Features
Deploy with Sentry File's Web-Based Interface
Advent eDocs's 100% Web-Based graphical user interface means that deployment across your organization is easy. This means fewer steps for your IT staff, and a smoother implementation.
Automate Your Business Processes Using Advanced Workflows
Advent eDocs' Enterprise Edition features advanced Workflow capabilities that allow you to route documents throughout your organization while maintaining the ability to track their progress and subscribe to email notifications on their status.
Automated Document Capture with ZoneOCR, Barcode and Database Lookup Capabilities
Advent eDocs' AutoCapture feature allows completely automated document capture for your business documents. Utilize the highly accurate Barcode and ZoneOCR capabilities capture information from your documents automatically. Populate index fields by performing database lookups against existing data repositories.
Easy Management With Ultra Intuitive Graphical User Interface
You don't need to be an experienced system administrator to manage this software. Advent eDocs was designed to be managed by non-technical users. Our Graphical User Interface makes it easy to perform administrative tasks, and our extensive use of Wizards guide you through each step of the management process.
Leverage The Power of Microsoft IIS
Advent eDocs is built upon the enterprise class Microsoft Internet Information Server. IIS is a stable and proven platform for web-based applications. Advent eDocs is written in the Microsoft .Net platform, the preferred enterprise platform for web applications because of it's its flexibility and reliability.
Heavy Duty Full-Text Search Engine
Advent eDocs uses Microsoft Index Server as its full-text search engine. Advent eDocs implements advanced Fuzzy Logic search technologies to provide accurate search results across virtually all document types.
Advanced Full-Text and Zone OCR Technology
Locate highly relevant documents by searching on their contents. Advent eDocs can Full-Text OCR documents to create text searchable documents. Zone OCR can virtually eliminate the need to type index field information.
Convert Scanned Documents to PDF Format
Advent eDocscan convert your scanned documents to industry standard Acrobat PDF format. This offers peace of mind that your documents will be available to you in a non-proprietary industry recognized format.
Web Based
Familiar environment for most users, very little training required. Can be accessed/administered anywhere in the world or restricted to your local network.
Per Server Licensing:
No limitations on the number of users that can access the system. No limitations on the number of documents/cabinets.
Supports All File Types:
Files of any format can be uploaded and stored to the system. This includes Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Audio, Video – any format!
Personal Bookshelf:
Allows users to store frequently referenced documents quickly and easily from their homepage.
Advanced Query Interface:
Returns extremely relevant search results because concise searches can be formulated.
Saved Searches:
Allows the user to save frequently performed searches so that they can be quickly accessed in the future.
Full Text Search:
Search for documents based on the text contained within. Supported file types include Microsoft Office Documents, HTML, plain text and OCR’d PDF. Intelligent fuzzy logic search technology.
Cross Cabinet Searches:
Search for documents across any number of cabinets. Search your entire document library instantly.
Annotations:
Annotate any record within the system to contain up-to-the-minute information about a record which does not necessarily apply to the defined index fields.
Twain Support:
Supports Twain-compatible scanners. Currently the largest image acquisition standard.
Scan-To-Email Support:
Use your “Scan-To-Email” compatible devices to send document into SentryFile.
Scan-To-FTP Support:
Scan directly to user inboxes from your “Scan-To-FTP” compatible devices.
Scan-To-Folder Support:
Scan directly to user inboxes from your “Scan-To-Folder” compatible devices.
Despeckle:
Removes faint imperfections (dots) from scanned documents.
Deskew:
Straightens crooked scanned pages.
Page Rotation:
Allows scanned images to be rotated to correct for errors incurred in the scanning process.
Full-Text OCR:
Allows scanned documents to be OCR’d (Optical Character Recognition) so that they may be retrieved by searching on the words within the documents.
Zone OCR:
Build indexes by recognizing key information within your documents.
Document Management
It is estimated that 80% of all business information is stored solely on paper. This part of the modern office has never changed. Paper documents are still filed away in traditional filing cabinets. Retrieving these documents can be an aggravating experience. Often documents are lost or misplaced. There is rarely a backup of this data. A disaster could easily destroy 80% of a business's proprietary data.
This is what document management is designed to improve. Document management is the process of digitizing your paper documents into a searchable online library of information.
The document management process integrates a number of technologies to create, store and manage your digital documents library. Computers are used to store and retrieve the documents and scanners are used to digitize your paper into electronic format. Computer networks allow access to your digital documents from remote locations, whether these locations are across the office, or across the world.
Once your data has been digitized, you can easily create backup copies to store off-site. This ensures that your business will survive any disaster.
The document management process also offers massive productivity improvements for your staff. Documents don't become lost since there is no need to re-file. Also, since the documents are now electronic, they can be viewed by many people at once. No more hunting for files in the office.
Staff that work from remote locations can gain instant access to the documentation that they require. Just bring up the documents securely over the Internet, or your corporate virtual private network (VPN).
Advent eDocs is Unique
New generation of business software
Advent eDocs is pioneering a new generation of business software that offers unparalleled value by:
-
Minimizing the complexity of the software to ensure that staff require only minimal training.
-
Using only standards-based technologies to ensure that your data is always accessible no matter how future technologies change.
-
Reducing the client workstation requirements to ensure that you extend the lifespan of your current technology investment.
-
Simplified "server-based" licensing ensures that as your organizations grows you won't incur additional software costs.
These concepts will ensure that Advent eDocs offers the lowest total cost of ownership of any software package your organization uses.
Minimized complexity
Advent eDocs is designed to be "as easy as possible". This concept means each user, based on their rights profile, is only displayed interface items for features that they require. This keeps the interface clean from any items that are not required and can be customized on a user or group level.
Standards-based technologies
Advent eDocs is a completely non-proprietary system. This means that the application conforms to industry standards. This is crucial for businesses in the new economy. Information must be accessible no matter how future technologies change. With Advent eDocs, rest assured that your data is always YOUR data.
Reduced workstation requirements
Advent eDocs requires no additional software to be installed on your staff workstations. We use the existing software that you already have such as your Web Browser and your PDF Viewer. This lessens the stress on your existing technology and extends its lifespan.
Server-based licensing
Typically, software is licensed on a per-user or client basis. This means that each person that uses the software requires a separate license. Advent eDocs however is sold on a per-server basis. You can install Advent eDocs on one computer in your organization and allow virtually unlimited number of users to connect from their workstations. No additional licenses are required.
Workflow
Advent eDocs includes workflow capabilities that allow documents to be routed through defined business processes while maintaining visibility into their status and progress. Workflows can be used to support review, approval, and exception-handling scenarios across an organization.
Each workflow is made up of configurable conditions that determine when a document enters a workflow, along with one or more processing steps that define how the document is handled. These steps may involve user actions such as review, approval, or rejection, and can be arranged to reflect real-world business processes.
Workflows can be tailored to specific document types, users, or index criteria, allowing organizations to control how documents move through the system. Notifications and system alerts help keep users informed as documents progress, ensuring timely action and accountability throughout the process.
Workflow functionality is available in applicable editions and is intended to provide structured document handling and process visibility without requiring manual tracking.
Capture Automation
Advent eDocs has Automated Document Capture with ZoneOCR, Barcode and Database Lookup Capabilities built-in. Our AutoCapture feature allows completely automated document capture for your business documents. It utilizes the highly accurate Barcode and ZoneOCR capabilities capture information from your documents automatically. You can populate index fields by performing database lookups against existing data repositories.
Technical Explaination
Software platform
Advent eDocs is a web-based document system written as a set of .Net Active Server Pages (ASP.net). The software runs on Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS). IIS is included with Windows. The Microsoft Index Server provides full-text searching capabilities. This software is also included with Windows.
Client computers access the system using Microsoft Internet Explorer. If your client PC's already have Internet Explorer installed, there is no requirement to install additional client software. Simply provide your staff with a URL that points to your Advent eDocs server. All client workstations can scan documents to the system directly through Internet Explorer with an ActiveX control. This control provides imaging and Twain capabilities that would normally not be available in a web application.
Users, Groups and Integration
Advent eDocs can authenticate users in numerous ways. The system allows for authentication against a Advent eDocs internal user list, Windows Active Directory, POP/IMAP mail servers, FTP Servers, or another Advent eDocs Server. The flexibility of our authentication module gives you the ability to ensure that "lost passwords" are a thing of the past.
Document Types / Data Storage
Documents that are uploaded to the system are stored in their native format as flat files within the file system. They are not encapsulated within a database. All index data entered is stored in a Microsoft SQL Server Database. If you don't own Microsoft SQL Server we include a copy of the Free SQL Server Express Edition. All data within the database is left in its natural state (no encoding of the data values).
Tiff documents that are uploaded to the system are auto-converted to PDF format. Scanned document can also be recognized by our integrated Optical Character Recognition (OCR) engine. This will allow you to full-text search for documents that have been scanned and OCR'd.
Full-Text Search
Microsoft Index Server provides full-text search. Index Server works in the background with little or no administrative interaction required. Essentially, Index Server "watches" all documents within Advent eDocs. When new documents arrive they are indexed for full-text searching. Natively supported formats are all Microsoft Office Formats such as Word (DOC/DOCX), Excel (XLS/XLSX), and PowerPoint (PPT/PPTX) etc. Other file types can be supported by installing appropriate IFilters. IFilters are typically provided by third parties free of charge. For instance, Adobe provides a free IFilter for indexing PDF documents with Index Server (We include the PDF iFilter with Advent eDocs). IFilters are available for a wide range of other products including Corel WordPerfect, XML, MP3 and more.
Backups
Advent eDocs can integrate within almost any backup system. Advent eDocs resides within a folder typically called "c:\inetpub\wwwroot\sentryfile" or similar. To backup the system simply includes the installation folder within your backup regimen. Many current customers use technologies such as Tape backups, DVD backups, Network Attached Storage (NAS) and removable hard disk technologies to achieve their backup requirements.
Internet Connectivity
Your Advent eDocs installation can be made available on the Internet if you choose. Many of our clients prefer to have their installation only available on their private LAN. Making your Advent eDocs installation available over the Internet requires a full-time dedicated Internet Connection. After this, it is necessary to ensure that the IP address is available through any firewalls or gateways installed within your organization.Advent eDocs supports secure 128-bit encrypted connections, commonly used in e-commerce and online banking applications. In order to achieve this it is necessary to install a digital certificate within IIS, they can be purchased through companies such as Verisign, or you can generate one yourself.
