Given the multitude of software solutions related to ECM and document capture on the market, it’s easy to forget that many of the industry’s leading OEMs have document-management tools of their own that integrate effectively with many of the most-commonly-used systems.
We’ve provided a roundup of numerous manufacturer offerings, with insight as to how they can add order to the paper chase chaos of a dealer’s client, thus enabling them to focus more intently on their core business needs.
Canon BISG
Canon’s imageRUNNER ADVANCE series of MFPs utilizes several software solutions to help optimize enterprise content management. uniFLOW, Therefore, and imageWARE Secure Audit Manager Express, as well as partnerships with Box, mxHero and Nuance’s eCopy, support organizations that are looking to move toward the concept of an “office of the future.”
The uniFLOW platform is an end-to-end printing, scanning and device management solution that helps improve the control and efficiency of the imageRUNNER ADVANCE and other compatible multifunctional printers, which can lead to efficiencies of time and money.
Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE
The Therefore information-management software enables users to store, manage and process business information efficiently, economically and securely. For example, end users can scan in documents on an MFP using the Therefore Capture Client to index, process and store into their respective categories for improved employee productivity.
The imageWARE Secure Audit Manager Express module, available as an optional component within uniFLOW, is a security solution that delivers detailed auditing of an organization’s document-related activities on compatible solutions.
Through the company’s integration with Box and mxHero, customers can gain access to cloud-based capabilities that address many of the headaches that come with sending and receiving large files, making email inboxes less “bulky” and more secure.
Additionally, Nuance’s eCopy makes it easier for workers to access critical document processes and keep businesses running smoothly. Whether interfacing directly with other organizations, or collaborating internally, employees can leverage the service to capture information in the office through the MFP, on smartphones or on tablets to enhance connectivity and centralize document capture.
Epson
More than ever, companies are looking to print management tools to inject transparency, user access control and improved security into their printing workflows. And with respect to document management, research has shown that nearly a quarter of end-user time on an MFP is spent digitizing documents.
In order to address these issues, Epson offers home-grown solutions such as Epson Device Admin and Document Capture Pro. The company is also expanding co-marketing and business partnerships with key ISVs who service market verticals and workflow functions critical to end users. This allows them to build additional value for their partners and end users.
Their Open Platform is fundamental to this focus, allowing third parties such as Nuance Equitrac and PaperCut MF to manage Epson devices, track activity and provide enhanced security measures through user control and access authentication. The company is also working with an assortment of solution providers outside of Epson Open Platform integration, allowing increased compliance of Epson devices with a broad range of print-management and document-management/ECM offerings.
Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta’s offerings in this space are focused around increasing collaboration, enhancing data security and enable easy records management. They support manual processes, including invoice processing, contract collaboration, claims and loan processing, and in many cases, it fully integrates with Konica Minolta MFP devices.
The manufacturer’s industry-specific intelligent information management solutions, along with its expertise with business-process optimization/conversion services and SharePoint customization services are relevant for customers in government, health care and financial services/insurance, among other industries.
Found in all industries, Konica Minolta’s departmental solutions for accounts payable and receivable, human resources and contract management help organizations with productivity by reducing manual processes and paper-based operations. People can easily search within documents and create workflows to accelerate approval processes, and supervisors can see where bottlenecks occur and can act to ensure a smooth flow of information.
The company also offers content management consulting services, including business content assessment, requirements analysis and system design, digital transformation, system implementation and project management, and custom application development for both ECM solutions and SharePoint expansion services.
Finally, their services include document scanning and secure conversion services for projects of all sizes and levels of detail, from back-office conversions to digitizing records and archives—such as document scanning, wide format scanning, microfilm scanning, and digital scanning with microfilm backup.
KYOCERA
Six years ago, KYOCERA reimagining its business announced it to the world with a new name: KYOCERA Document Solutions. This was in response to a shift in the way the company saw document capture and ECM gaining more importance for workflow and relationship building. Last year, the OEM added even greater enterprise content management resources by acquiring Databank, a national ECM powerhouse with specific expertise in document capture.
Today, the company offers a variety of integrated document workflow solutions that combine hardware, software and services into its Total Document Solutions. Software-ready MFPs run any of 60+ apps for document capture, indexing, routing, cloud-based storage, retrieval, security and cost-control.
In addition, many of KYOCERA’s dealers are moving “beyond the document” to include other forms of data. The company provides ongoing training, ride-along technical experts, pre- and post-sales support—whatever its dealers need to optimize the way documents and data flow through their customers’ businesses. So every Kyocera dealer can be the point-person for off-site scanning services, remote device monitoring and business-process improvement.
Lexmark
One of the advantages of smart MFPs from Lexmark is that they enable customers to digitize hard copy documents directly at the point of capture. Starting with basic support for scan-to-email and scan-to-network folder on every MFP, documents can be imported into ECM/document storage services. These smart MFPs also allow for direct and secure integrations with Microsoft SharePoint, IBM FileNet and EMC Documentum by leveraging the eSF framework and Lexmark Document Distributor software. Further, these technologies can be customized by Lexmark’s professional services teams based on customer demand for systems they currently use. The eSF SDK is also available to software alliance partners to develop their own integrations for Lexmark devices.
There’s also a new offering from Lexmark called Lexmark Cloud Connector. This embedded solution enables users to authorize the Lexmark Smart MFP to directly print and scan from cloud service providers Box, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive. The focus is allowing customers to leverage the MFP to capture documents directly into their existing ECM infrastructure.
Panasonic
In order to make scanning easier, Panasonic has joined with industry-leading vendors to offer two solutions—PremierOCR/PremierCOMPRESSION and GlobalCapture Convey.
PremierOCR/PremierCOMPRESSION utilizes best-in-class OCR and dramatic file compression to make files smaller, faster, more accessible and easier to process. It integrates with existing workflows and improves them by producing significantly more manageable documents to assist organizations with productivity.
Panasonic KV-S2087 workgroup color document scanner
GlobalCapture Convey is a fully web-based solution for automating the flow of information with any Panasonic scanner. This solution was designed for organizations looking to introduce capture automation into their business processes with or without an ECM platform.
Ricoh
A well-constructed ECM system empowers knowledge workers by making information accessible where, when and in the format they need it. Rather than being stuck for hours searching for information, sometimes to no avail, they can work more efficiently and feel more empowered through quick access to what they need.
Ricoh offers MFPs equipped with Smart Operation Panels that are designed to improve employee productivity. With a few presses on the screen, these devices can scan directly to the ECM system itself, with approval workflows and next steps baked right in, or leverage powerful capture software to provide advanced scanning and indexing capabilities.
The company also partners with many leading software vendors in the capture and document-management spaces, while offering customers both on-premises and cloud-hosted solutions.
Sharp
Among Sharp’s suite of content-management solutions is Sharpdesk. This comprehensive scanning tool allows users to organize, annotate and edit scanned documents from their computers. The company also has a new generation of MFPs that offer cloud and email-connect features to help ensure secure scanning and printing. Through these MFPs, paper-based document workflows integrate with popular cloud services, leveraging the security and convenience of the email connect feature to scan and send emails from logged-in users.
For those in the small- to medium-sized-business space, Sharp Cloud Portal Office (CPO) is a versatile, entry-level content management service. CPO provides a secure structured repository for digital content with a simple process to store and retrieve information by using key custom indexing features and seamless integration at Sharp OSA-enabled MFPs.
To complement all these services, Sharp offers its award-winning Sharp Open Systems Architecture (OSA) development platform. Supported by the Sharp Partner Program, the OSA allows qualified partners to find resources they need to design and co-market their solutions. Key ECM software partners can also access the OSA Software Development Kit (SDK) to create specialized product integrations for customers utilizing Sharp MFPs.
Xerox
Xerox DocuShare is an ECM solution that offers businesses flexibility, affordability, scalability and easy deployment, adapting to any organization’s workflow. It offers both the intuitive content services needed for widespread document management and image capture, and the advanced ECM capabilities necessary for more complex document workflows, including audit, lifecycle management and workflow capabilities for better governance. Two of the key ECM offerings are:
- Xerox ConnectKey Software for DocuShare: a highly productive scanning solution that allows businesses to transform manual scanning into a fast, effective, automated process directly from a Xerox multifunction printer. It’s easy to set up and use right away due to its simple scanning, powerful data lookup and business intelligence.
- Xerox DocuShare Flex: this allows SMBs and company departments to digitize processes such as invoicing, sharing files, editing, managing databases and storing documents. It’s an affordable, cloud-based platform that provides automation, security and scalability that’s easy to configure and use without IT support.
