For decades, we've been hearing about the mythic "paperless" office,
where desktops are clean, and communication is digital. Although it has
yet to manifest in reality, that hasn't stopped Wayne-based Epitome
Systems from keeping the vision alive. Founder and CEO Vince Rogusky
talks about making paper cuts.
How did the company get started?
Epitome Systems, and more specifically, the technology we offer, evolved
out of a "paperless" initiative at GMAC Commercial Holding Corp,
(GMACCH), which is GM's commercial mortgage subsidiary. GMACCH is one of
the world's largest commercial lending firms, with global operations.
Traditionally, processing and servicing loans is a very manual business,
and involves a tremendous amount of paper. GMACCH wanted its global
workforce to operate more efficiently and productively, and that meant
applying automation to the entire operation, taking the paper out of the
process along the way.
Long story short: GMACCH developed a technology platform in-house that
could accomplish this, and saw immediate results: streamlined resources,
faster workflow, better productivity. What I saw was that their solution
was unique - but their problem was not. Businesses today are drowning in
manual processes. I felt that there was great potential to take this
technology, build a business around it and expose it to a broader
commercial market. And so, Epitome Systems was born. That technology
platform became our core software offering, the Enterprise Productivity
Management (EPM) solution.
Why do you feel there's a need for what you provide?
Quite simply, because customers are asking for it. They're inundated
with manual processes and disparate systems. Compound that with the fact
that many companies are now trying to extend those processes and systems
across global work environments--environments that involve internal and
external contacts, departments, suppliers and vendors. Then throw in the
latest challenges everyone's buzzing about--compliance, globalization,
mergers and acquisitions, and outsourcing. With all these factors in
place, companies are scrambling to take what they have and grow it. And
make it more flexible, more productive and more competitive. And keep
costs down. Talk about pressure.
What makes your company different from competitors?
The makeup of the EPM solution is unique. It's end-to-end and nimble at
the same time, and can easily bring together processes and information,
thanks to its flexible design. It's comprised of three
platforms--content acquisition, integrated processes and business
visibility--all of which are elements that until now have been available
only in piecemeal on the market. And it's built on what we call a
"pre-integrated" architecture, which means that it's plug-and-play yet
easily customizable for different applications.
Epitome Systems was launched out of an initiative to go paperless--do
you think it's possible to achieve a truly paperless office?
Absolutely. But I also think companies need to do more than simply "go
paperless." Achieving the paperless office is really more of a
metaphor--it represents attaining total efficiency and productivity
throughout an organization. That means going beyond the paper, to the
processes and the systems behind it. Technology has become an integral
part of business, and the processes that run today's business are being
fed by information from an increasingly complex web of disparate and
global systems. Getting these processes and systems to work together
under a common platform is what allows businesses to truly go paperless,
and achieve the highest realm of productivity.
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