In unserer Rubrik “Nachgefragt” beantwortet heute Don Field von Ephesoft unsere Fragen. Ephesoft bietet eine Open Source-Software für Dokumentenerfassung und -erkennung an und ist seit kurzem Partner von it-novum. Don Field ist CEO von Ephesoft und begann seine Karriere vor 30 Jahren bei Kofax. Seitdem setzt er sich in Vorträgen, Workshops und wissenschaftlichen Beiträgen mit den Herausforderungen der Erfassung und Erkennung von Dokumenten auseinander.
Don, how are you connected to open source?
Ephesoft is my third company in the document imaging space so I’ve been able to track the progress from the early days in this industry. I spent 21 years at Kofax running the Professional Services groups worldwide and learned how complex, closed systems cause problems for users and delay implementations. Four years ago I didn’t know much about the ‘open source’ world but Ike Kavas, my friend and Ephesoft’s CTO, educated me on ‘open source’ and I also read books to understand the market.
What does open source mean to you?
We like to say it really means open standards and the ability to leverage the best engineering and tools globally to build the best products at the lowest possible price. Our feeling is most businesses would love to get the benefits of ‘smart capture’ but the big old-line vendors with closed systems have made the barrier to entry too high for these companies both in their requirements for technology and the price point. Open source brings these solutions to the mass market at affordable prices for most companies.
Can you describe your “normal” working day?
With a global company selling in 30 countries, the day never really stops. So I check email before sleeping and again first thing in the morning. I’m in California so I like to get an update from Ian Pope, our VP of EMEA, early in the morning and we frequently skype on the most important issues. There are often calls with current and future partners, users, OEM partners, market analysts, and potential new employees. Each day I talk with Ike and David Talarico, our SVP Sales and Marketing-Americas, and as a group we review the key topics and make quick decisions. There’s no bureaucracy in Ephesoft so decision-making is fast and we move forward. The days go quickly as there is always something new to work on.
What has been your most exciting and challenging project so far?
Getting the version 1 product released and well-established was stressful but fun since we grew this from nothing but our reputations. The early customers took a chance on us and we are grateful for that. Since then the product has progressed to our version 4 coming out this summer with many new enhancements that customers will love as well as our first Linux version.
What kind of changes do you expect for Open Source-World in the coming years?
Open source will continue to grow and touch all types of technologies. I think proprietary systems of the past will be fading away even quicker in the next 5-7 years when open source becomes the new standard for companies to insist on when buying new technology. So we are well positioned for that growth with a great foundational product with wonderful new capabilities in our roadmap. These are exciting times!
