROI.

CAPSYS CAPTURE can improve your ability to effectively and efficiently capture documents electronically with a fully Web-based, distributed document capture solution tightly integrated with the leading ECM solutions, like FileBound, or other document repositories, either as a SaaS or on-premise deployment.
Learn more about our new 4.0 release and how we can:

Increase your profits and broaden market opportunities for your document capture solution offerings
Address the document capture needs of your clients with a fully functional, thin client document capture solution tightly integrated with FileBound for either FileBound On-Site or FileBound On-Demand
Help you quickly deploy solutions by "pre-building" project information from FileBound into CAPSYS CAPTURE using the CAPSYS FileBound InBound Wizard making it a snap to setup the document capture application

The Priton Group (TPG) of Madison, Wisconsin becomes authorized CAPSYS Partner

2010-03-25T14:41:00.001-05:00

CAPSYS welcomes The Priton Group, an authorized reseller of both on-premise and SaaS based CAPSYS Capture Solutions. The Priton Group, LLC. is an Enterprise Content Management Consulting and Value Added Integration Firm. TPG was formed in 2006 as a venture between two partners that have over 35 years of experience in the ECM/ Document Management space.

Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, The Priton Group is dedicated to helping its clients leverage Enterprise Content Management practices, scanning hardware and software to lift the quality, reliability and usability of their corporate content and data.

This experience, combined with a keen awareness of the current technologies, industry direction and trends make for a combination that will be sure to drive significant efficiencies and greater bottom line ROI to your business.

From paper in boxes on shelves…to Business Process Management and Workflow solutions that leverage your current, core infrastructure and systems, The Priton Group, LLC is your best choice to deliver state of the art enterprise content management solutions.

More information on TPG can be obtained by visiting their website: http://www.pritongroup.com/

CAPSYS Capture for KnowledgeTree Webcast!

2010-03-25T13:05:00.000-05:00

Register for CAPSYS Capture for KnowledgeTree Webcast on March 30th, 11:00am Central

You only have a week left to register for the free partner webinar on web-based document capture for KnowledgeTree!

Publish Post

During this webinar you will discover:

How you can easily and quickly migrate paper and electronic documents into a KnowledgeTree business process
How you can address the document capture needs of your clients with a fully functional, thin client document capture solution tightly integrated with KnowledgeTree for either KnowledgeTree on-premise or KnowledgeTree SaaS products
How you can easily and quickly design and implement your client’s document capture processes with the CAPSYS CAPTURE™ workflow
How you can take advantage of powerful, server based capture processing (Like DB Lookups, OCR/ICR/OMR and Document Classification/Recognition) to automate tasks and increase user productivity
How easy it is to release documents and index information from CAPSYS CAPTURE into KnowledgeTree, for either KnowledgeTree on premise or KnowledgeTree SaaS products
How you can become an authorized reseller and begin offering these solutions to your clients to generate new sales and profits

March 30th, 11:00am Central

Register by clicking here!

KnowledgeTree Inc.
1130 Situs Ct.
Suite 234
Raleigh, NC 27606

CAPSYS PARTNER WEBINAR - CAPSYS CAPTURE 4.0 - New Features and Capabilities Overview

2010-03-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

CAPSYS PARTNER WEBINAR

CAPSYS CAPTURE 4.0 - New Features and Capabilities Overview

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

10:00AM Mountain

(9:00AM Pacific, 11:00AM Central, 12:00PM Eastern)

CAPSYS is hosting an informative Webinar for all CAPSYS authorized resellers today to provide a complete overview of all of the exciting, new features found in our latest release, CAPSYS CAPTURE 4.0. All CAPSYS partners are invited to attend. This is a great opportunity for you to learn about the latest and greatest capabilities now offered by CAPSYS.

The Webinar will be held on Wednesday, March 17th at 10AM Mountain. To register, and for additional details about this Webinar, see below:

CAPSYS® Announces Newest Release of CAPSYS CAPTURE

2010-03-09T09:59:00.000-06:00

Development & QA have been working hard to bring you the newest release of CAPSYS, version 4.0. Some really neat features and functionality brought forth in the latest version. Automated Zonal Optical Character Recognition (OCR), SharePoint release, Windows 7 support, “Rubber-band” Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Image Smart Orientation (Auto Rotate), Dock-able Image Viewer and more! Visit http://www.capsystech.com/static.asp?hyperlinkId=4447 for more details.

Access Imaging Solutions - CAPSYS Partner Success Story

2010-03-01T13:35:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful testimony of what CAPSYS Capture delivers to the marketplace. A real world, "no bull" illustration of the benefits of CAPSYS Capture. Go get 'em David and Access Imaging Solutions!!!

"The CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE service has allowed us to provide a broader range of document conversion services to our clients, while allowing us to maximize not only our project flexibility but our profitability on projects.”

- David Carney
President
Access Imaging Solutions

Access Imaging Solutions (AIS), a CAPSYS authorized reseller, has implemented the SaaS based CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE capture solution in their service bureau to take advantage of Web-based distributed document capture for their document conversion services offerings.

AIS continually enhances their customers' business processes through managing critical data and documents with an unparalleled focus on security and accuracy. AIS focuses on industries that are data, document and resource intensive, and who view accuracy, privacy and security as concerns. AIS's integrated suite of services blends state-of-the-art technology and business process expertise to deliver significantly identifiable cost savings to its customers.

AIS offers the following document management services:

Proof Of Delivery Document Scanning
Voter Registration Imaging Service
Human Resources Document Imaging
Auto Dealership Records Management
Medical Records Scanning & Management

AIS uses CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE to provide document conversion services to their clients. Distributed document capture services are provided via the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. This service delivery model offers many tangible and intangible benefits to AIS in comparison to maintaining the hardware and services required to run and manage the AIS Service Bureau.

The business benefits to Access Imaging Solutions are:

Elimination of costly hardware and maintenance costs;
No software to purchase, install, upgrade or update;
No worries about downtime, backups, or recovery;
Ability to flexibly offer optional scanning services – clients can scan or AIS can scan for them. Either way, AIS can effectively and efficiently pick up scanned batches and accurately process them for release into the client’s document management system of choice;
Realization of labor savings by providing the ability to
index anywhere, i.e., employees and contractors can work from home accessing the system through their browser;
Profit and margin maximization by subscribing to the CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE service with a low monthly subscription fee.

About Access Imaging Solutions
With over 45 years of experience in business process improvement, Access Imaging Solutions provides integrated data and document management services to result in operational excellence and cost reduction. AIS's diverse set of service offerings and end-to-end solutions fit the needs of a broad marketplace cross-section.

Located in San Antonio, Texas, AIS serves customers in Healthcare, Insurance, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Retail, Commercial, Government, Transportation and Distribution. Countless businesses have discovered Access Imaging Solutions can increase their efficiency and lower costs by organizing and computerizing paperwork. For additional information, please visit www.accessimagingsolutions.com or call (210) 590-8338.

Migrating Paper Documents into SharePoint

2010-02-26T10:17:00.000-06:00

While SharePoint provides some document management capability, it does not natively support bringing paper content (contracts, proposals, time sheets, deliver documentation etc.) into SharePoint for collaboration, storage or records management.

In this presentation our Kollabria analyst will explain, the technologies... and best practices for creating an effective solution in a SharePoint environment.

For the last 10 minutes or so, the presentation also includes a brief presentation of a revolutionary software product from CAPSYS that greatly simplifies the migration process from both a user and administration point of view.

Title: Migrating Paper Documents into SharePoint
Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST

Register by clicking here

Not Convinced yet of the Financial Benefits of SaaS or Cloud Computing?

2010-02-24T10:02:00.000-06:00

Microsoft released its global SMB IT and Hosted IT Index 2010, which investigates how small and midsize businesses (SMBs) across multiple segments fared during the recession and how they use technology. The survey covered 3,193 SMBs in 15 countries. 52% of all respondents reported an increase in revenue over the last 12 months and a further 33% reported that their revenues had remained the same.

Awareness of hosted services is increasing with 65 percent of SMBs using hosted software to some extent, while 73 percent of the remainder has considered it, compared with only 44 percent in the 2008 Index.

More than 40 percent of the respondents that use hosted services reported that their revenue rose 30 percent or more, compared with 90 percent of respondents not using hosted technology that saw decreases in revenue....

Full article here

Sales and technical certification via WEBEX

2010-02-22T09:20:00.000-06:00

JOIN US FOR TRAINING THIS WEEK: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH (SALES) AND
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH (TECHNICAL. SALES AND TECHNICAL CERTIFICATION WEBEX CLASSES OFFERED.

Partner product training classes have been scheduled for this week for both our sales certification and technical certification classes. These classes will be provided over Webex and are available free of charge to Partners.

Click here for complete details.

WEBCAST: Migrating Paper Documents into SharePoint

2010-02-19T10:55:00.001-06:00

On February 23rd, 12:00pm CT, attend a webcast and learn that while SharePoint provides some document management capability, it does not natively support bringing paper content (contracts, proposals, time sheets, deliver documentation etc.) into SharePoint.

In this presentation our Kollabria analyst will explain, the technologies and best practices for doing so in a SharePoint environment. The presentation includes a brief presentation of a revolutionary software product from CAPSYS that greatly simplifies the migration process from both a user and administration point of view.

To register click here

New Blog Site - Document Imaging Talk

2010-01-26T09:01:00.002-06:00

Here you will get a broad perspective about what is going on in the document capture market...beyond web,based distributed scanning. You'll here about what is going on from the competition, learn about industry trends, C-level leadership position appointments/changes, and other industry scoop.

It's edited by Ralph Gammon, publisher of the Document Imaging Report, and an analyst of these markets. After almost 20 years, the document imaging market is finally reaching maturity and being subsumed into the world of more general IT applications. This makes it a very exciting time to be involved with the industry.

Check it out by visiting: http://documentimagingreport.blogspot.com/

LEVEL 3 - CRITICAL PRODUCT VULNERABILITY ALERT - January 21, 2010 (Out-Of-Band) Microsoft Security Bulletin Release

2010-01-22T19:52:00.004-06:00

This security update resolves seven privately reported vulnerabilities and one publicly disclosed vulnerability in Internet Explorer. The more severe vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. ..

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS10-002.mspx

CAPSYS Sales and Technical Certification January 20 and 21.

2010-01-18T16:05:00.000-06:00

Attention new CAPSYS Resellers: Sign up for CAPSYS Sales and Technical Certification January 20 and 21.

http://www.capsystech.com/static.asp?hyperlinkId=3984

CAPSYS Training | Distributed Capture | Web-based Distributed Document Capture for Document Manageme

www.capsystech.com

CAPSYS provides a full complement of training services for both sales and technical training certifications for CAPSYS CAPTURE. Please visit our site for the full details.

KnowledgeTreeTM and CAPSYS® Announce Integration

2010-01-14T10:47:00.003-06:00

KnowledgeTreeTM and CAPSYS® Announce Integration
CAPSYS enables web-based document capture for KnowledgeTree’s affordable document management software

Raleigh, NC and Colorado Springs, Colo. (January 12, 2010) – KnowledgeTree™, an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) provider focusing on affordable document management software, and CAPSYS®, a leading provider of web-based document capture and capture process management software, today announced the commercial availability of a release module that integrates KnowledgeTree’s commercial SaaS and on-site editions with CAPSYS CAPTURE™.

   The release module gives KnowledgeTree users seamless access to CAPSYS CAPTURE, a browser-based, thin client application that requires no workstation software to be installed or maintained. The software also includes a powerful workflow and design component that allows users to tailor and manage their capture processes, without requiring programming or scripting, based on the document requirements specific to their business. Organizations can quickly deploy powerful, advanced capture processing functionality like optical character recognition, barcode recognition and forms recognition to streamline the process of characterizing and indexing documents that are then efficiently released directly into the KnowledgeTree repository.

   “More companies are embracing paperless initiatives using document capture and a centralized, searchable repository. They’re also using Software as a Service applications to reduce IT costs and hassles. This integration between CAPSYS CAPTURE and KnowledgeTree allows organizations to streamline their paper reduction efforts without any additional investment in infrastructure,” said Daniel Chalef, CEO of KnowledgeTree.

   “With today’s distributed and mobile workforce, the value of Software as a Service is indisputable. With this integration, now you can now easily capture documents of all types in one location and immediately access them in another, eliminating the expense and time delay to courier documents from remote office locations to a centralized location to be processed.” stated Greg Cooke, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for CAPSYS.

   The release module is available for US $1,595. For more information, please visit http://www.knowledgetree.com/ or www.capsystech.com.

# # #

About KnowledgeTree
KnowledgeTree is an enterprise content management provider focusing on affordable document management software that is easily installed and used by business professionals. Offering commercial SaaS and on-site editions as well as a free, open source community edition, KnowledgeTree’s features — including workflow, version control and audit trails — help organizations manage the document lifecycle, promote collaboration, reduce paper and ensure compliance.

As a commercial open source company, KnowledgeTree is committed to affordability, accessibility and integration across operating systems and applications. Customers include organizations of all sizes in many industries, including life sciences, legal, financial and government sectors. KnowledgeTree is headquartered in Raleigh, NC. For more information, visit www.KnowledgeTree.com. Follow us on Twitter at #knowledgetreesw.

About CAPSYS
CAPSYS is a leading developer of Web-based, distributed document capture and capture process management software. CAPSYS provides affordable, easy-to-deploy document capture solutions in a completely Web-based environment through its national network of channel partners. The company’s flagship product, CAPSYS CAPTURE, can easily and efficiently capture documents for organizations of any size from anywhere at any time around the world. CAPSYS’ solutions are offered both as Software as a Service (“SaaS”), hosted in the convenience of a secure data center, or as a traditional “on-premise” purchase. To learn more, call 877-322-7797 or visit www.capsystech.com.

KnowledgeTree Contact:
Rebecca Hirschfield
KnowledgeTree Inc.
rebecca@knowledgetree.com
www.knowledgetree.com
919.747.8271

CAPSYS Contact:
Greg Cooke
CAPSYS
greg.cooke@capsystech.com
www.capsystech.com
877-322-7797 X340

CAPSYS Capture Online Demonstration Available

2009-12-17T14:05:00.001-06:00

Get an online demonstration of CAPSYS Capture anytime at your convenience from TechinfoCenter.

Click here!

Ty CIO presents their SaaS story at CAPSYS reseller's customer appreciation event

2009-12-14T10:01:00.008-06:00

In early December, the CIO at Ty, Inc. recently presented at a CAPSYS reseller's customer gathering. A series of startling revelations were made that are worth contemplating over - either an existing user of ECM technology, or if you are a about to jump in with both feet the world of ECM:

Benefits of TY SaaS Solution

Recovered 500GB of disk space on their NAS
Removed 4 servers (and associated service contracts)
Drastically reduced the need for IT involvement
No workstation setup or upgrades
No servers to maintain or upgrade
Addition of 5 remote locations
70% Increase in users
40% Reduction in Annual ECM expenses

According to Jim Gio, CIO of Ty, "SaaS eliminates Ty Inc’s need to have multiple systems and software in-house to manage our content. There are fewer points of failure, minimal technical involvement and Ty Inc no longer needs to dedicate equipment or resources (staff or money) to host the system."

Ty Before SaaS:

Ty After SaaS:

Regardless of any particular software application, isn't what Ty, Inc. has accomplished a rather compelling business case for SaaS, and its bottom line?

CAPSYS® Announces Newest Release of Character Recognition Modules for CAPSYS CAPTURE

2009-12-08T16:24:00.001-06:00

The improved modules enhance ability to automatically recognize characters eliminating manual indexing and improving ROI.

Colorado Springs, Colo. (December 8, 2009) – CAPSYS, a leading software developer of Web-based document capture and capture process management software, announced the release of their newest OCR and document processing modules that have been rebuilt from the ground up. These modules include Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR), Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Optical Mark Recognition (OMR). In addition, the new release includes a Document Classification module.

Full story here

CAPSYS December Training Schedule

2009-12-04T15:02:00.002-06:00

DECEMBER TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Additional product training for Partners has been scheduled for both our sales certification and technical certification classes for the month of December. These classes will be provided over Webex and are available free of charge to Partners.

SALES CERTIFICATION
TUESDAY, 12/8; 12PM-3PM MOUNTAIN
TUESDAY, 12/22; 12PM-3PM MOUNTAIN

TECHNICAL CERTIFICATION
WEDNESDAY, 12/9; 11AM-3PM MOUNTAIN
WEDNESDAY, 12/23; 11AM - 3PM MOUNTAIN

All currently scheduled training is via Webex from the convenience of your desk - No expensive travel or time lost out of the field. We make it easy to get trained on CAPSYS CAPTURE.

To see the full training schedule and register for a course, click here.

Dynamics GP in the cloud - What's that got to do with Document Capture?

2009-12-04T14:35:00.004-06:00

Microsoft has taken bold steps towards addressing the issue of cloud computing for the masses. No longer can the legitimacy of the SaaS alternative (ASP or Cloud Computing) be so quickly dismissed during the IT purchase decision making process. The cost savings are real.

Take particular note of the fact how Microsoft offers the customer flexibility of choosing a solution (financial software in the example below) that encompasses BOTH software delivery methods: On-premise for Dynamics GP and SaaS for Ecommerce components using the new AZURE platform. The point here is that SaaS alternative is not an "all or nothing" decision. Microsoft's offering parallels the CAPSYS' value proposition...if you want a web-based, document capture software solution whose delivery method is on-premise or SaaS, but keep your Content Management Repository on-premise or SaaS, so be it!

You the customer are afforded the opportunity to choose which software delivery method is best suited for your business.

The SaaS alternative is hear to stay and it is time for all us to get readily acquainted with the next wave of software delivery called Cloud Computing.

Visit http://idtjim.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!4F32246B3C877AB5!224.entry to get the entire article.

Informative Webinar for FileBound® Partners on the subject of CAPSYS® - A Web-based Distributed Document Capture Solution

2009-12-02T10:44:00.006-06:00

During this Webinar you will discover:
• How you can address the document capture needs of your clients with a fully functional, thin client capture solution tightly integrated with FileBound for either FileBound On-Site or FileBound On-Demand hosted solutions
• How you can easily and quickly design and implement your client’s capture processes with the CAPSYS CAPTURE workflow
• How you can take advantage of powerful, server based capture processing to automate tasks and increase user productivity
• How you can pre-build project information from FileBound into CAPSYS CAPTURE using the CAPSYS FileBound InBound Wizard™ making it a snap to setup the document capture application
• How easy it is to release documents and index information from CAPSYS CAPTURE into FileBound, for either On-Site or On-Demand based systems
• How Ty, a joint CAPSYS and FileBound customer, benefited from the use of both company’s products

For additional details, please visit:
www.capsystech.com/filebound

Webinar Details:

“Web-based Distributed Document Capture for
FileBound”
Wednesday, December 16th
10:00 AM CENTRAL

Click here to register

Read the fine print of your software maintenance agreement...AND stay on top of policy changes that occur throughout the term of the agreement.

2009-12-01T11:57:00.001-06:00

When times get tough...the real character of an organization shines through...

Somebody within the ECM industry and "in the know" forwarded me this software maintenance policy update from a competitive document capture company. I took out the name of the software company because I don't think it is appropriate here to name names. However, it serves to illustrate the importance of partners and their respective end user customers to READ the fine print of the initial software maintenance agreement and also stay keenly aware of the policy changes that are made during the term of the agreement.

Here is an excerpt of the recent policy changes:

1. There is no more 30 day grace period for maintenance expiration. As soon as the customer reaches their SWA (software assurance agreement) expiration date they will expire and are subject to a reinstatement penalty which is the equivalent of 1 year of their SWA fee. This is in addition to paying their current SWA fee. No changes in expiration dates will occur.

So for example, if a customer expires on 12/31/09 (the customer pays late and we don’t issue a PO until 2/30/10) the customer will now need to pay the existing SWA amount which would have covered the customer from 1/1/2010- 12/31/10 PLUS an additional year of SWA in penalty fees. They will still only get one year of coverage, the expiration date will not change so the customer is in effect paying 2 years for 1 year of coverage.

2. There are no partial renewals allowed. Customers cannot pay quarterly, only annual policies.

3. Finally, there is no refunds in maintenance if a customer partway through their SWA agreement decides to switch products. SWA is prepaid, and non-refundable regardless if the customer is using it or not.

In summary, when economic times get tough, you quickly come to learn who your real "business partners" are. Does the Latin phrase: Caveat Emptor come to mind?

The new efficiency is ready when you are.

2009-11-11T11:40:00.003-06:00

We have been busy at work getting the Microsoft accreditation for CAPSYS. As a result of these efforts (rather rigorous as you might expect), we have been fortunate enough to participate in an exposure campaign initiated by Microsoft - through a Virtual Tradeshow of sorts. Links below will give you a virtual tour of Windows 7, Windows 2008, Exchange Server 2010, their new Communications Server platform, and of course a little plug for CAPSYS!

Attend the new efficiency virtual experience, and see how innovations in Windows® 7, Windows Server® 2008 R2, and Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010 offer familiar, easy-to-use solutions that can simplify management and compliance, and help you securely connect people to information.

Join CAPSYS Technologies at http://www.thenewefficiency.com/capsys
today.

You can be among the first to evaluate these exciting new products. Attend expert-led sessions and keynotes. Find out about special offers, and check out some great demos. Join in when you want, and dive deeper into technical content for desktops, data centers, communications, and security.

The new efficiency: Now playing.

See it today at http://www.thenewefficiency.com/capsys

Another quality business partner - Sequest Technologies joins the CAPSYS Team!

2009-10-20T14:26:00.007-05:00

CAPSYS VP of Sales & Marketing, Greg Cooke and Product Manager Steve Schrader are rocking and rolling! Traditional ECM partners and Independent Software Vendors in the Medical Records Arena are catching on quickly to the value-add of Distributed, Web-Based Document Capture - offered in an on-premise and SaaS delivery model.

Obviously lots of good debate ongoing in the health care and electronic medical record arenas. ISV's like Sequest will obviously benefit from any such legislation.

The CAPSYS team just returned from a tradeshow in Chicago where CAPSYS value proposition resonated with the vast majority of the medical records user group!

Full story about Sequest announcement here...

Management Association of Illinois - What Recovery??

2009-10-20T10:27:00.002-05:00

At my monthly off-site meeting (October) with local biz leaders, the following data was presented to us as a group (compiled by Management Association of Illinois): Only 12% of respondents claim they are operating ABOVE operating budgets and only 36% claim the are meeting plans....better than 50% are operating BELOW plans.

OUCH...

51% suspended hiring, 64% conducted layoffs, 58% didn't give raises...although they are optimistic about next six months.

This data coincides with the feedback I receive from our customers, prospects, vendors, our CPA firm, and my other trusted advisors. Regardless of what is coming out of the Whitehouse with respect to a "recovery" I am not quite seeing any evidence of one as of yet.

Hmm....What recovery?

CAPSYS® Announces Release of the FileBound® InBound Wizard

2009-10-14T21:33:00.001-05:00

CAPSYS, a leading software developer of Web-based document capture and capture process management software, today announced the availability of a new software module, the FileBound InBound Wizard. The FileBound InBound Wizard complements the existing integration between CAPSYS CAPTURE and the FileBound document management solution. CAPSYS currently offers a document output module which releases documents and their corresponding metadata into both FileBound On-Site or Filebound On-Demand. Get the full announcement by clicking on the link below:

CAPSYS® Announces Release of the FileBound® InBound Wizard

SaaS - New Arsenal for the Line of Business Owner - NO Internal IT Chargebacks!!!

2009-10-14T18:48:00.004-05:00

This was a wonderful post by the National Accounts Sales Manager from a reseller of CAPSYS that is noteworthy of posting. The bottom line, two significant lessons were learned here with this reseller and his customer:

1) Internal IT costs that are typically assessed to the Line of Business Owner with traditional CAPEX purchases of Global 2000 corporations are becoming increasingly challenging for line of business owners to justify implementing any IT solution. Let's face it...we are all plagued with budget crunches. In this example, SaaS is a genius maneuver by the Line of Business Owner...no CAPEX means no IT internal charges. Now that is real tangible savings a Line of Business Owner can bank on!

2) Get Business Done NOW rather than Later! The SaaS alternative continues to provide a unique way of getting business today rather than waiting for strigent CAPEX budgets to get approved any time soon...seemingly an impossible task in today's economic climate. Get the job done immediately using the "SASSY alternative"...or forever wait...this Global 2000 client decided that NOW was the better option and SaaS was the only way to do it.

Read the enlightening story below I received from the National Account Manager for IDT:

by Michael F. Nolfo - National Account Manager, IDT

I work for a Content Management & Capture Reseller that provides the traditional capture on-premise solutions as well as CAPSYS CAPTURE. The CAPSYS SaaS offering in particular has recently provided a breath of new life into two of our existing document capture clients. For both clients, sales growth was stagnant. These clients were not expanding their capture systems and were struggling with the increasing cost of capture in light of declining revenue, internal IT resource cut-backs, etc. Both customers were struggling to justify renewing their annual capture maintenance renewals. Basically their business needs changed and the capture solution, that we originally sold them years ago, no longer met their needs. As a solution provider, it was our obligation to present another way of doing business that could meet these challenges.

For the first client, the overall scanning volume was declining (do to a move to electronically generated records) but there was a new requirement to expand capture to new remote locations. The problem was the current capture software manufacturer’s licensing model was costly, inflexible and could not meet their changing business needs. This client also had to pay annual IT charge-backs to maintain the multiple servers environment needed for their capture application. The cost to maintain the server infrastructure for their capture environment was increasing and was nearly double the cost of the annual software assurance renewal. In short, it was becoming too expensive to maintain scanning technology. By introducing the CAPSYS SaaS option our strategy was simple- remove the datacenter, infrastructure and ongoing professional services costs to upgrade & maintain the capture software by moving the customer to a hosted capture solution. After proving that the CAPSYS software had all of the necessary functionality (bar-code recognition, page separation, zonal OCR and the ability to generate fully searchable PDFs) they then analyzed the total cost of ownership for Capture SaaS. Once the business factored in their infrastructure costs we were able to reduce their costs in half with the SaaS model; all while expanding capture to two additional remote sites through the CAPSYS web client. The customer can now expand capture to new departments and add scanning volume at no additional cost. Furthermore they can add users & new areas of the organization for a small monthly incremental cost. This has allowed us to once again grow our capture solution in the organization.

Here are the actual cost savings the customer realized:

Actual Total Cost of Ownership FY2010/11 for Global 2000 Customer

Existing Legacy Capture Annual Software Assurance	$26,845.00
Hardware Server Cost for Legacy Capture System (1 physical server and two virtual servers)	$ 3,700.00
Annual Internal IT Chargebacks	$20,000.00
Professional Services to Upgrade	$ 8,000.00
Total	$58,545.00

CAPSYS Monthly SaaS Fee	$18,792.00
Server Costs	$ -
Annual IT Costs	$ -
Professional Services for routine Upgrades, Patches, etc.	$ -
Total	$18,792.00

Total Annual SAVINGS	$39,753.00

The second client drastically reduced their IT staff and was unable to effectively manage their current software applications. To meet this need they decided to move to a SaaS model for their content management solution but did not know what to do with their on-premise capture system. By providing the CAPSYS SaaS option, we were able to provide a completely integrated hosted capture & ECM solution. This move freed their remaining IT resources to tackle their main line of business projects (e-commerce initiatives) that is essential in running their business and generating revenue. They have since expanded this hosted solution to capture data from their remote field offices for their property management business. Users can now capture content from a laptop and small portable scanner and have no need to be located at a scanning facility. This keeps their workforce mobile and the cost of business down.

While these are only 2 examples there are other good business cases that we have since identified. While SaaS is not for everyone or every situation, it should be strongly considered when analyzing how to best meet your clients needs. For us, it has provided us new growth opportunities that simply did not exist with the traditional capture players.

Learn about the first true enterprise distributed capture system built for the Internet

2009-09-15T14:56:00.000-05:00

Techinfocenter Executive Summary - CAPSYS CAPTURE

Do not be deceived by the terms 'web-based', 'off-site' or 'SaaS' - CAPSYS CAPTURE was built to perform full-fledged production capture...read more by clicking here!

Fujitsu Imaging Products Group - National Sales Manager Comments on ECM Buyer Beware

2009-08-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

"Unraveling the myriad of complex capture components, to use effectively and efficiently can be utterly unnerving for most organizations. Paul decodes the mystery with both brevity and levity. ECM Buyer Beware is a wonderful and witty summary of how capture components fit within an organization's overall ECM strategy."

Laeres Patton
National Sales Manager
Fujitsu Imaging Products Group

CAPSYS receives industry accolades from Techinfocenter.com

2009-08-21T17:19:00.000-05:00

techinfocenter.com - Your destination for everything ECM

Saving Money with Web-Based Document Capture

Making Beanie Babies(tm) is a whole lot of fun, but saving over $100,000 in software license fees, professional services, installation costs and maintenance is a downright hoot.

If you are evaluating an ECM solution and are looking into the feasibility of doing a no-install, web-based distributed architecture for both your world-wide document capture and storage and retrieval you might be very interested in what Ty had to say.

We just posted this short application brief for Capsys (an innovative new vendor you really should learn more about). Its hard to conceptualize just how powerful a web based solution can be. This application brief does a good job at showing that.

Check it out.....

techinfocenter.com

Barry Baronas

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Preview of upcoming book: ECM Buyer Beware

2009-08-07T14:27:00.000-05:00

Preview of the New Book by Paul Szemplinski,

CAPSYS Technologies Co-Founder

ECM Buyer Beware: Real Insights & Answers for Decision Makers

Understanding Distributed, Web-Based Document Capture –

Realizing Greater Value at Lower Cost

Publication Date: Fall 2009

Introduction

Companies of all sizes face an avalanche of documents and content in various types of formats to be managed, whether in paper or in electronic form. Navigating the myriad potential solutions is what this book is all about.

The set of tools available -- software, hardware and most recently, Software as a Service, all known today as Enterprise Content Management (ECM) technologies -- have advanced significantly in the past decade. Because ECM systems are made up of multiple components, designing an optimal system takes a great deal of knowledge, not only of individual components, but how they all work together.

In more than 20 years of consulting with companies across the U.S., I’ve found that many do their homework on ECM systems. But due to the technical complexities and multitude of choices, most are best served by bringing in an expert adviser. In these pages, I share real-world knowledge of what make these systems tick – and point out the stumbling blocks that often interfere with getting the absolute most from them.

One of the keys to ensuring all of the ECM components work together is Document Capture. It is often mistakenly not the focus of an ECM software purchase. Yet it is of infinite importance because it is the “on-ramp” to any ECM system, interfacing with many points in the content management process – from data inputs through Workflow processes, integration with your line of business system (such as ERP or operations systems) through storage in your Content Repository.

The secret: Content Management vendors rarely – if at all – address efficient and effective Document Capture without the help of third-party Document Capture applications. So the lesson for you, the buyer, is to understand its importance, and not cut corners!

You need a well-defined business process; AND,
A software application capable of handling the document capture process.

Another reason to care: Labor associated with Document Capture is one of the highest costs in an ECM roll-out.

So how do you ensure you are on the right cost/performance track with the Capture system you are specifying? Read the two-part Executive Summary, below. To place an advance order for the complete book (available Fall 2009), contact: greg.cooke@capsystech.com.

Executive Summary

PART ONE

The All-Important On-Ramp for Managing Your Documents Electronically:

About Document Capture

The Importance of Document Capture in the ECM Strategy

Even with our PCs, electronic file cabinets and the Internet, we refuse to stop printing – and storing even more paper off-site for safekeeping!

Technology has evolved from Document Imaging to scan paper, to Workflow to route the imaged paper, to Document Management to organize our file folders, to Web Content Management to manage Intranet and Extranet documents – all are now united as ECM. The influx of both paper and electronic documents still presents an enormous business and economic challenge for any organization. It must be met with a well thought-out Capture strategy.

Since we can’t fully eliminate paper or electronic content, we have to identify where it originates. The closer to the origination we get, the more we can reduce or negate the manual handling that is often still required, even with fully electronic or ‘automated’ systems.

In the Book: Questions you should consider when reviewing Document Capture systems.

Capture Options: Central, Distributed and Hybrid

A Document Capture solution can be approached in one of three possible ways:

Centralized - All documents are handled (scanned), and the hardware and software are at one location. While providing control and fitting the logic that centralizing is a natural solution, centralized Capture is fraught with problems and high costs.

Distributed (decentralized) – Capture software is available to users at any location. Available installed on-premise or in a Software-as-a-Service delivery model. Represents lowest cost Capture solution (and is recommended by the author).

Hybrid -- Combines large scanners with thick client software at the scan station, housed at one location but accessible to off-site users via the Internet. The jury is out on belief that this is needed model, as it is often believed to be useful only by off-site personnel. There is no reason not to also use it internally – and that’s a matter of proper integration.

Distributed Capture is recommended as the best option of the three because it significantly lowers costs. Newer, Web-Based Distributed Capture solutions¹ can provide all the same functionality as thick client software.

On-Premise or SaaS: The Great Debate

SaaS (or the pay as you go model) has progressed beyond first-generation functionality, and is in a prime position to serve small, mid-size and large firms. It represents an opportunity to gain competitive advantage through faster daily work processes for far less money than ever, and can be rolled-out in far less time (days or weeks, versus months or years).

Among the many advantages of SaaS:

No hardware
No software
Nominal set-up charges

ECM can be done using an SaaS model, but, likely not through the traditional ECM vendors.

Most important: An all-or-nothing SaaS decision is not required! Ideally your selected software vendors should provide both options – a traditional on-premise installation and SaaS.

Dollars and Sense: Distributed, Web-Based Capture to the Rescue

If Distributed Capture is the best method overall, why aren’t technology options more plentiful?

The bottom line: Offering Capture in a Distributed model is not a welcome shift for traditional software makers because it impacts licensing revenue models. Per-click counts, seat and server licenses add up. The bigger the scanner, the more you’ll pay, too. These and other cost-driver ‘secrets’ are covered in detail in this chapter.

In fact, understanding these costs makes the case for Distributed, Web-Based Capture, since it allows you to shift the costs outward to the point of origin – and possibly entirely outside of your organization (under an SaaS model). Capture at the point of origin eliminates shipping costs, reduces software, maintenance, labor and more.

¹Such as CAPSYS CAPTURE™ software and CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE™, by CAPSYS Technologies.

PART TWO

Effective and Efficient

Distributed, Web-Based Document Capture Architecture

With Tricks, Tips and Realities of the Capture Process

Now that we know that Distributed, Web-Based Document Capture can be done – both inside and outside of the firewall -- let’s take an in-depth look at the fundamental building blocks that make up an effective and efficient Distributed, Web-Based Document Capture architecture:

Acquiring documents
Associating Document Pages
Assign Metadata
Automate as much as possible
Address Exceptions
Analytics

Acquiring Documents

While the concept of scanning a document seems simple, when scaled up to millions of documents, it can be anything but. More sophisticated software and powerful scanners are often needed. If scanning is not carefully considered, your organization could end up with a shoddy Content Repository of your scanned data – one that can’t be easily searched, and thus, can’t be easily used.

The fact is that many Repository systems simply can’t handle the realities of document flow within an organization -- regardless of its bells and whistles, or purported search functions.

Your daily business processes are virtually guaranteed to present challenges that neither an ECM repository nor an ERP system can resolve alone. (See financial system example in this chapter.) A better Document Capture solution is the answer!

In the Book: The pros and cons, as well as recommendations, for multi-function printers, document scanners (desktop, workgroup, department, mainframe, and network) and facsimiles.

Associating Document Pages

If you are not receiving every single one of your business documents electronically (and who is?), getting them into the ECM system is a chore.

This is especially true with a Centralized Capture model (you can see the inherently high operating costs in this list):

Staff and work space to prepare the documents (classifying and sorting, bundling into 100 page batches, etc.)
Deploy a means to tell the software application how to tell the difference between the start and end of a document (usually solved with the manual insertion of ‘document separators’)
Prepare the separators in-house, or outsource
Take care not to experience a misfeed or other hiccup or a re-scan of hundreds of pages may be needed
Beware of accurate page counts prior to and after scanning, or a re-count will be needed

Contrast these steps with Distributed, Web-Based Capture:

No full time employee to prep or scan is required.
No special facilities or workspace is required to prep the job, much less actually perform the job.
Just attach a $200-$400 scanner to the PC, connect to the app via a web browser, and away you go.
(Notice there is no need for separating documents. In some Distributed, Web-Based Capture software systems, separation is performed automatically with the document ‘Classify’ function.)

Approaching the Capture problem from a Distributed angle makes the process of scanning, associating, etc. much more simplistic, and allows the document custodian to maintain a degree of control over the organization of the documents, rather than leaving the responsibility to a scan operator 1,000 miles away (often paid on volume, not necessarily on quality or accuracy).

In the Book: How Distributed, Web-Based Capture can eliminate eight of the nine Centralized Capture steps – and their associated costs.

Assign Metadata

You need to develop a structured approach that can be applied to the indexing or labeling of your images or documents, AND you must think in terms of scaling the indexing process – it will have to be “repeatable” elsewhere in the company.

For example: It is likely that more than one value will need to be assigned to many documents being scanned (i.e., an invoice that must be coded by Invoice Number, Date, Vendor ID, Vendor Name, Voucher Number, and PO Number).

The software that arrives free with your scanner simply won’t let you do any type of sophisticated indexing. And assigning values to each document manually just makes no sense (except in a few cases). Your software must allow you to automate the indexing process – and this automation is possible with thin-client software.

Automate as Much as Possible

The concept of automated Workflow, or what is now referred to as “Business Process Management,” has been part of the ECM industry for years. However, it has long been locked up in Content Management repository offerings. Capture software vendors have historically not focused on the Workflow opportunity, and thus many have a mediocre offering – if any at all.

If the most expensive component of the overall ECM solution is the labor to manage the “on-ramp” or Capture process, the questions becomes, where does Workflow optimization most logically belong -- at the beginning of the Capture process, immediately post-capture, or after content has been placed in the CM repository?

We believe that Workflow process should begin as far up the food chain as possible, and that means within the framework of the Capture Software Workflow application. The further upstream, the better chance you have of controlling the overall process, thus reducing errors and costs.

Further, the design and set-up for the Workflow and Capture process itself should be doable in-house, with no programming by costly external consultants required. Today, thin-client software is available to resolve both these issues, with:

User-friendly, visual design tools that allow you to construct your own Capture process map without the high costs; and,
All the advanced Workflow capability needed up-front.

In the Book: The Top 10 features to seek out in your software purchase, from a Workflow design perspective.

Address Exceptions

Exceptions to any business process are guaranteed, and Document Capture processes are not immune.

The Capture software you choose must have built-in controls to deal with the exceptions. Exceptional handling should be inherent within the architecture, throughout the Capture application and applicable to any/all Document Capture processes. This eliminates any fear or possibility that a loss of critical data can occur.

In the Book: An example of how easily exceptions arise, and how the addition of alerts and thresholds can further automate exception handing.

Archive to the Repository

The last building block in the Capture process (and the culmination of all previous building blocks): content is finally published in your Content Management repository.

Your Capture software architecture should provide the ability for you to easily export or release both the metadata and the image information to a repository of your choosing. (And of course, deal appropriately with the exceptions.)

An innocent enough expectation – but wait. With many acquisitions in the ECM industry, it’s likely we’ll see less flexibility with exporting metadata and images between vendors. Some may continue to force users to use proprietary development platforms, middleware, etc., driving your costs up. Buyer beware!

Analytics of the Capture Process

Know what’s going on with your capture process in real-time.

Capture software should provide the proper mechanisms for feedback, monitoring and controlling the process – but many legacy Capture vendors do not provide those capabilities (or they are proprietary and require a third-party product be purchased).

An additional function to seek – for those times when the Capture administrator must step in to work with a single document or batch – are a specific set of ‘administrator application tools’ built-in to the software.

Overview of CAPSYS CAPTURE™ Distributed, Web-Based Software

When you begin with an Internet platform, and a real-world understanding of what companies need, the right Capture tool can be created.

The industry’s first, fully functional Distributed, Web-Based Document Capture and Process Management solution, CAPSYS CAPTURE software, is browser-based, giving users working virtually anywhere a simple and easy to use enterprise-wide tool for capturing and sharing all types of documents.

The software’s thin client design offers all of the rich production capture features previously only available in Windows® “thick” client systems, at a far lower cost, without sacrificing capabilities. Among its advantages, the new software allows users to design their own Capture process graphically, without programming or scripting. And because time is money, the system is ready to use in days – not months.

Companies can readily place the new software into service on their own networks. Or, they can use CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE to capture and retain documents at a secure, hosted data center. The online or SaaS model is a very affordable option, because it eliminates the upfront investment, installation and administration of in-house software (as previously discussed).

In the Book: The many advantages of this new Capture platform; a visual overview of its architecture; and more details about why this option is well-suited for users today and in the future.

# # #

To order an advance copy of the new book, ECM Buyer Beware: Real Insights and Answers for Decision Makers, contact: greg.cooke@capsystech.com.

Ty, Inc. Realizes Significant Cost Savings with New, SaaS Document Capture Solution

2009-07-31T11:03:00.000-05:00

Running two very different and growing companies with far-flung offices and foreign locales can make electronic capture of daily business documents unwieldy. Ty Inc., Westmont, Ill., the maker of Beanie Babies® and an owner of upscale resort properties, was finding that the effectiveness and efficiency of its 10-year-old enterprise content management (ECM) system was showing its age.

For full story, click here http://www.capsystech.com/static.asp?hyperlinkId=3725

MACWORLD on SaaS...

2009-05-28T11:32:00.000-05:00

Interesting perspective on the subject of SaaS. The writer leaves you to believe the business consumer may be getting into something they don't fully understand. I don't necessarily agree, IT buyers are rather shrewd. Nonetheless, check out http://www.macworld.com/article/140801/2009/05/saas.html?lsrc=rss_main

All the best,

Paul

Browser Based Scanning/Capture Solution

2009-05-27T10:24:00.000-05:00

Andrew Lekenko - a consultant at ScanWorks Software has a series of questions on Linked-in about browser based scanning/capture solutions. Visit Browser Based Scanning/Capture Solution

Commentaries for my upcoming book

2009-05-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

My manuscript has been critiqued by a number of respected colleaques in the industry - for which I am very grateful to each of them for taking the time out of their day to do so!

Here is a sneak preview of their thoughts which will be published in the book:

"Paul has nailed it! Much of computing's future is in the "clouds," and some of the largest computer companies in the world are moving full speed in that direction. What has kept document management from being one of the these "killer" applications goes directly to Paul's point about the need for truly distributed capture. Kudos to him for making that happen."

Raimund Wasner
Managing Director
Kollabria, Inc.

"Businesses are seeking to gain efficiencies in extracting critical information from seas of documents handled daily. Instituting a competent and easy-to-use document imaging system provides a competitive edge, adds to the bottom line, and results in quick return on investment. Which business wouldn't want to reap those benefits in today's economic environment?

In Paul's just published book, The Case for Distributed, Web-based Document Capture, he shares a wealth of industry knowledge in helping readers discern choices in document capture systems and presents an innovative distributed, web-based document capture model that offers efficiency and cost effectiveness."

Dolores Kruchten General Manager, Business Solutions and Services
Group Vice President
Eastman Kodak Company

“Paul Szemplinski’s discussion of the current state of the capture market and the value proposition presented by the deployment of SAAS capture solutions such as CAPSYS is relevant to anyone interested in the future of the capture market. ‘ECM Buyer Beware: Real Insights & Answers for Decision Makers’ provides a well organized, insightful guide into the capture process and innovative alternatives currently available with the advent of SAAS. Fine job Paul!”

Bill Cordell
President
NewWave Technologies, Inc

"Distributed, Web-based Document Capture is an idea begging to spring forthfor years. Paul's elegantly written treatise on the subject proves that thewaiting is over and its promise has been delivered. Case made!"

Robert Latham
President/Founder
Prevalent Software, Inc.

“I couldn’t agree more with Paul’s assessment. Document Capture is the ‘On-Ramp to any ECM System’ and one of the most crucial aspects of any ECM project.”

Joyce Osborne
President DMS
AIIM Professional Advisory Council

“The Case for Distributed, Web-Based Document Capture” is extremely timely in its publication. Today, more than ever, corporate America needs cost effective solutions that save money while providing additional business efficiencies. A “tip-of-the-hat” to Paul and his staff at CAPSYS for delivering innovation and a superior product offering to the Electronic Content Management marketplace. Paul Szemplinski is a solid professional that is dedicated to furthering the success and growth of the ECM industry via education and common sense solutions.

Mark Creglow
Chief Operations Officer
Marex Group, Inc. Makers of FileBound.com

“We decided to move from our on-premise solution to CAPSYS CAPTURE ONLINE. Since that move we have been able to roll out document scanning throughout the enterprise with minimal effort. In addition, it has reduced the workload on our IT staff by eliminating the need to support a capture solution in our datacenter.”

Jim Gio
MIS Project Supervisor
Ty, Inc

"Paul’s ECM industry knowledge and expertise have served him well in building a national presence in the ECM market place. His commentary on the SaaS model is ringing truer by the day, as companies face ever increasing costs associated with on-premise systems. The SaaS model removes all the headaches while retaining all the benefit. CAPSYS CAPTURE SaaS truly is a win-win solution."

Jan Letchman
President
Advanced Data Systems, Inc.

"In tough economic times, finding a business model like CAPSYS CAPTURE that is ahead of the curve and a win/win for customers and business partners is truly a treasure! Paul has written a easy to understand, fact-based, helpful guide for why distributed, web-based document capture is the right choice for the future."

Ed Breclaw
President/Owner
Executive Forums - Chicago West

Which one of the following is Really Your Technology Partner: The IT Manufacturer or the Value-Added Reseller?

2009-05-11T14:04:00.000-05:00

One of the biggest questions faced by companies seeking to make large technology purchases is which firm to partner with to get the job done. Will you work with a local Value-Added Reseller (VAR) or purchase directly from the hardware and software manufacturers? Where can you get the best price? How can you tell a good VAR from a bad one? Do you really need a VAR/integrator if you have a capable IT staff? Who is going to be there to help you through the process, so your project is deemed a success rather than a crash-and-burn-catastrophe? After all, even the best-intentioned decisions can be disastrous if implemented poorly.

It is not uncommon that VARS will many times outlast the manufacturers as manufacturers get bought and sold quite frequently (i.e. Optika -> Stellent -> Oracle or; OTG -> Legato -> EMC; or; Great Plains -> Microsoft Dynamics GP).

To begin, it may be helpful to define who the possible players on your team may be:

Manufacturer – The company that makes the actual product, whether it be hardware or software. These companies may or may not have a direct sales channel. It is quite possible that the manufacturer of your product only sells its products through its partners – its VARs. Microsoft serves as a great example of this model.

They manufacturer and publish software, but resell it through a network of indirect channel partners.

VAR – The term “VAR” or "value-added reseller" is a term used to describe various types of solution providers (SPs), such as: application service providers (ASPs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs), e-business and IT consultants, Web developers, independent software vendors (ISVs) and traditional resellers of hardware and software. Generally speaking though, a VAR is a company that takes an existing product and adds its own “value” before selling to the consumer.

This added value can be in the form of things like professional consulting services, custom development, hardware, vertical industry expertise, specialized services, complementary applications, etc.

Systems Integrator – A systems integrator – in the truest sense of the word – does not sell product. Instead, after the purchase, integrators work to install the base software product(s), and customize the product(s) to make them work together with your existing systems.

Likely, you’ll have a combination of the three types of players working with you on your projects. The important thing is to get the balance right. Of course you want a manufacturer who produces a quality product. And, of course you want an integrator who will get you up and running smoothly. But how do you know that the manufacturer’s product is really the right one for you? Do you want to bring in an integrator mid-stream, after the “homework” has been done and product decisions have been made? Further, will the integrator you select be an IT generalist, versus an expert in Content Management?

Visit www.idt-inc.com/briefing to get the complete analysis on this subject.

2009-05-01T14:40:00.000-05:00

The Case for Distributed, Web-based Document Capture

Executive Summary

Author’s Note

Companies of all sizes face an avalanche of documents and content in various types of formats to be managed, whether in paper or in electronic form. Navigating the myriad potential solutions is what this book is all about.

The set of tools available -- software, hardware and most recently, Software as a Service, all known today as Enterprise Content Management (ECM) technologies -- have advanced significantly in the past decade. Because ECM systems are made up of multiple components (see sidebar), designing an optimal system takes a great deal of knowledge, not only of individual components, but how they all work together.
ECM System Components

Content Management Repository
Document Capture
Workflow or Business Process Management
Search Technology
Document Scanners, MFP’s, Network Scanning Appliances
IT infrastructure (servers, network, database, storage, etc.)
Professional implementation and support services
Maintenance & support fees (re-occurring)

Costs can be as high as six or seven figures to create
and maintain these systems, for staff, hardware,
software, storage, consumables and support.

In more than 20 years of consulting with companies across the U.S., I’ve found that many customers do not do their homework with ECM system vendor selections and the subsequent system rollouts. Due to the technical complexities and multitude of choices, most customers are best served by bringing in an expert adviser. In these pages, I share real-world knowledge of what make these systems tick – and point out the stumbling blocks that often interfere with getting the absolute most from them.

One of the keys to ensuring all of the ECM components work together is Document Capture. It is often mistakenly not the focus of an ECM software purchase. Yet it is of infinite importance because it is the “on-ramp” to any ECM system, interfacing with many points in the content management process – from data inputs through Workflow processes, integration with your line of business system (such as ERP or operations systems) through storage in your Content Repository.

The secret: Content Management vendors rarely – if at all - address efficient and effective Document Capture without the help of third-party Document Capture applications. So the lesson for you, the buyer, is to understand its importance, and not cut corners!

You need a well-defined business process AND;
A software application capable of handling the document capture process.

Another reason to care: Labor associated with Document Capture is one of the highest costs in an ECM roll-out.

So how do you ensure you are on the right cost/performance track with the Capture system you are specifying? Read on.

Part One - tells you what you need to know about Document Capture; details system options; describes on-premise and SaaS models; and details the costs of traditional Centralized Document Capture versus Distributed, Web-Based Capture.

Part Two - discusses every step of the Distributed, Web-Based Capture process; offers tricks, tips and realities of each; and presents a new software/SaaS system that solves the challenge of effective Capture at a lower cost, without sacrificing capabilities of traditional software.

Paul E. Szemplinski
April 2009

What Mid-Market Companies Should Know Before Buying ERP/Financial Software

2009-04-30T09:15:00.000-05:00

Much has been written by vendors, journalists and industry analysts about the plethora of available financial systems (or ERP packages), both the positives and pitfalls.

But when it’s time to get your hands dirty with the review and decision-making process, this first Briefing of our Series can help. Find out how ECM and distributed, web-based document capture play an important role in your ERP decision process.

Click here to get access to the full briefing!

What in the world is SPLA and why should I care???

2009-04-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

Ask Dr. SPLA

Dear Dr. SPLA What is SPLA?

Well, if you are a Microsoft partner, you should care because you need to be aware of alternative licensing programs Microsoft is offering - affectionately called, Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA). If you are a prospective customer looking to save on CAP-EX expenditures (who isn't these days), then you need to be an informed consumer and be made aware of a relatively unknown alternative to purchasing Microsoft software.

SPLA is a licensing program that enables service providers and ISVs with a hosted offering to license Microsoft products on a monthly basis to provide services and hosted applications to their end customers. As a SPLA partner, here's your benefits:

No upfront costs.
Most current product versions.
You have access to the most current versions of the products available in the program.
Pay based on usage Monthly usage-based cost means you pay only for what was made available the previous month.
Worldwide distribution Use Microsoft licensed products to sell your services in any part of the world.
Customer evaluations: Use licensed products to provide software services to your prospective customers on a trial basis for up to 60 days.
Customer demonstrations: You can have up to 50 active user IDs for demonstration purposes

For full details on SPLA licensing and to determine whether SPLA is right for you, contact your local Microsoft Partner or visit http://www.microsoft.com/serviceproviders/licensing/default.mspx

Dollars and Sense: Distributed, Web-Based Document Capture to the Rescue

2009-04-21T15:18:00.000-05:00

Dollars and Sense:
Distributed, Web-Based Document Capture to the Rescue

Shhh! The Secret Costs of Centralized Capture

Here is a secret nobody wants to talk about, but we’ll break the silence. The major Document Capture vendors (and ECM vendors who might offer a bundled Capture product) purposefully did not want the market to shift towards Distributed Capture because its blows their license revenue pricing models right out the door. Yep, we said it. (This one will certainly generate the hate mail). Here’s the proof:

Per Click Counts, Seat Licenses, & Server Licenses - Oh My!
The fact is that legacy vendors really like (actually, cherish is a more suitable word) getting the per-click charges for each page scanned through those monstrous IBML and Kodak scanners, vs. a compact, $400.00 workgroup scanner. Think about it...

How about this one for kicks? The vendors haven’t quite figured out how to account for web browser-based users (if there is no software to install, they can’t count the per seat user). What's their solution?

Did you know that the bigger the scanner you attach to a software application, the more money it is going to cost you? That’s right. It’s kind of similar to the recently proposed Carbon Emissions Tax....

Let’s talk about the server licenses. If you haven’t priced them, watch out, and be prepared for sticker shock! Remember, from the vendor perspective, they want you to pump as much volume through their server as possible, so they can drive that monthly or annual license volume through the roof …

And yet more costs: Here are some other soothing thoughts to consider that surely will increase your costs: Test/Development licenses, ICR/OCR, Advanced Forms, Export modules, Remote Scanning...

Analyze that software maintenance agreement language carefully. It is not widely known that some vendors have introduced a concept of automatic “CPI” increases that usually range...

More on this subject in my upcoming book, "The Case for Distributed, Web-based Document Capture"

On-Premise or SaaS: The Great Debate

2009-04-21T15:01:00.000-05:00

On-Premise or SaaS: The Great Debate
Install your software on-site (on-premise) or contract with a software as a service (SaaS) provider? That is the great debate within the confines of your own organization, and certainly among us in the IT industry. No doubt On-Premise is here to stay for the foreseeable future, but what about this SaaS thing? Is it applicable to the ECM application stack, and more specifically, what about a Document Capture process?

Stepping back for a moment and speaking in the context of IT, there is a fundamental shift going on in how software, hardware and IT professional services are acquired, used and paid for today, and will likely affect the future of computing by you the customer.

In the past, either you outright bought the technology or leased it.
Now, with SaaS as a viable emerging option, you pay as you go.*

*No doubt you have heard of Salesforce.com. It has nailed SaaS as a viable delivery option for Customer Relationship Management software (CRM). Microsoft CRM is another vendor to watch in the CRM SaaS arena.

SaaS as a viable option, and the numerous emerging SaaS business solution offerings, are taking the concept far beyond first-generation application functionality and deployment. SaaS alternatives are now in a prime position to service mission-critical business applications and operations for small, mid-size and large firms. (Microsoft and its partners, for example, offer Exchange, CRM, SharePoint services over the web – and the application offerings won’t stop there.) And contrary to conventional wisdom, ...

Think about it for just a moment – is anybody in your organization eager to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on any IT solutions in today’s economic climate? Or, alternatively,...

As a result of these ongoing changes in the way software and solutions are delivered, there will be a fundamental change in the way customers desire to use the next generation of computing technologies – including ECM.

You, the customers of SaaS-based applications, have the opportunity to gain enormous competitive advantages to mission-critical applications for far fewer dollars than ever before. And, from a time to market perspective, there flat out is just no comparison between bringing up a SaaS based application versus the traditional, belabored, deadline-fraught, time-consuming, and never-ending CAP-EX budgeting and appropriation process of a full software installation.
Aren’t you tired of beating your head up against the wall trying to get that six-figure budget approved for your ECM solution? The time to market difference is substantial ...

The Promises of SaaS
Let’s review a short list of fundamentals:

Minimal downtime, 24 x 7 access, no more upgrades, service patches and hot fixes to install;
Time to market – measured in days or weeks, not months or quarters;
No CAPEX, minimal upfront costs;
many more revealed in my upcoming book....

Think about that value proposition for a moment…can your firm afford to build out an ECM or Capture solution with that kind of “SaaS” value proposition behind it?

SaaS: A Rather Compelling Value Proposition
Let’s revisit some of the other harsh realities of an on-premise solution model: you are still left with having to put in place the necessary infrastructure to operate the ECM application – people, processes, support systems, and of course, vendor software and equipment....

In a SaaS model, you typically are not required to procure any hardware or software, you sign a multi-year agreement, pay a nominal setup charge...

So this SaaS alternative is all sounding pretty good, but can it be done within the ECM industry?

That’s a great question. The answer is ...

The reason is rather obvious. Their software is ...

As previously mentioned, ECM industry members for the most have been ...

FileBound from MarexGroup and SpringCM by far have taken the lead in the industry by our account. Our hats are off to both firms for being the innovators and sticking it out. Hyland On-Base is working hard in this area, too. While these companies are largely ....

Here is a rather quick and simple test of SaaS go-to-market readiness you can perform with the Capture vendors yourself: When you are engaged with a Capture software sales rep...

The point here is that many Capture software vendors are ....

A Final Pearl of Wisdom on the Subject of SaaS

Even if you are not fully convinced at this point in time that you should embrace a SaaS-based ECM solution (Capture, Workflow, Repository, Storage, etc.) for whatever business or technical reasons, at least contemplate the following thought: You do ...

Why is Capture viable in SaaS form? ...

If you are looking to save budget money, ...

Remember, if you are working with the right ECM vendor you should have the flexibility to choose...

Above copy is from my upcoming book, "The Case for Distributed, Web-based Document Capture."