The retail network MTS increased efficiency of document flow using IBM FileNet and ABBYY FlexiCapture

On October 24, 2011 IBM, to ABBYY and "Information Technologies" announced SITRONICS a successful completion of the project of automation of the workflow system in Retail network MTS.

The main objective within creation of the electronic document management system (EDMS) is quality improvement of processing of primary documentation thanks to automation of the most part of routine tasks. For the organization of centralized operation by corporate document flow and implementations of uniform EDMS the Retail network MTS selected the IBM FileNet platform and the system of stream input of data ABBYY FlexiCapture. According to the results of the tender for carrying out a complex of preproject works and implementation of the specified solutions the SITRONICS Information Technologies company was selected.

Ample opportunities of IBM FileNet in the field of ensuring long-term storage of text files, the scanned documents, diagrams, e-mail messages and other document types most fully meet the requirements of retail business. Besides, technologies of IBM provide automation of key business processes, allow to control accounting in each outlet, to provide accuracy of the data and to observe storage lives of official papers.

For recognition of the documents coming to EDMS in Retail network MTS the system of stream input of data ABBYY FlexiCapture is used. Ample opportunities of the solution on extraction of data from the structured documents and its flexible client-server architecture completely correspond to major problems and specifics of the project. The ABBYY FlexiCapture system integrated with IBM FileNet scans and will recognize 30 types of primary accounting documents arriving from retail outlets of MTS across all Russia. The solution of ABBYY automatically determines document type, and documents of different types can be processed in a row. ABBYY FlexiCapture takes from them all necessary attributes (the code of a point, the dates and the amount specified in the document) then the recognized data and the scan copy of documents come to electronic archive for further processing.

A system is expected several thousands of users. Within cooperation of project teams SITRONICS IT and Retail network MTS based on the integrated IBM FileNet and ABBYY FlexiCapture platform the uniform ordered storage of documents consisting of operational storage (the open period) and archive storage (the archive periods) was created

Thanks to implementation of a centralized system of electronic document management on the basis of IBM FileNet it was succeeded to reach automation of process of reconciliation of primary documentation (in the automatic mode the scan of the paper document and the electronic document in uniform base 1C are verified) and to provide a possibility of drawing up operational reports about the verified documentation in real time.

At the moment the hardware of uniform EDMS of Retail network MTS is made by 8 IBM X3650 servers and 2 IBM X3200 servers. A system has close integration with the existing IT infrastructure and, in particular, with a 1C system. So, loading and automatic update of reference books between 1C NSI and IBM FileNet is implemented, seamless integration with a corporate system of information security and differentiation of access rights is provided.

"Deployment of an automated system of document flow in Retail network MTS allowed to reduce costs and to considerably reduce "manual work" on processing of primary documentation. We created the unified and transparent document flow that increases controllability and company performance", - the director of the department of information technologies of Retail network MTS Kostin Oleg noted.

"Creation of an electronic document management system in Retail network MTS – one of the largest projects implemented using ABBYY FlexiCapture in Russia. Results of implementation showed high efficiency of its application as a part of solutions for automation of difficult business processes of the large retail companies, – Krivonozhenkov Nikita managing on corporate projects of ABBYY Russia says.

"System implementation of electronic document management – a basis of increase in efficiency of business processes of any company, - Dragutin Ivachi, the director of the department of the software, IBM in Russia and the CIS noted. - Project implementation in Retail network MTS based on the software tools IBM FileNet allowed the company to create a reliable basis for development of a modern end-to-end information system".

Commenting on project deliverables, in SITRONICS IT especially emphasize the role of the specialists of Retail of MTS who were directly involved in development of a business challenge, stages of implementation and operational management of changes in the project course: "Creation of uniform storage of electronic documents on the scale of the Retail network MTS provided in all regions of Russia is the unique project which success in the maximum degree depended on mutual understanding in a project team, – Petrov Ivan, the Director of the department of integrated solutions, "comments on SITRONICS Information Technologies" in Russia. – The implementation scale, heterogeneous IT infrastructure in the outlets of network, the organization of user training which are in different time zones – all this complicated a problem of implementation of uniform EDMS. However we successfully completed the project, first of all, thanks to ample technological capabilities of the IBM FileNet and ABBYY FlexiCapture platform and active involvement of representatives of business from MTS".