Adobe 2002 Annual Report Download - page 40

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Document Generation
There is a significant Document Generation market opportunity for transforming raw business data into
visually rich, dynamic, customer-focused documents for delivery anytime, anywhere, on any device. In many cases,
documents are the main source of interaction governments and businesses have with their constituents, partners,
vendors, and customers. Documents are used to generate revenue (such as catalogs, brochures, mailers), conduct
transactions (such as tax forms, invoices, loan documents and account statements), and transfer knowledge (such as
user manuals, product specifications and financial reports).
We believe the key to producing documents that drive business is an enterprise-strength document generation
solution that takes content from multiple sources, dynamically generates documents, and securely and reliably
delivers those documents over a variety of systems and devices. Adobe’s solutions for Document Generation are
intended to: improve customer satisfaction by enabling "self-serve" dynamic document generation, anytime,
anywhere, on any device; ensure that documents appear exactly as intended and are protected from unauthorized
changes; and reduce costs by automating document and image production processes.
We provide both desktop and server-based solutions for the Document Generation market. On the desktop,
Adobe Acrobat generates electronic documents from everyday office applications, such as Microsoft Office. On
servers, Adobe offers a combination of products to generate documents, including Adobe Output Server and Adobe
Document Server. These server products merge output, including XML-based data, from enterprise applications
such as Customer Relationship Management (“CRM”), Enterprise Resource Planning (“ERP”), content
management, and legacy systems with highly formatted document templates to generate personalized, reliable
documents for print or electronic output.
We believe our key advantages in the Document Generation market include the standardization of PDF usage
in many government agencies and regulated industries as a format for distributing, viewing, printing, and archiving
electronic documents. In addition, Adobe’s electronic document viewing solution, the Acrobat Reader, is available
on many platforms, assuring our customers who generate PDF files that their content will be viewable and printable
when it is distributed. Finally, from a technology standpoint, integration capabilities between XML-based data and
Adobe PDF have made the PDF format a rich, intelligent document container — one that allows electronic
documents to be used on-line and off-line. For example, Adobe PDF-based electronic forms can be filled in off-line
(i.e., when a user is not connected to the Internet). Later, when the user reconnects to the Internet, the data entered
earlier can be automatically submitted electronically and integrated directly into back-end IS systems such as a
corporate database.
Document Collaboration
The desire by governments and enterprises to have more effective and timely collaboration solutions has
created a significant Document Collaboration market opportunity. Our solutions for Document Collaboration enable
more secure and reliable distribution of documents to streamline document exchange, review, commenting, and
approval, while protecting content from unauthorized access and alterations. Adobe PDF documents can also be
automatically routed, tracked, and integrated into core applications such as document management systems to
manage the full collaboration process.
Benefits to customers using Adobe solutions for Document Collaboration include the protection of business
information and process integrity, the reduction of costs by automating collaborative processes and reducing paper,
and the simplification of document sharing with employees, customers, partners, and other constituents.
Governments can shorten the time it takes to approve applications. Enterprise customers can replace paper mailings
to customers and suppliers with electronic document distribution, accelerate product and engineering documentation
reviews, and streamline contract review and preparation.
In addition to the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Acrobat as desktop software that is used as part of
Adobe’s Document Collaboration solutions, Adobe also provides server-based solution software called Adobe
Document Server for Reader Extensions. This new server product allows publishers of Adobe PDF-based forms and
documents to embed usage rights in them that enable features in the free Acrobat Reader that normally are not
available, such as form fill-in and save, and digital signatures.