eFileCabinet - In the News

Document Management Expands Its Reach

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

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Not too long ago, there were not only separate applications for electronic tax filing, there were separate companies selling those products. A little further back, tax preparers had to pay separately for laser printing functionality for their tax software. So how much sense does it make to have separate applications with document management, workflow and client Internet portals when the use of documents is common to all the products?

That’s a bit of a soft-ball question for companies like CCH that tout the importance of product suites that they say provide that needed integration.

“The difference between the document management systems all comes down to integration,” says Brian Steinert, a CCH product manager. He says that’s already one advantage of ProSystem fx Document, part of the company’s suite of applications for the tax and accounting office. For users, “The key is if they have other products in the suite, they have integration with the Scan product, with Tax. They want integration to be two-way to and from Document. A lot of firms will receive files through the year from clients. They need a temporary holding place.“

Although there are elements of workflow that don’t involve document management, most discussion of workflow centers on the progress of documents through a firm. And clients looking for secure distribution of documents or that temporary holding place are better served if they have access to a portal, he reasons.

You may have drafts you want to send out to the client and you want to manage those versions and manage it through the document system,” Steinert continues.

In fact, it seems likely that all companies marketing document management system will more quickly to at least bundle, if not link the various applications in the document management chain.

“We see ourselves as an end-to-end data management company,” says Matt Peterson, CEO of Provo, Utah-based eFileCabinet. Before Peterson assumed his position at the company in 2008, it was solely focused on document management for accountants, he notes. But the company has expanded its marketing beyond the tax and accounting business, since it believes its technology is suited to a wider market.

And eFileCabinet has moved beyond a focus that is only on a document management product.

Early in 2008, the company added to its Web-based line an online backup offering and last week, it introduced SecureDrawer, a portal designed to provide an online repository for those documents. Peterson says it is almost impossible to separate the need for document security, in terms of disaster recovery and distribution, from the desire to capture the document data for collaboration.

At Intuit, there is some thought being given to bundling products, says John Catrett, system product manager for the Document Management System, an application that can be used with Intuit’s Lacerte and ProSeries tax packages. Intuit also has eSort, a scan-and-populate system for processing source documents.

“You can have a DMS system and not use eSort. But once you use the eSort scan-and-populate system it doesn’t make sense not to have a document management,” says Catrett. “At the end of the day, they are absolutely linked. Historically we have built single-source solutions. That’s changing. Our strategy is to provide productivity and in order to do that you have to tell a compelling story about how all these products fit together.”

Of course, work to improve DMS has continued. A set-up wizard that was more difficult to use than it should have been have been replaced with one that reduces the number of steps a new user needs to set up the system, including how clients are imported and providing a utility for setting up folders.

For using DMS and eSort together, Intuit this year also added an internal PDF viewer as part of DMS so that customers who don’t have the full Adobe Acrobat system can use the viewer for annotations and bookmarking.

For SmartVault, whose world revolved around Intuit products until recently, the issue is also about providing a place to store and share documents. It’s not just about having the accounting firm go paperless, but being able to share documents within the firm and between accountants and clients.

“We make it very easy for the accountant and clients to share data back and forth,” says CEO Eric Pulaski.

In February, the Houston, Texas-based company moved beyond the QuickBooks world with the introduction of SmartVault v. 3, which enables them to store documents from other systems by mapping a drive letter to SmartVault.

However, more than most applications in the tax and accounting office, document management triggers the need for training within the firm because it requires professionals to look at their workflow processes. Most of the companies providing these systems are offering some kind of training that goes beyond simply teaching them the mechanics of using the software and advances into workflow and best practices.

“What our training entails is advice for accountants on how to set up the process for working their clients,” says Pulaski. That includes encouraging the firms’ clients to utilize SmartVault and instructing them on “How do I explain to my client why they should get on SmartVault.” Those reasons are common to most Web-based document systems, including the ability to have secure distribution of documents along with the ability to collaborate with the accounting firm.

And for firms that offer bookkeeping services, “The client is pretty much always audit ready,” Pulaski says. “They have the documents associated with all the transactions.”

Like its rival CCH, Thomson Reuters offers desktop-based and Internet-based document management applications. The former is FileCabinet CS, which can provide Internet-based functions via the Virtual Office, and the latter is the native Internet application, GoFileRoom. Both products increasingly feature integration with other applications.

The economy has spurred accounting firms to look to document management and workflow systems in order to get around constraint on resources, notes Mike Herlihy, senior product director for Thomson’s GoFileRoom, the Enterprise Suite and the CS Professional Suite.

“I think the reason is last year’s focus on internal process and efficiency,” he says. And in terms of achieving those goals, he continues. “Document management system is at the heart of that.” Firms are seeking to improve work flow and gain access to documents that enables them to work more efficiently.

For GoFileRoom recent enhancements include the Controlled Panel, a module that provides integration with the desktop, enabling users to drag and drop email documents to the system without creating a profile. There also been a move to providing, greater personalization. Based on the profile, users have control over navigation.

“If you want to bypass the drawer structure and go into document search or into the Firm Flow application, you can do that with more personal control,” Herlihy says.
The most requested addition that has been made to FileCabinet CS is the ability to create drawer-specific subfolders for documents. But for the longer term, perhaps the most significant change has been the modification of FCS to run in Client Virtual Office, a new product that enables clients to post documents from Thomson’s Client Bookkeeping Solution directly or through a hosting program if they want to post QuickBooks documents.

CCH made its big-bang in the document management space last fall with the introduction of what it calls its next generation suite in the ProSystem line. The online version of Document hit the market with that move while the desktop version awaits a debut later this year. Steinert says the desktop version will get Windows 7 compatibility, along with search-and-filtering enhancements.

The SaaS version, he continues, provides that integration with the clients that many firms are seeking.

“With our new product, you can accept uploads from clients. It pulls them in and also notifies the appropriate person that the client has uploaded documents,” he says.

--Bob Scott, Executive Editor

eFileCabinet Takes DMS To Europe With Reseller Agreement

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0700

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A new reseller agreement between US-based eFileCabinet (news, site) and Belgium-based Aries Filing Systems will see the Utah document management software vendor moving into Europe. The deal will see Aries offering eFileCabinet software to its extensive European client base.

As it stands, that customer base is made up over 6000 companies in the private sector as well as a substantial foothold in the government sector, and will also give eFileCabinet access to markets in both Africa and the Middle East, which Aries is currently targeting.

eFileCabinet document management software and its online backup service, Concentsus, give users feature-rich solutions for document capture and management. With the launch of v4.0 of its DMS last February it added substantial security features for a range of industries (as these regulations can frequently be industry specific).

The agreement with Aries is not its first international reseller agreement since the company announced in November 2008 that it was going to take its VAR program abroad.

In April this year it entered a reseller partnership with Panama based Grupo Instrucontrol, which effectively moved eFileCabinet into in 17 Latin American countries including Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Panama.

That international expansion is central plank of its commercial strategy was underlined by the appointment of Craig Jensen as Vice President of Worldwide Sales in February and the appointment last year of a new CEO and president — Matt Peterson — who committed the company to cultivating new strategic partnerships. Interesting to see who will be next.

Featured Case Study: CPA Firm Waves Goodbye to Paper

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:35:00 -0600

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Case Study: CPA Firm Waves Goodbye to Paper

Electronic document management system eliminates the need for storing paper files
and improves customer service.

Tax season can be a stressful time for both business owners and their accountants. Paperwork
generally flies fast and furious in the weeks leading up to the April 15 deadline, and it can be difficult
for individual clients to get their last-minute questions answered. Not so at Hawkins Cloward & Simister
(HCS), a tax accounting firm in Orem, UT. “In the past, one of my savvier doctor clients would call me
one day to let me know he would call me back the following day for the answer to a specific question,”
says Eric Nuttall, certified public accountant (CPA) at HCS. “Now he calls me, and I have the answer for
him immediately. I don't have to go to the file room to fetch a file and then rifle through it for the answer.
I nearly always have his answer while he is still on the phone.” How is this possible? Eight years ago, the
firm deployed an electronic document management system that not only greatly reduced the need to
physically store paper files, but also made document retrieval a snap — saving employees and clients
valuable time.

ARE YOU OVERRUN WITH PAPER FILES?
HCS provides tax, audit, and advisory services to business clients and individuals in nine western states.
In business since 1951, the firm employs 65 people, serves more than 6,000 clients, and has annual
revenue of $6.5 million. When it came to document management, the firm was, in some ways, a victim
of its own success. Tax documents are stored for many years, and with HCS’ client base expanding,
the company was running out of places to store the thousands of returns generated each year. “We kept
records for too long, and we were out of file storage space,” says Nuttall. “In fact, we had built a shed in
our parking lot to accommodate additional storage.” In addition, administrative staff were frequently
searching the offices and the file cabinets for missing files. If a client needed a copy of a form or had
a question about their return, it could take hours or even days to respond. Nuttall, the partner that
oversees HCS’ IT plan and budget, spearheaded the search for an electronic document management
solution to solve the firm’s storage problems. Read full story

Today's Tip: The Case for Going Paperless

Fri, 08 May 2009 00:00:00 -0600

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Small businesses should consider taking a "paperless" page from President Barack Obama’s efforts to shift to electronic medical records. He states that a change to electronic medical records could help save families up to $2,500 a year in his first term. If businesses implemented such a change, they too could save money. Other benefits include:

• Eliminate constant trips to the filing cabinet for documents that can be accessed with a click.

• Protect documents from natural disasters such as fire, flood, earthquake, etc.

• Reclaim office space by reducing or eliminating the need for file cabinets.

• Improve customer service by being able to respond to requests from customers faster and more efficiently.

Organizations of all types are realizing that manual and paper-based processes for managing documents are inefficient and expensive. Embracing the "paperless office" concept is possible with today’s electronic document management systems.

Matt Peterson
CEO
eFileCabinet
Provo, Utah

Going Paperless Benefits Your Business

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0600

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Matt Peterson, CEO

Business as usual seems almost like an exercise in futility in these trying economic times, especially for smaller enterprises. To keep the fires burning hot, business owners find themselves rethinking all the old paradigms and looking at fundamentals in new ways.

With a slowing economy, companies are searching for ways to increase efficiencies and improve their bottom line at the same time. One action companies can take that can have lasting impact is a move towards a paperless office. This is even seen in the focus President Obama has given to the continued promotion of electronic medical records and paperless healthcare as part of the economic stimulus plan. In his inaugural speech, Obama pledged to leverage technology to raise healthcare quality and lower its costs. One of the main steps that can directly help this is to transition to a paperless environment in the medical field.

While on the top of President Obama’s list, healthcare isn’t the only industry that can benefit from the increased security, collaboration opportunities, and rapid access to records electronic document management technologies can deliver. In fact, any business that manages paper documents can enjoy similar benefits. The true cost of managing paper documents is often overlooked and can truly reveal that an electronic document management system can deliver hard ROI even in challenging economic times. For example, it’s been documented that the average office worker can spend upwards of 400 hours per year searching for misfiled or permanently lost paper documents. Most business owners would agree that this is time that could be much better spent in solidifying customer relationships and pursuing additional sales and business development opportunities. Managing paper is often one of the biggest obstacles businesses encounter in reducing operational costs, improving service, and increasing productivity. Implementing a paperless solution can save a company significant time, space, and money, with an eco-friendly approach.

PAPERLESS OFFICE: HOW DOES IT WORK?

One of the most direct ways to engage in a paperless office is to employ an electronic document management (EDM) system. These systems typically consist of document scanners and document imaging/management software and can enable an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and efficient workflow of electronic document images. EDM can deliver an integrated solution to proactively capture, manage, and protect your valuable business data.

The benefits of EDM are real and can be seen in the following areas:

Time — With EDM, files will not be lost or misplaced. Historical documents can be scanned, indexed, and stored on secure servers. New documents and files created electronically in Word, Excel, PDF, and email messages can be accessed with a click of the mouse by one or more individuals simultaneously. This is a much better option than walking across the office (or across town, in some cases) to a file cabinet.

Space — Valuable real estate used to house row upon row of file cabinets will be a thing of the past once all your paper documents are converted to electronic images using EDM. Office space, which is at a premium in many locations, can now be used for less clerical functions and more revenue-generating activities.

Security — With an EDM system, documents are stored in a central repository with rights management so access to documents is only granted with permission. This keeps vital company data from falling into the wrong hands.

Money — No longer will employees waste time looking for lost or misplaced files or incur the exorbitant cost to recreate permanently lost files. With EDM, electronic images can also be backed up in multiple locations to prevent electronic data from being lost and preserving your business in the event of a system failure or natural disaster.

Environment — Your business will reduce its carbon footprint (literally, in the case of toner). It will also reduce its paper consumption and eliminate the costs associated with paper processing, conserving valuable energy resources.

While it might not be feasible for your company to become completely paperless, it is well worth the effort to move to a more paper-less environment. EDM systems are now more affordable than ever for even the smallest of SMBs to deploy, and the benefits these systems can provide can be extremely welcome during these tough economic times.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt Peterson is currently the CEO of eFileCabinet, Inc., a provider of electronic document management and online backup products and services that are in use by more than 20,000 global users. eFileCabinet and its companion online backup service, Concentsus, deliver feature-rich solutions to capture, manage, and protect business-critical documents and data. Founded in 2001, the company is headquartered in Provo, UT, and can be reached at 877-574-5505 or www.efilecabinet.com and www.concentsus.com

Utah Pulse interviews eFileCabinet President & CEO, Matt Peterson

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0600

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Utah Pulse talks with Matt Peterson about the genesis of eFileCabinet, its products and services,
the company's phenomenal growth and how they are bucking the trend in a tough economy.

Local Technology Company Bounces into 2009 after Record Growth

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

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eFileCabinet was launched in 2001, after software developed to help James Blaylock’s accounting firm became increasingly popular. Blaylock just wanted something that would keep his records stored digitally — saving him cabinet space and management costs.

Now the company is a national leader in digital document storage and is growing all the time. In fact, from 2007 to 2008, the company grew 39 percent. And last quarter, the company had its best quarter ever. The company also launched a new channel program and a major product upgrade. Now that’s some good news.
The company expects no slow down in 2009. Company officials expect to expand its staff, channel program and office space — all while saving clients space in their own offices.

eFileCabinet Named 2009 Digital IQ Awards Finalist

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Click logo to read profile in Utah Business Magazine

Utah Business and Wasatch Digital iQ are pleased to announce the finalists of the 2009 IQ Awards, the second annual innovation recognition program that highlights some of the most exciting and innovative products, processes and procedures coming out of Utah’s bright minds.

This year, 30 exceptional companies were selected as finalists in nine categories, recognizing the most innovative as well as creative ideas and solutions in technology. These tech-savvy businesses are pioneering a space in their industries – or creating a whole new one. Join us in saluting the innovations that will change the way the world lives, thinks and works.

The finalists will be featured in the February 2009 issue of the magazine and the winners will be announced at a luncheon sponsored by Utah Business on January 28. Thirty companies in ten categories have been recognized as finalists for the 2008 Awards. Ten awards recipients, one in each category, will be announced at the awards luncheon and ceremony on January 28, 2009.

Today's Tip: How to Get Back Up When Data Goes Down

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0700

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Small businesses are the lifeblood of this economy. The amount of time, money, and resources small business owners invest in their ventures to make them successful is incalculable. What is calculable is the fact that when man-made or natural disasters strike, companies that are not able to resume operations within 10 days are not likely to survive.

In an emergency situation, the first priority is always the safety and well-being of employees. Beyond the plans to protect human life, a growing number of small business owners are moving their disaster recovery strategies off the back burner and taking another look at protecting their data assets.

Experts agree that the best strategies include an online backup solution. For small businesses to protect data assets, it is important that the solution include the following:

• In case of fire, flood or other disaster, off-site data storage is a must.
• At least 128-SSL bit encryption should be employed to protect your critical data during transit.
• One of the problems with manual updates is that people forget. With automated, scheduled backups, there is no forgetting.

For small business owners, being prepared with the right resources to guard against data loss can mean the difference between staying down and staying in business after a disaster.

Matt Peterson
CEO
eFileCabinet
Provo, Utah

Electronic Document Management Suite

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0700

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Version 4.0 Features Enhanced Functionality, Security and Regulatory Compliance Tools

eFileCabinet, Inc. a global provider of electronic document management and online data backup solutions today announced the availability of eFileCabinet v4.0. A major technology upgrade, the new version is designed to effectively address the stringent demands of business security protocols and regulatory compliance.

Version 4.0 delivers an enhanced feature set that includes permission based groups, audit tracking, check-in check-out system and file encryption – all critical tools in meeting and achieving compliance with regulatory statutes such as HIPAA, SEC and FINRA.

“The changes made to version 4.0 represent the most significant enhancements to a single release in the company’s history,” said Matt Peterson, president and CEO of eFileCabinet. “We focused strongly on our customers’ needs and our commitment to develop solutions that increase their productivity. It was very important for us to not only revitalize the look and feel of eFileCabinet, but to also deliver advanced security and user-friendly functionality based largely on customer feedback. We’re confident this will translate into the ability of our more than 20,000 global users to work quicker, smarter and more efficiently than ever before.”

Version 4.0 highlights include:
•    Advanced file encryption that increases security and meets the demands of regulatory compliance including HIPAA, SEC and FINRA.
•    Embedded PDF viewer and available PDF editor to view and save files.
•    Available Optical Character Recognition (OCR) engine allows full text searching.
•    Sophisticated security features including permission based groups and audit trail.
•    Flexible licensing options for more cost-effective concurrent software usage.
•    Dynamic document check-in, check-out system provides footprint for document access
and stricter control of access to files and data.
•    E-mail files with built-in passwords for enhanced security.

Availability
eFileCabinet version 4.0 is available immediately by contacting eFileCabinet directly or via the company’s nationwide network of value added resellers.

eFileCabinet makes managing and protecting business data simple and affordable. The company offers a comprehensive suite of electronic document management and online backup products and services that enable more than 20,000 global users to work quicker, smarter and more efficiently. eFileCabinet and its companion online backup service, Concentsus, deliver feature-rich solutions to capture, manage and protect business-critical documents and data.

Does Your Document Management Solution Address Regulatory Compliance?

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0700

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Does Your Document Management Solution Address Regulatory Compliance?
By Eric Brown | Feb 18, 2009

eFileCabinet version 4.0 gives secure document managementMany companies have turned to document management solutions to aid in keeping information organized. But does your document management solution address changing security protocols or regulatory compliances? eFileCabinet version 4.0, released this week, includes key upgrades to address these strict demands.

eFileCabinet provides document management and online backup services so that companies are able to work faster, smarter and more efficiently. Their goal is to assist with the capture, management and protection of business-critical documents and data.
eFileCabinet Features Overview

Offering a core set of solutions for document and information management, eFileCabinet’s base features make it appealing to many medium to large businesses:

    * Electronic Document Management – Easy to use systems for an eco-friendly world looking to create and
       manage a cost-effective workflow.
    * Concentsus Online Backup – eFileCabinet offers online document backup through Concentsus.
    * Paperless Solutions – Reduce the amount of paper your company is producing and thereby lower your
       enterprise carbon footprint.
    * Industry Specific Solutions – Due to regulations at times being industry specific, solutions are also industry
       specific and range from accounting to aerospace to restaurant management.

eFileCabinet Version 4.0 Upgrades
As mentioned, the face of document management is changing and therefore so is the face of security and regulatory issues associated with electronic document management. eFileCabinet aims to stay on top of the game with their new release addressing a variety of security protocols and regulations for a range of industries (as these regulations can frequently be industry specific).

    * Advanced File Encryption – Designed to meet changing demands of regulatory compliance including
       HIPAA, SEC and FINRA and provide added security.
    * Embedded PDF Viewer – Access PDF’s from any computer whether it has a reader installed or not. Also
       comes with a PDF editor to allow for quick changes and collaboration.
    * Optical Character Recognition – Allows for full, quick searching of text.
    * Sophisticated Security Features – Permission based groups and audit trails.
    * Flexible Licensing Options - Allows for concurrent software usage with added security.
    * Dynamic Document Check-In, Check-Out System – Similar to those on HTML programs like
       Dreamweaver, check-in/check-out systems ensure that only one person is working on a document at a
       time. It also provides instant information as to who is using that document.
    * E-Mail Files with Built-In Passwords – Secure your email files with passwords for added security.

Available now, eFileCabinet version 4.0 offers document management solutions for the changing world we live in. And with a list of over 20,000 customers, they seem to know what they are doing. Pricing varies on needs, but they do offer the option of requesting a live demo.

Provo Firm Ends Need for Paper Storage

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0700

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Provo-based eFileCabinet aims to make good on the elusive promise of the "paperless office."

The small software company has launched a version of its software and received an infusion of capital to expand its marketing. That's a leap for a company whose origins were in a program developed by a Provo accountant for his own use.

The 7-year-old company recently received $1 million from the Canopy Group, with which it intends to jump into other markets beyond its large base of accounting firms. The privately-held company's products are in 3,000 businesses with 20,000 users.

Its software allows a business to electronically store all kinds of files -- including text and tax documents, spreadsheets and e-mails -- and then retrieve them quickly.

Eric Nuttall, a partner with the Orem accounting firm Hawkins Cloward & Simister, said his company settled on eFileCabinet eight years ago after searching for a solution to its constantly growing paper files.

"Storage space is always an issue," he said. "We kept seeing our storage space requirements increase each year."

Nuttall said his firm has 200 gigabytes of documents in electronic storage, which in paper terms would mean storage rooms filled with file cabinets, plus the staff to manage them.

James Blaylock, a Provo accountant, founded the company after creating a solution to document management for his own firm. Word of the software spread, and with it demand. Blaylock
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founded eFileCabinet in 2001 to improve and market the software.

Now, eFileCabinet is the No. 3 software for document storage for accountants, said CEO Matt Peterson. With the cash infusion, it is expanding from that base into medical offices, law firms, banks , title and mortgage companies, and similar businesses.

"We are kind of this obscure company based in Provo, Utah, with a national customer base," said Peterson. "We've been very aggressive getting our name out in the past few years."

Peterson was named CEO in July 2008. Blaylock is board chairman.

Ryan Nielsen, vice president of Bonneville Bank in Provo, said eFileCabinet has increased productivity at his office because employees can more quickly retrieve documents. "It makes their jobs quicker so you are able to carry fewer personnel."

With 31 employees, eFileCabinet isn't looking for a big expansion of staff, said Peterson. Instead, it intends to work through third-party vendors. It hopes to triple its resellers within a year.

The company's typical sale is to an office with 10 to 15 employees.

The choices for paperless office products are numerous. Peterson said eFileCabinet tries to distinguish itself by pointing out the stability of its system and its ease of use. It also generally costs less, with its average sale being $2,500 for five employees.

Peterson said the company as "somewhat recession resistant" because it can tout its product as a money saver, allowing a firm to do away with storage space and the people who manage it.

Filling a Hole in the SMB Space

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0700

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eFileCabinet 4.0: Manage Documents, Compliance and Backup

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0700

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By Lauren Simonds
December 3, 2008

Tired of hunting through a paper jungle for a contract/invoice/W-2 form or other vital record you needed yesterday? eFileCabinet, a world-wide provider of document management software says its latest release can help turn that jungle into a manicured garden ‑ while providing security protocols and regulatory compliance across a wide range of industries.

Founded in 2001, efileCabinet got its start organizing electronic documents in the accounting industry and quickly expanded into banking, education and human resources, said CEO Matt Peterson. Today the company services small businesses in a wide range of industries. Peterson claimed a customer base of 3,500 companies that generate more than 20,000 people using the product worldwide.

The company offers two main products. The first is eFileCabinet 4.0, which lets you scan and store hard copy documents as PDF files. The documents you scan in reside in a database on your PC or server. "The interface is set up just like a file cabinet would be, with folders and files," said Peterson. "You can search for records by name, social security number, date-of-birth, and more," he said.

The software also lets you store files that are already in electronic form, such as Word, Excel or Outlook files. Peterson said you can even store Outlook e-mail attachments.

eFileCabinet 4.0 features include:

    * Advanced file encryption for increased security that meets the demands of regulatory compliance including
       HIPAA, SEC and FINRA
    * Embedded PDF viewer and available PDF editor to view and save files
    * Optical Character Recognition (OCR) engine provides full text searching
    * Security features that include permission-based groups, audit trails and e-mail files with built-in passwords
    * Licensing options for cost-effective concurrent software usage
    * Dynamic document check-in, check-out system provides footprint for document access and stricter control
       of access to files and data

The eFileCabinet software costs ,495 for a five-person license. The company charges an 18 percent maintenance fee per year there after.

The second product, Concentsus Online Backup, provides off-site data backup and recovery, which lets companies keep a backup of their eFileCabinet documents (and other critical data) in a secure, Level 3 datacenter. In the event that a disaster – natural or man-made – you can recover your business data. The small business service to back up PCs and servers costs .95 per computer per month, plus 50 cents per GB.

Concentsus features include:

    * 128-bit SSL encryption to protect data as it moves between your PC and the Concentsus data center
    * 448-bit Blowfish encryption secures your files on the Concentsus servers
    * Private encryption key options let you choose from Concentsus’ 448-bit key or manage your own private
       key.
    * Automatic Data Protection detects and backs up new and updated files every two hours.

"Employees think IT is backing up the data, and IT thinks the employees are doing it," said Peterson. The truth lies somewhere in the middle." He added that 70 percent of companies that suffer a major data loss go out of business within a year. "Concentsus is a cheap insurance policy."

Lauren Simonds is the managing editor of SmallBusinessComputing.com

Today's Tip: Go Green by Kicking the Paper Habit

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700

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One of the ways you can reduce expenses while also reducing your carbon footprint is by working to go paperless. Sound daunting? Here are some tips on getting started:

• Don't hit "print." Resist the temptation to print that e-mail or spreadsheet. Read it off the screen instead. Untold trees can be saved by simply not printing when you don't have to.

• Try an electronic tool. The need to print pages can be almost eliminated entirely by using an electronic document management tool. This will save time by eliminating the need to make constant trips to and from the filing cabinets and will dramatically save money by reducing costs of paper, toner, supplies, and storage facilities, as well as ever-rising overnight shipping charges.

• Make a plan. Organizations of all types are realizing that manual and paper-based processes for managing documents are inefficient and expensive. Learn about technology that can help boost productivity and save costs in the workplace and then put a system into place.

Matt Peterson
CEO
eFileCabinet
Provo, Utah

CEO Spotlight: Matt Peterson

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Click logo to read story at Silicon Slopes online.

eFileCabinet provides electronic document management and online backup solutions that help customers manage and protect their valuable data assets. The company, led by CEO and President Matt Peterson, recently took on venture funding from Canopy Ventures. Matt recently took some time to tell us more about eFileCabinet and the direction the company is headed.

Silicon Slopes: Can you give a brief overview of your company and the solutions you offer customers?

Matt Peterson: eFileCabinet was founded in 2000 by a local CPA named James Blaylock with the hopes of creating an affordable system that could scan paper documents and store them on a PC. From that simple idea, eFileCabinet has grown into a national company with an installed based of close to 19,000 users.

Currently we offer two flagship products. The first is eFileCabinet; which is our electronic document management solution. This solution allows users to scan their paper documents and store them as indexed PDF files in a secure database repository. We have also created a means to quickly store and index MS Office files such as Word, Excel, and Outlook emails (including attachments) in their native formats into our system. eFileCabinet has the capability to store just about any computer generated file.

With all these customers scanning and storing their files electronically, we felt it would be a good idea to create a service in which they could securely and cost effectively backup these files to a remote data warehouse to protect themselves against computer failure. This online backup service is called Concentsus. This name is a play on the word consensus, which means majority of opinion. We put the word “Cents” in the middle because the service allows users the opportunity to literally back up and protect their computer files for just cents a month.

We have created service plans that allow home, small business and enterprise users to safely store their files to a remote location for protection against hardware/software failure and natural disasters. It truly is an affordable and effective insurance policy that everyone should have. This early success of this service has exceeded our expectations to this point.

Silicon Slopes: What’s your background?

Matt Peterson: I have been involved in the tech sector since 1998; having started and sold a company in California called Aspire Document Imaging, Inc, where I served as CEO. Aspire did system integrations for companies that wanted to adopt digital document management systems. We also ran a service bureau where we would use high speed scanners to convert paper to digital files for clients all over California. We had clients that ranged from cities and counties, school districts to prominent brokerage firms and pharmaceutical companies.

After selling Aspire in 2006, my family and I decided to relocate back to Highland, Utah and shortly thereafter the opportunity presented itself to join eFileCabinet as the COO. In January of 2007, just after the Canopy Ventures investment in July, I was appointed president and CEO by the board of directors.

Silicon Slopes: What’s different about eFileCabinet and other document management systems?

Matt Peterson: That’s an easy question. It would definitely be the ease of use and cost factors. eFileCabinet has been designed around the premise that customers want to efficiently and economically store their documents in a repository that are indexed and easy to view, print and email. I liken this to many of the options that you see in the tool bar of Microsoft Word. Other than the copy, paste, print, save, and a few other functions, how many of these features does the typical person actually use? Not many more. We have built eFileCabinet with the same premise. Give the customer what they need to do their job quickly and effectively instead of piling on a bunch of features that nobody is going to use.

Just like any other company, we do have competitors. However, we feel that by constantly listening to our customers we have constructed a product that is highly functional and affordable for the masses and keeps us a step ahead.

Silicon Slopes: How is data stored?

Matt Peterson: Data is indexed and stored in its native format whether it is a scanned Adobe PDF or a Word, Excel our Outlook email message. Data files are then retrievable via a keyword search or full text through Optical Character Resolution (OCR).

Silicon Slopes: What about your security & encryption? How do you convince customers that their data is secure?

Matt Peterson: eFileCabinet has developed a tightly integrated role based security system. Through the setup screens an administrator determines who sees what files in the database. eFileCabinet even creates an audit trail that shows who accessed what files, what they did with them, and when they logged out. We built this component to comply with the medical field’s strict HIPAA regulations. We are beginning to realize that this security and audit trail are being warmly embraced in many other vertical markets such as HR and Insurance and Financial Services.

We have even added a feature that allows users to attach passwords to files that are to be emailed from eFileCabinet. This was a request by many of our existing customers.

An optional and extra layer of security allows each store file to be secured with 128 bit encryption. This encryption meets the stringent demands of the most strict government agencies as well as the SEC.

Silicon Slopes: You were recently funded by Canopy Ventures. Other than the obvious infusion of capital, how is Canopy opening new doors for the company?

Matt Peterson: We were very fortunate to have been in talks with other VC firms around this time and felt that by going with Canopy we would not only be able to leverage the experience of their management team, but that by having a partner in close proximity we would be able to bounce around ideas and strategize on a more regular and face to face basis. Our relationship with Canopy has already proven to be valuable in introducing us to key industry contacts as well as providing additional guidance on current and future go-to market opportunities.

Silicon Slopes: What is driving the adoption of document management systems today vs. five or ten years ago?

Matt Peterson: Definitely cost and reliability. Ten years ago scanners cost ,000 and software was even more. This pricing scheme put document management solutions out of reach for most of the SMB market.

On the other hand, the exponential increase of PC processor power over the last ten years has allowed the management of electronic files across the network and web to become a viable solution from the smallest business to the largest enterprise. Increased processor power has removed the frequent network bottlenecks that occurred when multiple users were viewing multiple documents. Silicon Slopes: What industries or markets do you see as having the most potential for adoption?

Matt Peterson: Currently we focus our efforts on eight major vertical markets across the country and around the globe. The markets include: accounting, banking, education, government, insurance & financial services, HR, Title, and legal. We are just now entering the medical market and our latest release includes functions for HIPAA adoption and compliance. We also just signed an agreement with Simplifile, the nation’s leading e-recording service, to integrate eFileCabinet into their system that is widely used by title companies and county recording offices.

Last year we started a reseller channel that currently includes over 35 resellers around the country, and we are adding about three new partners a month. We will be focusing our attention and efforts on building this channel to increase our market penetration. We recently added new partners in both Australia and Brazil.

Silicon Slopes: Is there a measurable ROI for customers or are your solutions more of an insurance policy in case of disaster?

Matt Peterson: A few years back Price Waterhouse Coopers did a study on companies that lose their data through a natural disaster, theft or hardware software failure and the results were startling. They found that 70% of companies that experience a major data loss go out of business within a year. One need not look much farther than the front page of a newspaper or nightly news to realize that now matter where you live you are prone to hurricane, flood, fire, tornado or earthquake. As far as hardware failure is concerned it’s not a matter of if, but when one or more of your hard drives will fail.

The answer to this question is that the true ROI on this type of solution is immeasurable. By implementing an electronic document management solution you will be saving your organization significant time, space and money.

Time: Because never again will files be lost or misplaced. They will be scanned, indexed, and stored in a database that can be accessible to multiple users at the same time.

Space: Because no longer will valuable real estate be used to house row upon row of file cabinets. Office space which is at a premium in many locales can now be used for less clerical functions and more revenue generating activities.

Money: No longer will users waste time looking for lost or misplaced files or even the exorbitant amount of time to recreate permanently lost files.

ARMA 2008: Podcast with eFileCabinet CEO Matt Peterson

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

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Matt Peterson, President & CEO of eFileCabinet walks Ray Davis & Jeff Glover through eFileCabinet as they make their first appearance at the ARMA 2008 Conference & Expo. Peterson discusses the company's new V4.0 release and disaster recovery.