Current Filter: Document>>>>>>

   

Kodak Document Imaging has no intention of resting on its laurels during the ongoing period of uncertainty surrounding its potential acquisition.

The company has reiterated its focus on developing platforms for capturing business documents and automating workflows with the release of Info Activate, which aims to do for distributed capture what Kodak Capture Pro has already done so successfully with batch capture.

The thinking behind Info Activate is to help an organisation strike an important balance: between the 'freedom' of the knowledge worker, and the 'control' requirements of the business. Capture, says Kodak, is increasingly being done by the knowledge worker at the point where they handle the document for the first (and in theory, only) time.

Info Activate is designed as an entirely thin client ('zero footprint') distributed capture solution for the enterprise, and is clearly aimed primarily - though not exclusively - at SharePoint users, as is clear from the high level of integration Kodak offers out of the box with the flagship Microsoft collaboration platform. Because users don't have to leave SharePoint to access the functionality of Info Activate, it is easy and intuitive to use, with virtually no training required. Everything is done from within the familiar MS SharePoint interface. Built using SharePoint 2010's developer platform, it can exploit that system's technological capabilities in areas such as indexing, while also incorporating Kodak specialities such as Perfect Page for image cleanup and OCR.

The interface is simplicity itself in use: from the image screen the user is presented with a straightforward 'Index' button, which prompts them to complete relevant fields using pulldowns and other intuitive UI selections as appropriate. Once a document has been saved in Info Activate it is passed into the relevant workflow.

Configuration of the system also combines simplicity with powerful functionality, allowing for high degrees of customisation to suit business processes and workflows as well as corporate site requirements. There is an optional workflow module for those users who don't already have a system in place, which allows modelling and design of process flows, again using a straightforward and intuitive interface.

There's little doubt that Kodak Document Imaging sees software as central to its future development path: the company has already made available a (limited functionality) Info Activate app via the Office 365 website which will soon be available worldwide. Users attracted to the simple and highly functional solution available via this 'limited' version are bound to be drawn to the full product as they appreciate what it could do for their business processes. The product itself is then available on a single site license basis for up to 10 concurrent licenses, with additional user licenses available as required.

Kodak has stolen a march on much of the competition with this distributed capture solution for SharePoint users, as that platform continues to establish itself as the 'go-to' application of many knowledge workers in all sorts of industries. It will be interesting to see how the likes of KnowledgeLake, who have specialised in much the same area up until now, react to the introduction of this new offering from such a large player in the market.
More info: www.kodak.com/go/dicontact

VERDICT
With this newest addition to their growing range of software solutions, Kodak establish themselves as suppliers of not just some of the best scanners on the market, but also some of the best capture platforms for business documents.