ABBYY Vantage and ABBYY FlexiCapture are products for automated document management and data capture.
While FlexiCapture and Vantage both use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and machine learning (ML) technologies for intelligent document processing (IDP), key differences mean these solutions suit different organizations depending on their requirements.
Vantage simplifies workflows, while FlexiCapture is best for high-level document management. Enterprises can integrate Reveille with FlexiCapture and gain complete visibility in this ECM environment to ensure it runs optimally.
This article unpacks the differences between ABBYY Vantage vs. FlexiCapture. We will review the pros and cons of each solution and the key features of these systems.
Introduction to ABBYY Vantage and FlexiCapture
ABBYY Vantage and FlexiCapture are both powerful enterprise document management software. These systems leverage intelligent document processing to automate data extraction.
Both Vantage and FlexiCapture are available for cloud and on-premise deployment, but they have many fundamental differences:
- FlexiCapture was developed on an older stack of protocols, but it’s easy to deploy on-premise.
- Vantage operates on a modern cloud-native platform. This means that organizations don’t have to install or maintain Vantage.
- FlexiCapture requires a lot of customization and development from the user to process business documents.
- Vantage offers Production-ready Skills and Framework Skills. These out-of-the-box processes manage various documents with minimal effort from users.
- FlexiCapture can only process out-of-box invoices, recipients, and purchase orders with minimal customization.
Comparing Key Features of ABBYY Vantage and FlexiCapture
ABBYY Vantage and FlexiCapture share many key features, as explored in more detail below.
However, users will find these features in Vantage’s document process automation solution works differently from FlexiCapture.
Optical Character Recognition
ABBYY FlexiCapture and Vantage provide AI-powered OCR technology to process data in any language or format. However, how these OCR features work differs. FlexiCapture’s OCR is an application developers can integrate into their ECM environment for accurate automated document processing in multiple languages.
With FlexiCapture’s OCR technology, users can convert data into PDF documents, Word documents, and similar formats. They can also migrate documents between repositories. This technology makes data accessible and scannable by skipping large, duplicated, and outdated files.
To use OCR from Vantage’s intelligent document processing platform, users deploy an automated cloud service, ABBYY Vantage OCR Skill. This easy-to-integrate service transforms documents into action-ready, structured data, enabling quicker decision-making. ABBYY Vantage OCR Skill processes documents in various formats. It supports over 200 languages and 26 different barcode formats.
Vantage provides an out-of-the-box OCR solution, while FlexiCapture’s application requires customization.
Document Classification
Document classification is a crucial feature for ABBYY Vantage and FlexiCapture. ABBYY Vantage’s document classification uses machine learning to create applications. This tool categorizes documents and organizes them into predefined classes. The ML detects document differences to ensure accurate and efficient classification without minimal corrections.
ABBYY Vantage’s document classification works in three steps:
- Preparing Data Sets: Systems administrators must define the relevant document classes. Using ML, Vantage will analyze the training documents for each class and determine parameters to identify the classification.
- Training the Classification System: FlexiCapture will import information about the document class and parameters into the Classification Model and train it based on this data. Vantage uses an Image Classifier, a Text Classifier, or both to classify this data. This IDP system also provides cross-validation of the data so administrators can evaluate the quality of the Classification Model.
- Deployment: The Classification Model analyzes each incoming document and calculates the requested parameters for each document, comparing the information received during the training stage.
Developers can create a routine to improve document classification automation and quality. A routine allows Vantage to update the training data and re-train the Classification Model.
For FlexiCapture, enterprises must configure classifier scripts. These scripts enable the system to process submitted documents and determine their class. These are the steps to set up a classification script:
- Open Project, and then select “Project Properties”.
- Click on the Recognition tab in the project properties window.
- Click “Set” to open the classification script Editor by clicking Set.
- Navigate to the dialog box and select an appropriate classifier by clicking “Add.”
- Choose a classification batch from the list.
- Change a classifier’s Alias Name by clicking “Edit Script.”
Administrators can change the classifier’s name to avoid rewriting scripts if classifier names change during document processing.
Data Extraction
ABBYY Vantage’s IDP system can maximize business efficiency through straightforward and automated data extraction. Using artificial intelligence, OCR, machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP) technologies, Vantage identifies and extracts data from any document without predefined templates. The formats could be documents, PDF forms, handwritten notes, images, tax forms, etc.
Vantage Skills delivers pre-trained documents and requires no code. Operators can save time customizing this IDP system to process and extract data. Vantage provides an out-of-box solution to extract data. This solution makes it simple for users to understand the complexities of processing different data types.
ABBYY FlexiCapture requires much more customization for data collection and extraction. Enterprises processing structured, semi-structured, or unstructured documents must follow unique extraction requirements and stages.
For example, if enterprises need to extract data from semi-structured documents, they must implement FlexiCapture’s tool, FlexiLayout. FlexiLayout will scan these documents and correctly extract data from the correct fields.
This makes FlexiCapture ideal for complicated extraction tasks involving high volumes of data with varying or no consistent formats and layouts.
User Roles
User role workflow capabilities help enterprises optimize data security. This feature ensures that only authorized users can access sensitive information. FlexiCapture and Vantage both have these capabilities.
For Vantage, administrators can add users to the list of authorized users via their email addresses. The tenant administrator is the only user with access to adjust the list of authorized users.
ABBYY FlexiCapture’s user permissions assign different roles to users and grant access rights to projects and individual batch types within the assigned role. The various user roles include:
- Scanning Operator
- Verification Operator
- Data Verification Operator
- Administrator
- Processing Server
- Monitoring Operator
Like ABBYY Vantage, only FlexiCapture’s assigned Administrator can adjust user permissions. Enterprises can use Reveille’s remediation to automatically restrict user access for breaches in FlexiCapture’s data repositories.
Pros of ABBYY Vantage and FlexiCapture
ABBYY Vantage and FlexiCapture’s automated workflow capabilities enable reduced manual intervention, optimized resource allocation, and improved data security.
Reduced Manual Intervention
FlexiCapture and Vantage reduce manual processes – this ensures accurate and efficient data processing and extraction. This advantage is ideal for enterprises with complex document management workflows. Enterprises will also benefit from fewer manual-prone errors and costly mistakes.
Optimized Resource Allocation
With ABBYY Vantage and FlexiCapture automation capabilities, enterprises can focus their resources in more strategic areas. For example, teams that used to input data manually will have more time and resources to focus on higher-value operational areas. This helps organizations streamline document processing workflows and resource allocation as they scale.
Improved Security Infrastructure
Vantage and FlexiCapture offer optimal security for document management requirements. Vantage provides user roles and access permission for straightforward workflows primarily involving structured data.
However, FlexiCapture has various user roles and monitored access controls for more established organizations and complex workflows.
Cons of ABBYY Vantage and FlexiCapture
While both offer intelligent document processing, the disadvantage is that organizations need to develop high-level technical expertise in these solutions. They are both also costly to implement and lack sufficient training materials.
High-Level Technical Expertise
Both ABBYY Vantage and FlexiCapture need high-level technical expertise. Organizations must have developers and operators with extensive experience in IDP software, ML, and NLP. However, Vantage is easier to use than FlexiCapture because this system offers Vantage Skills for out-of-box document capturing.
Costly
Small businesses that need a document processing system will find Vantage and FlexiCapture highly costly. Enterprises with extensive budgets would find more value in these tools. However, it’s ideal first to define a budget for document management and understand how to adapt Vantage or FlexiCapture to suit this budget.
Lack of Training Materials
Another key drawback of FlexiCapture and Vantage is the need for more training materials. More resources are needed to help users implement these systems, configure specific applications, and navigate the IDP environments.
When to Choose ABBYY Vantage or FlexiCapture
Before opting for Vantage or FlexiCapture, organizations must assess their document processing requirements, security requirements, and scalability.
Document Processing Requirements
Organizations must assess their document processing requirements before choosing ABBYY Vantage or FlexiCapture. They must determine which documents they want to process, their volume, and which aspects of their current document management workflow need optimization.
Businesses may opt for ABBYY Vantage for simpler document processing workflows. For instance, they may need software for Microsoft Office to PDF conversions or to capture and extract consistent information from their Adobe PDF library. Implementing Vantage Skills is a quick and easy way to automate data entry-intensive processes.
FlexiCapture is ideal for high-level document management operations. Enterprises managing high volumes of structured, unstructured, and semi-structured documents would benefit from FlexiCapture.
Security Requirements
Organizations with standard security and user permission requirements find value in ABBYY Vantage. This platform only allows authorized users to access data – these permissions are easy to configure. While only Administrators can adjust access permissions, all authorized users can navigate different Vantage applications.
Enterprises that require advanced security requirements must deploy ABBYY FlexiCapture. This system offers defined user roles and restricts access permissions to specific users. By implementing Reveille to track FlexiCapture, enterprises can maintain content security by monitoring key usage metrics for:
- Transaction count
- User details
- Transaction information Server and client details
- Transaction type
- Transaction duration
- Transaction date and time
Scalability
Both ABBYY FlexiCapture and Vantage offer features that support business scalability. Organizations can leverage features to process documents and capture and extract the necessary information as their workflows evolve.
Vantage is ideal for mid-level document management operations. But FlexiCapture works best for complex workflows. This is the perfect solution for scalability as it supports document processing requirements for businesses of all kinds.
While smaller teams may find it complicated to adopt FlexiCapture, this solution will grow with enterprise requirements. Reveille’s integration provides proactive ECM monitoring to ensure the environment runs smoothly and delivers efficient and secure workflows.
Choose Reveille and FlexiCapture For an Optimal ECM Environment
ABBYY FlexiCapture is ideal for intelligent document processing, management and extraction. Best of all, it can integrate with Reveille for real-time agentless monitoring.
Our platform provides over 65 pre-configured tests and tracks more than 70 critical metrics. Reveille delivers complete visibility and control to keep FlexiCapture running smoothly. Contact Reveille and request a demo today.