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WORKFLOW
Today, we
are entering
a second
dawn for PDF,
fuelled by the
move towards
more secure
and flexible
digital
document
workflows
1
PDF on every desktop boosts
productivity
Although PDF was conceived of
as a universal document format,
for reasons like complex licensing
agreements and high costs, not all
organisations have been able to
make it available on every desktop,
slowing the broader deployment of
this very useful ‘universal’ solution.
Previously, a company may
have purchased a small number of
relatively expensive PDF licences
for a few users, turning them into a
resource to be used by other parts
of the business. Those users soon
started to experience a decline in
their own productivity as colleagues
interrupted them with PDF-related
requests. This was one of the
reasons why the ability to put a PDF
solution on every desktop became
all but irresistible
With more affordable, enterprise-
class PDF solutions now available,
this broader deployment is now a
reality for every business.
Today, we are entering a second
dawn for PDF, fuelled by the move
towards more secure and flexible
digital document workflows and the
ability finally to put an affordable,
enterprise-class PDF solution on
every desktop.
2
DF freeware is limited and
problematic
It’s important to question how well
freeware solutions stand up to
serious business use in an SME or
enterprise environment. Freeware
solutions quickly become more of a
hassle than they are worth – even
for a free solution. They provide
only the most basic of features
and the minute a user wants to
do something more complex and
important, like converting a PDF
to a Word file, they are prompted
to buy the ‘full’ version. Over time,
this creates increased frustration
and a burden on IT as requests
come in for enhanced features.
3
PDF solutions help improve
document security
There has been so much focus
on addressing digital and
technology-based risks that paper’s
analogue format seems to have
been overlooked from a security
perspective. Yet paper and more
importantly its contents pose a
risk that every company should
consider.
In fact, security could well be the
driver for the oft promised but rarely
achieved paperless office; banishing
paper, digitising documents and
As Nuance Communications launches a new version of its
Power PDF solution, Steven Steenhaut, Senior Director, Global
Demand Center, Nuance Communications, points out some
of the advantages of extending a dedicated PDF solution to
every desktop, rather than relying on a limited deployment of
specialist solutions supplemented by freeware.
New dawn for PDF
saving them as PDFs as part of a
secure document workflow is one
way businesses can add resilience
to their document security.
That said, simply saving
documents as PDFs isn’t a panacea
for document security; companies
that have made a full (or partial)
transition to digital documents
could still leave themselves
exposed and vulnerable to risk or
data loss. To mitigate risk as much
as possible, businesses should
make use of the many additional
security features available in PDF
solutions, like redaction.
A free Nuance whitepaper,
Using
PDF documents for more secure
document workflows
, explains in
more detail how the PDF format can
help turn paper files into electronic
ones effectively and effortlessly,
optimising document workflow
security while facilitating adherence
to compliance responsibilities.
4
PDF solutions have evolved to
meet changing needs?
Today, users want the convenience
to navigate, draw annotations and
type using a tablet or notebook
and a pen or finger, so they can be
productive in the office or on the
go. To that end, we’re seeing real
strides in user convenience and
we’ve responded to businesses’
growing need for PDF software
to support touch-enabled hybrid
devices, which has been driven by
the user adoption of Windows 10
and next generation hybrids.
This is an edited version of an
article that originally appeared in
the July issue of PrintIT’s sister
publication PrintIT Reseller.
Power PDF touch-enabled
Nuance Communications has launched a new touch-enabled
version of Power PDF software, providing an intuitive
Microsoft Office look and feel for the creation, conversion,
editing and sharing of PDF files, with support for Windows
10 touch-enabled 2-in-1 convertible laptops.
Holly Muscolino, research VP, printing, imaging and
document solutions for IDC, said: “Nuance Power PDF 2
addresses the needs of more than 270 million active Windows
10 users by delivering PDF software tools that conform to their
familiar Microsoft Office 2016 experience.”
She added: “It provides an impressive array of features
specifically designed to make business staff and mobile
professionals more secure and productive, with pricing and
licensing structures that make it easy and cost-effective to
deploy in large and small organisations.”
Meeting the growing need for business software to support
touch-enabled hybrid devices, Power PDF 2 enables users to
navigate, annotate and type using a tablet or notebook and
a pen or finger. A ‘touch mode’ option on the Quick Access
Toolbar optimises toolbars and icons for pressing with a finger.
Other useful features include a ‘find a tool’ search
capability that enables users to find any tool or functionality in
the application and a Quick Access Toolbar that allows users
to create shortcuts to frequently used functions.
The software provides all the tools needed to annotate,
mark up, sign, secure, redact and compress PDFs, and create
and work with PDF forms, making it easy to edit and publish
PDF files. Users can quickly and accurately convert files from
Word to PDF and from PDF to Word.
Steven Steenhaut,
Senior Director,
Global Demand
Center, Nuance
Communications
