Since the recent announcement of the latest addition to our suite of companion products, the ACR Document Processing System, our customers have contacted us and expressed high-levels of interest in transforming their businesses into paperless offices.
Through those discussions we have been able to ascertain some common lines of enquiry, which we will outline below to assist in adopting this exciting new development.
I don’t have a Google Drive Account, is it necessary?
Yes, it is.
How do I create a Google Drive Account to use with the DPS?
A Google Drive Account is not created on it’s own, but rather is an included service when you create a Google Account on the Google website. Google Accounts can be created for personal or business use.
Will the DPS work with either a personal or business Google Account?
Yes, it will.
Should I create a personal or business Google Account?
Since the ACR DPS will work with both types of accounts, this can come down to your preferences and circumstances after you have investigated each option. Both types of accounts will come with Google Drive’s dedicated “My Drive” space, which can be used for the purposes of housing the folder structure required by the ACR DPS.
Should you prefer to create a business Google Account, you will find that it supports the concept of ‘Shared Drives’, which is different to folders ‘Shared with me’. In this scenario, ACR would recommend utilising a ‘Shared Drive’ dedicated to the DPS, as the appropriate means to set up the folder structure required by the ACR DPS.
Do I need to provide ACR staff or the DPS my Google Account credentials?
No, you do not and we will never ask for them.
How do I connect the ACR DPS to my Google Drive?
At the time of setting up the ACR DPS in your system, our Training team will activate your system to enable the DPS, such that you can then launch from the system to the Google website, and the Google website will prompt you to login, in order to authorise the ACR DPS access to your Google Drive.
This authorisation is a one-off only step in the setup.
What access will the ACR DPS system have to my Google Drive?
ACR DPS will have full access to your entire Google Drive, however can only interact with the ACR DPS Folder (in your Google Drive) and it’s associated sub-folders, by use of the officially supported Google web services.
I already have a Google Account, do I need to create a new one?
No, you do not need to, however you may choose to do so if your preference is to have a separation of concern from your existing Google Account.
Will I have access to the DPS System Folders in Google Drive?
Yes you will, however in practice you will find that you’re viewing or retrieving PDF files via the ACR software (via the PDF icon), with no need to access them directly in Google Drive.
ACR strongly recommends that you and your staff refrain from managing or interacting with DPS System folders, other than to upload files into the Auto Processing directory.
Once the DPS processes a file in Google Drive and links it to the system, that then binds the two together.
If, at a later point, a file (or folder) is deleted from the DPS System in Google Drive, the link is permanently and irrevocably broken. Copying a file (or folder) and deleting the original has exactly the same effect.
Will setting up the DPS with a Google account and changing to a different account at a later date be possible?
Technically this is possible, however it will cause all existing links from the DPS to the old Google Account to be permanently and irrevocably broken, as such ACR advises against such action.
This cause of action may make sense in certain limited circumstances, for example during a change of business ownership, and could be discussed with ACR at that point.
Who in my organisation should “own” the Google Account?
ACR recommends that the Google Account, which is used in conjunction with the DPS, is not directly associated with any one individual within your organisation, but rather an account that will exist into the future, unaffected by staff turnover.
How do PDFs get to my Google Drive?
There are a number of ways this can be achieved:
- Configuring one or more scanners in your organisation to upload to the DPS Auto Processing Folders within your Google Drive.
- Place a PDF into the DPS Auto Upload directory in the Docs directory of your ACR system, the ACR system will then upload the file to DPS Auto Processing Folders within your Google Drive.
- Uploading, Saving or drag and drop a PDF from your PC (or mobile device) directly into the DPS Auto Processing Folders within your Google Drive.
I have a scanner already but have not organised the setup of my Google Account or the DPS, can I configure my scanner now?
No, you must first have the ACR DPS system activated and set up in your system, so it can initialise the DPS System folders in readiness for use.
I’d like to use a Scanner to upload PDFs to the ACR DPS, do you sell Scanners?
No, we do not.
I’d like to use a Scanner to upload PDFs to the ACR DPS, do you recommend a particular scanner?
There are a great many scanners available in the market that you could choose to utilise within your business, ACR does not recommend one over the other. We recommend that a key functionality you would need to consider is selecting a scanner with WiFI capability, which supports device-less scanning and auto-uploading to your Google Drive.
In ACR’s environment we already use a Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Document Scanner, whilst this is an older version of their more current models, it works perfectly in our environment for the described purposes. N.b. we’re not associated with Fujitsu in any way.
I’d like to use a Scanner to upload PDFs to the ACR DPS, does ACR install the Scanner in our business?
No, this would be performed by your local or internal IT support team.
Will the DPS work with files other than PDFs?
No, the technology used by the DPS requires exclusively the use of a PDF file.
Can I use the DPS without having PDFs auto-processed?
Yes, you can configure your site so that the auto-processing feature is turned off.