The End of Cliff Scanning

Have we seen the end of Cliff Scanning?

The traditional role of document scanning has been one where the scanning process has been done in a vacuum. This is not necessarily a bad thing – it was for a division of labor (as document scanning a highly specialized and skilled task).

I was wondering … Have you heard about Cliff Scanning?

However, with the rise of products like Microsoft's SharePoint there is a growing need to capture and manage all the content across the enterprise, including paper based assets. 

The trend seems to be towards an all up solution to address both general and specific business issues. So, instead of doing only the scanning and indexing the process will be extended to include the next steps in the Document Management / Enterprise Content Management process – which includes workflow an storage.

I predict that the future for scanner operators will continue to evolve. The next evolution will be one that includes extending the base level scanning and indexing operations to the next steps in the ECM equation. Scanning and Indexing operations today often end at this step. The next phase will include handing off to SharePoint to process the image and index data so that paper becomes the first step in the end-to-end business process that spans Document Scanning (Capture) to Document Management (ECM) to Workflow to Storage – which is what I call The Four Pillars.

What do you think?

• Have we seen the end of cliff scanning?
• Will scanning finally become ingrained into business processes?
• Is it time for paper to take it’s rightful place as the true beginning of most business processes?

Drop me a note or comment here. I’d like to hear your thoughts.

About The Author:
I have spent the better part of the last 20 years working in various aspects of the ECM industry. I am currently with Kodak as a Director of Business Development. In my past I have spent time at Kofax, Microsoft, FileNet, K2, and at Captaris (which was acquired by Open Text in Nov 2008). Prior to that I was a Unix VAR running my own company. Follow me on Twitter, check my blog, send email or find me on Facebook or LinkedIn.