Managed.IT - issue 57

MANAGED.IT 15 COVER STORY www.managedITmag.co.uk staffing levels. “If you replace three or four devices with just one ibml FUSiON scanner, the ROI comes almost immediately from reduced labour costs alone,” claimed John. Enhanced productivity In developing the ibml FUSiON series, ibml has addressed the pain points experienced by customers across all high volume capture applications and designed the new scanner from the ground up to bring productivity and quality improvements to every stage of the scanning process. Scan speeds of up to 730 A4 pages per minute and 938 cheques per minute (at 200dpi) – 67% faster than any previous ibml scanner, thanks to 2.5 times faster and more accurate cameras – might grab the headlines, but other improvements are equally significant, especially when it comes to reducing pre- and post- scan labour requirements, which, according to some estimates, make up 76% of total capture costs 1 . These include feeding enhancements to support the processing of mixed batches and the seamless switching between different core business applications, notably: n a wider transport (or document track), which minimises exceptions and maximise the spread of document sizes that can be handled, from coupons to ECG output; n transport-wide multi-feed sensors that spot misfeeds earlier; and n patent-pending envelope recognition technology that’s able to differentiate between an envelope and a double-feed, reducing unnecessary stops and allowing envelopes to be used as job separator sheets. In addition, ibml has lightened the post-scanning workload with the intelligent, automated stacking of scanned documents into customisable pockets, removing the problem of messy stacks of paper, and added content-based imprinting for the physical tracking of documents post-scanning, with optional Eco mode to reduce printing costs. Smart design Productivity is enhanced further with a new hardware design that prioritises reliability and the rapid resolution of interruptions through: n separate air flows for cooling and the removal of paper dust to ensure that electronics stay clean; n green LED status lights along the length of the scanner, showing at a glance whether there is a problem and, if so, where it is located; and n improved access to the scanner engine and paper path for speedier jam resolution. Additional benefits are provided by ibml software, notably patent- pending iQpro image processing software, which optimises image capture for faster, more accurate data extraction, and ibml Capture Suite Software, which captures information and metadata and spots exceptions e.g. missed signatures or unfilled fields to minimise errors downstream. Synergetics document recognition software builds on these capabilities by bringing electronic documents (e.g. fax and email) into the same process and automating the extraction of data from structured and unstructured formats. A long tail By developing a scanner capable of processing high volumes of paper documents and intelligently extracting information for use in downstream business processes alongside content from electronic 1. The Total Cost of Scanning: A Framework for Analysis and Improvement , ECM Connection sources, ibml is enabling customers to pursue digital transformation while continuing to accommodate the ‘long tail’ of paper documents that John Mancini, erstwhile President of AIIM, expects businesses to have to contend with for years to come. “People think paper is passé, but there are still over 17 billion paper-based faxes sent each year; US companies still spend more than $120 billion a year on paper forms, most of which become outdated within three months; and a study by Billentis shows that there are 550 billion invoices sent annually, two thirds of which are received in unstructured formats like paper and PDFs. On top of that are all the documents that surround those invoices, perhaps 5 to 10 times as many as the original invoice. Take all that together and it is clear there is an incredibly long tail of paper out there and digitising that information flow needs to be a strategic priority,” he said. For this reason, it is perhaps not surprising that 72% of AIIM members say that scanning is still the most important part of their information capture strategy, with 70% expecting to have to process as much or more paper in two years’ time. For them – and the BPOs that serve them – the ibml FUSiON is a game-changer, giving them the ability to process that ‘long tail’ faster, more intelligently and more economically, while minimising the need for tedious, time- consuming manual processing or the requirement to have different devices for different applications. www.ibml.com • 01483 549818 “For nearly three decades, organisations in the most data-rich environments, such as banking, government and BPOs, have trusted ibml to overcome their core information management challenges. Using industry-leading intelligence and accelerated speeds, we extract actionable data, capture insights and expedite critical decision-making for customers in over 48 countries. With the ibml FUSiON, shifting to one infrastructure for all capture needs allows organisations to radically reduce real estate, labour and maintenance costs while pushing productivity forward. ibml FUSiON is poised to transform industries with the most demanding document capture needs, empowering their digital transformation, while reducing costs.” ibml President and CEO Martin Birch