FAQs

FileDirector

Why should I get FileDirector?

FileDirector is the most efficient way you can centralize your information. It’s a system with built-in scanning so going paper-less doesn’t get much easier. With FileDirector 3.0 you can access those files anywhere, from your tablet, PC or mobile phone.

Is FileDirector scalable?

Yes. It’s built on .Net technology and SQL so scales up to multiple servers in multiple locations. It’s very fast to deploy and works very comfortably with just a few users in one department as well.

How secure is the information when stored?

Files are stored in their original format with scans saved as Tiff or PDF/A files. The files can be secured in 128-bit encrypted containers. Access to the server is secured using either built-in usernames and passwords or Active Directory single sign-on. FileDirector behaves like a website so you can secure the “transport” between your users and the server with https security certificate as well.

How is FileDirector licensed?

FileDirector is modular so you only need to pay for the modules you need. Users can either be named or concurrent. This means you could have a set of users with permanent access using named licenses and a group of users working from a pool of concurrent user licenses

What does FileDirector integrate with?

Any application using a built-in set of commands, including but not limited to Microsoft office, Windows Desktop, and SAP. There is no coding or scripting. You just drag and drop your documents into place.

Who writes FileDirector?

A company out of Duisburg, Germany called Spielberg Solutions GmbH. The product was launched in 2004 after the first version called ScanFile. It is sold worldwide.

Document Scanning

What does DPI Mean?

DPI means dots per inch and is used in scanning to reference how much detail a scanner will pick up. The standard for document imaging has always been 200 dpi but most people, especially for OCR, scan at 300 dpi. Anything above this is usually overkill for documents and our advice would be to invest in a better scanner, which we can help you with!

Should I scan in color?

Depends what you are scanning. If you are scanning business documents, there is little need to scan in color unless there are a lot of photos or the content is not clearly showing up in black and white mode. Black and white saves a lot of disk space. A page of A4 in mono is only around 50K so a four-drawer filing cabinet would be around 750MB in disk space, saved as say a PDF. Contrast that with color, which would be 24 times bigger.

Can I separate files while scanning?

Yes. You need the right scanner and right software that support this. A scanning application may do this on it’s own and a QR code on a page will be enough to tell the software to create a new file.

How are barcodes used in scanning?

Barcodes can be used to separated pages and name files when scanning. Most scanning applications will recognize a range of barcodes including 2D barcodes like PDF417 and QR Codes.

How can I scan large format plans or drawings?

You will need a large format scanner. Large format scanners will generally scan A0 or even 44 inches wide. These are usually feeder scanners. If you are scanning artwork and fragile documents, you will want to consider a A2 flatbed scanner. Anything larger than 44 inches wide starts to get extremely rare and extremely expensive.

What’s the cheapest way to scan a book?

Cut the spine off and run it though a document scanner. Seriously this is the best way. If your book is precious and you need to keep it in tact you have a few other choices.
1) Scan it page by page on a flatbed scanner.
2) Get an over-head optical scanner and scan a double page to save a bit more time.
3) If you have a lot of books or a library of them then you may need to invest in a book scanner with automatic page turning.

Backup

How do you provide backup services?

Our system incorporates continuous data protection, with the entire server backed up, not just the data. There are no tapes to switch or take off site. Your data is automatically stored both on and off-site with any requirements of your employees.

Why do I need to backup my system?

Ninety percent of all companies that suffer a major data loss go out of business within two years. Think about what would happen if you suddenly lost all your data, including your email, your Word and Excel documents, PDFs, databases, contact lists, accounting data, billing information, and more.