Why EPITOME?
The EPITOME solution provides a scalable architecture with comprehensive configuration capabilities that allows for modeling of complex business processes. The advantage of EPITOME’s SOA based architecture is it inherently includes extensive BPM capabilities combined in one platform with Enterprise Content Management (ECM) services. Built upon a powerful and efficient Microsoft .NET platform, the EPITOME solution is web-based and uses industry standard technologies. The product’s simplicity is in its ease to install as well as to develop and model, having but one platform and one architecture. The User Interface is also built by configuration, as your business actions and rules change, your UI also changes without development.
Savana uses the following areas of capabilities within EPITOME to model and create the business process automation solutions required by our clients:
- Business Process Management and Execution
- Enterprise Content and Document Management
- Web Services and API’s for Integration with Existing Systems
- Reporting and Analytics
- Image Management and Processing
Business Process Management and Execution
The EPITOME solution provides a configuration driven architecture for the design and modeling of business process execution. The Business Process Management and Execution (BPM) services are designed to deliver both human and system-oriented process automation. BPM is a technology that delivers process automation services on a transactional basis, without the necessity of documents. Often the terms “Business Process Management” and “Workflow” are used interchangeably; however Workflow historically is used to automate document processing. The EPITOME solution provides both transactional (system oriented) and document centric processes. These processes can be initiated either by document events or by transactional business events, requiring no human interaction. The strength of the Business Process Management and Execution solution is that its document repository is native to the overall architecture, thus allowing Savana to have the flexibility to leverage the EPITOME Content Services into the EPITOME BPM environment.
Important features of the Business Process Management and Execution Solution include:
- Systematic (background) process management as well as user-directed (foreground) work object distribution and processing
- Scalable, engine- oriented processing architecture
- Configurable, out-of-the-box components to perform actions
- Configurable, out-of-the-box rule components to perform rules, evaluations, decisions, and checkpoints within the process execution
- Configurable SLA (Service Level Agreement) criteria involved in the overall solution for predictive reporting and escalation procedures
- User Interfaces are built into the architecture, so as solutions are configured, the corresponding UI will change per the business function required; e.g. case views, heads down data entry, document comparison views, as well as others.
- Dashboard Views of the Business Process allows Management to have continual oversight into workforce
The BPM services allow complex business processes to be modeled in a packaged software solution, enabling each business unit to apply its own unique processes without custom coding.
Enterprise Content and Document Management
The EPITOME solution provides an integrated, core set of capabilities for Enterprise Content and Document Management (ECM). Our ECM solution is designed to provide services to the enterprise for managing large volumes of documents, emails, faxes, voice messages, any type of data object required to support the business process environment, or stand-alone ECM services inside the organization. Important features of the Enterprise Content and Document Management Solution include:
- Fully configurable document taxonomy and metadata model
- Advanced security and content identification and partitioning
- Feature- rich document and content management services (revision management, change tracking, audit, check- in/check- out, and MS Office desktop integration)
- Extensive, configurable Search capabilities
- Management of physical content objects using a protected storage service (objects not stored within the database)
- Content Management fully accessible (independently) within the services architecture.
Web Services and API’s for Integration with Existing Systems
The EPITOME solution supports a broad range of bi-directional integration services and components. Below is a sample set of integration components, tools and services:
Web Services – The entire EPITOME solution is exposed through accessible, secure web service API’s. These services are typically used to allow external, 3rd party applications or internal systems to query, invoke, or interact with EPITOME.
Native API – In addition to the Web Services API, it also has an extensive native .NET class/assembly API interface. These services are typically used to allow external (other native .NET systems), 3rd party applications, or internal systems to query, invoke, or interact with EPITOME.
BPM Actions and Rule Components – These are highly configurable components of the BPM architecture, which allow the EPITOME solution to integrate with existing databases, applications and services during process execution and orchestration. These interactions may occur as calls (in/out) of databases or internal/external services accessible to the process. The action and rule layer of the architecture is extensible through the integration of custom components, to allow integration with specialized protocols, API/Services and interfaces.
External Data Access - The EPITOME solution has several interface layers to allow seamless incorporation of data from external systems into a process/content services User Interface framework. These mechanisms allow data from external sources to be mapped to the UI presentation of cases, forms and screens.
EPITOME UI Web Links – The EPITOME solution also supports a UI-level integration model to allow external or 3rd party applications to securely invoke portions or component pages within the EPITOME UI. This integration model is typically used to pop a screen within the solution from another application (query, present, create etc.)
It is important to note that EPITOME is intended as a configuration-driven implementation solution, minimizing the development and maintenance of custom code. While some integration to core applications and 3rd party systems may require initial development, the architecture and model of the system is designed to advance future configuration, by requiring custom integration components to have execution layer (code) and administrative support layer (change and configuration management).
Reporting and Analytics
The EPITOME solution provides an integrated reporting engine that draws upon extensive data that is managed within the content and process management portions of the solution. This can be used for auditing, security, or regulatory purposes, workforce management reporting for predictive behaviors associated with fraud, load balance scheduling, and human resource reviews. The data is securely exposed for non-technical users to design reports, as needed. Reports can be run ad hoc, as part of the dashboard or scheduled. A full set of pre-built reports are also available. Important features of the Reporting and Analytics Solution include:
- All configuration elements and attributes, including change management and audits
- All user security events, actions, content management actions and business process actions
- All underlying data attributes for content and data objects
- All underlying attributes from processes, steps, activities, actions and rule execution
- All process and performance metrics
- Configurable Dashboards visual charts and graphs
- Integration to Microsoft for export to Excel or Word
The EPITOME system data model is fully published and available to our client’s technical personnel as part implementation.
Image Management and Processing
The EPITOME solution provides a range of Image Management and Processing services, which are native to the solution. While images are technically just a form of content, and are managed within the EPITOME ECM component, some specialized image services are embedded into the solutions that are worth noting. Important features of the Image Management and Processing include:
- Integrated browser-based (AJAX) image viewer, requiring no client software to view and present images
- Image processing tools to perform barcode reading and writing, image clean up and image document splitting, either for background services or part of the user process
- Image format rendering to allow seamless conversion between image formats
- Annotation and markup services within the viewer
- Integration with 3rd party image scanning and processing systems for companies such as Kofax
The EPITOME Solution has a highly advanced image/data intake and processing function within the ECM and BPM architecture. Bringing together advanced image intake, processing, data entry, content association technology and process services, EPITOME streamlines and optimizes the correspondence, fax, paper, and electronic document handling.
In summary, using the highly configurable, visually-based modeling and design tools along with our pre-existing solution applications that the EPITOME Solution provides, will enable you to create an end-state solution unique to your needs in less time and at lower cost than adapting to a pre-built framework from our competitors.