Paper that knows where it's going
Without abandoning its paper-based roots, Xerox has taken another step toward sharing knowledge through the digital world. The company has released FlowPort, a new server software designed to help insert paper-based documents into a digital workflow and to remove digital information from the system when paper may be more convenient. The hardware links it requires are either Internet fax machines or multi-function devices.
While Xerox plans to develop the server software to link various workflow, groupware, e-mail and document management systems, with the first release it shows its value by linking DocuShare, Xerox's knowledge sharing document management tool, with its Document Centre Office MFD (multi-function device).
FlowPort allows simple transition between the systems, principally through its underlying PaperWare technology. Basically, PaperWare allows a user to fill out a paper checksheet as a cover sheet for paper documents. The user simply checks off on the sheet what he wants done, drops it in the MFD and moves on to the next task. What happens next depends on how sophisticated the user wants it to be. The user can tap existing templates of the paper form or draft an original with FlowPort's form creation tool.
If the document being scanned is of a common type, the FlowPort Cover Sheet can be standardized to match the workflow rules for that document. For instance, a contract approval cover sheet might only have check boxes for contract type (lease, OEM or purchase); annotated by (finance, legal, business development, purchasing); notify (finance with an e-mail to a specific person or marketing to their printer) and option (always send image attachment).
Or, the user can draw up a customized FlowPort cover sheet for a unique document. For example, check boxes could include: Send To (my inbox, XYZ team members, John Smith); subject, (FYI, per your request, action item); Store in DocuShare (engineering collection, marketing collection, my archive, sales leads collection); and options (always send image attachment, do not generate confirmation).
Another example of FlowPort’s use is the reverse of the above. Say an executive has a collection of documents from in his DocuShare folder that she wants to print out for a presentation at a remote office. Instead of printing all the documents and lugging them around, she can just print a FlowPort cover sheet and carry that. At the remote office, she can simply insert the sheet into a FlowPort enabled device and receive the printouts on the scene.
FlowPort 1.0 is available at $7,000 per server, with Xerox advertising a customized end-to-end solution for about $50,000.