Free DMS Integration Plug-in for Acrobat

Acrobat integration with Document Management Systems (DMS) is a key requirement of large law firms.

Unfortunately, many firms have been frustrated getting Acrobat to work with their DMS.

While the DMS vendors generally supply Acrobat integration, there are issues which affect customer deployment:

• Integration for the latest version of Acrobat may not be available until a new release of the DMS becomes available, which could take many months.
• Support for newer versions of Acrobat running on legend (older) versions of DMS software is seldom available.

Acrobat integration—while expected by large firms—isn’t a revenue generating activity for DMS vendors.

I shared this customer issue with Thaddeus Bouchard, the CTO of Omtool. Omtool offers AccuRoute, a document routing solution which I see at many large firms. This company has lots of expertise in DMS integration because AccuRoute works with just about every DMS available.

When Thaddeus said, “Hey, maybe we can work together on this problem . . .” I knew something good could happen!

Sometime before the end of October 2007, Omtool will offer a free download of the Swiftwriter plug-in for Acrobat.

Swiftwriter** **offers integration with the following DMS products:

• Interwoven/iManage FileSite/Desksite (versions 5.x through 8.2)
• OpenText/Hummingbird DOCSOpen (3.9.6 through 4.0)
• OpenText/Hummingbird DM5 through DM6
• World Software Worlddox GX
• Microsoft SharePoint 2003 and 2007

Read on to learn more about the Swiftwriter plug-in and some background information that you may find helpful.

Is it really free? What’s the catch?

Once available—by October 30, 2007, Swiftwriter will be a free download. To get the software, you will need to fill out an online registration form. Once you do, you’ll be directed to a software download area.

What about support?

Omtool offers a variety of support options from their 24/7 Knowledge Base (free, once you register) all the way to their enterprise-class Advantage Program.

What’s included with Swiftwriter?

Swiftwriter has two components:

An Acrobat-plug-in offers . . .

• DMS toolbar in Acrobat
• 
• File—>Save to DMS for each DMS you have installed
• 

Figure 1: Adobe Acrobat 8 with Swiftwriter installed and configured with Save to WorkSite and Save to SharePoint

A Windows control panel which is used to configure access to the DMS(s).

How does it work?

Once you install Swiftwriter, you can check any PDF document into your DMS using the native, firm-specific profiling screens of the DMS.

Figure 2: Interwoven WorkSite Profile Screen

Since Swiftwriter uses your own firms profile screens, it’s easy to file PDFs where they belong, the first time.

Omtool will offer (still free!) an upgraded version by the end of the year that allows check-out directly from Acrobat.

Futures and Thanks, Omtool!

Adobe understands that making Acrobat a full citizen in the DMS environment is critical to our legal customers. We’re working on further enhancements to Acrobat—with the consultation of the DMS vendors and Omtool— that will help make that a reality.

I’d like to thank Thaddeus Bouchard and the Omtool engagement team for working with us on this project.

I was lucky enough to get a private demo of Omtool’s AccuRoute product.

One word— “Wow!”

AccuRoute provides a paper onramp to your DMS. AccuRoute makes it easy to get documents to go where they are supposed to go, even those originating from outside your firm.