Whether you are new to production scanning, or have been involved for many years, it’s tempting to believe that scanners have become a “commodity”—that most scanners are very much alike in design and functionality, and that choosing a scanning platform is no longer a critical decision when compared, for example, to the decision related to your capture or ECM software. Nothing could be further from the truth. Don’t shortchange the evaluation and choice of a scanner. The device you choose will be with you for many years and will be responsible for accurately capturing your paper documents efficiently and effectively. [Note: Are you a Service Company or VAR in the Document Management Space? If so, have you made your plans to attend the Document Management Service Providers Executive Forum November 4-6 in Nashville? Make your plans NOW; seats are limited.] The following 8 factors will help you think about just how different scanning platforms can be. Consider your business needs carefully before choosing the device that is right for you—you’ll be happy that you did! 8 Factors to Consider in Choosing a Production Scanning Platform 1 — It’s not Just about “Speeds and Feeds”. It’s tempting to use the “pages…

8 Factors to Consider in Creating an Information Management Strategy–#2 1 — Talk to Your Employees. Technology decisions have traditionally been handed down from the top, forced on employees along with a training manual and a help desk number. But there’s a fundamental difference between giving your employees technology that they have to use and giving them technology they want to use. Before you formulate your information management strategy, consider talking with your employees. Do they feel enabled—or disabled—by technology? Chances are, they have some pretty valuable insights into what isn’t working, and maybe even some technology recommendations. Individuals and departments often find creative ways to work around cumbersome infrastructure and platforms, implementing wikis, extranets, and cloud content management platforms to better manage and share information. Take a look at the organic processes your employees have put in place and the solutions they’ve adopted—if they’re working, why not consider broader deployment? [Note: Are you a Service Company or VAR in the Document Management Space? If so, have you made your plans to attend the Document Management Service Providers Executive Forum November 4-6 in Nashville? Make your plans NOW; seats are limited.] 2 — Leverage the Cloud. With geo-distributed workforces, an…

The chief executive officer (CEO) and the chief counsel walk into your office (you know, the office where your RIM certifications and all the accolades from AIIM and ARMA are hanging on the walls). They tell you that litigation costs are out of control, information management practices are constantly showing up in audit findings, and the acquisition of the firm’s biggest competitor is in full swing and will be finalized by the end of the month. They want to know what you’re going to do about it, and they want to know now. Before drafting your resignation letter, take a deep breath and remember that all those hours studying and learning information management concepts, trudging through exam preparation and earning all of those continuing education credits have prepared you for this task. As a wise person once said, you eat an 800lb stack of paper, CDs, DVDs, USB storage media, hard drives and electrons one bite at a time. [Note: Are you a Service Company or VAR in the Document Management Space? If so, have you made your plans to attend the Document Management Service Providers Executive Forum November 4-6 in Nashville? Make your plans NOW; seats are limited.] Establishing…

So, you’ve just deployed your brand-new collaboration app and you’re looking forward to using it to improve your efficiency and productivity as you work with your colleagues on different projects. But hold on! How you use the application dictates your likelihood of success. You have to be aware that no matter how many features collaboration products possess (e.g., blogs, wikis, document libraries, etc.) they are only useful when properly adopted by the enterprise. This article briefly outlines eight tactics that can drastically improve your overall productivity when using collaborative apps. [Note: Are you a Service Company or VAR in the Document Management Space? If so, have you made your plans to attend the Document Management Service Providers Executive Forum November 4-6 in Nashville? Make your plans NOW; seats are limited.] 8 Ways to Use Collaborative Apps More Effectively 1 — Leverage Notifications. The first step to reaching productivity nirvana is to ensure that your collaboration app notifies you of relevant events when they happen. Mobile device notifications are particularly valuable given today’s highly mobile workforce, but other notification channels include feeds (RSS & ATOM), email and instant messaging. I personally like to be notified via SMS text messaging and IM,…