Technical FAQs

In a previous blog post we discussed misconceptions that information professionals typically have about cloud computing. We went through some of the most common myths one by one, explaining why they’re inaccurate and why, unfortunately, they persist even now among executives across various industries.

At Accusoft, we believe in the power of the cloud, and are committed to extending its functionality and flexibility to our customers. Let’s break down some of the benefits that cloud computing can provide for you and your applications, and how Accusoft and other established companies have maximized its potential.

Benefit No. 1: Lower operating costs

Hard to get past this one, right? Any new initiative that helps rein in everyday expenses will likely motivate executives to try it, and cloud usage has indeed proven itself to be a cost-effective method for handling a company’s data needs.

The most obvious area of savings is in hardware. Businesses can save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars annually by using the servers of a cloud provider rather than investing in their own equipment. This outsourcing also removes the need for on-site administrators, reducing payroll overhead and freeing up physical workspace. And it’s eco-friendly, reducing energy consumption and helping to lessen the company’s carbon footprint.

Prominent organizations are realizing all of these cost benefits. The Yamaha Corporation of America, Yamaha’s division specializing in manufacturing musical instruments and audio/visual tools, decided to migrate most of its data operations to Amazon Web Services (AWS), an established provider that services Accusoft as well, in 2014. The company was pleased with the process and even happier about the end result: a projected savings of $500,000 per year due to its move to the cloud.

Here is where our customers really take notice when we suggest using PrizmDoc Cloud. We estimate that a Windows client executing between 120,000 and 240,000 monthly transactions while running PrizmDoc on its own servers will spend more than more $16,000 per month when capital expenditures (hardware) and operating expenditures (payroll, maintenance, etc.) are considered. The cloud version, conversely, costs less than $2,000 monthly with the same usage load, because of the advantages we mentioned.

Benefit No. 2: Enhanced data security

Though recent scares have made some wonder about the safety of corporate data which is handled externally, statistics show that cloud networks themselves have been consistently secure. In fact, many businesses have begun to see security as a major motivation for moving to the cloud in the first place, reasoning that safeguarding their sensitive data is better left to professionals.

An emerging approach is to combine the security features of a cloud services provider (such as highly-refined encrypting techniques) with a company’s own security protocols to ensure the integrity of its data. One expert provides some pointers for implementing such a strategy in this helpful overview, which explains the basics of both encryption and cloud security.

Time Inc. is a firm believer in cloud security and AWS, closing down its own data centers and completely entrusting AWS with its massive database of customer information in 2015. The move was an enormous leap of faith for the media giant – which maintains personal data including 45 million credit cards used to purchase its print and digital products – but one made after extensive research about cloud services and their various providers. Just like Accusoft, Time made the decision to team up with Amazon and has seen that relationship prosper.

Accusoft’s commitment to data integrity led to PrizmDoc Cloud earning a SOC 2 Type 1 certification for cloud computing services in June 2018. The designation, awarded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), was the result of PrizmDoc Cloud meeting key performance criteria in areas such as security, privacy and confidentiality. We’re proud of this certification and consider it proof that our partnership with Amazon Web Services is benefitting everyone involved, most importantly customers of PrizmDoc Cloud.

Benefit No. 3: Ease of setup

And because cloud usage has become commonplace in recent years, competition has spurred these providers to expedite setting up client companies, such as Accusoft, on their networks. The competitors in this space range from the world famous (such as the industry’s ‘big three’ of AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud) to smaller firms such as several profiled here several profiled here that can offer customized solutions based on a firm’s particular needs.

General Electric has also made the most of Amazon’s responsiveness, using AWS to host more than 2,000 applications by the end of 2017. The seamless transition has enabled the company to focus on its own evolution rather than the burden of operating infrastructure to support its products.

“Adopting a cloud-first strategy with AWS is helping our IT teams get out of the business of building and running data centers and refocus our resources on innovation,” said Chris Drumgoole, GE’s CTO and corporate vice president.

Accusoft’s alliance with AWS means that our customers don’t have to worry about the specifics of getting PrizmDoc Cloud deployed; they know that we and AWS have already done the work for them. And our PrizmDoc Cloud customer portal tells them all they need to know about their account once they’re up and running, such as usage rates and educational material on our various subscription options.

Benefit No. 4: Flexible pricing programs

One great benefit of cloud access is that the connection is virtually always on, and can be used as much or as little as your usage dictates. Thus, companies who host applications in the cloud typically offer subscription options tailored to their customers’ specific needs.

For instance, a governmental entity that processes millions of transactions is better off with a time-based subscription (monthly, yearly, etc.) featuring unlimited usage, whereas a smaller company would likely prefer to pay only for transactions as it needs them. In each case, the customer should have the autonomy to choose the best solution for its own usage.

The wealth of options can be confusing, of course, but generally the most important consideration is understanding your own needs. Channel Futures, a digital services industry authority, published this checklist for companies to review as they consider their cloud subscription options.

We created various PrizmDoc Cloud subscription types with this in mind. No two customers are the same, and thus no two will use the product in exactly the same fashion. So we offer pricing programs based on either time period or transaction volume, depending on which is more relevant for a particular user.

No matter where your organization falls in this spectrum, we have a plan that can suit your specific needs. Use this overview of our pricing programs, complete with a sliding scale to accommodate your anticipated transaction usage, to find the plan that’s best for you (and look over the FAQ section at the bottom). Bear in mind that you can change plans as your needs evolve.

Benefit No. 5: Professional technical support

We mentioned how competition among the top SaaS providers (AWS, Microsoft, Google, etc.) has helped refine the cloud industry in terms of improved data security and quicker startup times for clients. Another example of this competitive effect is in customer support, a crucial area where providers are seeking separation from one another. AWS, for instance, has developed a multi-tiered approach to support, wherein customers can select a plan based on budget and level of usage.

And just as in the case of data security, synergy is often the key in providing complete technical support for cloud users. Companies who host applications in the cloud typically offer their own support team, and lean on their providers’ technical specialists whenever server problems arise.

Thanks to this leveraging of support expertise, developers know they’ll get the assistance they need to keep their apps working smoothly, with the process staying virtually invisible to their end users.

We pride ourselves on providing the best possible customer support experience whenever help is needed. Our technical support professionals have a comprehensive knowledge of PrizmDoc Cloud, routinely answering questions and offering tips to make sure our customers (and their applications) get the most out of the product.

This commitment is evidenced by the Accusoft support group’s high Net Promoter score, a tech industry standard for measuring customer satisfaction. Our team earned a cumulative score of 44 (versus an industry average of 32) in early 2018, up from 43 the previous quarter, and we’ve consistently been above industry averages since 2016. We’re always educating our support staff on PrizmDoc and our other development tools, proving that an investment in any of our products is just the beginning of your relationship with Accusoft

PrizmDoc Cloud: A viewing toolkit for the future

The benefits detailed above are all a part of PrizmDoc Cloud, the SaaS-based version of our document and image viewing API toolkit, and help it create a dynamic, intuitive user experience in applications.

You may already know at least a bit about PrizmDoc itself. Its versatility and ease of integration into apps make it a leader among document viewing options for developers. We’ve always given our customers the option to self-host PrizmDoc on their own servers, but we’re excited to help them learn about the possibilities of deploying PrizmDoc Cloud, which combines this powerful toolkit with all the advantages of using the cloud.

We recommend PrizmDoc Cloud over self-hosting because no matter what your company does, or what functionality your applications provide to end users, using the cloud can save you time, money and headaches for years to come. Its surge in popularity among organizations of all types proves the cloud has already become an indispensable part of any long-term IT strategy.

Be cloud – and proud

PrizmDoc Cloud combines the power of a complete suite of API-based web services with the many benefits of working in the cloud that we expanded upon here. Contact us with your questions or comments about this unique toolkit, or learn more about the versatility of the PrizmDoc product itself by trying out our demos here.

Barcodes. You’ll find them everywhere – from airline tickets to grocery store shelves. Today, this simple arrangement of bars and symbols can be found on almost every product we purchase. 

But, how much do you know about this surprisingly sophisticated coding system? Exactly what information does the barcode contain? And how did the modern barcode tracking system come to be?

An Answer to a Supermarket Manager’s Prayers

According to Smithsonian Magazine, the journey to modern barcode technology began in the late 1940s at the request of an overwhelmed supermarket manager. He was desperately seeking a way to reduce the delays and the regular stock taking that were costing him profits.

The manager eventually brought his dilemma to the dean Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia. There, the request caught the attention of Bernard “Bob” Silver, who contacted Drexel alum, Joe Woodland. Woodland, an inventor, was in Miami Beach when he first drew his barcode concept in the sand. The idea, Woodland said, originated from the Morse Code system of dots and dashes he had learned as a boy scout.

Together, Woodland and Silver filed a US patent on their bulls-eye shaped barcode in 1949. The patent was granted in 1952. Unfortunately, they were years ahead of the laser and microcomputer they would need to put their barcode technology to practical use. 

In 1973, the Uniform Grocery Product Code Council chose George Laurer’s vertical barcode design for the UPC code because it was easier to print than the circular shape developed by Woodland and Silver. Finally, with a scanner and computers in place, the first UPC code was scanned from a pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio on June 26, 1974. By the 1980s the UPC code had become a household name, thanks to its adoption by mass merchandisers like Kmart.

What’s in a Barcode, Anyway?

From its humble beginnings on supermarket shelves, the barcode has evolved to take many forms that store increasingly complex information. The familiar one-dimensional (1D) barcode, also referred to as a linear barcode, is the simplest type of code. It stores code horizontally and can be read quickly from left to right by a barcode scanner. 1D barcodes can contain anywhere from 8 to as many as 25 characters, not including special characters. 

The 1D barcode can store tracking information, product descriptions, item or customer identification, and more. 1D codes contain details about a product such as the size, type, and manufacturer. However, it doesn’t contain price information, which is often stored in a database.

Two-dimensional (2D) barcodes are more complex than their one-dimensional counterparts, and may contain up to 2,000 characters of encoded data.  One popular type of 2D matrix barcode is the Quick Response Code (QR code). The QR code was invented in Japan in 1994 to help the automotive industry track vehicles during the manufacturing process and ensure that data could be decoded very quickly.

Two-dimensional codes are useful for many tasks, including supply chain management, time tracking, mobile marketing, logistics, sales registry, inventory tracking, document management, and item identification. 2D barcodes encrypt data horizontally and vertically on a white background, using black squares organized in square grids. They can store characters, digits, special characters, and punctuation, such as colons. Phrases and words, such as web addresses, can also be stored in the codes. 

QR codes can be scanned from any direction and at any angle up to 3600. This reduces the risk of background interference, making the code easier to read. They are also very resilient, permitting a high degree of image corruption while retaining the integrity of the data. In fact, approximately 30% of a QR code can be damaged without the data being lost.

How Business Tracking Boosts Business

Today, nearly every industry uses barcodes, product identifiers, and location identifiers, like a Global Location Number (GLN), to increase productivity, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. Every day, barcode tracking is used to:

• Scan and identify products in warehouses, online, and at point of sale. 
• Ensure the safety of consumers and patients by tracking food, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.
• Capture location, nutrition, and allergen data to help restaurants, growers, and packaged goods businesses share more accurate information with consumers and trading partners. 

Barcodes have quickly evolved from a solution for supermarkets to streamlining processes across nearly every industry around the world. As noted by ProcessFlows UK, barcode technology provides an astonishing variety of benefits, beginning with:

• Increased Efficiency: Users can save time by using barcodes to auto-populate indexing values, rather than manually entering the data. Barcode recognition also increases document-processing speeds and can be used to associate all related documents, expediting retrieval. 
• Error Reduction: Certain barcodes contain checksums, which detect errors within the barcode, so that the data isn’t misinterpreted. 
• Improved Accuracy: Data entered automatically using barcodes will have a more consistent format with fewer errors.
• Increased Privacy: Barcodes are also a powerful way to increase privacy controls, since a barcode can represent many lines of personal data, including: names, addresses, health conditions, social security data, and more.

The success of barcode technology is evident in that it is used in nearly every industry around the world. In fact, the GS1 organization noted that, “The beep of a barcode is heard over 6 billion times per day.” The symbol is so commonplace that most of us take it for granted. Yet, without this deceptively sophisticated technology, many businesses would struggle to operate as efficiently as they do today.

Despite the explosive growth of big data and sophisticated analytics platforms, a 2019 study by Deloitte found that 67 percent of business leaders are not quite comfortable using them to inform decision making. For many organizations, spreadsheets remain the preferred tool for managing data and evaluating trends. Developers looking to build the next generation of business applications can accommodate those tendencies by integrating native spreadsheet support for Microsoft Excel workbooks.

Excel Worksheets vs Excel Workbooks

Although sometimes referred to interchangeably or described broadly as spreadsheets, there is a key distinction between an Excel worksheet and an Excel workbook. A worksheet consists of only one spreadsheet while a workbook contains multiple different spreadsheets separated by tabs.

The difference may not be very important when viewing or sharing XLSX files natively in Microsoft Excel, but it can create serious challenges when rendering those files in another application. Without some way of accurately rendering dynamic spreadsheet data, viewers are often forced to resort to a static print preview image. This process makes the file viewable, but also leaves it “flattened” because all interactive elements are removed from the spreadsheet cells.

If the workbook contains worksheets with linked data (that is, cell data from one sheet is affected by cell data from another sheet), it’s critical that a viewing solution preserves the dynamic aspects of the file. The advantage of a spreadsheet is that it can serve as a working document. Without the ability to interact with it, users might as well simply copy and paste the data into a text document.

Managing Excel Workbooks with PrizmDoc Cells

PrizmDoc Cells provides several options for managing Excel workbooks, making it easy to transition back and forth between XLSX format and web browser viewing. Once a proxy route is set up within the application to send API calls to the PrizmDoc Cells server, three different commands can be used to manage Excel workbooks.

Upload Workbook

This API call adds a new XLSX file for viewing and editing. When a document is uploaded to the system, the server assigns a unique workbook ID to it so it can be found and rendered in the application’s viewer in the future. After uploading a workbook, a new session can be created using the workbook ID for viewing and editing purposes. 

Download Workbook

When PrizmDoc Cells displays a spreadsheet, it renders the XLSX file itself, but it doesn’t make any alterations to that file. As each session makes edits to the workbook, those changes are associated with the document ID rather than the original XLSX file, which preserves the integrity of the original spreadsheet. At some point, however, those edits may need to be saved into a new Excel workbook. 

The download API call converts the current session document so it can be downloaded as an XLSX file. File availability can be set during the download process to control who will have access to the new workbook.

Delete Workbook

Old versions of workbooks often need to be deleted for security reasons, usually because they contain confidential data. Since the original XLSX file remains safely within application storage, there often isn’t much sense in retaining workbooks IDs that aren’t being used. The delete API call removes a workbook ID from the server. Once removed in this way, the workbook cannot be viewed, edited, or downloaded by PrizmDoc Cells.

Preserving Workbook Functionality

Since PrizmDoc Cells natively renders information contained in an XLSX file, it retains the dynamic elements that make spreadsheet workbooks so useful to organizations. Not only does it preserve proprietary business logic and formulas, but it also maintains the integrity of this information across multiple worksheets. Cell content can still be searched to quickly locate important text or data throughout the workbook.

For situations where proprietary formulas need to be protected, PrizmDoc Cells allows users to upload XLSX workbooks as values-only files, with all spreadsheet formulas removed. Also, any cells locked in an uploaded XLSX file will remain locked in PrizmDoc Cells to preserve workbook security.

True Spreadsheet Workbook Support for Your Applications

Many organizations continue to depend upon spreadsheet workbooks to manage their business. By providing feature-rich workbook support within their applications, developers can help them retain control over their proprietary spreadsheet formulas without sacrificing the functionality they expect from Excel. 

PrizmDoc Cells makes it easier than ever to share spreadsheet workbooks without having to rely upon Microsoft Excel dependencies. Shared XLSX files can remain safely within a secure application environment to prevent unauthorized downloads or troublesome version confusion. Get a first-hand look at how PrizmDoc Cells can enhance your application in our extensive online demo.

Judge gavel on computer. Concept of internet crime, hacking and cyber crimes

Implementing any technology solution within an established organization can be a monumental challenge for a developer. Doing so for a legal firm that has a strong culture and longstanding processes can be even more difficult. That’s why LegalTech developers need to take a few key factors into consideration as they work on applications for the legal industry.

Build vs. Buy

One of the first questions any firm needs to ask is whether it wants to build a specialized solution or turn to an existing LegalTech application. In many cases, this comes down to a question of resources. For larger “big law” firms or legal departments within an enterprise business, internal developers may be available to build a customized application that caters to specific organizational needs. 

If the resources and development skills are on hand, building a dedicated solution can be an effective strategy. Developers can focus narrowly on the established processes used at the firm and design technology that targets clear pain points more effectively than an “off-the-shelf” product.

More importantly, as Kelly Wehbi, Head of Product for Gravity Stack, points out, building doesn’t necessarily mean starting from nothing: 

“I think a lot about how to leverage the platforms we have or could potentially purchase, but then add our own expertise and strengths on top of it. That doesn’t have to mean you have to build some entirely new interface or have to invent some new technology. It could be there’s a tool that’s out there that does exactly what you need and maybe you have to build a few customizations on top of that.”

Of course, building a solution also presents a number of challenges, especially if the project’s requirements are not well defined from the beginning. There’s a great deal of overhead involved with building new technology in terms of maintenance and ongoing support. It’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on technology at the expense of services. But legal firms are not product companies; they need to focus instead on finding ways they can use technology to leverage their core services.

It’s that emphasis on services that drives many firms to buy the technology solutions they need rather than to build them. Existing software integrations are typically better positioned to maintain security and don’t need to be maintained as extensively. Deploying proven software integrations also helps organizations to maximize their on-premises resources and enhance their flexibility in the long-term. 

“I tend to default toward leveraging an existing platform when possible,” Wehbi admits. “Security ends up being a huge part of this and when you can leverage a company that’s solved that really well, that goes a long, long way. It offers you a bunch of options you wouldn’t have if you had to build it yourself,” Wehbi says. “That’s a pretty big undertaking to start from scratch.”

Getting Buy-In for LegalTech Solutions

Once the build or buy decision is finally made, there’s still the critical matter of executing and putting the new solution into practice. Getting feedback throughout the development and integration process is important, whether it’s gathered from anecdotal observations or some form of usage analytics. 

Neeraj Raijpal, CIO at Schroock & Schroock & Lavan, finds that implementations tend to go smoother when the development team is able to get rapid feedback from key decision makers: “The faster you get the feedback, the faster you know you’re down the right path or not. It is very frightening when the stakeholder…looks at something and says ‘This is exactly the opposite of what I expected.’ You don’t want to be in that situation.”

Ultimately, a LegalTech application’s success depends largely upon whether or not the firm as a whole embraces it. When developers are seeking to implement a solution, they need to be especially careful to take the culture of the firm into consideration. Without buy-in at the top, it will be difficult to convince anyone in the organization to commit to change. 

“If you’re trying to solve a problem because you have a deficiency in a current business process, but you’re not willing to change the process…that’s (a) disaster,” Raijpal warns. Although LegalTech solutions are designed to enhance efficiency and reduce errors, they often require people to learn how to use them or to abandon existing technology solutions.

Take, for example, a legal firm that needs to redact documents during the discovery process. The existing process likely involves printing out documents and then laboriously redacting them by hand with marker. Once that process is finished, they are scanned and saved as image-based PDFs. An HTML5 viewer with redaction capabilities could easily streamline this process to make it faster, more flexible, and more secure. Unfortunately, if the firm’s attorneys aren’t willing to adopt the new process, all of the potential efficiency benefits go to waste.

The Importance of Communication

Communication and ongoing support are critical to ensuring a successful LegalTech implementation. Developers can begin this important conversation right from the beginning when they’re designing application features. Whether they’re building everything from scratch or turning to software integrations, they need to have honest and thorough discussions to determine what specific features are needed to support legal processes. Implementing a LegalTech solution is more likely to be successful if that solution is closely aligned with the firm’s existing needs and future goals.

But the conversation doesn’t stop once the application goes live. Ongoing support and education is often necessary to help firms adopt new technology and make the most of its potential. Developers may even need to adjust some features over time as needs change. If they utilized third party software integrations to add key functionality, they need to know they can count on those vendors to support them as the LegalTech application evolves.

Make Your LegalTech Implementation a Success with Accusoft

Accusoft’s family of software integrations allow LegalTech developers to quickly add the features their clients need to modernize workflows and improve efficiency. Whether it’s PrizmDoc’s extensive document redaction capabilities that make it easier to protect privacy during eDiscovery or the automated document assembly features of PrizmDoc, developers can lean on our 30 years of document processing expertise so they can focus on building the tools legal teams require

As part of our ongoing work with the LegalTech industry, Accusoft recently sponsored a Law.com webinar on the subject of building vs buying technology solutions for legal firms. You can listen to some of the highlights with contributors Kelly Wehbi and Neeraj Rajpal along with host Zach Warren, editor-in-chief of LegalTech News, on the Law.com Perspectives podcast.

What Are Your PDF Reader Options?

Sharing and viewing PDFs online has become much easier with the development of HTML5 viewing technology and PDF.js-based software. For many years, the only way to view a PDF was to download a file and open it using a dedicated PDF reader application. Although many of these readers could be added to a web browser using a plug-in, this wasn’t always a reliable solution and inconsistent support for these extensions often created security risks.

After Mozilla introduced the PDF.js open-source library in 2011, integrated PDF viewing quickly became an essential feature for web browsers. Most users now simply take PDF viewing for granted, trusting that their browser will be able to open and read any file. For some organizations, relying on a browser PDF reader is a perfectly reasonable solution, especially if they don’t have any concerns over controlling the document viewing experience.

But for many developers building web applications, these browsers and external PDF readers put them at the mercy of third-party providers. Changes or security problems with these solutions can leave development teams scrambling to implement workarounds that could have been avoided if they had their own dedicated viewing solution. That’s why applications increasingly feature a built-in PDF reader that allows them to better manage and present important digital documents.

Why Your Application Needs a Built-in PDF Reader

The core problem with relying on an external viewing solution comes down to control. In order to view a PDF in a dedicated reader, the file needs to be downloaded. Once that document is removed from a secure application, it could easily be distributed or altered without any authorization or oversight. This often results in serious version confusion that leaves everyone wondering which version of a PDF is the most up-to-date. By keeping documents within a controlled application, developers can ensure that the files viewed there are current.

Relying on external PDF viewers can also create an inconsistent user experience. Since not all viewers render documents, in the same way, it’s impossible to control what someone will see when they open a given PDF. In some cases, that could result in wrong fonts being displayed or some image layers failing to render properly. But it may also prevent someone from even viewing a file at all. For example, browser-based viewers that use the base PDF.js library without making any improvements to it often struggle to render lengthy or complex files. 

When applications incorporate a built-in PDF reader, developers can ensure that every document viewed within that solution will look the same on every device (and that it will open in the first place!). This level of control is incredibly important for organizations looking to build a frictionless and compelling user experience.

Integrating a PDF Reader

By incorporating a PDF reader into their web-based applications, developers are able to both retain full control over the viewing experience and keep files within a protected environment. When users are interacting with the application, all PDF viewing can be handled by the built-in viewer rather than handed off to external software. This makes it easier to manage access effectively and limits the number of downloads. 

Since every user will be viewing documents through the same built-in PDF reader, developers can also craft a consistent experience across multiple platforms. With more and more people accessing their applications with mobile devices, it’s important for development teams to offer responsive viewing solutions that can accommodate various screen sizes and interfaces.

In order to maintain complete control over files and deliver better performance, a built-in PDF reader should be able to operate as an entirely client-side solution. Whether it’s running within an on-premises technology stack or as part of an application’s cloud deployment, a PDF viewer without any complicated dependencies never has to worry about connecting to a third-party service to facilitate viewing. 

But why stop at PDF viewing?

PDF Editing

Often users need the ability to view as well as collaborate on their PDF documents, and providing the ability to edit those documents presents a challenge for developers. In a recent survey conducted amongst developers, there appears to be a disconnect between the PDF editing features that are available in most applications, to what developers actually need to fulfill and enhance their applications. So what’s the solution? 

Third-party Integrated PDF Viewing and Editing

A PDF solution provider has already worked out the challenges associated with viewing and editing PDF documents within an application. They’ve also devoted their resources to improving their document capabilities and expanding features to offer greater flexibility.

A good third-party provider also offers extensive support during and after the implementation process. If the developer needs to add a new PDF-related capability to their application or if they encounter a problem, they can quickly resolve the issue by working with their provider rather than wasting valuable resources trying to identify and fix the problem themselves. That combination of expertise and service means that developers can spend more time focusing on their application’s unique features rather than continuously wrestling with PDF-related challenges.

Enhance Your Application with PDF Integrations from Accusoft

With more than three decades of experience managing documents and images, Accusoft has been building innovative PDF solutions since the format was first introduced. Whether you need to add flexible front-end viewing and editing features to your application or are looking to add powerful programmatic PDF capabilities into the back end of your software, we provide a wide range of PDF solutions that address multiple development needs.

To learn more about how Accusoft can solve your PDF document management challenges, talk to one of our PDF specialists today and find the integration that works best for your software project.

Any time multiple people work on the same project, there’s always the potential for confusion to disrupt workflows and efficiency. This is especially true with regards to documents. For example, imagine a scenario where an organization’s legal department is reviewing a contract. One person downloads a copy of the drafted contract at the end of the day to review it at home on their personal computer, but they forget to upload that edited version until the following afternoon. In the meantime, someone else opens the document that morning and makes a number of comments. 

When a third collaborator tries to review the contract the next day, they’re suddenly faced with two completely different versions of the file, neither of which incorporate comments or changes from the other. This confusion creates a new dilemma. Should they review both documents and try to combine the comments? Or should they decide to carry only some of them over to a new version? Now there are potentially three different versions of the document, some of which may have redundant annotations or ask important questions that some contributors haven’t even seen. 

Imagine this process playing out across multiple document workflows within an organization and it’s easy to see why document version control software is so important for today’s business processes.

What Is Document Version Control?

Electronic document management systems (EDMS) are frequently used to help organizations track changes to files and control who has access to them. The software records all changes made to documents as well as who has accessed them and made alterations. It also typically keeps the document within the secure application. Rather than every collaborator downloading their own copy of the document and working on it in another system, individual users must access the file and work on it within the document management software. This creates a single source of truth for every document, as all markups and comments will be added to the same file rather than being scattered across several individual copies.

Using a combination of APIs and conversion tools, developers can build applications that allow organizations to maintain document version control. The original version of a file can be safely stored on a server while the system generates a version for editing that can be annotated by multiple contributors over separate viewing sessions. Since everyone is working from the same version and only one person can access it at one time, they can rest easy knowing that they’re working from the most up-to-date version of the file.

Effective document version control makes it easy to access previous versions of a file and then generate a new document that incorporates all annotation markups at the end of the review process. This centralization ensures that alternate versions of the file aren’t being created and prevents anyone without the proper authorization from even viewing the document before it’s ready.

6 Common Document Version Control Mistakes

Many organizations don’t start out with document version control software or policies in place, so they can easily fall prey to version confusion as they scale and the volume of documents they need to manage increases. There are a few common challenges that make the implementation of dedicated EDMS tools necessary.

1. Not Providing a Document Viewer

If an application doesn’t provide a viewing solution of any kind, then users have no choice but to use an external program to view and annotate files. Unfortunately, once a document “leaves” a secure application environment, it becomes almost impossible to track or manage. Even if the file is unchanged, it may look different when opened using various programs, which can make it hard to know whether the document is current or not. By providing document viewing and annotation tools directly within their application, developers can keep files in a centralized location and make sure they always look the same no matter who accesses them.

2. Original File Not Backed Up

When an application doesn’t incorporate document backup or retain an unaltered version of the original file as part of its workflow, any mistake or oversight is quickly compounded. Changes made to the document might overwrite the original file before they can be reviewed and alternate versions could be created, leaving collaborators unsure about which one they’re supposed to be working from. If the original file isn’t retained, it’s impossible to go back to the source or to apply changes to a fresh document.

3. Creating Multiple Revision Files

Relying on a word processing application for the editing and revision process can quickly lead to confusion over which version of the file is most up-to-date. Not only do collaborators need to sort through multiple files with names like “document_V2” or “document_John-edits,” but they also can’t be certain that they even have access to every version of the document. Since everyone is downloading a copy and working on the file locally, they may discover that the version they’re working from doesn’t incorporate every contributor’s edits. 

4. Using a Shared Drive

Shared storage, either in the form of an on-site server or a cloud-based platform, may seem like an ideal way for collaborators to work on the same files. Unfortunately, the access controls of these drives often leave much to be desired. Without strong access control, it’s difficult to prevent any single person from altering, renaming, moving, or even deleting a document.

5. Printing Documents for Manual Review

Although many people are more comfortable reviewing documents in physical form, this can create quite a headache for document management systems. Printing out a file creates additional steps in the editing workflow and requires someone to translate the handwritten markups into the digital version of the document. Even worse, those edited pages may be scanned and uploaded as a different file type, which creates further confusion.

6. Not Establishing a Document Management Process

Most cases of document version confusion can be traced back to the lack of a clearly defined process for managing and editing files. Developers can provide powerful version control software that allow organizations to strictly manage who has access to files, how they’re reviewed, and where they are stored, but without processes in place to make the most of those tools, mistakes and confusion are almost inevitable.

Take Control of Documents with PrizmDoc Viewer

One of the best ways developers can maintain document version control is to provide viewing, conversion, and annotation capabilities within the application environment itself. With Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Viewer, they can easily integrate a versatile HTML5 viewer into their document management platform. Featuring a variety of annotation markup tools, redaction capabilities, and support for dozens of file types, PrizmDoc Viewer allows collaborators to securely review documents without any external dependencies. 

The HTML5 viewer generates unique document IDs that save all comments and markups without altering the integrity of the original file while also allowing administrators to control who has access. It’s an ideal solution for document workflows that need to incorporate multiple comments from a variety of collaborators, but need a single file to serve as a “source of truth” throughout the process.

To learn more about how PrizmDoc Viewer can help your application prevent version confusion, download a free trial today for evaluation. If you have any questions about your specific use case, don’t hesitate to reach out to our document management and image processing specialists.

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.