S4i Systems, provider of electronic document automation and disk space management software for IBM Power Systems, has announced the general availability of its newest productivity tool, Desktop Capture. 

The product offers an easy and cost-effective way to capture and enter paper-based or online records into any content-management or business system. Using Desktop Capture, accounts payable and receivable documents, bills-of lading, insurance and any other work-related forms or digitized files can be automatically validated, indexed, and archived for future retrieval. 

Desktop Capture simplifies processing scanned documents for shops with ERP, CRM, or other back-office back-end document management systems that use files indexed against a database. Users can easily drop-'n-drag scanned documents--or files from email or the network--into a window where an identifying index number—such as a vendor number—is assigned to them. 

This number can trigger the automatic completion of additional information relating to name, address, and other identifiers that can help during subsequent retrieval. It's an easy way to move new documents into the back-end content management system, the company says. 

Accounting documents, bills of lading, insurance or any other work-related forms or digitized files can be automatically indexed, validated and archived for retrieval using Desktop Capture. The identifying index values can be acquired automatically from third-party software and databases or manually entered by the operator. Desktop Capture then associates the indexing information with the document. The index is used for later archiving, retrieval, or distribution. 

Desktop Capture provides a low-end Windows-based solution to any industry’s day-to-day data processing bottlenecks caused by mounting piles of forms awaiting entry into online back or front-office business systems, according to the company. 

Topicz, a food service company, has been using S4i Desktop Capture in its Accounts Payable group for several months. Bob Reckers, Topicz IT manager, says, "Being able to scan the batch of AP Invoices up front and all at once is very efficient. With Desktop Capture, we can cut the time and effort in the processing since we are able to have…[the invoices] indexed automatically while at the same time entering the invoice data into our accounts payable system. The entire process is simple to use, easy to execute," says Reckers. "Our clerks are happy to have the extra room in their office where the old filing cabinets were.”