Allstream, a provider of communications solutions, is rolling out a new line of products which includes software from RTP-based Mi-Co.
Allstream’s “Digital Ink Solutions” is touted as being “the first offering of its kind” in Canada. It includes electronic data capture from pen and paper and is offered as part of an enterprise solution for companies seeking to move to digital processes from pen and paper.
Allstream is working with Mi-Co, which provides the ink recognition software, and Anoto Group of Sweden, which has developed transmission applications of the digital data. Logitech, a developer of digital pens, is also part of the solution. Allstream announced its rollout last week at the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto.
The expansion into Canada could have a big upside for Mi-Co. The company, founded by the father-and-son team of Jim and Greg Clary, developed its wireless forms software, has formed partnerships with a wide variety of relationships with firms ranging from Logitech to IBM, and now has a partner pushing the move from paper to digital across Canada.
“This could be a real game changer for Mi-Co,” Barrett Joyner, senior vice president of sales and marketing, told Local Tech Wire. He pointed out that Allstream is a division of MTS Allstream which positions itself as the third largest communications provider in Canada and has 7,000 employees. Allstream provides connectivity, infrastructure management and IT services.
Allstream is working with paper-to-digital processes as well as Table PC offerings.
“We are excited to bring our data capture software to the Canadian marketplace through our new relationship with Allstream,” said James Clary, president of Mi-Co, in a statement. “Using this solution, Allstream customers will benefit from an easy-to-use digital writing process that will save time and money for their business.”
The digital initiative will be launched in phases, according to Allstream. The first includes offering it as part of a solutions portfolio for individual customers, the company said. The second is the launching of a network-hosted offering that will be linked to its national network and data centers.
“This will make this disruptive technology available to companies who do not have large IT infrastructure of their own,” said John MacDonald, president of Allstream, which is based in Toronto.
“We are very excited to be the first to market in Canada with an innovative digital solution that streamlines data capture and digital information access to meet the needs of customers whose business relies heavily on paper forms,” he added in a statement. “Digital Ink Solutions targets a broad spectrum of industries and offers businesses the benefits of significantly reduced form handling costs, more accurate data entry capture and overall improved productivity.”
Mi-Co: www.mi-corporation.com
Allstream: www.allstream.com
