Adobe aims to shake up enterprise with Document Cloud offering

Adobe hopes to change the way the world works with documents, with the announcement of Adobe Document Cloud, building on the success of its Creative and Marketing Clouds which continue to transform the creative and marketing professions.

Adobe Document Cloud consists of a set of integrated services that use a consistent online profile and personal document hub, allowing users to create, review, approve, sign and track documents whether on a desktop or mobile device.

At the heart of Document Cloud is the all-new Adobe Acrobat DC, which will take e-signatures mainstream by delivering free e-signing as part of the integrated solution.

Acrobat DC, with a touch-enabled user interface, will be available both via subscription and one-time purchase with the release designed to address the waste and inefficiency associated with document processes.

“People and businesses are stuck in document-based processes that are slow, wasteful, and fragmented,” says Bryan Lamkin, senior VP of technology and corporate development, Adobe.

“While most forms of content have successfully made the move to digital like, books, movies and music, documents and the process of working with them have not, and that needs to change.

“Adobe Document Cloud will revolutionise and simplify how people get work done with critical documents.”

Paul Robson, president, Adobe Asia Pacific, believes the arrival of Adobe Document Cloud would “empower businesses” in the region.

“Research shows the level of frustration people have with paperwork and the burdensome processes that slow business down,” he says.

“In APAC we have businesses operating in highly competitive, fast–moving sectors, so being able to cut through the pain of handling documents will have a major impact on productivity and efficiency, not to mention making people happier at work.”

A global study conducted by Adobe titled Paper Jam: Why Documents are Dragging Us Down, has exposed how antiquated business processes are having a dramatic impact on productivity, efficiency and worker satisfaction.

The findings show that 83% of workers feel their success and ability to be productive at work are slowed down by outdated ways of working with documents, and 61% said they would consider changing jobs solely for the sake of dramatically less paperwork.

“It’s a problem that businesses can no longer afford to ignore,” Robson adds. “Lost electronic information was another frustration, with 70% of workers who lost information saying hard drive failures had consumed vital work.

“At the same time, while relatively few documents are currently stored in the cloud, 65% of people agreed it was important to have access from anywhere to vital information at work.”

Document Cloud for the Enterprise

According to a recent survey by IDC, disconnected document processes are pervasive and negatively impact all areas of business.

More than 80% of document work is still not digital, with documents often making one or more transitions into and out of paper, especially when signatures are involved.

Each time that happens, valuable time is lost. In addition, workers are spending more than one-third of their time on administrative process instead of core work.

“Our study shows that organisations of all kinds are suffering from what we call the ‘document disconnect’,” adds Melissa Webster, Program Vice President, Content and Digital Media Technologies, IDC.

“It afflicts organisations of all sizes in all industries around the world. It results in significant delays and errors across critical business functions such as sales contracting and quoting, procurement, talent acquisition, and on-boarding.

And it is a serious impediment to business that - according to our respondents - negatively affects revenue, compliance, cost, productivity, and customer experience.”

As a result, Robson believes Document Cloud for the enterprise addresses this disconnect by providing departments and entire organisations with services, including enterprise-class e-sign services, that bring speed and efficiency to business document workflows, both inside and outside the organisation.

According to the IDC survey, business leaders have estimated that the potential benefits of addressing ‘document disconnect’ would increase revenue by 36%, reduce costs by 30% while reducing compliance risks by 23%, a move Robson believes is an upside that any business should embrace.