R8 Features Overview
Unparalleled for functionality and flexibility
R8 represents the next generation of open, independent, rapid deployment solutions that ensures customers can take control over their own business processes and direction and in turn reduce implementation costs and vendor lock-in.
Regardless of the type of data R8 provides a unified platform for storing and managing all of the documents and data that support a company's vast range of business processes, from accounts payable and accounts receivable to HR and compliance obligations. The following highlights some of the key features delivered with R8;
Process Design and Business Rules Engine
SoftCo R8 delivers full high end workflow and business process automation functionality that is completely integrated with every other part of the system – with users, roles, access control, client applications, APIs, and documents. R8 provides a core intelligent system in which web based automated business processes can be rapidly deployed and hosted.
The R8 process engine is built on Microsoft, Windows Workflow Foundation – the new industry standard in Workflow technology and is part of the .NET Framework 3.0. The R8 Business Process Engine empowers organisations’ to rapidly deliver business applications, such as Electronic Requisitions, Accounts Payables and Expense Processing, “out of box” using an intuitive graphic based designer and user management tools.
Central Management Console
SoftCo R8 provides a complete and proactive management solution for administration that goes far beyond monitoring and configuration. The R8 Manager delivers a ‘dashboard’ overview in real-time of the system status and provides a complete set of system tools that support continuous operations (24x7). System Management tools include user management, indexes, documents, storage, OCR & full text, workflow and general system settings. With the management component completely integrated into the platform, all other applications developed on the platform can leverage these components and significantly reduce the time and costs involved with managing and integrating disperse systems.
Proven Document Management
A key cornerstone of the R8 is SoftCo’s compliant Document Management and Archival functionality that delivers proven, highly scalable, high-performance access to billions of images and electronic documents for many thousands of users. Some of the components that make up the R8 Document Management solution include:
- R8 Capture, Converts static paper records into flexible electronic data.
- R8 COLD, Delivers access to electronic information instantaneously and includes a visual interactive COLD design tool for processing different electronic feed types.
- R8 Print, Enables controlled batch printing of large volumes of documents.
- R8 Web, User-friendly, ‘single click’, dynamic, interactive web interface.
- R8 Portable, Exports limited document sets such as monthly invoices and statements with search and retrieval capabilities that can be easily distributed.
- R8 Index Update, Automatic updates Index fields based on data from flat ASCII text files or from another R8 Index, located within the same R8 server.
- R8 Desktop, Features tight Windows Desktop and Microsoft Office integration.
- OCR/Full-text searching, Advanced OCR with Pdf/text overlay capabilities and full-text searching capabilities using the Lucene search engine with iFilter support for major file formats.
Audit, Security and Reporting
An extensive set of security functionality including roles, permissions, filters, access keys and user authentication including LDAP ensures the permission structure and access can be as simple or as complex as the business requirements demand. R8 includes a granular security model, implemented at many layers ensuring access is managed and controlled at every layer.
Business Analytics
The R8 manager provides comprehensive audit functionality, the system automatically records all login activity and license usage. Additional activity can be recorded as needed with configurable, auditing, and analysis at document and workflow level.
Integration
Part of the philosophy of SoftCo R8 is not just to expose certain pieces of functionality as APIs but to build the entire stack of the system on APIs so that every piece of functionality that is available in any of our user or administration clients is available to 3 rd party applications and integrations. Theses interfaces are delivered as native .Net assemblies and in most cases also as XML Web Services for access by any platform, including Java.
SoftCo R8 allows organisations to fully integrate their document repositories with all the leading Enterprise Resource Planning applications, including SAP and Oracle. A fully certified SAP ArchiveLink Integration via three key components ensures SAP users can now benefit from unique features of R8, without leaving the SAP application - including the ability to instantly view an image of any document held in the R8 archive. R8 SAP Barcode Loader - R8's link with the SAP barcode interface means SAP can instantly track down any archived image or data based on a document's barcode.
Hardware Independent CAS Storage & Lifecycle Management
SoftCo R8 offers organisations fundamental advances in the way they manage the storage of information and content. R8 StorLife is a software-only, hardware independent Content Addressed Storage (CAS) solution built on a standard Microsoft infrastructure. CAS technology archives and retrieves information on magnetic media using a ‘digital fingerprint’ that ensures the authenticity of original, unaltered, documents vital for compliance over their complete lifecycle.
StorLife incorporates powerful features such as built-in Lifecycle Management functions, advanced authentication, encryption and data protection technologies along with remote replication for disaster recovery and WORM disk functionality to meet compliance obligations.
- Hardware Independent - Leverage existing investment in storage infrastructure avoiding storage vendor lock-in.
- Document Retention / Lifecycle Management - Policies can be set to determine the lifetime of specific document types to meet business and regulatory requirements.
- Single Instance Storage - Ensures that content is never duplicated freeing up valuable storage capacity.
- High Performance - Significantly faster than traditional optical and tape devices with retrieval times measured in milliseconds rather than seconds.