The news around AI and the general unease within technology reveals a sad truth: the rapid pace of technological advancements and the unpredictable shifts in market demands make it virtually impossible to prepare a system that is completely immune to future challenges.
This Has All Happened Before…
There are lessons from the past, such as the story of Blockbuster, the video rental store company that was founded in 1980 (not long after I was born). They were not afraid of innovation at all, being quick to embrace DVDs, and digitizing their inventory and point-of-sale systems to enable consistent processes during its rapid expansion to new locations and markets. But none of that future-proofing helped when people stopped driving to a store in order to rent movies.
So what would help us all from becoming the next Blockbuster? No more future proofing?
Well, not quite.
Rather than seeking an unattainable perfect readiness, businesses should focus on building systems and processes that
can adapt to change quickly and efficiently. So it’s not that we shouldn’t prepare, but it’s HOW we prepare that
changes.
This is where FormKiQ’s flexible information management comes into play. We were lucky that we built FormKiQ when we
did, at a time when flexibility can be baked in with today’s technologies, including cloud-native services, scalable
applications, and multi-tier architectures.
That allowed us to create a platform that is designed at its very core for evolution, ensuring that businesses can
meet both current needs and future challenges with equal competence.
And with no late fees.
The Power of Flexibility and Adaptability
FormKiQ’s architecture embodies the principle of flexibility, offering a suite of tools that cater to various aspects of document management and workflow automation. From handling vast amounts of data with ease through cloud computing, to integrating cutting-edge AI for smarter processing and analytics, FormKiQ ensures that businesses are not just responding to today's needs but are also equipped to adapt to tomorrow’s changes. That’s a level of adaptability that is difficult to achieve in other systems.
Another key factor is modularity; each action that can be taken on a document is a specific component, one that not only allows configuration and customization, but that enables any changes to be seamlessly integrated with the rest of the system. This is why if you get into a consultation call with anyone on the FormKiQ team, you’ll find the answer to whether we can do something is always a variation on “of course we can”.
It’s not that our competitors don’t understand the value of this modular approach; they are just burdened by earlier architectures that don’t have the same flexibility.
Workflow Automation: A Step-by-Step Path to Efficiency
We believe that AI and other automation will lead to more productivity through higher-value work getting done. A key part of that is workflow automation.
In the quest for future-readiness, automating both document-centric and task-centric workflows is a crucial step. By streamlining processes and reducing manual intervention, FormKiQ frees up valuable resources, allowing businesses to focus on innovation and growth. This automation extends across document storage, retrieval, and processing—ensuring that as the business landscape evolves, your information management processes evolve with it.
New paradigm shifts are handled by adapting the existing workflows with adjusted or net new actions as needed. One example is AI; with the availability of Amazon Bedrock as part of a FormKiQ deployment, essential processing can be automated with the help of Titan, Anthropic, Cohere, or other large language models, enabling new workflow steps to trigger generative AI tasks, with no requirement for custom code or integrating with new vendors.
A Community-Driven, Open Approach
The source-available license model adopted by FormKiQ champions a community-driven approach to innovation. This model invites collaboration and contributions, ensuring that the platform remains at the ready for technology shifts. It’s also our acknowledgment that preparing for the future is a collaborative endeavor, one that benefits from the collective insights and expertise of a vibrant and global community.
Infrastructure-as-Awesomeness
With its cloud-native foundation, FormKiQ ensures that scalability and performance go hand in hand. As businesses grow and their needs evolve, the platform adapts, providing the infrastructure necessary to support expansion without compromising on efficiency or security.
This infrastructure also deploys to the customer’s cloud and in the customer’s preferred region(s), meeting compliance and data-residency requirements.
To be honest, we don’t really understand why that deployment model wouldn’t now be the default for cloud-based applications. While we can manage cloud accounts for our customers, we definitely do not want to add unnecessary barriers between an organization and their information.
Navigating the Unpredictable: FormKiQ at the Helm
As businesses navigate the uncertainties of the digital future, the value of a flexible and adaptable solution like FormKiQ cannot be overstated, no matter how many blog posts I write about it.
It’s not just a tool for managing documents—it’s a partner in your organization’s journey towards a future that expects more and more flexibility, adaptability, and foresight.
Conclusion
While the concept of future-proofing may remain a myth, the necessity of adopting a future-forward mindset in information management is clearer than ever.
FormKiQ represents this approach in everything we do, offering a flexible, adaptable, and innovative platform that prepares businesses not just to face the future but to shape it.
And that’s great for us and you, since unlike retail outlets filled with endless shelves of VHS tapes, being future-forward is not a need that ever goes away.
For more information on how FormKiQ keeps your organization and its information and processes future-forward, please
contact us or schedule a consultation call.
FormKiQ vs. Off-the-Shelf Software and Less Flexible SaaS When is FormKiQ a better choice than Off-the-Shelf Software and Less Flexible SaaS?
FormKiQ vs. Building It Yourself How does FormKiQ save time over custom in-house solutions?
Use Cases FormKiQ works for small and large workflows, across all verticals and industries.
FormKiQ For Teams Find out how FormKiQ can work for your team
FormKiQ For Industries Discover the advantages FormKiQ can bring to your industry
Blockchain and Decentralized Storage Leverage web3 technologies including proof of work and distributed systems for document control and data privacy
Content and Digital Asset Management Integrate with your preferred web content management system while leveraging FormKiQ for managing your digital assets
Document Management Module Integrate all of the required functionality of a document management system into an existing software solution
Integration with QMS or LIMS Add missing functionality for your Quality Management or Laboratory Information Management by integrating with FormKiQ
Job Application Form Receive applications, including cover letter and resume attachments, and import into an existing HR Management System
Legal Discovery Tool Find information quickly by combining full-text search with AI-powered document classification
The Paperless Office: Digital Document Processing Collect, process, and store paper and digital documents, allowing for archival, integration, and future recall
Product Leasing System Process client lease applications, including a credit check and approval workflow
Company-Wide Break down the silos in your organization with a centralized control center for documents, ready for integration with any and all systems
Engineering and Product Reduce development time and agony with battle-tested components for your applications
Finance and Accounting Process paper and electronic invoices and receipts, ready for integration with your important systems
HR and Recruiting Build and support your people across the organization by integrating with your essential tools
IT and InfoSec Provision a secure document store with the encryption and controls needed for compliance and protection
Legal Manage and safeguard contracts and other essential documents across systems
Marketing Add better discovery and reliability to digital assets and other essential content, while enabling integration with a web content management system
Sales Keep track of sales assets and contracts inside and outside of your CRM and other tools
Accounting, Financial Services, and FinTech Standardize financial documents, metadata, and workflows across systems, teams, auditors, and clients
Education, Training, and EdTech Integrate Learning Management Systems with other essential applications and tools
Healthcare, Life Sciences, and MedTech Combine secure and compliant records management with laboratory information management systems
Law Practices and Legal Services Ensure efficient legal discovery and case management
Logistics and Transportation Provide a robust and customized solution for fleet management or other logistics needs
Manufacturing, Production, and Utilities Control and distribute essential documents and standard operating procedures within and between facilities, partners, and clients
Online Entertainment, Gaming, and Gambling Provide the required compliance documents to partners, customers, and government agencies
Professional and Technical Services Ensure that clients, inspectors, and subcontractors are aligned with consistent document control
Tech Startups Build robust document management functionality into your disruptive product
