As document imaging continues to become an ever-larger part of the business landscape, we can expect that such topics as creating searchable databases of PDF files and how to meta-tag imaged documents for easy retrieval will start to be seen in the curriculum at colleges.
Meanwhile, if you are interested in learning more about document imaging and what it can do for your organization, don't neglect the online training resources that are out there.
Many document imaging online training materials can be had free of charge. You may have to listen to a sales pitch from a document imaging services provider, but you may get something out of that sales pitch, too.
Here are three document imaging training resources we see as especially helpful. Not all of them are free but all are worth looking into:
The EMC June 2 conference call.
CDIA Certification classes.
AIIM training headquarters.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Document Imaging Has Utterly Revolutionized the Home Loan Process
The word "revolutionized" is used far too often to describe technological improvements, of course, but that shouldn't preclude us from pointing out the obvious fact: document imaging has revolutionized the process of getting a mortgage.
If you have never taken out a mortgage, or it's been a while, this fact may not be so obvious. But to the borrower who's going through the process now, document imaging is a godsend.
Document imaging saves every player in this process money and time. Loan officers can receive scanned loan applications and lock interest rates faster. Lenders can request documents via email, and borrowers can scan documents and email them to the lender within minutes.
All this without the use of a fax or, much less, a messenger service.
Many lenders will even accept scanned documents to finalize and fund a mortgage. Some lenders, though, like mine, still require hard copies...which means that my wife and I have to wait three more days, and pay $345.67 extra, while the snail mail creeps along.
Next time around, I'll ask about that ahead of time.
If you have never taken out a mortgage, or it's been a while, this fact may not be so obvious. But to the borrower who's going through the process now, document imaging is a godsend.
Document imaging saves every player in this process money and time. Loan officers can receive scanned loan applications and lock interest rates faster. Lenders can request documents via email, and borrowers can scan documents and email them to the lender within minutes.
All this without the use of a fax or, much less, a messenger service.
Many lenders will even accept scanned documents to finalize and fund a mortgage. Some lenders, though, like mine, still require hard copies...which means that my wife and I have to wait three more days, and pay $345.67 extra, while the snail mail creeps along.
Next time around, I'll ask about that ahead of time.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Document Imaging Necessity: PDF to Word, and Back Again
Adobe's PDF file format is a huge contributor to the document imaging industry. By creating a standard software format that enables document sharing across organizations and around the world, Adobe has inserted itself into the center of the document imaging world.
While other file formats may gain traction for specific file types, it seems likely that the PDF will continue to be the scanned document file format of choice. Therefore, it's vitally important for companies to be able to create and manipulate PDF documents with ease.
Thus the rise of software tools that let users change Microsoft Word documents to PDF documents, and vice versa. If you're looking to make PDFs work better within the overall structure of your company, these document imaging PDF tools can prove very helpful.
Many of these tools are also cheap or, better yet, free.
Document imaging services, in particular, are using tools like these to seamlessly integrate multiple different file formats into one interrelated document imaging ecosystem.
While other file formats may gain traction for specific file types, it seems likely that the PDF will continue to be the scanned document file format of choice. Therefore, it's vitally important for companies to be able to create and manipulate PDF documents with ease.
Thus the rise of software tools that let users change Microsoft Word documents to PDF documents, and vice versa. If you're looking to make PDFs work better within the overall structure of your company, these document imaging PDF tools can prove very helpful.
Many of these tools are also cheap or, better yet, free.
Document imaging services, in particular, are using tools like these to seamlessly integrate multiple different file formats into one interrelated document imaging ecosystem.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
No Document Imaging = Minimal Mobility
For employees working at companies that do not possess good document imaging systems, it can be difficult to see why document imaging is such a big deal.
One terrific measuring stick of the impact an excellent document imaging system can make on the functioning of a company--and the worklife of its employees--is in the area of mobility.
Without a solid document imaging solution, employees are constantly facing struggles when they need to move documents from place to place. Either that or the scanner's broken again, and not worth messing with. So what are going to do with this signed document then?
Thus, loan officers do hire couriers, and tax preparers do messenger physical files. Meanwhile, document imaging proponents are continuously improving their work processes.
Yes, implementing an excellent document system costs some money, but so do the paper-based alternatives. Paper just doesn't move fast enough to keep up with the fevered pace of the modern business world.
Document imaging, done right, is fast like that.
One terrific measuring stick of the impact an excellent document imaging system can make on the functioning of a company--and the worklife of its employees--is in the area of mobility.
Without a solid document imaging solution, employees are constantly facing struggles when they need to move documents from place to place. Either that or the scanner's broken again, and not worth messing with. So what are going to do with this signed document then?
Thus, loan officers do hire couriers, and tax preparers do messenger physical files. Meanwhile, document imaging proponents are continuously improving their work processes.
Yes, implementing an excellent document system costs some money, but so do the paper-based alternatives. Paper just doesn't move fast enough to keep up with the fevered pace of the modern business world.
Document imaging, done right, is fast like that.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Document Imaging Education: Test Drive AIIM's New Certificate Program
The skyrocketing cost of college tuition, coupled with the uncertain job market, has made many people wonder if a college degree is worth it, or even does anything for you. All those literature courses you'll never use...
However, statistics show that the jobless rate for college graduates remains much lower than the general unemployment rate, 4.3 percent versus 8.5 percent.
Meanwhile, online colleges and trade schools are thriving. Clearly, education is still a key distinguishing factor for people wishing to up their productivity and marketability.
Document imaging is not quite required reading in mainstream colleges (yet), but that doesn't mean that document imaging education is not available.
AIIM is a major player in this area, and recently began offering a test run of its new document imaging certificate program for free.
There are other document imaging education options, too, but if you or someone within your organization is thinking about learning more about document imaging specifically or, more generally, Enterprise Content Management, you can't go wrong with a free AIIM test run.
AIIM is a wonderful resource for anyone seeking to know more about document imaging, Enterprise Content Management, and related topics.
However, statistics show that the jobless rate for college graduates remains much lower than the general unemployment rate, 4.3 percent versus 8.5 percent.
Meanwhile, online colleges and trade schools are thriving. Clearly, education is still a key distinguishing factor for people wishing to up their productivity and marketability.
Document imaging is not quite required reading in mainstream colleges (yet), but that doesn't mean that document imaging education is not available.
AIIM is a major player in this area, and recently began offering a test run of its new document imaging certificate program for free.
There are other document imaging education options, too, but if you or someone within your organization is thinking about learning more about document imaging specifically or, more generally, Enterprise Content Management, you can't go wrong with a free AIIM test run.
AIIM is a wonderful resource for anyone seeking to know more about document imaging, Enterprise Content Management, and related topics.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Document Imaging Storage Considerations
When considering implementing a document imaging solution, or a change to an existing document imaging system, it's important for business decision-makers to think about where the imaged documents are going to be stored, and how much space they'll take up.
Even if there will no longer be physical filing cabinets, there will be digital ones, and those take up space, too.
Avoid the need to upgrade hardware by calculating your storage needs ahead of time. One way to do this is to assign a certain kilobyte amount to each of your documents. This will obviously vary depending on the type of document you're working with.
Then multiply the assigned kilobyte amount by the number of documents you're planning on imaging, and then do the math to get a rough idea of how much digital space you need.
Thanks to Moore's Law (technology gets smaller and cheaper all the time), the purchase price for digital storage is constantly dropping. Some thinkers suggest that the cost to store the entire contents of the Library of Congress will fall to $1,000 by the year 2018.
You may also want to consider hiring a records management company to store the documents for you. No need to reinvent the wheel, after all...
Even if there will no longer be physical filing cabinets, there will be digital ones, and those take up space, too.
Avoid the need to upgrade hardware by calculating your storage needs ahead of time. One way to do this is to assign a certain kilobyte amount to each of your documents. This will obviously vary depending on the type of document you're working with.
Then multiply the assigned kilobyte amount by the number of documents you're planning on imaging, and then do the math to get a rough idea of how much digital space you need.
Thanks to Moore's Law (technology gets smaller and cheaper all the time), the purchase price for digital storage is constantly dropping. Some thinkers suggest that the cost to store the entire contents of the Library of Congress will fall to $1,000 by the year 2018.
You may also want to consider hiring a records management company to store the documents for you. No need to reinvent the wheel, after all...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Document Imaging Stat of the Year: 74% of Respondents Looking to Outsource
Over the years, there has been a lot of hype surrounding the mythical "paperless office," and that has turned a lot of people off.
Thus, it's always nice to see a well-done study on trends in the document management industry. Numbers and statistics inject reality into the conversation.
Oce Business Services recently released just such a study, titled "Meeting the Challenge: How Organizations are Implementing Document Management Strategies to Help Drive Business in a Tough Economy." The press release is here and the full report here.
One statistic that really caught our eye? A full 74% of business decision-makers surveyed anticipated outsourcing part or all of their document management needs. Document imaging headed the list of outsource-able tasks.
Such a high percentage may seem strange at first, but if you've ever tried to do a big scanning job with a standard office scanner, it makes perfect sense that outsourcing is the way to go.
Heavy duty scanners used by document imaging service providers can scan and index documents ten times as fast as regular scanners, and with far fewer errors.
Thus, it's always nice to see a well-done study on trends in the document management industry. Numbers and statistics inject reality into the conversation.
Oce Business Services recently released just such a study, titled "Meeting the Challenge: How Organizations are Implementing Document Management Strategies to Help Drive Business in a Tough Economy." The press release is here and the full report here.
One statistic that really caught our eye? A full 74% of business decision-makers surveyed anticipated outsourcing part or all of their document management needs. Document imaging headed the list of outsource-able tasks.
Such a high percentage may seem strange at first, but if you've ever tried to do a big scanning job with a standard office scanner, it makes perfect sense that outsourcing is the way to go.
Heavy duty scanners used by document imaging service providers can scan and index documents ten times as fast as regular scanners, and with far fewer errors.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Document Scanners Vary Widely In Quality. What If Yours Isn't Up to the Task at Hand?
You've got your document scanner with basic capability, and then you've got your pro level document scanning machine that comes with a service contract if there are any issues. And in between those two levels, you've got a variety of other document scanners.
When seeking to implement or improve a document imaging solution, the first question to ask, for many people, is, "Do I have the technology?"
Not asking that question before starting can lead to huge frustration. Just try stuffing a large stack of papers in a small-bore, weak document scanner and you'll see what we mean here.
Document scanners with Automatic Document Feed technology are necessary for large volume jobs. For jobs that entail scanning handwritten documents that must then be included in a searchable database, Optical Character Recognition is a must.
Document scanning machines such as these can cost thousands of dollars and be well worth the cost. For smaller companies, though, this high-grade technology can seem cost-prohibitive.
Such small businesses often then choose one of two options: either forget about that lingering document imaging project entirely, or attempt to do the job with an insufficient scanner and endure constant headache.
In cases such as these, third party document scanning services can offer tremendous value. By outsourcing particularly tricky aspects of document imaging jobs--such as large format scanning or handwritten documents--small companies can build solutions just like the big guys.
When seeking to implement or improve a document imaging solution, the first question to ask, for many people, is, "Do I have the technology?"
Not asking that question before starting can lead to huge frustration. Just try stuffing a large stack of papers in a small-bore, weak document scanner and you'll see what we mean here.
Document scanners with Automatic Document Feed technology are necessary for large volume jobs. For jobs that entail scanning handwritten documents that must then be included in a searchable database, Optical Character Recognition is a must.
Document scanning machines such as these can cost thousands of dollars and be well worth the cost. For smaller companies, though, this high-grade technology can seem cost-prohibitive.
Such small businesses often then choose one of two options: either forget about that lingering document imaging project entirely, or attempt to do the job with an insufficient scanner and endure constant headache.
In cases such as these, third party document scanning services can offer tremendous value. By outsourcing particularly tricky aspects of document imaging jobs--such as large format scanning or handwritten documents--small companies can build solutions just like the big guys.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Document Imaging: The Kids Are Into It
Bill Brikiatis over at the eCopy blog offered an insightful post today about how a generational shift in the workplace may cause document scanning and imaging technology to snowball into mass adoption as Baby Boomers get older and "Gen Yers" get promoted.
Mr. Brikiatis cites a study by industry researcher IDC that younger office workers feel that their organizations have not yet made their operations as electronic as they could and should be.
Part of this is environmental concern, as young people seek to stop the needless killing of countless trees, and part of this is concern for efficiency, as young people see the need for speed around the office.
Environmental and speed needs that document imaging fulfills.
One thing that Mr. Brikiatis addresses only indirectly in his thought is the time frame for when the desire of the younger generation will actually have enough say around the office to start doing things its way, and have everyone else follow suit.
Customarily, the older generation of managers are not exactly chomping at the bit to take input and instruction from a pack of Twitter-heads.
Younger office workers, then, should be prepared to show measurable ROI and point out hard-headed business uses for "cool" document imaging applications such as Optical Character Recognition.
Mr. Brikiatis cites a study by industry researcher IDC that younger office workers feel that their organizations have not yet made their operations as electronic as they could and should be.
Part of this is environmental concern, as young people seek to stop the needless killing of countless trees, and part of this is concern for efficiency, as young people see the need for speed around the office.
Environmental and speed needs that document imaging fulfills.
One thing that Mr. Brikiatis addresses only indirectly in his thought is the time frame for when the desire of the younger generation will actually have enough say around the office to start doing things its way, and have everyone else follow suit.
Customarily, the older generation of managers are not exactly chomping at the bit to take input and instruction from a pack of Twitter-heads.
Younger office workers, then, should be prepared to show measurable ROI and point out hard-headed business uses for "cool" document imaging applications such as Optical Character Recognition.
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