Madison Advisors has published a brief on the current state of the automated document factory (ADF) model and the need to break free of the traditional page-based paradigm to support communications in multiple formats. In the brief entitled
“Automated Document Factory Solutions Enter the Digital Age,” eight vendors participated in the research to provide information on the state of the ADF market. Madison Advisors found most vendors offer modular solutions to support the growing demand for digital transformation, but few manage digital communications with the same depth of functionality as print. The participating vendors reported that a majority of their clients rely heavily on print for customer communications, while digital initiatives are fragmented across various lines of business. However, today, it is understood that enterprises require systems that can manage customer preferences regarding the appropriate channel for various types of communications.
“The results of our research indicate that although many ADF systems were designed to manage physical mail pieces, the demand for omnichannel communications is driving the need for the ADF model to be extended to support unstructured digital content, regulatory compliance and accessibility. The good news is that modern software systems can now utilize APIs, which simplify integration between systems. This makes the way for the broader channel support that will be needed in the next few years,” said Richard Huff, senior analyst at Madison Advisors. The brief includes detailed information from the following providers about their ADF solutions: BlueCrest, BOWE, Canon, Crawford Technologies, Papyrus Software, Racami, RSA and Solimar Systems.
The complimentary brief can be downloaded here.