The First Step to AI: Why Intelligent Document Processing Is the Foundation of Every Enterprise Data Strategy

A company seeking to remain competitive in a dynamic economic climate requires an enterprise data strategy that is as agile as it is comprehensive, compliant, and customer-centric. Proper crafting of this critical strategy cannot occur without establishing a robust foundation that melds the physical and digital counterparts comprising an enterprise’s information assets.

One of the precursors toward a data-integrated ecosystem is AI-powered Intelligent Document Processing (IDP). Document AI empowers enterprises through a governing framework to make critical decisions with greater agility, respond more effectively to market demands, and improve compliance, thereby reducing operational risk. Managed service providers such as Canon Business Process Services provide both a practice-tested framework and the support subsequent in crafting and executing an enterprise data strategy.

The data nexus that fuels an enterprise’s daily business operations typically consists of information scattered among various communication methods—including physical mail, email, and internal memos—stakeholders, and locations. This critical information circulates via highways built on legacy systems, many of which predate the digital era significantly. Among the vast network of data avenues exist numerous dead ends, no outlets, and cul-de-sacs that could otherwise foster more valuable connections. See how Canon Business Process Services manages this transformation with its intelligent document processing, digital mailroom services and offsite and offshore business processing centers.

A comprehensive enterprise data strategy must not only account for the blind spots that exist within legacy systems but also integrate scalability to ensure continued success. Effectively governing such a vast corpus of information across document formats requires both human and technological resources, at least at the outset. IDP holds the key to unlocking the untapped potential trapped within data siloes through workflow automation.

Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) establishes and maintains a singular, standardized data infrastructure by digitizing and integrating an enterprise’s expansive collection of critical paper and digital documents into existing business workflows. The human workforce required to manually convert scattered data centers into a unified information network often far exceeds the time and financial resources most enterprises can comfortably justify. However, AI technologies such as optical character recognition (OCR), natural language processing (NLP), and machine learning (ML) can efficiently and effectively classify, extract, validate, and integrate data once the information becomes digitized.

At various touchpoints in the digitization process, IDP relies on OCR, NLP, and other ML technologies to manipulate the data extracted from every document, as indicated below:

• After document scanning, the next phase implements intelligent data capture and automated data extraction processes that make the information they contain more AI-friendly.
• OCR classifies documents entering the system using text-recognition protocols and routes them accordingly.
• NLP leverages its knowledge of human speech patterns to extract critical data, validating its accuracy by cross-referencing specified parameters.

Upon processing the contents of these documents, IDP routes them throughout an enterprise based on predefined workflows that dictate the appropriate next steps. With each document digitized and every workflow path established, IDP expands its capabilities. Enterprises can also track and analyze IDP’s key performance indicators, including average processing time, error rate, and throughput.

Enterprises that leverage IDP effectively bridge the gap between multi-format data and a single source of traceable, transparent truth. Any data entering the intake process informs the resulting governance by nature, thus establishing a custom data strategy that’s designed to fulfill the needs of that particular company, industry, and customer base. With this unifying framework, enterprises can glean the most valuable information from both existing and future data sources, whether internal or external.

This previously disjointed information layer now forms the agile foundation of an enterprise data strategy equipped to respond effectively and efficiently to market fluctuations. As new information enters, it coalesces with existing data, informing all key stakeholders and their subsequent decisions, evolving internal processes, and bolstering records management practices. IDP improves operational efficiency and supports data-driven decisions, reducing manual data entry that is often prone to error.

For industries such as insurance, healthcare, financial services, and legal, IDP reduces manual handling of sensitive information while supporting strict regulatory and audit requirements.

As an evolving AI-driven technology, enterprise Intelligent Document Processing empowers businesses to integrate advanced intelligence solutions with existing processes. The resulting foundation establishes a dynamic internal governance that’s not only more agile than what it replaced but also vital to constructing sustainable, scalable pathways. As the enterprise transforms, so, too, does its corresponding data strategy.

Comprehensive Data Extraction

Intelligent Document Processing enhances structured data capture and extraction by leveraging AI-driven processes to handle semi-structured and unstructured documents. Through a blend of OCR, ML, and NLP, IDP can extract data to gain a deeper understanding of the information’s content, structure, and context. By implementing an IDP solution, enterprises can extract full value from documents at scale,

Custom-Built Informational Pathways

Routing information based on vetted enterprise-specific document automation protocols demonstrates both how IDP builds custom-tailored informational pathways and contributes to a scalable data management foundation. Metadata enables an enterprise to tag and sort through documents based on criteria such as origination date, authorship, and keywords. IDP can customize each document’s metadata to specific projects, clients, or other key areas of interest.

For example, suppose an inter-departmental team focuses on a central project. In that case, only those team members involved need to be looped in, and all information received regarding that project would be routed to the project manager and distributed at their discretion. The rules surrounding data distribution could apply across the enterprise, among one or more locations, or even between departments. In this manner, IDP not only streamlines information-sharing processes to improve communication and subsequent decisions or actions but also prevents delays in receiving, evaluating, and deploying information, thereby furthering your business’ goals.

Integrated Visibility Across the Information Layer

Beyond adding critical documents to an enterprise’s valuable data stores, IDP establishes transparency by documenting data flow from intake to storage and even through disposal. Such recordkeeping practices enable individuals to reference when the enterprise received the data, how it was disseminated, where and when it was stored, and when and how it was disposed of. Increasing the visibility of each document in this manner can help clarify any confusion should there ever be any question regarding data receipt and distribution specifics.

Compliance and Risk Reduction

By its very nature, IDP manipulates and stores data to ensure secure and compliant record retrieval practices. At the core of internal data management practices lies an enterprise’s legal responsibility to comply with retention schedules, avoid record mismanagement, and reduce operational risk. IDP establishes and follows these essential records-retention protocols in accordance with applicable legal standards specific to the industry or the enterprise itself.

The multi-step transformation required to establish a comprehensive enterprise data strategy ensures longevity through partnerships with professional services like those offered by Canon Business Process Services. Canon’s Digital Intake Centers leverage Document AI as part of an IDP framework, automating the digitization and routing of incoming physical and digital documentation directly into business workflows.

Canon deploys Document AI to transform critical information into an asset that’s accessible, manipulable, and referenceable. These document processing solutions propel enterprises further by enhancing their intake processing speed, security, compliance, and workspace efficiency in converting paper to electronic workflows.

Canon Business Process Services delivers enterprise Intelligent Document Processing solutions and managed services, helping organizations modernize document workflows without large upfront investments.

Addressing data sprawl is but one function of IDP and, by extension, a comprehensive, relevant, and successful enterprise data strategy that positions companies at the cutting edge of a competitive landscape. With each conversion of critical information, enterprises evolve their infrastructure to better align with customer demands, industry landscapes, and regulatory requirements.

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