Ascent Capture Internet Server

Many organizations rely on document-driven business processes that originate at a remote location but must be completed elsewhere. The Ascent Capture Internet Server® 7.0 (ACI Server) is a proven, reliable method for accelerating and reducing the cost of these remote business processes. ACI Server is an optional module in the Ascent family that enables you to capture documents and data from your organization's remote offices directly into your central Ascent system.

• Typical ACI Server installation
• Remote capture versus the alternatives
• Benefits of remote capture
• Return on investment
• Central control
• Flexible workflow
• Internet-based setup for remote sites

Typical ACI Server installation

In a typical ACI Server installation, each remote site is equipped with a standard Ascent Capture scan station for imaging batches of documents. Additional Ascent workstations can be included for data extraction, indexing or even validation.

When the scanned batches are completed, they are transmitted to the central ACI Server over a corporate network or even the Internet, and then routed to the next appropriate Ascent Capture station. The inbound documents can be processed through additional queues such as advanced forms processing or additional validation. Finally, the images and data are delivered into any of nearly 100 content management, database or line-of-business systems.

Remote capture versus the alternatives

Previously, organizations with remote document-driven processes had to either ship their paper documents to a central site for scanning, scan the documents to CD, or rely on low-quality faxes. A custom-built application was sometimes an alternative, but was both costly and time-consuming to develop and maintain.

Compared to these methods, Ascent Capture Internet Server is a compelling alternative for the remote capture of business documents, providing all of the following benefits:

Benefits of remote capture

• Low ongoing cost due to the use of standard Internet connections and inexpensive remote licenses of Ascent Capture.
• Better document integrity because paper documents never leave the originating office and can never be lost in transit.
• Easy installation, since remote stations use standard licenses of Ascent Capture and all configuration is controlled centrally – not at the remote sites.
• Fast access to data, since scanned images can be transmitted to the central site in real time and then delivered into your business systems for immediate retrieval.
• Increased security because documents are never handled by personnel outside the local site

Return on investment

Compared to shipping documents via overnight delivery, ACI Server has a return on investment measured in months. The total cost of each remote site is low, since all that’s required is a low-volume scanner (if scanning), a remote license of Ascent Capture, and an Internet connection.

Central Control

ACI Server allows the administrator at the central site to keep tight control of all configuration settings. When configuration changes are made at the central site, they are automatically downloaded to all remote sites, ensuring that they are always synchronized. This also prevents configuration errors by workers at the remote sites who do not have the expertise (or desire) to manage a document capture system.

At the central site, ACI Server runs on Windows 2000 Server with Microsoft IIS. Remote workstations can run Windows 2000 or Windows XP with Internet Explorer 6. Encryption is provided by Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), which is available in either a 40-bit or 128-bit configuration, depending on your location.

Flexible workflow

The central administrator can choose exactly how much work is done at the remote sites. Batches can be sent to any Ascent Capture site at any point in the workflow except release.

Internet-based setup for remote sites

All remote Ascent configuration is controlled by the central Ascent administrator. This prevents remote operators from making changes that affect the processing of images at the central site. ACI Server also enables the central administrator to determine which queues are performed at various remote sites. Also, through remote setup, the central administrator can invoke the immediate transfer of completed batches of scanned images from the remote sites, or simply schedule a time for the batches to be transferred back to the central site.

If you'd like to find out more about Kofax products, please call us now on 01753 616720 or e-mail us with your particular requirements.