SCANNING SOLUTION
2003
COMPUTERWORLD HONORS CASE STUDY
I
N - HOUSE
SCANNING
AND ONLINE
MANAGEMENT
OF
CONTRACT
DOCUMENTS REDUCES
HANDLING
TIMES FROM
WEEKS
TO HOURS
,
ENHANCING LAWYER PRODUCTIVITY AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
.
B
USINESS
& R
ELATED
S
ERVICES
[20034855]
Patrick
J. McGovern,
Chairmen
of
the Chairmen's Committee
Daniel Morrow,
Executive
Director
Martin
Taylor,
Publisher
Computerworld
SUMMARY
Cisco
Systems�
legal department,
like
many legal
departments,
was inundated
with
and
dependent
upon
paper documents.
By
bringing outsourced
paper
contracts in-house
through
a
combination
of
digital hardware
and
software, Cisco
now
has a
document
management
solution
that cut
costs,
streamlined workflow processes and
improved
customer services.
APPLICATION
Paper
was burying
us alive
in the
legal
department at
Cisco
Systems. In
April
2001, we
turned
to Xerox
to transform
our
massive
amount of
paper
documents into
a digital
workflow
process
that would
improve
the way
we
work and
save
us money. Prior
to
Xerox entering
the
picture,
paper
legal contracts
were
sent to an
outsourced
service
provider,
who then
scanned
and stored
images
onto CDs.
Once
the contracts
were
on the CD
they
were uploaded
to
a
database
at
Cisco headquarters in San Jose,
CA.
This process
cost
upwards of
$50
to $60 per
contract and
resulted
in a
two-week
delay before
attorneys
could access
these
documents.
At
the
time, Xerox
Document
Centre multifunction
devices
resided on
every
floor
in
every
building of
Cisco�s
San Jose
main
campus, but
not
all were
networked.
One afternoon,
we
noticed a
scan
button on
the
front panel
of the
Xerox Document
Centre
440ST located
in
the
legal
department
and
a network
connection
on the
back of
the
machine. We
plugged
it in
and
discovered a
great
and previously
untapped
feature
of the
device�an embedded Web server
that
allows control
of
the device
over
the Web.
We immediately
turned
to the
Xerox-Cisco
support
team to
enable
the scanning
functionality. functionality.
Our first
order
of business
- cut
down on
the
time and
costs
associated with
scanning
contracts
by
bringing
this outsourced
job
in-house. We
used
the Document
Centre
440ST to
scan
legal
contracts
and Xerox�s
FlowPort
image routing
software
to route
the
contracts to
a group
of e-
addresses or
to
our legacy
contract
repository. Combining
the
FlowPort image
routing
software with
a
Document Centre
was
a winning
combination�one
that made
documents
available
that
much faster
and
at a much
lower
cost.
The
next
step -
integrate
the Document
Centre/FlowPort
solution
with
Xerox DocuShare,
a
Web-based document
and
content management
solution.
The legal
group
needed a
simple,
quick and
inexpensive
method of
not
only storing
contracts
and Non
Disclosure
Agreements
(NDAs),
but
also a
method
that would
encourage
interaction and
efficiencies
in
work
process
among
the
attorneys. The
project
had
no IT
budget, no
development
resources and
no
priority.
Realizing
the need
and
understanding the
situation,
our legal
business
services team,
with
the assistance
of
the Xerox-Cisco
team,
completed
the
integration
without any
programming
or IT
resources.
Now, just
a year
later, we
scan
and store
more
than 2,000
NDAs in
DocuShare�a
database installed
and
maintained by
a
non-technical
group.
Once we
had
an understanding
of the
core tools,
systems
and processes,
we
were able
to
get
creative.
For
instance, Sarbanes
is
a law
that
requires the
documentation
and retention
of
board meeting
minute
books. In
an effort
to comply with the Cisco
company
policy,
all
board-meeting minutes
are
now scanned
into
DocuShare. This
is
an easy
and
affordable way
to
allow each
person
to scan
meeting
minutes into
any
one of 22
different
repositories
(each
having its
own
unique security
requirements).
Not only
is this
solution easy
to
use, it
is
completely secure.
Users
simply check
what
type of
security
requirement they
want
applied to
their scanned
document,
check the
box
on the Document
Centre
and a
document is
automatically created.
We
didn�t
realize our
dependence
on
the
Xerox system
until
we took
the
server down
for
for
maintenance, and caused a
minor
uproar among
all
the attorneys
who
are now highly
reliant
on the
scan-to-PDF
and scan-to-e-mail
functionalities.
With a
successful
implementation
under
our belt,
we presented
the
legal
department�s solution
to several
other
groups
within
Cisco.
Cisco�s
Work Place
Resources
group (WPR)
was
immediately interested when it
learned
the solution
could
be implemented within Cisco�s massive
network
infrastructure.
WPR
replaced
all of
its
stand-alone machines
(scanners,
photocopiers, fax
machines
and
printers)
with
Xerox digital
multifunction
devices�a
task
that proved
not
only cost-effective
but
much more
efficient
for Cisco
employees.
BENEFITS
Before implementing a
workflow
solution,
our
legal team
was
swimming in
a sea
of
paperwork.
Our
attorneys relied
on
outsourcing and
stored
images
on CDs
to keep
track
of
contracts
and
NDAs. It
was
inefficient and
expensive.
We needed
a solution
that
would
enhance productivity while saving
time
and money�and
Xerox
responded. Prior
to the
Xerox
solution,
we paid
a third
party about
37
cents per
page
to scan
legal
documents, burn
the
documents onto
CDs,
upload the
documents
to NT
folders
and manually
connect
them to
the
contract database.
The
process took
about
10 days
from
the time
we received
the
signed
contracts to
the
point when
they
were available
online.
With our
digital
process, scanned
documents
are available
immediately.
This
solution
has eliminated
extra
steps, reduced
costs
and enhanced
customer
service. And
besides
that, our
attorneys
say the
solution
is incredibly
easy
to use.
We
plan on
expanding
our use
of the
integrated system worldwide. In
the
end, we not
only
saved
money,
we discovered
numerous
benefits:
?
Minimal
training is
required
? The
consolidation
of
printers,
fax machines,
and
scanners into
multifunction
devices results
in tangible
cost
savings
?
The
system is
supported
by WPR-Cisco�s
internal
IT group
?
Xerox technology
is consistent
with
international
standards
?
Productivity increases
significantly
because data
can
be accessed
at any
time
By
bringing
imaging in-house
and
combining hardware
scanning
functionality
with
document
management
software,
we
created
a workflow
system
that has
transformed
the way
Cisco�s
legal team
works.
Attorneys share
and
collaborate during
all
phases of
contract
development,
ensuring
that
contracts that
share
similar clauses
and
conditions are
in
sync. Work-in-progress
reports and
nondisclosure
agreements no
longer
reside in
a
bulky file
cabinet,
but are
scanned
directly to
DocuShare
and can
be
seen and
shared
by everyone.
At
first look,
it might
seem like
a
simple concept
to
turn a
paper
document into
a
scanned and
searchable document,
but
it�s a
very
tricky process.
This
solution from
Xerox
allowed us
to
move documents
from
our file
cabinets
to the
Web
so that anyone
with
permission could
access them
at any
time and
from
anywhere, without
leaving
their desk.
It
has significantly
improved several
time-consuming,
labor-intensive
work
processes. Every
day,
we are forced
to rethink
how
we complete tasks
because
there is
no
budget for
more
staff. The
differences
outlined
above
have fundamentally
changed
the way our
attorneys
do
business.
Cisco is
rapidly
approaching a
digital
world. Paper
forms
are nearly
obsolete
and documents
are
accessible at
any
time. It
is Cisco�s
culture
and
the Xerox
suite
of products that
make
it
possible.
IMPORTANCE
Cisco�s original
initiative
was to
improve
customer service
and
save money
by scanning
and
imaging
legal documents
in-house.
By
doing
this, we
defined
a process
that
works with
existing
workflows and
can
be replicated
in departments
throughout
Cisco.
We redesigned
the
workflow to
substantially
reduce the
number
of handling
steps
and to insert
automation whenever
possible.
We wanted to reduce our
cycle
time, but
the
real benefit
is that
with
a reduced
number
of handling
steps,
there
is a much
smaller
possibility that
there
will be
errors
made during
the
process. The
new
process is
so much
simpler that
users
are eager
to
embrace
it.
It�s an
easy
sell.
What
is
significant for
us
is having
online
access to
any
document 24
hours
a day, seven
days
a
week.
We are
a lean
organization
and
every minute
counts.
It�s often
difficult
to quantify
the
return
on an
investment
like this,
but
when you
have
an entire
team
that can
now
access
contracts
and files
in a
matter of
minutes
versus our
former
10-day cycle,
we
know we�ve
hit
a productivity jackpot.
ORIGINALITY
We
built
a solution
by integrating
hardware
and
software already
in place
and paid
for.
In
essence,
we
took separate
parts
and made
them
better as
a whole.
Although
the
original use
for
the workflow
solution
was scanning
and
collaborating, our
legal
team developed
new
applications above
and
beyond this
need.
Increased security
is a
major
side
benefit.
We use
FlowPort
to route,
convert,
secure and
store
sensitive corporate
compliance documents.
What
stands
out for
us
is how
we were
able to
make
this happen
in
a company
as large
as
Cisco.
We
knew we
would
have some
challenges
getting people
bought
in to
our
newly found
solution
from the
beginning.
After presenting
the
idea to
other
groups within
Cisco,
we were
pleased
to find
the
same high
level
of acceptance.
SUCCESS
Since
implementation, we
have
projected a
savings
of more
than
$262,000, which
is broken
down
to
a per
contract
savings of
$19.68.
This is
a return
on investment of over
1,000
percent! The
combination
of hardware
and
software not
only
saved us
money,
but also
eliminated
37 steps
previously
handled with
each
contract. In
addition,
DocuShare is
now
the
online
home
for more
than
200,000 documents
at
Cisco.
We�ve
executed
on our
plan
to replace
all
stand-alone machines
with
Xerox�s digital
multifunction
devices, a
task
that increased
productivity
and
reduced
costs. Now
there
are 100
Xerox
Document Centre
440STs
in the
San
Jose office
-- four
machines on
every
floor --
each
connected
to the
network. By
June,
there will
be
Xerox multifunction
devices
in England,
Amsterdam,
Japan and
Canada.
We met
our
original goals
and
even exceeded
them
in several
areas.
The solution
has
been
deemed
so
successful that
we
plan to
extend
the applications
so our
legal departments
worldwide can
benefit,
contribute and
share
documents on
the
DocuShare site.
Because
the
workflow
solution
is highly scaleable expect
to see
it rolled
out
beyond the
legal
department.
In
fact,
Cisco�s HR
department
is
evaluating
the scanning
solution
to manage
its
time-intensive
hiring
process,
which includes
receiving
over
50,000
r�sum�s each
quarter.
DIFFICULTY
As mentioned
above,
our
initial
challenge was
to demonstrate
a solution that was
reliable,
easy-to-use and
one
that could
save
money. Once
the
solution worked,
we had
a story
to tell
other
departments
within Cisco
and
the documentation
to back
it up.
It really
helped
that
the
machines
were
network-ready
and
already being
used
as copiers on
the
San Jose
campus.
However, there
was
considerable resistance from our
security
and infrastructure
groups
to
plugging
�non-Cisco�
hardware
into
the network. Cisco�s
WPR
group and
the
Xerox team
should
be rewarded
for
18 months of
hard
work that
resulted
in formal
buy-off
of the
technology
because of
its
ability to
work
within Cisco�s
infrastructure.
It
is their
dedication
and
flexibility that
made
this work.
They
could have
easily
given up
or
stopped the
legal
group�s
development
because it
was
outside of
the
legal group�s
responsibility.