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1. How is Avante different from other systems?

In short, functionality and affordability. Avante includes document management and business process management all in one bundle, so you don’t have to sacrifice functionality to purchase more user licenses. Avante’s named-user licensing makes budgeting and purchasing easy—all you need to do is count the number of users. And at just $500 per license, you can afford to expand your system as your organization grows.

2. Which Laserfiche products does Avante include?

Avante includes the following:

Servers are sold individually and support Microsoft and Oracle database platforms. You can add the DoD 5015.2-certified records management on a per-server basis.

You can also add the following Laserfiche modules:

  • Quick Fields enables bar-code scanning, Bates numbering and other batch processing methods.
  • Import Agent monitors your network folders for new content, then automatically imports that content to the Laserfiche repository.
  • Plus solidifies your disaster recovery plan by publishing the contents of your Laserfiche repository to portable media with built-in viewing and search functionality.
  • The Laserfiche Toolkit helps you customize Avante to perfectly fit the way your organization runs.
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3. How does licensing work?

Avante licensing is based on the number of people who will be using the system—which makes it possible to calculate the cost of most systems by doing little more than counting your employees. Each named user license is assigned to an individual staff member who is always able to access their information. Because user licenses are linked to Windows Active Directory® accounts, there is no need for users to remember an additional username and password. Instead, users are automatically authenticated into the Avante system with their Active Directory credentials. And because each license includes document management, business process management, archival and e-mail functionality, new users can immediately participate in business processes.

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4. My organization is _________ people. Is Avante the right system for me?

Avante is designed for small and medium-sized organizations. If your organization has more than 100 people, or if you think it will be soon, we recommended the expanded functionality and price advantages of Laserfiche Rio enterprise content management. You can always upgrade to Rio as your organization grows; just pay the difference in price between the two systems.

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5. There are only ________ in my organization. Why do I need business process management?

While sophisticated workflow technology might seem like “overkill” for smaller organizations, business process automation can in fact benefit organizations with a workforce as small as one. For example:

Suppose you’re a sole proprietor with a large quantity of invoices, which you generate using Microsoft Excel. You might send these invoices to the Laserfiche repository using the Send to Laserfiche feature or Snapshot, then, using Workflow, automatically route them to an “Awaiting Action” folder. Then, when you’ve performed an action on an invoice, such as setting its Status field to “Payment Due,” Workflow can route that invoice to a particular folder and perform other actions, such as e-mailing the invoice to a client along with notification that their invoice is due. Then, once you’ve received payment, you might set the document’s status to “Paid,” upon which Workflow could take further action. And if 30 days pass without payment, Workflow could generate a reminder e-mail to your client.

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6. What are Avante’s installation and administration requirements?

Avante makes it easy to extend business process management capabilities throughout your organization. Integration with Windows Active Directory simplifies system administration and security by offering single sign-on with Windows accounts, so administrators manage access to the Laserfiche repository at the Windows group level.

Repository architecture is easy to set up, with the ability to quickly replicate entire folder trees and set default document configuration information at the folder level. The Laserfiche Server also stores a profile for each user, allowing user settings to travel with them from workstation to workstation effortlessly and keep their settings even when using the available Laserfiche thin client.

Once your system is set up, maintaining it presents little difficulty. The Laserfiche administration console is MMC-based, so you can snap it into the same console you use to manage all your enterprise applications. Laserfiche uses Microsoft-standard management tools wherever possible, so system administrators can easily incorporate Laserfiche into their existing system management infrastructure.

These tools, along with WMI scripting, allow automation of many administrative tasks, such as event tracing and repository activity monitoring.

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7. Where can I find more detailed technical information on Avante and its components?

You’ll find component information, system requirements and more on the Avante Components page.

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8. How does Avante’s total cost of ownership compare to other enterprise content management systems?

Expansive functionality combined with competitive pricing and low ongoing support costs make Avante a pragmatic, cost-effective solution—both now and in the future. In fact, many of our users who have switched to Laserfiche from legacy systems have told us that their entire Laserfiche system cost less than a year of support for their previous system. In addition, Laserfiche systems traditionally offer a rapid return on investment—and with the benefits of Laserfiche business process management distributed throughout your organization, Avante is no exception.

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9. Does Avante integrate with SharePoint and other Microsoft applications?

Avante is thoroughly compatible with Microsoft products. The Laserfiche server uses WebDAV technology, which offers broad interoperability and integration options, as well as support for Microsoft’s Web Folders. The workflow engine included with Avante is powered by the .NET Windows Workflow Foundation, so you can integrate with existing business processes through custom Workflow actions. You can customize your Laserfiche workflows further with the built-in script editor for C# and Visual Basic.NET.

Fundamental integration with Microsoft Office enables users to save documents directly to Laserfiche from within their native applications. Integration with Outlook enables instant e-mail archival, while the right-click “Send to Laserfiche” option makes it easy to add files to the Laserfiche repository from Windows Explorer.

The optional Web Access module offers industry-leading integration with SharePoint, complementing SharePoint’s collaboration tools by adding imaging functionality and enhanced workflow capabilities. Comprehensive security and auditing, DoD-certified records management functionality and superior search capabilities all enhance the value of your SharePoint installation.

You can learn more about how Laserfiche fits into a Windows environment.

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10. What if my organization does not have Windows Active Directory? Can I still use Laserfiche Avante?

Yes, Laserfiche Accounts can be created and use a named user license. While Windows Authentication streamlines user creation and management, it is not necessary.

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