Moving up a level

Editorial Type: Interview Date: 2019-03-01 Views: 2,121 Tags: Document, Recognition, Capture, Software, Workflow, IRIS, Canon PDF Version:
DM Magazine caught up with David O'Sheridan, Senior Business Development Manager - UK, Ireland and Northern Europe at IRIS (a Canon Company) after their successes in the 2018 DM Awards

DM Magazine: IRIS won the award for Data Capture/Recognition Product of the Year and were runner-up in the RPA/AI Product of the Year category. What does a win like that mean to you and your partners?
David O'Sheridan: To be recognised is always a great honour but what makes the DM Awards so special is that it's a recognition from our peers in the sector of Information Management. This quality label ensures our partners of a very strong technological alliance. It shows that we are customer-oriented and continue to innovate to remain relevant in a competitive business.

DM: IRIS is a company that has been innovating for 30 years, can you tell us more about the roadmap?
DO'S: As SaaS offerings are springing up like mushrooms on the market place - either via Hybrid or fully Cloud-hosted Systems - the need for Smart Connectivity, RPA, AI, Business Intelligence and Workflows are at an all-time high.

These components are exactly what our R&D Department is focusing on and therefore our Roadmap is actively evolving to address those requirements. In doing so, we try to make the right strategic decisions. We do not blindly follow the competition, but listen to our partner base to move forward in a way that is meaningful to their customers.

DM: IRIS has been part of the Canon group for several years now - how has this impacted your business?
DO'S: It's an interesting question: Canon has made us 'expand our playground' with their global presence. Their customer knowledge, together with our experience and know-how of the data capture market allows us to better serve our customers. As a group, we are now even better equipped to build bridges between everyday repetitive task and a holistic information management strategy - all this in every industry and in all market segments on a worldwide basis.

DM: In an increasingly competitive IM market, what differentiates IRIS?
DO'S: We are listening to our partners and end-customers. We consider their daily challenges as a source of inspiration for new features! Our IM Expertise has been established on the battlefield. Putting this all together, our credibility as a software vendor is higher than ever.

DM: What of the future? What can we expect from IRIS over the next couple of years?
DO'S: We are constantly researching and developing new techniques, functionalities and integrations. From small mobile apps up to advanced corporate solutions, from low-end to high-end markets. The fun is when we can combine all of them into one single piece of powerful technology. This is bringing data capture, Business Process Optimisation and workflow solutions to the next level.

DM: How do you see the UK market evolving in the next couple of years - and where does IRIS come in?
DO'S: In an increasingly digital world, every company is searching for new ways of communicating, collaborating, developing… in other words, new ways of working! Embracing Digital Transformation to enhance business operations, customer services and relations is a crucial factor in generating sustainable growth. And that's precisely where IRIS comes in, as a technology provider dedicated to serving, delivering and optimising business objectives.
More info: irisdatacapture.com