Adobe introduces Document Cloud

Adobe is set to revolutionize the way the world works with documents, with the announcement of Adobe Document Cloud, building on the success of its Creative and Marketing Clouds, which are radically transforming the creative and marketing professions. Adobe Document Cloud consists of a set of integrated services that use a consistent online profile and personal document hub.

People will be able to create, review, approve, sign and track documents whether on a desktop or mobile device. At the heart of Document Cloud is the all-new Adobe Acrobat DC, which will take e-signatures mainstream by delivering free e-signing as part of the integrated solution.

Acrobat DC, with a touch-enabled user interface, will be available both via subscription and one-time purchase. The release will address the waste and inefficiency associated with document processes. Whether it’s school permission slips, health insurance forms or complex enterprise document workflows, Adobe will transform how people and businesses get work done.

“People and businesses are stuck in document-based processes that are slow, wasteful, and fragmented. While most forms of content have successfully made the move to digital (books, movies, music), documents and the process of working with them have not, and that needs to change,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of technology and corporate development at Adobe. “Adobe Document Cloud will revolutionize and simplify how people get work done with critical documents.”

Paul Robson, president, Adobe Asia Pacific, said the arrival of Adobe Document Cloud would empower businesses in the region.

“For Asia Pacific, Document Cloud answers a need that is common to developed as well as emerging markets, and that’s our ability to address the ‘document disconnect’ – the slow, burdensome processes that slow business down,” Robson said. “Research shows the level of frustration people have with documents – the paperless office has been promised for years, but is still not a reality. In APAC we have businesses operating in highly competitive, fast–moving sectors. Being able to cut through the pain of handling documents will have a major impact on productivity and efficiency, not to mention making people happier at work.”

A study conducted by Adobe titled Paper Jam: Why Documents are Dragging Us Down, has exposed how antiquated business processes and outdated ways of working with documents are having a dramatic impact on productivity, efficiency and worker satisfaction. The findings show that 83 per cent of workers feel their success and ability to be productive at work are slowed down by outdated ways of working with documents, and 61 per cent said they would consider changing jobs solely for the sake of dramatically less paperwork.

“It’s a problem that businesses can no longer afford to ignore,” said Robson. “Lost information and documents was another frustration, with 70 per cent of workers who lost information saying hard drive failures had consumed vital work. At the same time, while relatively few documents are currently stored in the cloud, 65 per cent of people agreed it was important to have access to vital information at work from anywhere.”

Adobe Document Cloud will include:

All-new Acrobat DC

With Acrobat DC, Adobe is taking the world’s best PDF solution to an entirely new level. With an intuitive, touch-enabled interface, Acrobat DC delivers powerful new functionality to get work done anywhere. The new Tool Center offers simplified and quick access to the tools you use most.  And, Acrobat DC uses Photoshop imaging magic to convert any paper document into a digital, editable file that can be sent for signature.

E-signing Anywhere, for Everyone

Adobe Document Cloud eSign services (formerly Adobe EchoSign) will be included with every subscription of Acrobat DC, which is part of both Document Cloud and Adobe Creative Cloud.  Now you can electronically send and sign any document from any device.  New Fill & Sign makes signing anything fast and easy, including smart autofill across devices.

Introducing Mobile Link and New Mobile Apps

Access your work as you move between desktop and devices, and pick up that form or document where you left off with new Mobile Link – your files, settings and signatures stay with you. With two new mobile apps, Acrobat Mobile and Fill & Sign, people can create, edit, comment and sign documents directly on their mobile phones and tablets. Plus, use the camera on your device as a portable scanner to easily convert any paper documents to digital, editable files that can be sent for signature.

Document Management & Control

Services such as Send & Track let you manage, track and control your documents.  With intelligent tracking, you gain visibility into where critical documents are along their process, including who has opened them and when. Control features also help to protect sensitive information, both inside and outside the firewall, for business or personal use.

Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud and Marketing Cloud

Acrobat has been central to Adobe Creative Cloud and its massive success – enabling creative mock-ups, markup and response, pre-press support, and more. Adobe Document Cloud will extend that use, allowing creatives to work with PDFs anywhere, and adding e-signing capabilities and the ability to synch with Creative Cloud. Adobe Creative Cloud customers will have access to Document Cloud through Acrobat DC, which will be included with a membership to Creative Cloud.

Today, Adobe Document Cloud eSign services integrate with Adobe Experience Manager Forms to provide seamless experiences to customers across web and mobile sites. In the future, Adobe will integrate key components of Adobe Marketing Cloud to help businesses test, measure and manage documents, providing the same visibility into usage and interactions with documents that marketers already have with digital marketing assets today.

Document Cloud for the Enterprise

According to a recent survey by IDC, disconnected document processes are pervasive and negatively impact all areas of business. More than 80 per cent of document work is still not digital, with documents often making one or more transitions into and out of paper, especially when signatures are involved. Each time that happens, valuable time is lost.  In addition, workers are spending more than one-third of their time on administrative process instead of core work. 

“Our study shows that organizations of all kinds are suffering from what we call the ‘document disconnect’,” said Melissa Webster, Program Vice President, Content and Digital Media Technologies, IDC.  “[It] afflicts organizations of all sizes in all industries around the world.  It results in significant delays and errors across critical business functions such as sales contracting and quoting, procurement, talent acquisition, and onboarding.  And it is a serious impediment to business that — according to our respondents — negatively affects revenue, compliance, cost, productivity, and customer experience.”

Document Cloud for the enterprise addresses this disconnect by providing departments and entire organizations with services, including enterprise-class e-sign services, that bring speed and efficiency to business document workflows, both inside and outside the organization. Document Cloud for the enterprise offers solutions for industries including healthcare and insurance, financial services, media and entertainment, government, and schools and universities. With introductory solutions for Workforce Productivity, Sales Acceleration, HR Efficiency, and Procurement Contracting, Document Cloud for the Enterprise helps organizations get and stay ahead of their competition.  In addition, enterprises can centrally manage Document Cloud and Creative Cloud user accounts and licenses with single sign-on (SSO) in the Adobe Enterprise Dashboard.

According to the IDC survey, business leaders have estimated that the potential benefits of addressing ‘document disconnect’ would increase revenue by 36 per cent, reduce costs by 30 per cent while reducing compliance risks by 23 per cent. It’s an upside that any business should embrace.

Pricing and Availability

Adobe Document Cloud and Acrobat DC are expected to be available within 30 days. By subscribing to Acrobat for only USD $14.99 a month, customers will automatically receive new Acrobat DC and the Document Cloud as soon as it is available.  Acrobat DC will be sold as both a subscription and a perpetual license upon availability.