1. CASE STUDY Higher Education
Higher Colleges of Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) is the largest higher education
organization in the Middle East, with 17 campuses serving more than
Technology
20,000 students across the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In 2007, administrators at HCT realized that the organization needed to
better manage the tens of thousands of student- and staff-focused
documents it processes each year, and identified enterprise content
Human Resources management (ECM) software as the solution. To ensure they selected
Registry (Student Registration & Records) the best system for their unique needs, HCT’s IT/IS team compared
Finance several leading ECM systems head to head. In the end, one stood out:
Facilities Management ImageNow document management, document imaging and workflow
form Perceptive Software.
“Compared to the other ECM systems we evaluated, ImageNow was
easy to use and didn’t require a lot of training,” said Khalid Tariq, Head
of Enterprise Systems at HCT. “Its scalability and the ability to
seamlessly integrate with any of our systems also convinced us to go
with ImageNow.”
To ensure maximum results from HCT’s ECM project, they are using a
phased implementation approach; getting one department deployed at a
time.
“We were surprised by how easy and quick it is to implement
ImageNow,” Tariq said. “With the right people in place we can get a
department up and running in three to four weeks.”
Saving Time and Paper in the Business Office
The first area in which ImageNow was implemented was human
resources (HR).
Over 18 months, HCT scanned all personnel documents for more than
“ ith ImageNow, we’re making the right
“W 2,500 staff members – including CVs, contracts, medical forms, banking
decisions based on the availability of forms, job descriptions and interview notes – into ImageNow, which
the documents at the right time. If a automatically links them to the appropriate human resource
student comes in with an academic issue, management system record. This content is then easily accessible from
the HRM system when it’s needed.
counselors and other staff members have
full knowledge of that person’s history Employee resignation is one HR process that ImageNow has positively
impacted. Traditionally, when an employee resigns from the HCT
within seconds directly from the SunGard system, he or she went to almost 10 different departments to get sign
SIS and can give the best answer.” offs and clearance. Now, once an employee resigns and the supervisor
accepts the resignation, ImageNow Workflow takes over, sending the
Khalid Tariq appropriate documents to each department concurrently, without the
Head of Enterprise Systems employee physically taking the paperwork to each office.
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2. CASE STUDY HIGHER EDUCATION
“With a paper-based system, a resignation went seconds directly from the SunGard SIS and Higher Colleges of Technology
to individual departments sequentially, delaying can give the best answer.”
the process,” Tariq said. “Now, they can work on Quick Stats:
ImageNow is also proving its worth with
it simultaneously, which certainly is a time saver.”
transfers. HCT’s 20,000 students often transfer ~~ ocation: Abu Dhabi and 16 other sites
L
HCT has also extended the benefits of ECM to between the system’s 17 colleges. Typically, a across the United Arab Emirates
the finance department. There, the IT/IS team is registry staff member pulled a student’s entire ~~ Number of students: 20,000
focusing on streamlining procurement processes. file and mailed it to the college he or she was ~~ Integration: SunGard, HR and finance
One such process is the management of auditing transferring to. This could take days, and some
systems
responses, which are currently submitted as hard of the required information could be missing.
~~ ImageNow Users: 200
copies and stored in folders. With ImageNow, ImageNow will transform this process.
~~ Departments: Human Resources,
these will be instantly available when needed.
“By using ImageNow, we will just transfer or Registry (Student Registration
Invoices from vendors will also be scanned and replicate documents from one electronic Records), Finance, Facilities Management
stored in ImageNow. On a vendor information ‘drawer’ to another,” Tariq said. “Instead of ~~ Products in use: ImageNow, ImageNow
screen, members of the finance team will be physically transferring a student’s files, we can
Interact for Office, Interact for
able to select the vendor and quickly return all just do it online.”
SharePoint, WebNow
the relevant documents – such as invoices,
HCT has 13 systems that manage student and
purchasing contracts and purchase orders – in
staff information, yet there are still gaps and The Challenges:
ImageNow.
content that does not get managed
Need an ECM solution that can manage
Currently, the finance department receives electronically. The IT/IS team is remedying this content for locations across the UAE
phone bills for each employee’s line, and sends by plugging these gaps with ImageNow. Manage new student applications and
these to individual users to check off business- documents for 20,000 existing students
“We’re using ImageNow to manage any paper
related calls and personal calls. They then send ntegrate ECM system with existing student
I
documents which are not covered by our
the bills to their supervisors for sign off, and the and staff-focused systems
existing systems,” Tariq said. “For example, it
appropriate amount is deducted from the bill. Improve control over and access to the
enables us to store student’s Emirates student
With ImageNow, HCT plans to receive bills ID number, medical forms, memos to parents, records of more than 2,500 staff members
electronically and route them into electronic and many other document types in the secure The Results
workflow. Once an employee has reviewed their electronic repository instead of as hard
calls, they will simply route the document copies.” mageNow easily scaled across all 17
I
campuses and the HCT central office
forward to their supervisor for review and then
onto payroll for the appropriate deduction – no Expanding Enterprise Content tudent folders scanned into ImageNow
S
paper chase required. Management Campus-Wide and immediately available via SunGard
student information system
In addition to student- and staff-focused
Improving Student-Focused mageNow integrates with HCT’s
I
departments, HCT is also rolling out ImageNow applications without programming
Decision Making
to materials-related departments. Facilities
lectronic workflow makes processing
E
After the initial success of ImageNow in HR and management is one of the areas that will soon personnel documents fast, easy and secure
finance, HCT expanded ECM into the registry benefit from ECM. By using ImageNow, HCT
department, which handles student registration will have equipment details, room information,
and records. As new students are registered, purchase orders, requisitions, warranty and
HCT colleges are scanning their documentation repair documents for each building just a click
into ImageNow, making it immediately away for authorized staff members. This will
accessible to counselors, administrative staff make it easier to administer and maintain Lexmark International Middle East FZ LLC
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members and, in certain cases, the students academic, sporting and administrative facilities
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themselves. Seamless integration with the across HCT’s campuses, and will speed issue
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student information system (SIS) means that resolution.
United Arab Emirates
staff members don’t have to switch screens to
HCT now has 200 users across five Tel: +971 4 427 6300
retrieve pertinent information. HCT is also
departments and multiple campuses, and plans Lexmark International Technology S.A.
scanning all documents for existing students
to further extend the reach of ImageNow to Bâtiment ICC - Bloc A
into ImageNow.
incorporate areas such as the institution’s car 20, route de Pré-Bois
“With ImageNow, we’re making the right booking system in the near future. Case postale 508
decisions based on the availability of the CH - 1215 Genève
documents at the right time,” Tariq said. “If a Switzerland
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student comes in with an academic issue,
counselors and other staff members have full © 2011 Perceptive Software, LLC. All rights reserved.
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