Interview of TAdviser with the president of DocsVision Vladimir Andreyev

Vladimir Andreyev: The Russian market of EDMS rather mature, sharp changes in it does not happen. The main trends which were outlined few years ago, and connected with the shift in demand during crisis in general remained and in the current year: it the increased requirements to degree of "readiness" of solutions, a possibility of rapid implementation of ready functionality, unlike implementation of the platform for further development of custom solutions and also special attention to import-substituting products. However in the current year the market showed a certain revival. Probably, the pent-up demand of last 2 years began to work. Very many tenders for expansion and replacement of the available systems, in particular, on substitution of the western platforms are held. Generally, 2016 looks so far much more optimistically, than previous.

Vladimir Andreyev: As we already noted, many companies think of scaling of systems, a scope of all divisions, including the child organizations, automation of new tasks, including not absolutely traditional for EDMS. There is a translation request of solutions on the centralized schemes in corporate DPCs with replacement available decentralized that raises requirements to scalability of the EDMS platform. For the rest, requirements to systems the same - availability of ready-made solutions of specific objectives for these or those functional divisions, a possibility of their customization for accounting of features of processes of the specific enterprise and special attention to a usability – to convenience of mastering and use. An opportunity for work on mobile devices already the mandatory requirement to EDMS, and it concerns both work of top managers, and linear employees. This year even more often ask us questions of an opportunity for work on the "open platforms" alternative to the Microsoft platform. We strenuously prepare affirmative answer on these requests, and made already quite a lot so we are going to present to the market the solution, for work in infrastructure of Open Source.

Vladimir Andreyev: This subject and really rather heavy. For many years the largest Russian companies invested in development of EDMS of infrastructure based on the western software. A large number of both means, and organizational efforts is enclosed. Replace these solutions – expensive and not fast case. However even more often "in air smells" of this subject. The companies do not hurry to take such steps, but it is possible to note that it becomes a relevant trend, such projects become more and more. Though projects of not too big scale are implemented so far, but in study there are some of very large projects on migration from the western software. So, perhaps, it will be possible to tell about the real translation of such solutions on Russian software soon. If to speak about new implementations, especially in a public sector and defense industry, then the requirement of the "Russian" software is already come true fact.

Vladimir Andreyev: We try to react actively to all new market demands and trends of development in the industry, selecting for ourselves several main relevant trends. First of all, this scaling and centralization of the EDMS projects and imortozameshcheniye. We are sure that we have the right to apply for substitution of the western ECM platforms as initially implemented the platform which successfully competed with such systems, Lotus Notes as well as Documentum prior to the beginning of an import substitution trend. For the last year we made a lot of work in this direction, in particular, seriously processed a server part of our platform, having saved at the same time complete succession of the acquired solutions. We provided a flexible configuration of file storages and optimization of storage of data files, a connectivity of external "engines" for creation of search indexes, supported modern In-memory technologies of caching of server data (with a connectivity of the widespread Open Source tools), implemented a possibility of a clustering of operation of SQL servers and other. We could implement an original set of the most modern technologies in the field of multi-tier architectures of creation of scalable solutions. The purpose was to give the chance to build large-scale solutions – tens of thousands of users and millions of documents a day. Now we started stress testing of the new platform, and though it is not finished yet, we already see rather impressive results. Also we significantly progressed in ensuring operation of the updated Docsvision server platform on Open Source platforms – PostgreSQL and the operating system Linux. We are going to show results of this work to the market at the beginning of the next year.

Vladimir Andreyev: Other key direction of development is increase in convenience of using of a system and support of mobile work of users. We released the new easy client who thanks to new design and adaptive imposition can work on devices of any form factors. In the nearest future we will release the new version of the designer of cards who is adapted on creation of mobile solutions and corresponding scenarios of work with documents. We released absolutely new original module "e-mail client" which allows to work with documents and tasks in any email client. We work on development of the specialized cross-platform "native" mobile client. One more interesting direction of development of the platform was creation of new system module – the Manager of tasks. It is very interesting product which solves problems of management of simple projects and processes of achievement of goals in commands - so-called "a case management". Successfully implemented the global project on creation of SaaS of service (Actionspace.com) based on the ideas of this product. And in the nearest future we intend to give the chance to use this functionality to users of Docsvision. In our opinion is very perspective direction of development of EDMS. It not all that we do, but in other developments so far early to devote general public.

Vladimir Andreyev: Yes, of course. In addition to listed, it is possible to say that the user became significantly more exacting: he wants to receive the ready-made solution of the task, but with a possibility of development and adaptation in case of need. As we noted last year, the general document flow begins to be substituted with professional - document flow for lawyers, financiers, develper, purchasers, the staff of patent services and so forth. It is any more not tasks of classical preschool educational institution and approval, these are very specific tasks requiring expanded tools in EDMS. We created the platform for implementation of such tasks. Now we conduct active work on formation of Competence Centers among our partners who are ready to provide similar solutions in "conditionally ready" a type. At implementation it is not necessary to create solutions from scratch, and just to adapt for needs of the specific organization. Creation of library of such solutions – a step in the right direction. Above we already said that requirements of customers to convenience and simplicity of the interface also grew.

Vladimir Andreyev: Generally projects based on Docsvision are done by our partners, sometimes we participate in them in a format of designer's service or consulting. There is a lot of projects, and they are interesting. Very different and from a scale point, and width of the solved tasks solutions in state agencies are developed. Here it is possible to select, for example, the Ekaterinburg City Council and administration of Murmansk. The interesting project on scaling (to involvement in the system of subsidiaries and connection of additional functions, in particular, of transition to paperless document flow) goes to JSC ALROSA. The interesting project on automation of legal services of Rosneft is implemented now by our partner from Irkutsk (even the small regional company can get access to such customers using Docsvision). It is possible to continue long, but, probably, it is better to send the reader to our website on which we fix cases of this sort.

Vladimir Andreyev: It seems to us that EDMS/ECM technologies are strongly underestimated today. Opportunities for creation of specific solutions, business process automation, including tasks of process management, management of unstructured processes and projects (cases), creation of repositories of documents and knowledge bases, paperless document flow, aggregation of corporate tasks in the single interface are only those directions in which can be used by EDMS effectively already today. There are perspective ideas on use of different technologies of artificial intelligence, from automatic classification of content before process optimization of decision making by the head within processes. All this is still not really demanded, but if the EDMS systems are fully used in the organizations and to close significant number of processes and tasks of employees, demand for these technologies will grow.

Vladimir Andreyev: In order that all above described technologies became demanded, it is necessary to solve those problems which we consecrated above - to make systems scalable and productive (a large number of users, documents and processes) and the most convenient in administration and use (the requirement to a usability and mobile scenarios of use). At the same time EDMS should have rich functionality and unprecedented instruments of setup. Combine 2 of these tasks not easy, but we already strongly progressed in their solution and with optimism we look forward :)