Artem Permyakov, Directum: Transfer of processes to an electronic form is the most clear way of transition to the digital enterprise

Artem Permyakov: Today's market of ECM and BPM, as well as the market of other classes of information systems, comes under the strongest influence of a trend of digital transformation. It naturally conducts to the fact that vendors try to make the product more modern due to use of broad set of technologies. It is the certain "haypovy" factor influencing implementation of innovations in ECM. On the other hand, market of ECM systems rather mature. If to speak about a segment of large business, then nearly 100% of the companies have extensive experience of implementation of the systems of this class. Today you will surprise with the solution of classical problems of EDMS nobody, automation only of these tasks does not close the growing business needs.

Customers look at ECM in the context of change of the existing systems, and it is important to most of them to bring corporate EDMS to qualitatively new level, but it is not just slightly better to automate, what was already automated. The main objective of innovations also consists in it.

Naturally, each vendor selects the way — someone independently develops the innovative solutions, someone goes the way integration. Each option has advantages and shortcomings. But the one who did not select any of these ways and is still engaged only in classical tasks, sooner or later will lose the market share.

In my opinion, the most significant technology which brings an ECM system to new level is the artificial intelligence (Artificial intelligence, AI). Often near it mention robotization, first of all, of RPA. But after all it is worth drawing an accurate distinction between these trends.

The task of robots in general and RPA in particular is a replacement of the person due to complete repetition of its actions. In other words, in most cases RPA is a rule set which allow to perform often repeating operations not requiring the serious analysis. The second criterion of application of RPA is "integration without integration". So the situation when it is impossible to be integrated with other systems by a classical method and needs to configure interaction via the user interface. For example, there are no integration tools, there are no resources for creation of tools, a global system cannot be modified at the level of local representation or creation of the integration solution is just more expensive.

The problem of artificial intelligence is an analysis and interpretation of data, without repetition of all those operations which are performed by the person. AI looks for the shortest way from requirement to result, tries to make decisions that is not done by the robot. For example, intelligent tools allow not only to bring the document in a system (at certain restrictions the robot also can cope with it), but also to determine by contents of the document to whom this document should be sent.

Thus, AI acts as the think-tank, and RPA — as "hands" which execute transactions. For example, on the basis of the data taken from the entering primary documents, intelligent tools define what postings need to be executed. Then RPA, having received a command, via the user interface executes them in the accounting system. Similar combined use of technologies allows to exclude routine transactions most effectively.

In general use of artificial intelligence in ECM systems is rather broad. For example, it is already usual case of check of completeness, entering and automatic filling of details of cards. Less widespread cases are preparation of the draft resolution for the head (to whom and with what term to send the document to work), examination of agreements (correctness of details, cross references, existence of obligatory sections and identification of risks), automatic detection of postings according to primary documents, assessment of competences of the candidate during approval of his candidate, prediction of dismissal of employees and many other things.

The benefit from use of intelligent tools consists in elimination of routine transactions, reduction in cost and acceleration of processes. There are no essentially new directions of obtaining benefit, but there is a new tool in order that these benefits were more considerable.

As for a blockchain, hype in relation to it considerably fell down in comparison with last year. Nevertheless, sees that this technology can be used during creation of the environment of trust for long-term document storage. For example, when placing the document for storage in a chain of blocks the hash and metadata of the document registers. In 10 years we provide the document on demand and if its hash matches that it was written in a blockchain — that with high probability the document was not changed.

Artem Permyakov: Customers want not only to process intellectually information — it important to make this information available. Even more often there is a need for the developed searching tools with analysis of natural language queries, use of facet filtering, accounting of a context of search and specialized representation of results depending on the maintenance of a request.

Other large trend is an implementing solutions for long-term legally significant storage of electronic documents. The problem of translation of documents in an electronic form is more or less clear, and now customers solve a problem of the correct storage of the fact that they transferred to an electronic form earlier. It is important to solve these problems together to ensure correct functioning with electronic documents at all stages of their lifecycle.

Without leaving it is far from a subject of storage of electronic documents, there is a wish to tell that more and more customers look for ways of the maximum automation of personnel processes. Innovators already now partially transfer the least risky documents to an electronic form. The majority watches closely initiatives of the Ministry of Labour of the Russian Federation of change of the regulatory base regarding personnel document flow.

Also we note steady interest in chat-bots as to a new access facility to an ECM system. Bots allow to involve in completely electronic interaction of those employees whose workplace does not assume existence of the PC. Use of messengers gives the chance as much as possible to transfer to an electronic form acquaintance with orders, creation of requests for repair, the order of references, obtaining the reference information, etc.

Artem Permyakov: Transfer of processes to completely electronic form is the most clear way of transition to the digital enterprise. Not important, what processes mean — intercorporate or internal. All who anyway speak about digitalization at themselves at the enterprise first of all begin to transfer documents to an electronic form. Naturally, demand for the solutions allowing to do it only grows.

With different types of case documents are differently. Exchange of agreements and primary documents between the companies — the task which is already rather worked. The problem of automation of internal accounting documents is clear, but is not completely closed. And here automation of personnel documents faces methodological spaces and lack of the regulatory base so far.

Actually it is very important trend as the electronic document and electronic interaction — one of bases of digital transformation. It allows the enterprises to reduce significantly costs, even despite need of software implementation, providing employees of the EDS and building of new communication channels with partners.

Artem Permyakov: Yes, strategy changed a little. In many respects it is connected with the impact of digital transformation which changes economy and usual models of business. As I spoke earlier, one of key paradigms of transformation is transition to completely digital interaction.

Digital interaction in a broad sense is an and new level of joint work of staff of the company, and the new interoperability layer with partners. During such interaction corporate digital content which needs to be processed and stored in a new way is born.

Therefore, the ECM system of the modern enterprise should meet the following requirements:

• All employees (including non-automated) interact only in electronic form.
• All interaction with partners and subsidiaries is conducted only in electronic form with ensuring the legal importance.
• All management processes become completely electronic.
• All content which is stored in a system — completely digital and legally significant.

Thus, everything in a system should become completely digital. To meet these requirements, the new strategy of Directum DigitALL defines the following directions of development of products:

1. Intellectuality and robotization.
2. Convenience to users.
3. Legal importance.
4. Omnichannel.
5. Powerful modern platform.
6. Broad set of ready-made solutions.

Each of these directions consists of specific objectives. For example, the Powerful Platform direction is tasks of increase in scalability, development of instruments of creation of a distributed architecture, means of acceleration of development, integrability of systems and, of course, import substitution.

The convenience of users is a development of modern, clear UI\UX, the built-in user training, development of masters of actions and designers of documents and voice interaction with a system.

Omnichannel implies development of mobile applications and chat-bots in messengers, integration into portals and embedding in applications (ERP CRM office).

Development of the legal importance consists in work with the semi-structured content, improvement of integration with services of exchange, wide use of the simple and strengthened EDS, the organization of long-term storage and a research of use of blockchain technologies.

Naturally, we continue to support a broad set of business solutions. This and classical office-work, both contract management, and citizens' appeals and also purchases, projects, LND/SMK, intercorporate exchange, internal bookkeeping registers, personnel processes, management of services and so on.

But the key direction which brings our system to new level is the artificial intelligence. As I spoke earlier, the intelligence in ECM is a classification, extraction of the facts and control of completeness of incoming documents and also the subsequent intellectual routing. Naturally, it not only processing of the entering flow, but also examination of contractual documents, processing of expense reports, predictive analytics in sales processes, purchases and many other things.

Artem Permyakov: In a year many classical implementation projects of an ECM system were executed. I will not stop on them in detail. There is a wish to note the projects connected with our new solutions, which are most seriously influencing digital transformation of our customers.

The release version of our intelligent Directum Ario tools appeared in April, 2018. From this point using the solution 7 projects were executed. At recently taken place Directum Enterprise Forum conference our colleagues from JSC UEC and JSC ODK-Aviadvigatel shared with community project deliverables on intellectual processing of incoming letters.

2 projects on the implementing solution "Long-term Archive" started. Implementations still are in an active stage, and I cannot sound yet the companies in which works are conducted.

Besides, the implementation project of chat-bots for access to an ECM system in agro-industrial holding "Komos Group" is complete.

In general we actively keep both classical, and innovation projects and with optimism we look forward.