(Norwell, MA) February 18, 2004… According to CAP Ventures research, the need for document management (DM) solutions in the European office environment is significant but remains unmet. CAP Ventures examines the opportunities and applications for DM solutions in a new report entitled, Defining the Solutions Business in Europe. Ease-of-use, particularly in terms of deployment and management, stands out as a key component to enabling the effective implementation of a document management system. Suppliers of all sizes will need to develop intuitive solutions that are easy to learn, while also providing robust and well-structured training. Other key findings include: 51% of respondents indicated that they were familiar with document management related technologies and solutions. Of those familiar, over a quarter have considered purchasing a DM solution, and 12.3% have already done so. The ability to quickly search and find documents was listed as the most important requirement relating to the storage and management of paper documents. Optical character recognition features are viewed as a key component of a DM solution, while colour and standalone network scanners tend to be the most frequently preferred scanning solutions. Overall the market is fragmented, with feature preferences and price sensitivity varying across organisations of all sizes. “As DM technologies (including related network office equipment) mature, intuitive applications will be developed to address several unmet needs in managing routine office documents,” commented Catherine Charlery, European Group Director at CAP Ventures. “Part of this opportunity will drive a new phase of growth in the IT industry around appliance platforms and integrated document management solutions for routine document processes in environments like large workgroups as well as small and medium-sized organisations.” CAP Ventures’ research determines the applicability for entry-level document management systems and scan technologies in general office environments. End-users’ expectation is that entry-level document management systems include technologies such as electronic document repositories and support workflow tools that can be installed with complete functionality for under €50,000. The research measures customer and end-user perspectives of what matters most in the development, purchase, deployment, and implementation of a document management system and workflow applications for general office environments. The report is available immediately to clients of CAP Ventures’ European Digital Peripherals Solutions Consulting Service. For more information about the report or to make a purchase, please contact Stewart MacDonald at (781) 871-9000, ext. 175 or via e-mail at [email protected].