Imaging parts mix to match user needs - Technology Information

Software Magazine, Dec, 1995 by Richard Adhikari

He finally settled on the ImageBasic document imaging development toolkit from Diamond Head Software Inc., Richardson, Texas, because it offered a component approach. The imaging system runs on a combination of Windows NT and Novell NetWare 4.1 servers over 10BaseT Ethernet, and links back to the Wang database and 40 PCs.

"I think the toolkit approach works best in an organization that needs to create its own internal business processing approach and, as a part of that business processing environment, add some amount of image capability," Colbert said. For example, he said, an organization building a client/server application that uses a lot of database interaction and needs imaging support for that data can use a toolkit to bring those images into its custom code.

Business Processes Dictate

Buying a standard imaging system and plugging in image viewers like Acrobat from Adobe Systems Inc., Mountain View, Calif., would not solve the problem when firms have business processes specific to their organizations, observers say. "When you have a business process that's specific to your business or industry, there can be a variety of things you may want to do with images rather than view them," Colbert said. "To have controls for what you do with images -- how you tag them, organize them, aggregate them, put in dependencies and define your various document types - gives you flexibility in building your business processes."

ACI's Ryrie believes user demands will result in greater integration among different vendors' imaging packages. Colbert agrees: "I think software package developers are feeling the pressure of component systems suppliers and, to meet that challenge, they're making more and more flexible API sets for their packages."

John Hughes, a consultant with Delphi Consulting Group, sees various technologies converging to create what he calls an electronic document management system (EDMS), whose coverage would range from document management and imaging to text retrieval, multimedia and workflow. "Now, document imaging is a commodity part of a total EDMS system. You're not just managing scanned-in TIFF documents; you're managing a variety of documents in different formats, and workflow and text retrieval. It's no longer just imaging; it's become an overall system," he said.

Single-vendor imaging solutions work best where imaging is the only capability required, said Hughes. Multivendor solutions are required when other technologies, such as document management and workflow, are needed, he said.

An organization's business processes can also determine the type of imaging solution required, said Ronni Marshak, editor in chief of the Workgroup Computing Report from The Seybold Group Inc., Boston. Where paper is the core process, such as in the claims-adjusting business, imaging is a crucial part of the system and a high-end solution is preferable, Marshak said.

Pennsylvania Blue Shield chose a high-end, proprietary solution to meet its needs. Headquartered in Camp Hill, Pa., the insurance company serves the state of Pennsylvania for doctor claims, and handles Medicare claims for New Jersey, Delaware, Washington and Pennsylvania. Revenue was $7 billion last year.