Technical FAQs

Question

I want to load an HTML document in PrizmDoc with UTF-8 encoding. Can this be done automatically in the product?

Answer

Currently, no. We have a parameter for .txt files which does that (detailed here), but this “textFileEncoding” intentionally only works for .txt, not .html files. There is a feature request for this:

https://ideas.accusoft.com/ideas/PDV-I-546

In the meantime, this can be fixed manually by adding charset = “utf-8” to the meta tag of the HTML document. One POC way this might be done programmatically is below in Python 3.7 (need obvious polishing like checking for the tag already existing, multiple “meta” tags, etc): 

with open(filename, "r") as file:
    content = file.read()

index = content.find("meta") + len("meta")

new_content = content[:index] + " charset=\"utf-8\" " + content[index:]

with open(filename, "w") as file:
    file.write(new_content)
View Detail >

As speed and efficiency have become increasingly vital for business success, it’s hardly a surprise that organizations across many industries have turned to white labeling as a way of retaining their competitive edge. While white labeling can be found in every industry, it’s proved to be incredibly important in the technology sector, where many independent software vendors rely upon white label software to build better applications and solutions.

How Does White Labeling Work?

In many instances, organizations need to launch a product quickly and may not have expertise in some aspect of their business. A software developer that specializes in FinTech solutions for processing loan applications, for example, may have the machine learning tools to sift through documents quickly but lack the viewing and editing features that would allow users to collaborate securely and effectively.

White labeling is a process where one company purchases a product from another company and then rebrands it for their own use. For physical products, this usually means repackaging and reselling something, but with digital products, the rebranding typically involves customizing the user experience (UI) to incorporate it into an existing application. 

In the previous example, the FinTech developer might turn to a product like PrizmDoc Viewer to integrate secure viewing capabilities into their platform. Using PrizmDoc Viewer’s white label software features, the company could rebrand the UI with its own logo and terminology. The average user, then, would never know that some aspects of their FinTech solution incorporates products made by another software manufacturer.

4 Benefits of Using White Label Software

Companies of all sizes turn to white label solutions when building their applications. Here are some of the reasons why they they choose this option instead of building everything they need from scratch:

1. Rapid Deployment

One of the obvious advantages to adopting a white label software solution is the speed of deployment. Building new features within an application takes both time and developer resources. If everything needs to be coded and deployed from scratch, production timelines can quickly extend indefinitely. As deadlines are pushed back, developers may even be pulled away from working on more innovative software features to build basic functionality into their applications. This vicious cycle makes it bring a product to market in time to capitalize on opportunities.

With easy-to-integrate white label software, companies can rapidly integrate the functionality they need into their applications and dedicate more resources to the novel features that will set them apart in a crowded marketplace. The ability to deploy core capabilities quickly means that teams can get to a minimum viable product faster and bring their software to market. Since white labeling allows them to rebrand and customize their integration to match the rest of the application interface, end users still enjoy a seamless experience.

2. Proven Functionality

When production deadlines are tight, it usually doesn’t make sense to have developers spending their time building a solution that already exists as a ready-made integration. Although open-source tools can be quite attractive, they don’t always provide the robust features expected of modern applications. In many cases, development teams have to spend valuable time building upon open-source solutions just to get them to work properly within an application framework.

White label software provides proven functionality right out of the box, allowing developers to quickly integrate the features they need and get back to working on other priorities. They also offer a more specialized approach to application needs. Rather than trying to build something new or adapt a similar solution, developers can select the exact features they need, implement them, and know that they’ll work as promised. Since they’re supported products, white label software also provides more peace of mind when it comes to updates and patching vulnerabilities. 

3. Budget Friendly

Developing new software features is an expensive undertaking. It requires companies to hire developers with the right expertise, dedicate hardware and processing capabilities, and multiple rounds of testing just to get to a viable state, but the costs don’t stop there. Once new functionality is built, it will require ongoing maintenance and support to ensure that it continues to work as intended and stays secure against potential threats. Those additional costs can quickly become burdensome for a software company that simply wants to incorporate common features into their application.

With white label software, companies can have all the benefits of third party support without compromising their user experience. White label API solutions integrate seamlessly into an application and the company can turn to the vendor for support when something goes wrong or when new features are needed. Eliminating ongoing maintenance from the budget means that teams can spend more of their resources on delivering a better overall product to their customers. 

4. Flexible Scalability

Software applications often change significantly throughout their lifecycle. What begins as a small program with only a few features can scale very quickly into an enterprise-grade workhorse that must meet the needs of multiple departments. Having a solution in place that can grow and change along with business needs is vital for organizations looking to retain their flexibility.

Customizable white label software makes it easy for companies to grow their applications along with their business. They can begin with a modest feature set and then implement additional tools as needed as user needs change over time. This versatility also frees up developers to build innovative solutions that may require features that are not being used in an existing application, but could easily be enabled when the time comes. Having flexible, scalable white-label technology built into a platform early on opens up a wide range of possibilities for future development.

The Behind-the-Scenes Ingredient to Your Application’s Success

As a software manufacturer specializing in API technologies for document processing, conversion, and automation, Accusoft has spent many years building solutions that work “under the hood” to enhance our customers’ applications. That’s why the PrizmDoc Suite of products incorporates white label software features to help them blend seamlessly into your existing platform. Whether you’re looking to add new capabilities or need to incorporate functionality quickly to get your products to market faster, our flexible integrations can help solve your document management challenges on your terms. Talk to our team today to find out which solution is right for you.

View Detail >

 

 

Join us for an engaging webinar with Dan Lee, Senior Product Manager at Accusoft, as we unravel the use of AI in eDiscovery.

Key Focus Areas

AI in eDiscovery is a rapidly evolving field that leverages artificial intelligence to automate and enhance various aspects of the eDiscovery process. AI in PrizmDoc helps to protect sensitive information and ensure compliance with data privacy.

  • See how AI is used in PrizmDoc to streamline and automate the PII Detection process to find and extract personal information from text documents.
  • Explore methods to establish the context of the identified PII by using surrounding information to help interpret the meaning and relevance of PII in a document and determine the appropriate actions to take.
  • Learn how PrizmDoc’s Redaction tools enable you to add secure masking and removal of PII from your documents to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure and generate a resulting document with the PII securely removed.

In this webinar, we explore real-world cases using PrizmDoc’s APIs and SDK to build automated and more efficient PII identification and redaction workflows.

Key Take-Aways

  • How to use AI in PrizmDoc for PII detection
  • How to establish context for the identified PII
  • How to create resulting documents with the PII securely removed

Take advantage of this opportunity to shape the future of eDiscovery with AI.

View Detail >

spreadsheet security

Few document formats are more common than XLSX spreadsheet files. Although many alternatives are available, most enterprises continue to rely on the broad (and familiar) functionality of Microsoft Excel when it comes to their spreadsheet needs. However, few organizations take the appropriate steps to ensure Excel spreadsheet security, which could leave their private data and formula assets exposed to substantial risk.

As a third party dependency, Excel represents an obvious security gap that could easily be exploited. Any time a file travels outside a secure application environment, there is a potential risk of data theft and version confusion. In any situation where files are travelling between separate applications, there is also an opportunity for malicious files to slip into unsuspecting workflows. By focusing on ways to shore up their Excel spreadsheet security, organizations can minimize risk and protect their sensitive data.

Excel Spreadsheet Security Risk #1: Malicious File Extensions

Most organizations are aware that opening a file attached to an email is one of the most common ways to introduce malware into a system. What they may not realize, however, is just how pervasive the problem is or how well those files are masked. It’s easy to identify a malicious email attachment when its name is a jumble of letters and it has an unfamiliar file extension. The real threat comes when it actually resembles something familiar and potentially legitimate.

Unfortunately, XLSX spreadsheet files are frequently used to distribute malware. According to a comprehensive cybersecurity study conducted by Cisco in 2018, Microsoft Office file extensions (such as DOCX and XLSX) were used by 38 percent of malicious email attachments, higher than any other format. These extensions are attractive to cybercriminals precisely because they’re so widely used. Someone working in a financial services organization, for instance, is usually quite accustomed to sending and receiving spreadsheets via email, so they are more likely to open an XLSX file out of curiosity.

Of course, this raises a separate question about basic cybersecurity. No organization today should be relying on poorly secured channels like email to share sensitive documents in the first place. By integrating native XLSX viewing and editing capabilities directly into their web applications, developers can provide the tools necessary to share spreadsheets without the risk of exposing collaborators to malicious file extensions. Embedding spreadsheet files into the application allows for easy access, but also keeps the file safely within a secure environment. Once users become accustomed to accessing spreadsheets this way, they’ll be less likely to fall prey to a malicious XLSX extension in their email. 

Excel Spreadsheet Security Risk #2: Insufficient Access Control

Spreadsheets can contain a great deal of information. Not only do they make it easy to reference data and carry out complex calculations in seconds, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes that may not be immediately obvious to the average user. Spreadsheet cells typically incorporate highly detailed (and often proprietary) formulas that help organizations to estimate costs, assess risk, and adjust revenue forecasts. For many industries, there’s simply no software that can compete with the extensive capabilities of spreadsheets.

But that versatility comes with a cost. Any user with a rudimentary knowledge of spreadsheets can easily reveal hidden information and examine the formulas behind the document’s calculations. And once they’ve downloaded their own copy of the spreadsheet, there’s nothing to prevent them from using it elsewhere, which can be a serious problem for any organization that depends upon its proprietary formulas to drive business success.

The root problem in this case comes down to who has control over the spreadsheet. When an XLSX file is shared, it can then be copied or even altered without the knowledge or permission of its original owner. The best way to maintain control over spreadsheets is to integrate native XLSX viewing capabilities directly into a web application. This allows developers to control which elements of the spreadsheet are being shared and prevents anyone from downloading a copy without permission. Since users can only interact with the spreadsheet on the terms set by the file’s owner, they can’t peek “under the hood” to obtain proprietary assets like cell formulas.

Secure Your Spreadsheets with PrizmDoc Cells

Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Cells is a powerful API integration that allows developers to provide dynamic spreadsheet viewing and editing capabilities within their web application environment. Far more versatile than traditional viewer integrations that offer only a static “print preview” image of a spreadsheet, PrizmDoc Cells makes it possible to scroll both vertically and horizontally and even enter information into cells to perform calculations. It’s the most secure way to provide access to spreadsheet resources without sacrificing control over editing permissions. And since the XLSX file never has to travel beyond a secure application environment, there’s no need to worry about malicious file extensions when sharing spreadsheets.

Developers can use PrizmDoc Cells’s whitelabeling features to customize its look and functionality within their application. From editing cell content and format to embedding graphics, they retain complete control over the way viewers interact with spreadsheet files to maximize security and protect vital proprietary information. To learn more about how PrizmDoc Cells can enhance Excel spreadsheet security within your application, visit our product page to explore this powerful integration’s features.

View Detail >

digital vault application

Security is everything for organizations when it comes to their sensitive data assets. Whether it’s vital documents, account passwords, or proprietary financial formulas, essential business information needs to be well-protected as companies continue to incorporate digital platforms into their operations. Developers can support this critical goal by providing secure digital vault applications that allow their customers to manage and use information assets without exposing them to unnecessary risks.

The heightened emphasis on security has made digital vault services quite popular in recent years. In order to maximize the potential of these security platforms, however, developers must integrate the right tools for managing multiple file types ranging from standard documents to complex financial spreadsheets.

What is a Digital Vault?

Much like its physical counterpart, a digital vault is a secure repository for storing vital assets in one easy-to-manage and fully-encrypted location. In some respects, these platforms are similar to information management services or cloud-based storage, but they set themselves apart by emphasizing security and access control. Digital vaults are frequently used for estate planning thanks to their ability to securely store account log-in information and vital documents, but they’re also popular with high-net worth individuals and organizations that need a safe place for sensitive financial data.

The core feature of a digital vault is its ability to prevent unauthorized access to materials stored inside them. They do this by strictly monitoring access rights at multiple levels. Just because someone has access to the vault itself, for instance, doesn’t mean they have access to everything it contains. The files and documents stored within the digital vault can all be set with their own access permissions. These controls mirror those used in a physical bank vault, such as:

  • Requiring manual authorization from an administrator to access data.
  • Implementing dual key control mechanisms.
  • Limiting access to certain times of day.
  • Segmenting access to relevant assets only.

Managing Digital Vault Information

Digital vaults also make the process of managing data much more secure. Since all of the assets stored within the vault are protected by encryption, they can be shared through a portal rather than downloaded, copied, or transmitted over poorly secured channels like email. The data itself never leaves the protective confines of the vault, and the security controls track who has been granted access when files are shared. This makes it easy to monitor activity and ensure that confidential files are not broadly distributed.

In order to facilitate this access, however, digital vault developers need to build viewing and editing tools into their applications. Without the ability to open and view a document within the web-based portal, for instance, users will be forced to rely on external software. This defeats the whole purpose of a digital vault, as it exposes the file to whatever security vulnerabilities that application might possess.

Integrating HTML5 viewing capabilities into their vault’s web portal allows developers to let their customers review documents and even make annotation markups without having to remove the file from a secure, encrypted environment. For most documents and images, this is a relatively straightforward process using a series of API calls to render the file within the browser.

The Challenge of Excel Spreadsheets

Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, however, frequently pose a major challenge to digital vault platforms. Unlike documents, spreadsheets are often designed to be interactive and can contain sensitive financial calculations within cell fields. Simply sharing a static, print preview image of a spreadsheet might be helpful for reviewing financial records, but it’s not very useful to someone who needs to enter fresh data into the formulas to calculate new results.

While the XLSX file could be made available for download to anyone who is authorized to use it, this defeats the purpose of having it stored in a digital vault. Not only would it be impossible to track the downloaded file, which creates serious data security risks, but allowing multiple copies of the file to proliferate will quickly lead to version confusion.

Enhancing Spreadsheet Functionality with PrizmDoc Cells

Digital vault developers can easily solve their spreadsheet challenges by integrating Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Cells into their application. A completely web-based spreadsheet viewer and editor, PrizmDoc Cells provides native XLSX file support without any external dependencies. The API-based integration allows users to open their existing Excel files to view, edit, and add comments completely within the application’s web portal. PrizmDoc Cells provides a familiar interface that developers can customize to meet the specific needs of their customers.

That same customization extends to the spreadsheet elements themselves. A digital vault provider may not want to allow users to have full access to every element of an Excel file. For instance, an organization may be fine with allowing someone to enter new data and calculate results in the spreadsheet, but not want anyone to be able to view the proprietary formulas buried within the cell fields. When integrating PrizmDoc Cells, developers can control what aspects of the XLSX file are actually shared. This makes it easy to keep formulas and other data locked in place within the spreadsheet and secure from unauthorized viewing.

Unlock Your Digital Vault’s Potential with PrizmDoc Cells

Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Cells gives digital vault developers the ability to control how spreadsheet files are shared and managed within their secure application environment. By integrating native Excel support, they can sever their dependency on Microsoft Office and other potentially insecure software platforms and enhance the value of their digital vault services. With PrizmDoc Cells, their customers can easily access, review, and edit their spreadsheets without exposing them to additional security risks or version confusion.

To learn more about the versatile functionality of PrizmDoc Cells, check out our detailed fact sheet for an overview of critical features and use cases. If you’re ready to test the integration in your application environment, download a free trial today in an easy-to-deploy Docker file.

View Detail >

legaltech

Technology trends are moving quickly in the legal industry as firms scramble to adapt to a shifting business landscape. Although many firms and organizations were already taking steps to break away from old fashioned processes and embrace the potential of LegalTech solutions, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated change initiatives and forced legal professionals to reassess their foundational business models. To get a better sense of the technology impact on law firms, developers would be wise to review recent tech surveys of the industry that assess how LegalTech software is being utilized.

LegalTech Technology Survey: A Closer Look 

According to a 2020 technology survey conducted by Bloomberg Law, legal firms are seeing tremendous benefits from the implementation of LegalTech tools. Four out of five firms and 73 percent of corporate legal departments have seen an increase in work volume, with both reporting that technology has also improved the quality of their work. On balance, high-value tasks are getting more attention, with 56 percent of respondents indicating that they spend at least somewhat more time on higher-level tasks. Low-value task loads have been reduced by an even larger rate, with 73% of respondents spending at least somewhat less time on less skilled, lower-level tasks.

Critically, these improvements seem to have come without also introducing a new set of challenges. One of the frequently cited concerns about implementing new LegalTech solutions is that it will create workflow disruptions or cause other difficulties with legal processes. In reality, such critiques appear to be largely unwarranted. Bloomberg Law’s 2020 tech survey found that large majorities of respondents did not believe LegalTech added to the number (78 percent) or difficulty (86 percent) of workflow impediments.

LegalTech Automation Needs

Despite the positive technology impact on firms, there are still many tasks being done manually that could be automated with software tools. In 2020, Accusoft conducted a technology survey of legal professionals about how they’re managing productivity and utilizing LegalTech applications. We discovered that while 54 percent of respondents were utilizing digital solutions to view and collaborate on documents, automation tools had yet to eradicate time-consuming manual tasks.

legaltech Manual Skills
Given the enduring prevalence of manual processes, it’s hardly a surprise that 52 percent of respondents had difficulty locating the right document assets when they needed them. That figure, in particular, is unfortunate considering that a 2020 Clio report on legal trends found that 69 percent of consumers would prefer to work with legal firms capable of sharing documents electronically. 

The Technology Impact on Law Firms in Business Terms

Failing to implement effective LegalTech tools, then, could very well be costing many firms business. Longstanding legal business models that focus on profit per partner (PEP) metrics and emphasize short-term priorities are already giving way to technology-driven models that deliver faster, more efficient services at more competitive price points for customers. While boutique “big law” firms may continue to resist automation trends due to the specialized and strategic nature of their business, smaller firms and legal departments will need to reorient their operations to deliver the routine, day-to-day services that most customers are seeking. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has made many legal organizations more open to adopting technology solutions. Bloomberg Law’s report found that prior to 2020, only 40 percent of legal leaders described themselves as being “very open” to implementing new tech. Following the pandemic, that number has increased to 54 percent, perhaps acknowledging a new reality for the legal industry as existing business models are reconsidered.

Building the Future of LegalTech

LegalTech developers face several challenges as they work on designing the next generation of technology solutions for the industry. The first question almost always comes down to whether it makes sense to build application features from scratch or to buy and integrate proven solutions. Many legal organizations are looking for powerful software tools that incorporate the latest in process automation technology, which often demands substantial development resources to build and implement. For many software developers, it can be difficult to get products to market quickly without cutting some corners here and there in terms of features when they have to build everything from the ground up.

By incorporating ready-made functionality in the form of specialized integrations, developers can dedicate more of their resources to the innovative technology that powers their LegalTech solution. From HTML5 viewing that makes it easy to securely view a variety of file types to collaboration tools that allow for markup and redaction, software integrations can rapidly expand the capabilities of an application to make it more attractive to legal organizations.

Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Viewer allows developers to integrate versatile viewing and conversion functionality into their LegalTech solutions. It also features powerful annotation and redaction tools that can significantly streamline the eDiscovery process. Learn more about these and other solutions in our LegalTech Fact Sheet.

View Detail >

Accusoft’s FormSuite for Structured Forms is a powerful SDK that allows you to integrate character recognition, form identification, document cleanup, and data capture capabilities into your software applications. You can set up unique form templates based on your processing needs and then design customized output architecture to extract data for delivery to a database or other downstream applications, helping you get to production faster or bring a new level of functionality to your legacy systems.

Setting all of that functionality up, however, can be a daunting task, especially if you’re working with a wide variety of form types. That’s why our FormSuite enablement services team is available to help you implement the features you need to ensure lasting results. Whether you’re facing bandwidth constraints or lack the resources to build expertise quickly, our FormSuite experts bridge the gap to make your project a success. Our enablement services team takes a five step approach to every engagement.

The Accusoft Approach to Enablement Services

Step 1: Thorough Architecture Review

We start by conducting a top to bottom analysis of your production or operational environment. Our review not only evaluates your system architecture and data workflow, but also breaks down the details of your potential use cases and existing work samples. 

Step 2: Identifying the Right Fit

Next, we determine the best FormSuite options based on your unique requirements and build you a custom enablement plan that will equip you with the instruction and assistance you need for a successful implementation.

Step 3: Training Your Team

Armed with information about your application’s specific requirements, we develop a customized training program to give your team a solid foundation for future development and ongoing maintenance. From guidance on form template creation and image enhancement to working with the forms API, we provide you with targeted guidance designed to help you solve potential challenges unique to your application environment.

Step 4: Implementation Support

Once the training is complete, you’ll have the foundational knowledge required to build the forms processing workflows your application requires. Our FormSuite experts remain on call to answer your questions so you can achieve your integration faster and ensure that you’re processing forms accurately.

Step 5: Preparing for Long-Term Success

Our enablement services prepare you to manage your implementation over the long term. We not only show you how to maintain the current environment, but also identify potential opportunities to deploy new features as your application scales in the future.

Keep the Partnership Going

Following your integration, we also provide ongoing support options to our customers whether or not they’ve utilized our enablement services. You get free Upgrade Support for 90 days after initial purchase, which includes email support and product upgrades. After that period, you can extend Upgrade Support, or elect to transition to our Standard Support or Priority Support annual plans.

To learn more about FormSuite for Structured Forms enablement services, talk to one of our solutions engineers. We’re ready to help you get your integration started!

View Detail >
Question

We want to use one PAS instance for multiple customers while ensuring their calls and data are separated so that other customers cannot access them. Is there a way PrizmDoc can accomplish this?

Answer

How To:

Use the following steps to set up the multi-tenancy feature:

  1. Add a new line inside of /usr/share/prizm/pas/pcc.nix.yml (Linux) or C:\Prizm\pas\pcc.win.yml (Windows) in the following format:

undocumentedFeature.multiTenancy: “enabled”

  1. After enabling this feature, all requests to PAS must include the header accusoft-tenant-id. The following shows an example request for creating a new viewing session:
POST /ViewingSession HTTP/1.1
Host: localhost:3000
Content-Type: application/json
accusoft-tenant-id: myUniqueTenantId
cache-control: no-cache
Postman-Token: 5edd698a-5e4f-46d2-b93a-42cc57371dce
  {
  "source": {
  "type": "document",
  "fileName": "1040ez.pdf"
   }
  }

NOTE: All Tenant Ids are converted to lowercase and must be unique between tenants. This means that in terms of the application both “MyTenant” and “mytenant” are equivalent and would be able to see the same files. Tenant Ids are not generated for the application and must be generated and handled by the integration components. Tenant Ids are also strictly alphanumeric at this time.

File storage including Documents, markupXml, formDefinitions and markupLayerRecords will now be appended with the
{tenantId} as shown in the above example with a Documents configuration of /usr/share/prizm/Samples/Documents. The request would attempt to create a viewing session from the following file: /usr/share/prizm/Samples/Documents/myuniquetenantid/1040ez.pdf

Viewing Package data stored in the database will have the tenantId included in the composite index as well as include an accusoftTenantId column.

View Detail >