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Barcode Recognition and Zonal OCR in a scan workflow

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In today’s age of automation, scanning offers a great way to capture, store and manage information. Scanning non-digital sources (such as paper sheets or shopping bags made of fabric) can be straight forward – all one needs to do is hold them against a hand-held scanner or laser. Businesses and workplaces, however, may need to access and process information stored in non-physical (i.e. pre-scanned) forms as well, like PDF files and digital images.

To scan and decipher information from such sources, one obviously can’t use the afore-mentioned instruments. And printing them back to paper just to be able to scan them isn’t a smart answer. Thankfully, there are solutions in the market that offer a way out. Of them, two popular approaches are (built-in) Barcode Recognition and Zonal OCR technology.

Let’s look at each.

Barcode Recognition: Pros & Cons

Barcode Recognition Software – which belong to the larger family of data extraction software – can identify, translate and extract a range of information locked in PDF or image form. Advanced versions let you transfer the scanned and extracted data into a variety of file formats, turn the data manipulable (ie, index-able, searchable, editable & sharable), recognize characters even from partially damaged source files, customize extraction protocols and forward-integrate the extracted data seamlessly into workflows.

The downside is the reverse of this: In other words, regular versions may not carry the same versatility or offer the full suite of features.

Installing a Barcode Recognition Software into your hardware is easy. Once operational, they can process documents in large quantities (batches) – replacing manual data entry with reliable and automated workflows and saving the business substantial amounts of time, money and manpower.

Zonal OCR: Pros & Cons

Like Barcode Recognition, Zonal OCR’s also scan and read information (from PDF & image files) and convert them into index-able, searchable, editable & sharable digital formats. The big difference is that it allows one to extract information only from specified areas or ‘pre-defined data fields’, saving the time and cost of scanning the entire source document. Pre-defining the extraction zone can be as simple as drawing a box around it with a marker or stylus. What’s more, when data fields follow a consistent spatial pattern (as is quite often the case with receipts, vouchers and Purchase/Sales Orders), the system can be trained to focus only on those areas, streamlining things further.

Advanced Zonal OCR versions also let you scan and extract data from compound fields and custom-combinations (such as, say, a first name along with its corresponding pin-code and date). When you add this to their ability of processing large batches in one go, it translates into a fast, accurate and highly efficient way to automate data-entry or database creation.

What about the downside? Well, Zonal OCR works great when the source PDF or image has a set pattern. When the layout or structure of the source changes – thus shifting the location of the data field – Zonal OCR may falter. Clarity (such as resolution or blurriness) of the source image or PDF can also affect performance.

Both Barcode Recognition and Zonal OCR offer a smart route to automation in the workplace. By increasing speed, reducing errors, freeing up resources for more critical tasks and enabling better decisions, they can aid collaboration, amplify efficiency and boost ROI of businesses… manifold.

Benefits of integrating Paper with Digital Documents for successful automation

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Be it smart apps, wearable tech or the cloud, the ‘future of work’ increasingly looks and smells like an automated one – in a digital kind of way. Hyper-connected and always-on technologies are expediting innovation in real-time. Virtual sync-ups, blurring the borders of office and home, are ushering better work-life balance. Knowledge sharing beyond natural workgroups is fostering collaborative growth cultures. From all angles, the ‘digitally automated workplace’ appears like a natural progression from a past that has been dominated by paper. The big question, however, remains:

Does automated mean paperless, or simply less paper?

At one end of the spectrum, the case for going 100% paper-free is growing shriller every day. From greater speed to highly efficient workflows to cost savings to easy shareability & access to accurate monitoring to environment friendliness, the advantages of this inevitable transition seems – at first glance – unimpeachable.

And yet, paper remains a reality in the modern workspace.

A little scratching-under-the-surface explains why. For one thing, the dicey nature of ‘cybersecurity’ (with virus and hackers a constant threat) is a big issue why companies cannot afford to put all their paper eggs in the digital automation basket just yet. A high initial Capex, long learning curves (and the human errors it accompanies) and the cost & complexities of building internal IT expertise all make a case for paper in their own way.

Perhaps the most powerful reason why the paper isn’t going anywhere soon is its psychological legacy: Society’s collective consciousness – and its various arterial processes – is still designed around, and dependent on, paper. Legal Documents & Wills still need to be signed with a pen- with a copy going to each party. A customer still feels uncomfortable walking away from a transaction without a paper receipt in hand. Vendors still raise paper invoices. Human nature, after all, is coded to trust something we can feel and touch – more than something that prides itself on being able to disappear into thin air (read cloud) at will.

So while teams and businesses can certainly stand to benefit from digital automation, it is important to appreciate that change takes time. And till that happens, the wise way out is to simply manage it better.

Reimagining workplace documentation and processes in a way that dovetails paper and machine equitably and intuitively is the best way forward

There are solutions available today that can be tailored to precise organizational requirements – no matter how unique. The first extract and capture data from a wide variety of paper inputs (such as invoices and challans) with the help of technologies such as multi-copiers, scanners, and OCR. The data collected is then converted into familiar and easy-to-use digital formats (such as MS-Word and MS-Excel) that enable rank-wide adoption and seeds an automation culture. In the final leg, the information is interpreted by mapping it to each step in the process, sequentially aligned to stakeholders involved, and distributed along the workflow.

A happy duality

With physical storage and retrieval systems becoming advanced, and with paper products such as notebooks and pens coming with built-in digital integration features (like auto-scanning or cloud), paper can happily co-exist with digital. As long as each can ‘read’ the other well and switch/interchange avatar according to need, this symbiotic dichotomy can bring integration, balance, and efficiency to the workplace.

Look at the paper and digital as two sides of the same coin, and the transformation to a 100% automated workplace becomes a lot more welcome.

Is your organisation working at the ‘speed of paper’?

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The mass of incoming business information in an organisation is expected to grow 4.2* times the current volume in the next two years. What’s more, 60%* of this information is likely to be unstructured (like a conversation or an email) or semi-structured (like an invoice).

These figures should give you a pause, especially if you are in a department such as Legal, Finance or HR that faces an overwhelming number of documents, across multiple channels, every single day. If you are heavily reliant on paperwork, it’s time to get your business out of the box with enterprise class solutions that reduce paper handling and associated inefficiencies; and simultaneously improve office productivity and processes.

Curiously, more than 50%* enterprises view document automation as ‘highly important’’, and yet they struggle with document management. The question of what to adopt – i.e. DMS (Document Management System) or ECM (Enterprise Content Management) – adds to the confusion.

Let #KOMI Doc set the record straight for you!

DMS is focused towards setting up a repository of documents within an enterprise. It is a software solution that allows users to scan, store, manage, share, track digital documents and is essentially geared at digitsation of documents. However, documents are generally stored in an unsearchable format and retrieval is an issue. DMS as a term has been slowly overtaken by ECM.

ECM is no one single technology. Rather, it is a customised solution of strategies, tools and methodologies that fulfill an enterprise’s requirements – from capture, collection, data extraction and processing to storage and delivery of information; integrating collaboration and search capabilities every step of the way. In other words, it is an organisational process methodology. ECM allows management of large volumes of structured, semi-structured and unstructured data including electronic documents, images, web content, media files and emails.

ECM’s biggest strength is the integration of a robust search facility (with OCR) that can search both structured and unstructured data within documents. When you consider 18 minutes is the average time spent looking for a document in a paper heavy office, finding the file you need in seconds makes all the difference.

If any of the above resonated with you, then it’s time to consider robust enterprise content management systems such as KOMI Doc, which give you the assurance of best-in-class security as creators can maintain watertight rules to ensure the right people see the right documents at the right time.

* For all data points, refer the Intelligent Information Management (AIIM) website.

Why should documents be digitised at the start of workflow?

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Businesses are constantly evolving to keep pace with new technological advancements. However, if you are smothered by documents, that you are unable to manage, then chances are your paperwork is still stuck in the past.

The advent of technology and the digital media has brought in innumerable advantages for organisations. The world has realised the importance of digitisation and almost every organisation is embracing and reaping its benefits. Gone are those days when truckloads of papers and files used to occupy space and consume a chunk of time in daily operations. Today, storing and tracking paperwork is extremely quick and simple. It’s the rapid usage of the internet using smart devices that has made this possible.

However, there are many companies that still rely on filing cabinets and extensive paperwork that take up precious space and slow down processes. Paper heavy processes also involve desk-to-desk paper-pushing which invariably causes bottlenecks and delays. No doubt, paper-heavy departments such as Legal, Finance or HR may never go completely paperless, but they can digitise a lot of day-to-day documentation and vital contracts to ensure compliance.

So why bother about digitising at all?

If you are looking at speeding up processes, enhancing collaboration between teams and tightening security then transforming your paper workflows digitally is a practical and cost-effective step.

Digitisation is much more than just a trend!

Digitisation may sound like a trend but the fact remains, by digitising paper workflows, organisations only stand to benefit. With our smart Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions such as KOMI Doc. you can be assured of best-in-class security and backup along with, an efficient archival & retrieval process- Keep this.

Our Solutions

ECM is an organisational process methodology designed for end-to-end content management and KOMI Doc is the perfect offering for organisations eying a scalable and secure content management solution over the cloud to fetch more agility and operational efficiency. Organisations with multiple branches can leverage KOMI Doc for smooth and seamless business operations across scattered offices.

How can a scanned document’s access be improved for search in a DMS?

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Shifting to a ‘paperless office’ marks an important jump in any organization’s journey towards the next level of performance. And more often than not, it is the DMS (Document Management System) that lies at the heart of this transition.

Amongst other things, the ‘operation’ involves digitising paper files by first scanning them, and subsequently storing them. The crucial consideration here is that they need to be stored in a format that is “search-friendly”(apart from being compact, convenient and editable), so that they can be retrieved with minimum fuss and in minimum time when needed.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is the technology that does this job. Typically, an OCR optimises scanned documents for search by turning printed matter into fully searchable digital assets that let you access and retrieve any word or phrase (across the document) instantaneously.

Before adding – or checking for – the OCR in your DMS, here are 3 important aspects you need to bear in mind.

The first is accuracy. In reality, digital scans can be far from perfect. And given the potential damage, the margin of error is zero. Go for an OCR with a sophisticated algorithm, a robust and reliable ‘engine’, and comprehensive support for your specific scenario.

Next, you must weigh in the conversion speed of the OCR engine. Choose an OCR that offers high speed processing with minimal system requirements in terms of CPU speed, RAM and others.

Thirdly, the output format that you need – PDF, text (word) file, image or any other – should play a deciding role in finalising the OCR specs.

In case your DMS software does not carry the required OCR features, there are various third party tools in the market that can help you upgrade easily with scalable OCRfeatures,including some variants which allow for integrating such third party OCR engines via a web API to your DMS. This kind of integration can help you leverage the benefits organisation-wide quickly and smoothly.

What should we consider while selecting a Cloud DMS Solution?

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A Cloud DMS carries a host of benefits for your business. If you don’t have a DMS Solution currently, or if you are managing documents using a simple file / folder structure on your existing file server, it may be worthwhile making the big switch to the Cloud. Before you do, however, here are a few vital things to keep in mind.

Cost

The cost of a Cloud DMS is influenced by a variety of complex features and performance, and needs to be scanned closely before-hand. Storage with low latency tends to cost more than one with high latency. Secondly, while archival storage comes at an affordable price-point, functions such as interactive and batch processing tend to command a mark-up. Data egress, copying data between data centres, frequent large transfers and automatic versioning will also attract a higher cost. Cost will perhaps not be a big deterrent when it comes to switching to the Cloud, not least because of the substantial savings it will deliver in the long run. You must nevertheless factor-in the full lifecycle of data to calculate the approximate costs, before taking that final decision.

Risk

Do a thorough risk assessment, touching upon aspects like security, backups & recovery, hardware failure, power disruptions and vendor disputes, to name some. On the topic of security, make sure you evaluate your potential Cloud DMS provider around server, encryptions, authentication & authorization controls, password policies, card building access, video monitoring, virus response, ‘intrusion/mal-function’ alerts and industry compliances. It is a sensible idea to minimize risks by choosing a Cloud DMS provider that has their infrastructure hosted on a High Availability, Redundant virtual cloud system with multiple network connectivity to mitigate against server or network failures.

Efficiencies

Check for speed and ease of core functions like document creation, storage, editing & retrieval, bandwidth for large files, versatility with all types of documents such as paper, electronic, fax, audio & video, compatibility with operating systems, frequently used applications, storage devices & emerging technologies, whether it integrates well with your business software (ERP and CRM, for instance) and whether it is accessible across devices including mobile.

Other

Other questions to consider are whether the Cloud DMS provider will allow you to use the ‘free trial offer’ before signing on the dotted line, is prompt & regular with upgrades (including sufficient testing time before implementation), has a well-developed training program to support your teams, possesses the infrastructure (bandwidth, servers, load balancers, servers, data warehouses, et all) to scale with you as your business grows and comes with both a robust financial base and positive references.

Finally

Go through the service contract with a fine toothed comb. Make sure it outlines every contingency and condition clearly. In particular, watch out for penalty clauses in case of unmet expectations, legal ownership of data (who ‘owns’ it), how quickly requests for data changes can be implemented and the process of getting your data back, when the service period expires.

A Cloud DMS can take your performance to the next level. Just make sure you get the basics in place, before subscribing to the services of your Cloud DMS provider.

What is Indexing in a DMS and how does it help in better archival & faster retrieval?

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Stow it right – and make sure you tag it correctly to retrieve it easily when you need it. That, in short, is the essence of document Indexing.

Document (or data) Indexing is a staple feature of any self-respecting Document Management System, or DMS. An ‘intelligent’ DMS leverages ‘meta-data field’ and/or OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to scan the information contained in a document and capture its essential traits. This ‘trait’ is then mapped to a pre-defined vocabulary-set to sort or archive the document into a suitable category.

First, Indexing saves time & effort by making document archival convenient and logical

A smart DMS is Indexed logically. Which means that if you work with ‘text intensive documents’, a feature called Full-Text-Indexing will enable you to locate them conveniently by letting you search for them via textual phrases and portions. Similarly, transactional documents (like cash memos) are easily searchable because figures and number are used as the ‘search parameter’.

Then, Indexing aids productivity by making document retrieval easy & fast, too

In document Indexing, the category against which a document is slotted (or ‘tagged’) depends on (A) the intrinsic nature of the document – i.e., whether it is a contract, an invoice, a purchase order or a technical record, etc), (B) ‘Intrinsic features’ of the document, such as its name, date of creation, name of creator, name of the project or department to which it belongs, etc, (C) special requirements of the organization – whence a contract may be categorized as a ‘technical’ record, for instance, or, indeed, a combination of (A), (B) and (C). So no matter how you are searching for content, a sophisticated Indexing system has all conceivable approaches covered, and you are bound to find your doc in no more than a few clicks.

A great DMS Indexing system lies at the heart of a workplace that’s low (nil, even) on paper, and high on performance. It’s worth the time, effort and cost to get one in place asap.

DMS Audit Trail and User Rights: The compliance engine for a business

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A document halts along several stops before it sees the light of day – and even after it does reach its intended final destination it has a defined life till which time it shall be retained. A document Audit Trail, as the name implies, is a formal, systematic and archived record or validation of the path followed by any document (and the ‘actions’ performed upon it) along its lifecycle journey. And it all begins with the ‘user’.

Users – ie, all workers of the organization or members of a particular project – are assigned rights to access and engage with the various documents in it. Depending on the sensitivity or significance of a particular document, different users can be assigned different levels of access rights, or denied the same via selective restrictions. In a large organisation this set-up may get unwieldy, so to better manage it access rights are delegated, with every team assigned a User Administrator to manage the access rights limited to their teams, making things more convenient and fast.

‘User Rights’ and ‘Delegation’ make ‘Audit Trails’ a necessary ‘Fall-back’ recourse to ensure the integrity and security of the organization’s critical documents.

A typical DMS Audit Trail covers the following ‘actions’ that may have been performed upon the company’s documents by one or more ‘user’ – creation (of the document), viewing, modification, copying, deletion, searching, sharing, inviting other users, taking ownership of the content, starting a fresh ancillary theme or a new topic, and so on. A DMS Audit Trail sheds light on the ways in which people (who have shared access to a particular document) have interacted with it – and structurally comprises three elements: Login ID, a synopsis of system actions, and a time stamp.

For organisations that use a DMS fairly regularly (if not on a daily basis) to organise, share and store its files and documents, an Audit Trail becomes indispensable to the integrity of the system and the efficiency of its workflows.

For one thing, it allows you to keep a tab on the identity of team members who have been accessing the files and documents in the system.

Then, it can act as a ‘lifeline’ in cases where a change in the document needs to be un-done. Being a chronological record of document activities, all one has to do then, is refer to the version before the change.

A sophisticated (‘technologically advanced’) DMS usually also sports value-added features like built-in Trail or Audit functionality, notification or update functionality (when an unauthorized person uses or accesses a document), and Trail log protection (this ensures that a Document Audit Trail, once generated, cannot be deleted).

Why is document versioning important in a DMS?

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Change is the only constant, they say.

Nothing exemplifies this more than the series of drafts and versions (of, say, a document, database, file or record) that is inevitably created at work as a result of continuous feedback, revisions and amendments – especially where several members contribute to a single task. Document versioning refers to the way these different ‘dynamic’ avatars are managed and maintained in the run up towards the final piece that has to be approved by all stakeholders and parties involved.

There are several reasons why Document Versioning is vital to your organization’s DMS (Document Management System).

For one thing, it makes the potentially unwieldly activity of documentation breezy – automating and standardizing the method of recording changes across drafts and sub-drafts, facilitating review of action-history over time, and providing a systematic ‘life-cycle snapshot’ of the collaborative evolution of a document.

Document versioning also saves time, since access, creation, storage and retrieval of the many different versions becomes easy.

Another big upshot of proper document versioning are smoother work processes, as the former simplifies tracing of details and sequence of iterations, eases identification of the author or contributor (by filename, date and time), lends clarity of information and reduces errors

A robust document versioning approach can significantly optimize cost too – by eliminating duplication, for instance.

Finally, if you are doing document versioning right, you will be taking quicker and more informed decisions, thereby adding a significant competitive edge to your business.

ON-PREMISE OR ON-DEMAND?

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Decoding the pros & cons of Cloud DMS vs Onsite Deployment.

When data went to the cloud, businesses around the world experienced a paradigm shift. Some years down the road, the debate between the relative merits and demerits of Cloud based DMS (Document Management System) and On-line deployment, however continues. It therefore makes sense to sit the two next to each other for a quick and dispassionate comparison.

Let’s go with the Cloud based (SaaS) DMS model first.

First off, by obviating the need for expensive, high-powered servers and complex, onsite IT architectures and regular upgrades & maintenance, the Cloud comes across as a distinctly cost intelligent solution for enterprises of all sizes. Secondly, with its turnkey deployment (no softwares, firewalls or backups to install or configure), the Cloud is as hassle-free as it is hands-free. Additionally, reduced IT dependencies mean you can now ‘redirect’ your valuable staff for other tasks. Thirdly, you never have to worry about going obsolete on Cloud, since a SaaS subscription usually comes with an ‘automatic upgrade’ clause. Not only that, it generally ensures compliance parameters from most angles. Fourthly, instant deploy-ability of the Cloud ensures that you are ‘always on’ – without any gaps or lags. Fifth, the Cloud lets you taste true freedom: After all, all you need to turn your document management ubiquitous, is broadband! Sixthly, with multi-location based security servers, comprehensively virus response and instant ‘intrusion/mal-function’ alerts, Cloud DMS offers commendable safety features these days. Finally, with advanced server, access, storage, sharing (especially for large files, which otherwise tend to guzzle mailbox space), flexibility and user friendly capabilities – Cloud DMS emerges as a smart, scalable and cost-effective option for business across industries.

On the flip side, the Cloud requires uninterrupted internet connectivity and can lead to data latency (especially from remote locations) Evaluating specific offerings to align with Security Policy deployed is a must.

Let’s take a look at On-site DMS now.

Typically, On-premise solutions come with a one-time license fee, and are therefore calculated under Capital Expenditure or CAPEX (The Cloud, with its monthly subscription model, is typically OPEX). This also means that at some point in the future, whether due to obsolescence or other reasons, you will have to replace or upgrade your On-Site DMS. On-Site Deployments, as the term suggests, bring the system within the four walls of your organization, so you can see and touch them. This also means you are directly responsible for their upkeep and maintenance, such as the electricity bills and physical security of the Hosts (assuming you prefer to virtualize the Servers – something easily doable). It’s good to mention at this point that Low Latency Rates are a distinct advantage with On-Site Systems. Being your own ‘property’, you can choose to use the On-site DMS ‘your way’. After all, nobody knows your business better than you – and by extension, your Onsite DMS. This hypothetically makes it 100% customizable and flexible at a cost though, and you can get it to ‘feature every option’ you will need if you choose to go for bespoke development. Onsite Deployment also ensures that upgrades and compliances can be done anytime you want at a cost – as and when necessary. Finally, since an On Premise DMS is within your own network, deploying the security policy becomes a routine task. Indeed, there are organizations and groups that prize the robust Virtual Private Networks and strong remote access (with encrypted channels) of their On-Site so much, they won’t ‘exchange the experience’ for anything else.

The downside? On-site can be expensive, does not have the flexibility to resize as per current needs at any time, will demand greater involvement and a 24X7 trained team.

So which way do you turn? Map the features and pitfalls of each to your own specific situation, and you’ll come up with the right answer.