Vendors blend workflow with forms automation

CHICAGO—If an electronic form crosses your desktop, chances are that it's on its way somewhere else. Two new deals between workflow and forms processing software vendors announced at the Association for Information and Image Management trade show would integrate these two applications, making it easier for users to pass documents along.

By early summer, ViewStar Corp., Alameda, Calif., expects to ship a new feature with its Process Architect workflow design tool that will allow developers to integrate Symantec Corp.'s Delrina Group FormFlow software into their workflow applications. Integration with other forms processing packages is planned, said ViewStar vice president of marketing Shirish Hardikar.

ViewStar imaging products are in use in the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Air Force, among other agencies. FormFlow is used widely in the Defense Department.

Meanwhile, Keyfile Corp., Nashua, N.H., announced that by late September, F3 Software Corp. will incorporate Keyfile's Keyflow technology for Microsoft Corp.'s Exchange Server into its latest version of F3 Forms. The U.S. Postal Service uses F3's forms software.

ViewStar's new development tool will enable users to launch a workflow application from FormFlow or call up a FormFlow document as part of a workflow process.

F3 plans to bundle Keyflow, which allows users of the Exchange groupware software to design workflow applications, into its F3 Server forms management product.

Stephanie Fox, a spokeswoman for F3, said the integration with Keyflow will only be available to Exchange users because Keyflow does not work with any other groupware application. She added, however, that F3 plans to integrate its products with other vendors' workflow tools in the future.