Document Management

In today’s society everyone strives to become the boss whether it’s the manager, president or CEO. People tend to discount the little people like the secretary, assistant and file clerk. These employees are essential for making sure every-day tasks are completed smoothly and efficiently, yet businesses insist on making life harder for them by keeping with a paper-based office.

Take for example a department assistant at a state university. He or she organizes everything from adjunct teacher files, instructor contracts, course schedules, money orders and background checks. For each type of document there are separate filing storage cabinets.

Also take into consideration the issue of employee manuals. Every task required for a job is provided in the inconvenient form of a 4-inch binder categorized haphazardly in a conglomerate of miscellaneous information. continue reading...

When you have one or more groups in an enterprise, utilizing a document management system will provide storage, easy access and control of large information caches.

As workgroups grow larger, the data in the system continues to grow with it. In document management systems, different sets of data are stored in different styles and fonts. Document management solution companies work on systems so anyone within a workgroup can access information.

Good document management software is judged by the accuracy, simplicity and availability of the information access methods. Most systems have a login that will not allow people without proper authentication to view the data. If the data is stolen, the system should be able to restore the lost document without losing format or information. continue reading...

New color multifunction systems allow businesses to create color documents quickly and cost-effectively.  These systems print, copy and scan in brilliant color, equipping you with the tools to create, duplicate, and store your creations.

Make sure you’re staying ahead of the curve by investing in a color-enabled MFP.  Enjoy the same function and added benefit of professional color for about the same investment as a black-and-white system. Compared to ink jet or laser printers, a color-enabled MFP allows you to print, copy, and scan in full color at faster speeds for a fraction of the cost. Digital copiers also produce high-resolution copies with more clarity and detail than analog copiers. continue reading...

By Jamie Bsales, Associate Editor, October 9, 2009

At the Canon Integrated Solutions Showcase held last month in Las Vegas, attendees got a sneak peek at the first imageRUNNER ADVANCE models—products Canon executives characterized as the company’s most important introductions since the original imageRUNNER line debuted 10 years ago. True to the “Integrated Solutions” phrase in the name of the event, the imageRUNNER ADVANCE series is about more than improved hardware: The line brings with it a spate of new or enhanced software offerings that put the machines at the center of a company’s workflow.

More Than MEAP

As expected, all of the announced and upcoming models in the imageRUNNER ADVANCE series support MEAP, Canon’s platform for running a host of embedded applications directly from the control panel of a compatible device. Less expected was the announcement of particular SKUs, called Solution Models, that include a trio of productivity-enhancing workflow software called Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE Essentials (customers can still order base model SKUs that don’t include the software). That suite is made up of imageRUNNER ADVANCE Desktop, a PC-resident application for accessing and working with files stored on the device's hard drive from a networked desktop PC; an updated version of Canon’s Workflow Composer, which lets administrators create custom workflows and push them out to the devices as one-touch control-panel buttons; and imageRUNNER ADVANCE Tracker, a tool that lets users track device use by user or by function.

“With imageRUNNER ADVANCE, Canon is making knowledge workers more productive in the day-to-day work they have to get done,” said Dennis Amorosano, senior director, Solutions Marketing and Business Support. “People are the most important element of an organization, and these tools allow them to focus on more strategic tasks for the business, rather than on trying to get the technology to work.” continue reading...

I was recently browsing the internet when I came across a website claiming it could tell me exactly how much my life was worth as a human being.  Intrigued, I filled out a survey that asked questions about my physical, mental, lifestyle and personality factors.  Once completed it broke down every aspect of my answers and gave me an exact number of my life’s worth—$2,327,896 to be exact. 

I began wondering, if there is a method to determine something as intangible as the price of a human life, certainly any other object could be also be weighed and measured.  Businesses everywhere know the value of a document, but how much is it really worth?  While the question remains of why researchers would find interest in determining the life worth of a piece of paper, I did find an answer.  Research has shown that over a document’s lifetime the cost of handling, storing and shipping a single paper document can easily reach up to $30.

First, there is the cost of the paper itself, just a few cents to begin with, but we’re only getting started.  Then there is the cost of storage.  This can include anything from file folders, file cabinets and storage boxes to the extra office storage space you have to rent. continue reading...

By Jamie Bsales, Associate Editor, October 1, 2009

The first wave of MFPs in the new imageRUNNER ADVANCE series was introduced at the Canon Integrated Solutions Showcase 2009 in Las Vegas recently. The more than 1,500 dealers, customers and partners who gathered for the two-day event got to see eight of these models in action on the show floor, along with new or updated companion software and services offerings from Canon, eCopy, Adobe and others.

“This is the most important product launch for us since the introduction of the original imageRUNNER 10 years ago,” said Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager of the Imaging Systems Group at Canon U.S.A. “The imageRUNNER ADVANCE series has been completely redesigned from the ground up.” The company is touting the new series as an integrated document platform that seamlessly blends hardware, software and services to advance today’s business environments.

New Design Inside And Out

Hiro Imamura, senior director of product marketing at Canon U.S.A., echoed that sentiment, calling the imageRUNNER ADVANCE family a “clean-sheet design” with a new look on the outside and a new architecture within. The company has rounded the edges of the chassis and used a warmer beige tone to make the new MFPs look less industrial. More importantly, the new MFPs feature larger touch screens than previous Canon devices—8.4 inches or 10.4 inches, depending on the model—and those screens are more user-friendly SVGA full-color panels. Canon also took the opportunity to redesign the touch screen’s user interface, delivering a customizable UI with larger buttons to help define and simplify specific workflows. The new panel also features a Main Menu key to easily access primary functions, plus a customizable Quick Menu key that can bring one-touch workflows and frequently used jobs or functions to the surface. continue reading...

When one thinks about threats to organizational security, the words hackers and computer viruses come to mind. In this world of network attacks, printers, copiers and fax machines are easy to overlook. These systems can store trade secrets, financial and medical information, and valuable information like customer lists or pricing schedules. Loss of this information could be devastating.

The good news is that there are practical steps you can take to improve the security of your printers and copiers.

1. Track Printing Access

Output tracking technologies can keep a record of which documents are printed. You can access the printing logs to see what documents an employee has printed. Your staff will know that the company is monitoring information security thus creating an environment where employees are hesitant to steal information through the printer.

2. Encrypt Hard Drives on Multifunction Systems

When you scan a document on a multifunction system the scanned image is stored on the device’s hard drive before it is sent off to an email address or network folder location. New security technologies can encrypt documents on the multifunction system’s hard drive and make sure files are erased after they have been transmitted. continue reading...

Are you looking for ways to improve and streamline your business processes? A great place to start is to evaluate your current business practices.

A business process is a structured series of steps that produces a repeated outcome. Accounts receivable—what happens from the time you generate an invoice until you get paid—is the most common business process. These paper and digital documents are the vehicles by which information flows through your business regardless of what industry you are in.

Technology will improve your business and streamline the flow of information to: continue reading...

• Increase Profits
• Enhance Competitive Advantage
• Improve Customer Service
• Ensure Regulatory Compliance

Who doesn't want to save time and money nowadays?  Well Marimon sees this as another opportunity to meet our customers' needs.  We offer Paperless Invoicing, which streamlines the invoicing process and reduces paper waste!

If you're interested in learning more or would like to sign up for Paperless Invoicing with Marimon, please contact our Account Coordinator Team Lead at 713-856-2046 or gogreen@marimoninc.com

For over thirty years we’ve been moving towards the lofty goal of the paperless office. But as the volume of computer data grows, so too does our paper usage.

Fortunately there seems to be a valid movement toward cutting back on our paper usage with Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS). This system allows you to scan all your paper documents to create a searchable and secure filing system.

There are several trends that are driving the rapid adoption of this technology:

· Low Costs of Electronic Storage. It is now possible to store 10 filing cabinets full of paper in one gigabyte of electronic storage.

· Familiarity with Computer Applications. Today, everyone is trained to be familiar with common computer applications. This means adoption time and training for new applications is minimal.

· High Speed Scanners and Multifunction Copiers. Documents can be scanned quickly and conveniently with sheet-fed scanners, available on most new digital office copiers. continue reading...