Adobe Document Cloud offers mobile-friendly cloud-based document management

Source: Adobe

Adobe aims to change the way the world works with documents with the announcement of the Adobe Document Cloud. It consists of a set of integrated services that use a consistent online profile and personal document hub, allowing users to create, review, approve, sign and track documents on different devices. 

“People and businesses are stuck in document-based processes that are slow, wasteful, and fragmented. While most forms of content have successfully made the move to digital, like books, movies and music, documents and the process of wor.king with them have not, and that needs to change,” said Bryan Lamkin, Senior VP of technology and corporate development at Adobe. “Adobe Document Cloud will revolutionise and simplify how people get work done with critical documents.”

Source: Adobe. The
Fill & Sign app in action.

Paul Robson, President, Adobe Asia Pacific, said the arrival of Adobe Document Cloud would empower businesses in the region.“For Asia Pacific (APAC), Document Cloud answers a need that is common to developed as well as emerging markets, and that’s our ability to address the ‘document disconnect’ – the slow, burdensome processes that slow business down,” Robson said. 

“Research shows the level of frustration people have with documents – the paperless office has been promised for years, but is still not a reality. In APAC we have businesses operating in highly competitive, fast–moving sectors. Being able to cut through the pain of handling documents will have a major impact on productivity and efficiency, not to mention making people happier at work.”

A study conducted by Adobe titled Paper Jam: Why Documents are Dragging Us Down, has found that 83% of workers feel their success and ability to be productive at work are slowed down by outdated ways of working with documents, and 61% said they would consider changing jobs solely for the sake of dramatically less paperwork.

“It’s a problem that businesses can no longer afford to ignore,” said Robson. “Lost electronic information and documents was another frustration, with 70% of workers who lost information saying hard drive failures had consumed vital work. At the same time, while relatively few documents are currently stored in the cloud, 65% of people agreed it was important to have access from anywhere to vital information at work.”

According to a recent survey by IDC*, disconnected document processes are pervasive and negatively impact all areas of business. More than 80% of document work is still not digital, with documents often making one or more transitions into and out of paper, especially when signatures are involved. Each time that happens, valuable time is lost. In addition, workers are spending more than one-third of their time on administrative process instead of core work. 

“Our study shows that organisations of all kinds are suffering from what we call the ‘document disconnect’,” said Melissa Webster, Program Vice President, Content and Digital Media Technologies, IDC. “[It] afflicts organisations of all sizes in all industries around the world. It results in significant delays and errors across critical business functions such as sales. Adobe Document Cloud eSign services (formerly Adobe EchoSign) will be included with every subscription of Acrobat DC, which is part of both Document Cloud and Adobe Creative Cloud. Now you can electronically send and sign any document from any device."

According to the IDC survey, business leaders have estimated that the potential benefits of addressing the ‘document disconnect’ would increase revenue by 36%, reduce costs by 30% while reducing compliance risks by 23%. 

Adobe Document Cloud will include:

· The touch-enabled Acrobat DC, which uses Photoshop imaging technology to convert any paper document into a digital, editable file that can be sent for signature. 

· Document management and control
Services such as Send & Track let users manage, track and control documents. With intelligent tracking, users gain visibility into where critical documents are along their process, including who has opened them and when. Control features also help to protect sensitive information, both inside and outside the firewall, for business or personal use.

· Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Document Cloud will allow creatives to work with PDFs anywhere, and add e-signing capabilities and the ability to synch with Creative Cloud. Adobe Creative Cloud customers will have access to Document Cloud through Acrobat DC, which will be included with a membership to Creative Cloud. 

· Mobile Link and new mobile apps
Users can access their work as they move between desktop and devices with the Mobile Link feature. Two new mobile apps, Acrobat Mobile and Fill & Sign, allow users to create, edit, comment and sign documents directly on their mobile phones and tablets. The camera on devices can be used as a portable scanner to convert any paper documents to digital, editable files that can be sent for signatures, contracting and quoting, procurement, talent acquisition, and onboarding. 

Adobe has also packaged Document Cloud for the enterprise, with specific vertical solutions for industries such as healthcare, insurance, financial services, media and entertainment, government, schools and universities. Horizontal solutions include those for workforce productivity, sales acceleration, HR efficiency, and procurement contracting will be available. 

Adobe Document Cloud and Acrobat DC are expected to be available within 30 days. Subscribers to Acrobat (US$14.99 a month) will automatically receive new Acrobat DC and the Document Cloud as soon as it is available. Acrobat DC will be sold as both a subscription and a perpetual license upon availability. 

*IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Adobe, The Document Disconnect, March 2015.