Gartner recently came out with its top predictions for 2012, highlighting “how the control of technology and technology-driven decisions is shifting out of the hands of IT organizations.”
Analysts Daryl Plummer and Peter Middleton write that “the forces of cloud computing, social media and social networking, mobility and information management are all evolving at a rapid pace.” In fact, they say, …

I have a confession to make. When I was graduating from high school back in the 90s, I was asked a bunch of questions about the future. One of them was, “Will cellular phones replace land lines?” I answered, “No, never.”
Today, of course, I haven’t had a land line in years. What I didn’t realize back then is that technology …

Briefing: Obama Calls for Digitized Records

On November 28, President Obama issued a memorandum that “begins an executive branch wide effort to reform records management policies and practices.” The memorandum gives federal agencies four months to come up with a plan to improve their records management programs, “particularly with respect to managing electronic records.”

According to the memo, “Decades of technological advances have transformed agency operations, creating challenges and opportunities for agency records management. Greater reliance on electronic communication and systems has radically increased the volume and diversity of information that agencies must manage. With proper planning, technology can make these records less burdensome to manage and easier to use and share. But if records management policies and practices are not updated for a digital age, the surge in information could overwhelm agency systems, leading to higher costs and lost records.”

On December 14, Laserfiche hosted a special Web briefing that outlined the contents of the memorandum, what it means for federal agencies and best practices for tackling a plan to digitize records. It was our most popular Web briefing ever, and hundreds of government customers and prospects attended.

According to Webinar hosts Kimberly Samuelson, Director of Government Strategy, and Evan Anderson, Federal Government Solutions Consultant, best practices for creating successful digital records strategies include:

1. Information Governance: It’s not enough for federal agencies to simply archive documents; they must also minimize security risks and comply with a variety of regulations from NARA, the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) and more. Building an information governance framework that addresses people, policy, technology and risk management provides the opportunity to invent and redesign information strategies and discover better ways to leverage information.
2. Infrastructure Compatibility: Federal agencies can maximize records management investments by ensuring that the software effectively integrates with existing infrastructures and allows for secure information access in a variety of ways. For instance, agencies should assess which mission-critical apps are in use and which reside in the cloud. If some are cloud-based and some are on-premise, the system should allow for both types of access. This type of consideration is critical for overall system usability because it decreases demands on IT staff and minimizes changes to user processes.
3. Records Management as a Process: When records are captured at the point of creation, classified without user intervention and organized transparently into records series, records management becomes a natural part of the larger Information Lifecycle Management effort. At the same time, it enables agencies to show exactly how their information assets are being used at every point in the lifecycle and to directly align those assets with business value.
4. Government Transparency: Creating transparency and delivering better citizen services are key goals for federal government agencies. An easy-to-navigate dynamic records portal helps accomplish both these goals by making documents available to the public while still keeping the core repository safe and secure.

To schedule a personalized briefing on President Obama’s memorandum and what it means for federal government agencies and contractors, please contact Sarah Kellison, Communications Specialist.

Company News

Laserfiche Identified as a Champion by Info-Tech Research Group

Laserfiche been listed as a Champion in Info-Tech Research Group’s Enterprise Content Management (ECM) for Process Workers Vendor Landscape. Based in Ontario, Canada, Info-Tech Research Group is North America’s fastest growing full-service IT analyst firm.

Assessing vendors by the strength of their offering and their strategy for the enterprise, Info-Tech Research Group Vendor Landscapes pay tribute to the contribution of exceptional vendors in a particular category. According to Info-Tech Research Group, the research is designed for organizations looking for an ECM solution that will:

• Increase the efficiency of workers that engage in repetitive tasks.
• Improve key transactional processes such as accounts payable or onboarding.
• Integrate with key line-of-business applications such as ERP, GIS or CRM.

“Laserfiche is a stalwart that is exploiting the new capabilities of emerging technology,” said George Goodall, Senior Research Analyst with Info-Tech. “It has strong alignment with Microsoft technologies, an innovative iPhone app that allows for remote scanning using the iPhone camera and an Integration Marketplace, where connectors can be purchased for a wide variety of products.”

Of the four vendors listed as Champions in the report, Laserfiche received the highest Value Score. This means that, of all the Champions, Laserfiche offers the most “bang for the buck” in terms of features, usability and stability.

“The Info-Tech Research Group ranking confirms that our focus on providing cost-effective transactional content management solutions is paying off for our customers,” said Tom Wayman, Vice President of Product Strategy at Laserfiche. “The advanced business process management capabilities and administration tools included in our newest release, Laserfiche 8.3, will enable even more organizations to increase efficiency and improve transactional processes such as case and contract management.”

To learn more, please contact Sarah Kellison, Communications Specialist.

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Register Now for the Empower 2012 ACE Summit

The Laserfiche Annual Conference on January 25-27, 2012, in Anaheim, CA, is the largest gathering of users, Laserfiche experts and industry leaders each year. Join Laserfiche at Empower 2012’s special ACE Summit event on January 25, 2012, from 10 am-12 noon for exclusive discussions of Laserfiche strategic initiatives and industry trends.

By attending the ACE track, you’ll gain access to key Laserfiche product strategy team experts and software architects that you won’t receive anywhere else. You’ll also connect with other leading editors, analysts, consultants and integrators in the ECM industry.

Activities include:

• An ECM Expert panel discussion.
• An outline of major customer wins and successes in 2011.
• A preview of the 2012 Laserfiche product roadmap.

That’s all in addition to the hands-on training and special event at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney®! To register for the event, please contact Sarah Kellison, Communications Specialist.

In the News

• Financial Planning: FP Tech Survey: Advisors Yearn for ‘Complete’ Document Management Software
• The Ithaca Journal: Tompkins County records going from boxes to bits
• CMS Wire: What Tops the CIO’s Wish list for 2012?

Upcoming Events

Empower 2012: Laserfiche Institute Conference in Anaheim, CA, on January 25-27: Gain a “developer’s-eye” view of the architecture of the Laserfiche product suite. Remember to register for the ACE track for insider access at the conference.

2012 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas, NV, on February 21-24: Visit booth #3275 for an overview of how Laserfiche can complement existing EHR implementations, streamline medical billing and automate credentialing.

TD Ameritrade’s 2012 National Conference in Orlando, FL, from February 1-3: Join Laserfiche financial experts in the VEO Open Access partner area to learn how Laserfiche ECM allows independent RIAs to accelerate auditing and succession planning.

Gartner Portals, Content & Collaboration Summit in Orlando, FL, on March 12-14: Laserfiche will be on hand to demo its agile ECM solutions and discuss key takeaways from recent in-person research conducted with CIOs.

2012 ICBA National Convention and TechWorld in Nashville, TN, on March 11-18: Join us (booth #715) for a speaking session on “Driving Efficiency and Compliance through Technology” for community banks.

ITEX 2012 Expo & Conference in Las Vegas, NV, on April 18-19: Join us (#829) for a speaking session, “Selling Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Software Leads to Profits.”

Participate in the Community

Submit an Article: Laserfiche is now accepting submissions for guest articles to be featured in our weekly reseller newsletter (circulation: 3,000) and in our monthly newsletter for end users (circulation: 24,000). If you would like to showcase your expertise within the Laserfiche community, please e-mail Melissa Henley with your proposed story idea.

According to new research from McKinsey, the highest current priorities for IT include improving the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes and reducing IT costs.
For IT executives, reducing costs ranked first, followed by improving the effectiveness of business processes. Third was increasing the effectiveness of those processes.
The priorities for non-IT executives were a little different. Improving the effectiveness and efficiency …

Last week President Barack Obama gave government agencies 120 days to come up with a plan to improve records management and transparency by moving records to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). A response to NARA’s warning that federal agencies are currently behind in efforts to digitize records, the memorandum’s goal is to “improve performance and promote openness and accountability by better documenting agency actions and decisions.”

So what should government agencies look for as they seek solutions to digitize records and create effective programs for managing information lifecycles?

First, it’s important that any records management system (RMS) chosen by federal agencies address the unique compliance requirements of the federal government while considering budget, implementation, infrastructure compatibility and more. The following are additional criteria that our federal clients have used to create successful digital records strategies:

1. Information Governance
   It’s not enough for federal agencies to simply archive documents; they must also minimize security risks and comply with a variety of regulations from NARA, the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) and more.  Building an information governance framework, which addresses people, policy, technology and risk management concerns, provides the opportunity to invent and redesign information strategies and discover better ways to leverage information.
2. Infrastructure Compatibility
   Federal agencies can maximize RMS investments by ensuring that the software effectively integrates with existing infrastructures and allows for secure information access in a variety of ways. For instance, agencies should assess which mission critical apps are in use and which reside in the cloud. If some are cloud-based and some are on-premise, the RMS should allow for both types of access. This type of consideration is critical for overall system usability because it decreases demands on IT staff and minimizes changes to user processes.
3. Records Management as a Process
   When records are captured at the point of creation, classified without user intervention, and organized transparently into record series, records management becomes a natural part of the larger Information Lifecycle Management effort.  At the same time, it enables agencies to show exactly how their information assets are being used at every point in its lifecycle, and to directly align those assets with business value.
4. Government Transparency
   Creating transparency and delivering better citizen services are key goals for federal governments. An easy-to-navigate dynamic records portal helps accomplish both of these by making documents available to the public while still keeping the core repository safe and secure.

When considerations like these are maintained, federal RMS projects stand to minimize costs, maximize staffing efficiencies and bring government records up-to-speed with the demands of today’s society.