IBM buys document capture firm Datacap
Technology allows customers to extract information from unstructured formats
By Chris Kanaracus | Published: 10:25, 11 August 2010
IBM made the latest in its long run of acquisitions, announcing the purchase of document capture software vendor Datacap. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Datacap's technology allows customers to quickly extract information from unstructured formats, such as tax returns, invoices and claim forms, saving time and money over manual processes, according to a statement.
While IBM already had similar capabilities via its FileNet acquisition, it intends to make Datacap's software "the foundation" of its document capture strategy, the company said.
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Meanwhile, companies and government organisations are facing an ever-increasing amount of unstructured data as well as regulatory pressure to improve records management, IBM said.
Datacap's roughly 200 customers include government clients like the Virginia Department of Taxation and health-care provider Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. Customers' investments in Datacap products will be preserved, according to IBM.
In addition, Datacap CEO Scott Blau has been named director of enterprise content management at Big Blue.
IBM and Datacap are long-time partners. Datacap also partners with IBM rivals in the content management market, such as Oracle, Open Text and EMC.
