Solutions Report. Digitech Systems ImageSilo OVERVIEW

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1 Solutions Report A BLI Enterprise Content Management Software Assessment JANUARY 2012 Digitech Systems ImageSilo Not Rated Feature Set Value Ease of Administration Ease of Use Compatibility Software Integration Security Reseller Support and Training 2012 Customer Support and Training Documentation Global Business Readiness Upgrade Path OVERVIEW ImageSilo, from Digitech Systems, is a hosted Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system accessed through standard Web browsers. In addition to providing document upload, viewing, search and annotation features, ImageSilo offers optional add-ons including workflow and automated document routing. The system provides out-of-the-box integration with a range of desktop software, including Microsoft Office applications, and allows users to scan and upload documents directly from TWAIN-compatible scanners. ImageSilo one of the first and most full-featured cloud-based ECM solutions on the market is based on Digitech Systems 14-year-old PaperVision Enterprise on-premise ECM platform. Available exclusively through reseller partners, ImageSilo is used today by thousands of companies and organizations of all sizes across multiple industry sectors, with a particular focus on healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, retail and education.

2 Strengths Weaknesses Hosted solution eliminates the hassle and expense of an on-site ECM deployment Very robust administration tools Very good ease of use for end users Good integration with Windows applications Excellent security features Strong workflow option available Retail pricing information is not published, making comparison-shopping difficult for customers Limited functionality for Firefox browser and Mac clients No built-in OCR functionality Lacks support for ISIS scanning devices commonly used in production scan environments What We Thought Unlike traditional Enterprise Content Management systems that often require months of work to set up and deploy, Digitech Systems ImageSilo is ready to drive off the lot and the hosted ECM platform boasts some nice power under the hood to help organizations quickly steer into the document-management fast lane. Chances are, you already know how to drive it: the learning curve for ImageSilo is short, given that the on-demand model eliminates any need for software installation or database management. Along with a straightforward and logical design and concise, context-sensitive help, customers can expect get up and running with a productivity-enhancing project in just days instead of the weeks or months that can be typical when deploying an ECM platform. Moreover, the ImageSilo hosted model is attractive and promises a faster return on investment, compared with the front-loaded investment necessary with traditional ECM. On the features front, ImageSilo s roots as a mature server-based offering are evident: It offers all the functionality of traditional ECM platform, either natively or through add-ons. Most notable is the optional workflow engine, which lets administrators construct quite complex workflows complete with branching and condi- 2

3 tional actions without coding. ImageSilo s array of utilities and options to integrate with Windows environments also is a plus. The only caveat is that in the current version, OCR functionality is the province of the company s PaperVision Capture offering, a document capture platform that dovetails seamlessly with ImageSilo to act as the on-ramp for digitized documents and forms. (PaperVision Capture, in fact, earned a Winter 2012 Pick award as Outstanding Enterprise Capture Solution from the editors of BLI.) Potential customers should note that Digitech Systems does not publish pricing information. Instead, resellers set their own fees and terms for ImageSilo, so organizations need to work closely with their chosen reseller to maximize ROI. Product Profile Product: Version: Software Developer: Server Requirements: Client Requirements: Supported Devices: Availability: Suggested Retail Pricing: ImageSilo R74 Digitech Systems Inc., Greenwood Village, CO Not applicable (hosted solution) 2-GB RAM, 32-MB hard drive space, Windows XP (Service Pack 3) or later, Internet Explorer 8 or later or Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or later, Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5 (Service Pack 1) or later Any TWAIN-compliant scanner or MFP for direct document upload; other devices that can save to a network folder can also be used. Digitech Systems sells through resellers and distributors worldwide. Different pricing options are available through individual reseller partners. Digitech provides wholesale pricing to resellers based on amount of storage hosted per entity; those partners have the latitude to price ImageSilo however they see fit. In addition, the company offers a Data Delivery option that provides a full backup of a customer s database and images for $150 per month per entity, plus a per-gigabyte fee. 3

4 Feature Set ImageSilo provides a powerful core set of ECM features particularly well suited for Windows environments. The Web-hosted system is flexible enough to pull duty for very small offices and hefty enough to scale all the way up to large departments in an enterprise. The ImageSilo system is built around the concept of projects, which are repositories for specific kinds of documents: invoices, health records, sales orders, expense reports and so on. Documents can be added into a project in several ways: uploaded from a desktop; scanned from a local or networked TWAIN-compliant device; captured via messages; or imported from any directory and then indexed by directory name, file name, a delimited segment of the file name or the file-modification date. ImageSilo s primary navigation interface is a search screen. The system administrator sets up a project by specifying the relevant index fields that are associated with each document (and denoting which are mandatory before a document can be imported into a project). ImageSilo supports a key set of field types, including text, date, currency, percentage and pick lists but lacks support for specific number types such as phone numbers or Social Security numbers. The system automatically builds the search interface, based on the selection and order of index fields entered for a project it s that drop-dead simple. ImageSilo provides searching on any combination of index fields (selecting and/or operators), including date and number ranges, as well as full-text Boolean and natural-language searches. Search results, too, are displayed with the same index fields. Users have the option of saving global searches, which can run across multiple projects. If customers want more control over their search features, ImageSilo provides open application programming interfaces for the developmentally inclined. ImageSilo automatically generates the search screen based on the index fields defined for the project. 4

5 On the viewer side of the equation, ImageSilo supports more than 250 file formats with an ActiveX-based document viewer developed by Digitech Systems, which requires Internet Explorer running on a Windows PC. If you re using a Firefox browser or a Mac, you ll need the associated applications to preview files. To edit non-image documents, Windows/IE users also must have a native app installed. An ImageSilo user can delete and reorder pages in image-based documents, but the user can t combine two disparate documents into one. However, if the index values of two documents match, those documents can be treated as one. ImageSilo does support document check-in/check-out controls and maintains a version history, and documents can be rolled back to older versions. A basic palette of annotation tools includes sticky notes, text notes (inserted as metadata), lines, freehand drawing, ellipses and rectangles. One notable limitation, especially compared with other ECM offerings on the market, is that ImageSilo does not provide native OCR capabilities. That would allow image-based documents to be indexed or routed automatically on import. (ImageSilo provides indexing of text-based documents.) Digitech s comprehensive document capture solution, PaperVision Capture, includes robust OCR support, but is sold separately and is currently available only as an on-premises software product. A future release of ImageSilo is slated to include built-in OCR, according to the company. As with other ECM platforms, a workflow module is an add-on for ImageSilo. Fortunately, unlike as with OCR, which requires a separate product, the PaperVision Enterprise WorkFlow system is tightly integrated into ImageSilo, providing finegrained control over rules related to document approvals and routing, including specifying time limits for each step. It s a definite power boost on top of the ImageSilo ECM platform for companies that can take advantage of a sophisticated workflow engine. While Digitech Systems does not provide prebuilt workflows with PaperVision Enterprise WorkFlow out of the box, the company notes that resellers experienced with the product have developed libraries of standard workflow processes (like invoice approvals), and Digitech Systems also can provide guidance for customers on tailoring workflows to their needs. Value Not Rated BLI was unable to evaluate the overall value of ImageSilo, because the company doesn t provide suggested pricing for the service. The company sells the ECM product as a service on a wholesale basis to its reseller partners based on data storage levels, and the resellers in turn have the flexibility to offer ImageSilo in a wide variety of models, including for a per-user or per-project monthly rate. Clearly, though, for many customers the hosted, on-demand model will be a more cost-effective approach than an on-premises software package. In fact, according 5

6 to the company, some ImageSilo customers have achieved a return on investment in two months or less. There are little or no up-front software licensing fees, no servers to buy and manage and no ongoing SQL database administration requirements. As a hosted solution, ImageSilo does not have separate maintenance or support fees everything is rolled into the monthly price. That said, ImageSilo resellers offer various support options directly to their customers, so there may be a premium for certain services. Note that while ImageSilo does not specifically require a initial capital outlay for hardware and software purchases, every installation will necessitate some amount of setup work. A reseller will provide consulting and development services to get a project up and running for a fee, and Digitech Systems in conjunction with its reseller partners also provides professional services in this vein. Ease of Administration Overall, setting up and configuring ImageSilo was very smooth in BLI s testing. Since it s a hosted solution, install time was zero. But while getting things up and running for a fairly small group of a dozen users is straightforward, juggling a bigger crowd might start to get complicated, which is where an experienced reseller will be a key resource. The administration screen launches as a separate browser window, off the primary ImageSilo screen (the tab shows up only for users that have administrator privileges). The tasks are listed in a hierarchical-tree menus on the left-hand side and include settings for security and reports. Setting up a project is straightforward: The administrator simply gives the project a name and adds the desired index fields. Users can then start adding documents. ImageSilo does not have the ability to analyze a document and suggest what fields might be relevant, which would be a nice feature, although it can autopopulate a project with 18 message-capture fields for that application (for example, subject, recipient, message date/time). And for a basic project, the administrator does not need to do much else, since ImageSilo builds the search interface and query results structured based on the initial index fields. The product also offers a document associations feature, which lets an administrator link common index fields or index values across multiple projects to let users to view linked documents. The other up-front task for an administrator (or reseller) will be adding users to the system. Any administrator that has set up users and groups in the past and applied security access privileges to users, groups or document collections will know the drill. An optional server-based component provides integration with Active Directory to synchronize user accounts and group information, so as users are added or removed from a company s Active Directory database, the changes are automatically reflected in ImageSilo. ImageSilo also offers an option to provide single sign-on into the system through Windows authentication, so separate usernames and passwords don t need to be maintained. 6

7 The separately sold PaperVision Enterprise WorkFlow module includes a graphical workflow designer that s very powerful, with the ability to support hundreds of different rules, but it s somewhat difficult to work with. The icons can t be moved around after they ve been placed; when an administrator introduces a new step, the software makes the decision about its location. There s no undo function, but the admin can choose to discard your changes upon exiting the designer. ImageSilo provides fairly standard reporting tools, with canned reports on document access, records retention/destruction, utilization and workflow history and status. The system lets administrators export the data as XML files for further analysis. And as with other browser-based cloud applications, the administrator needs to refresh the browser window to see changes immediately (for example, if an additional index filed is added to a project). The optional PaperVision Enterprise WorkFlow includes a visual design tool, but the icons for the steps can t be manually repositioned. 7

8 Ease of Use Despite all the product s power, the ImageSilo user interface is a clean, inviting workspace designed with one thing in mind: helping people who process documents for a living get their jobs done. The intuitive user s screen surfaces task buttons on the left-hand side that pertain only to the projects and tasks an individual user has privileges to see. Adding documents is a snap and can be accomplished through multiple avenues. For scanning, using the included Document Viewer control was very simple and should work with any TWAIN scanner (although we wished there were a feature to rotate images prior to uploading them). The Document Viewer also provides the ability to save documents to the desktop or a network drive (in BMP, PDF, JPG, PCX, PNG or TIF format), if users have been granted the rights. In addition, they can or print documents if allowed. The included ImageSilo Tools utility provides toolbar-button integration with Office applications, as well as printing directly to an ImageSilo project via printer drivers. The included ImageSilo Tools utility provides print drivers for Windows applications to upload documents into a project. ImageSilo s search screen is one of the primary ways users access documents, and it s self-explanatory for the most part. The finicky search engine requires search terms be either the exact text string of a field as entered into the original text field (for example, Jimmy Johnson ) or they must be entered as a wildcard search ( Jim* or *Johnson ). Otherwise the user won t get a document you know is in 8

9 there. Also, the returned list doesn t offer thumbnail previews of documents, which would be handy. The other way users have to handle documents applies only to customers with the optional PaperVision Enterprise Workflow module. Users who are part of a workflow process will see a button called Worksteps Waiting in Queue with a numerical indicator showing how many tasks are awaiting attention. In the workflow view, a user on the lower left-hand side sees tasks assigned to his or her queue, and on the lower right-hand side are those waiting to be assigned (in a group context). Compatibility ImageSilo is compatible with any TWAIN scanning device, with the ability to input single or multipage documents directly into the system. Using the included Document Viewer utility allows users to scan and upload documents directly from a scanner of MFP, so any Windows PC can become an ad-hoc scan station. In our testing, we used a standard Canon MFP to easily scan multiple documents, then upload them in a single batch into a project. In addition, ImageSilo is accessible via the touchscreen of any MFP supporting open API technology. MFPs that have been integrated with ImageSilo include models from Canon, Epson, Fujitsu, HP, Kodak and Lexmark. Customers also can choose to use the included Directory Manager feature, which automates document importing and indexing from MFP devices, network-attached scanners or photocopiers by monitoring specified directories. In fact, the only compatibility weaknesses is that the system does not support direct integration with ISIS devices, the standard popular among higher-end production scanners. To work around that, scan operators would need to scan batches to a network folder for import into ImageSilo. Software Integration Got Windows and Internet Explorer? ImageSilo has you covered. The product includes useful native utilities for viewing documents as well as importing documents from Microsoft Office and other applications, and also has a documented set of application programming interfaces for Windows. But on non-microsoft platforms, ImageSilo provides a weaker set of capabilities. The ImageSilo Tools utility offers out-of-the-box integration with Office applications, adding a one-click button onto Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook toolbars, and 9

10 extending Windows Explorer with support for a right-click menu option for Send to PaperVision. Also included are print drivers (for black-and-white as well as color) to print directly into an ImageSilo project from most Windows applications. A nifty feature that the company calls integration definitions provides a small desktop agent that can scrape data from any standard Windows application based on a set of parameters, then kick off a query using that data in ImageSilo. For example, it could identify a customer account number in a third-party customer relationship management application (acting on a user s command to execute the search) and then pull up that customer s past orders stored in ImageSilo. The feature provides a simple way to connect into legacy apps, without the need for any coding. With integration definitions, ImageSilo can use data culled from any Windows application to invoke a document search. But ImageSilo looks out through a Windows-centric lens. The system s document viewer, advanced administrator controls and workflow manager plug-ins work only with Internet Explorer and Windows XP or later they re not compatible with Firefox browsers, and there aren t versions for Mac clients. Using Firefox or a Mac, users can import, scan, search and update fields on documents, and perform some administration tasks, but they re not full-featured. On the back-end, it s largely a Microsoft story as well. ImageSilo provides integration with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server to be able to use the ImageSilo document management and workflow functionality directly from within a SharePoint portal. 10

11 For other applications, Digitech uses Web services furnished through the Microsoft.NET Framework to provide cross-platform compatibility. For advanced developers, ImageSilo includes COM-based APIs that support both local and remote communications without requiring modification to code. The product s source code is available for both browser-based and desktop client applications to render a customized user interface. In addition, Digitech says its ActiveX controls for ImageSilo can be embedded into third-party applications. Security ImageSilo s security measures are stellar, dotting the I s and crossing the T s to satisfy all but the most paranoid information-security officer of the security and integrity of sensitive company data. The solution provides five different levels of security: system/user security, data security, transmission security, application security and physical security. System/user security: Administrators start by defining Entity-level security parameters, which are applied company-wide. Below that, project-level security assigns functionality-based rights and restricts access to create retention locks and set destruction dates. Document-level security allows for more specific security settings down to the individual document. User and group settings allow individual rights to be granted or denied (such as printing, ing, exporting and deleting), and the system s index-level security controls users ability to view and/or edit document index fields. ImageSilo provides four primary user roles to ensure segregation of duties (individual users can be assigned multiple roles): Users, who by default have no rights until an administrator explicitly grants them access to projects or functionality; Global administrators, who can control every aspect of configuration but do not have permission to access documents in a project; System administrators, who have management rights to a single entity and have access to all functionality in all projects for that entity but cannot assign the entity's data group, full-text, migration and batch paths; and Workflow administrators (if the PaperVision Enterprise WorkFlow option is activated), who are allowed to design and configure workflows within an entity, but they have no access to documents or functions in any projects unless a system administrator explicitly grants them access. Security-policy administration tools include account lockouts (after a preset number of failed login attempts), password complexity requirements, password expiration and session-timeout settings. In addition, a system administrator can limit logins from a limited range of IP addresses. 11

12 ImageSilo s strong security features include advanced password controls. ImageSilo automatically logs every user activity as it occurs, providing an extensive audit trail of document access (though this can be turned off). Beyond that, administrators can apply enhanced auditing settings to an individual project, to require users to enter disclosure reasons and recipients when a document is exported or printed. The system does not have a dedicated redaction tool per se, but it does provide a redaction-like capability through the annotation function. Users would simply select a black (or white) rectangle to obscure the desired portion of the document a bit clunky, but workable. To ensure redactions are not visible to or removed by other users, ImageSilo has a Force Annotations On security setting, which can be applied to projects, groups or users. Data security: ImageSilo provides 256-bit AES data encryption for stored data. The system s data segregation separates database and document file data, to ensure that one company or department cannot access another s data. According to Digitech, all systems are maintained on a closed network that allows no outbound connectivity. Transmission security: All network communications are encrypted with the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) standard, using 256-bit AES encryption, and session IDs are encrypted to ensure that they cannot be guessed to hijack a session. Application security: Function-level security verification is performed for every API call made to ImageSilo. ImageSilo lets admins set policies for records retention (which means a document cannot be deleted prior to a certain date) or destruction. Destruction policies can require a document to be reviewed prior to its deletion by triggering an to a user or group. 12

13 Physical security: Digitech hosts ImageSilo from two redundant data-center locations in the U.S. Citing security reasons, the company does not publicly disclose the exact sites or the identity of its two co-location partners. However, Digitech will provide those details to interested customers and resellers that sign a nondisclosure agreement. Physical access to the data centers is limited to personnel with proper clearance and photo ID. Digitech says its administrators and engineers are subject to background checks. Each ImageSilo facility has connections to multiple tier-one Internet service providers and are equipped with fault-tolerant features such as on-site diesel generators for backup power, according to Digitech. Company Profile Vendor: Digitech Systems Inc.; Greenwood Village, CO Phone: or Web: Status: Privately held Reseller Support and Training Digitech Systems does not require any formal technical training or certification for resellers to offer the product. A primary reason, according to the company, is that because it s a hosted solution there s no need for a reseller to know how to install or configure the system or the underlying SQL database server it s already online and ready to go. Given ImageSilo s relatively straightforward administration tools, an IT professional versed in ECM concepts should be able to get a handle on the system without the need for extensive training. However, for reseller partners that want a deeper dive, Digitech does provide inperson and Web-based training courses for resellers on PaperVision Enterprise, the software that powers the ImageSilo service. The company offers at least one 13

14 weeklong PaperVision Enterprise technical training class every 90 days (for $2,750 per person), at its headquarters facility in Greenwood Village, CO. All training sessions are designed to help partners become familiar with the product so that they can match an end-customer s need to the product s capabilities. The company s technical-support hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time. Support is available via phone and . Digitech claims calls are answered by a support representative within 15 seconds; when Buyers Lab called on two occasions recently, a rep picked up in less than 10 seconds both times. According to the company, its support department resolves 87% of the issues resellers or customers submit on the same day. Also worth mentioning: Digitech provides 15 case studies about ImageSilo implementations on its website in addition to several dozen others about its other products. Several of the ImageSilo case studies break down return on investment estimates for specific projects, which can serve as useful benchmarks for other prospective customers. Customer Support and Training ImageSilo resellers typically have their own support contracts with their customers. However, Digitech provides free, unlimited support for any end-user customer, as long as they are authorized with the appropriate security access for their company. That s a perk both clients and their reseller partners will appreciate. The same hours of operation (weekdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.) apply to end-user tech support. Digitech does not provide a searchable list of its reseller partners. Prospective ImageSilo customers must contact the company s sales department to obtain a referral to a local reseller; Digitech promises a response within 48 business hours. Documentation ImageSilo s primary source of documentation is an in-program help file a compact collection of information that will likely address the most common questions of both administrators and users. Clicking on the help question-mark icon (in the expected upper right-hand corner) pulls up the context-based help associated with the current task. Essential topics are well covered, limited to providing practical answers for accomplishing common tasks. The online help section lets users browse the table of contents, search by keyword and access help topics arranged in an alphabetical index. There s also a glossary for quickly looking up terms that provides concise definitions. A bit confusingly, though, the help file refers to the 14

15 product throughout as PaperVision Enterprise (the on-premise version) rather than ImageSilo. For a more comprehensive reference manual, Digitech Systems also provides a 133-page PDF of the PaperVision Enterprise User Guide, as ImageSilo provides all the same functions as the on-premises counterpart. The guide available from within the ImageSilo client under the downloads tab is well-written and logically organized, and includes an index. It clearly explains the organizing principles that underpin ImageSilo and offers step-by-step information with helpful screenshots showing how to perform specific tasks in the system (such as executing searches). ImageSilo also offers an administrator s guide to resellers, as well as to customers that request it. According to the company, reseller partners often create their own custom getting started or quick reference guides for customers, tailored to the specific projects and/or workflows they ve designed. The company s searchable knowledge base offers access to an archive of about 400 articles on various products; however, only 13 pertain specifically to ImageSilo. Global Business Readiness Digitech s resellers span the globe, with most customers located in North America and Europe. The company has two offices, in Colorado and Nebraska, and partners with a leading third-party hosting company to house the redundant ImageSilo servers in several locations to keep customer data secure and always available. ImageSilo provides out-of-the-box application support and documentation only in English. The current release added support for other languages within the product's front-end; using ImageSilo s open APIs, resellers are able to create customized, Web-based applications in any language (and with any look and feel) that a customer requires. Upgrade Path ImageSilo customers are automatically upgraded for no additional charge whenever the company releases a new version of PaperVision Enterprise. Because it s a hosted solution, neither resellers nor their customers have to worry about reinstalling the application, applying patches, or reconfiguring their SQL servers. According to Digitech Systems, the company constantly monitors market needs to determine which features to add to the product. 15