Nashua, N.H.-based eCopy Inc. wants you to take that document and send it to your colleague right from the office printer. To enable you to do this, eCopy is calling on VARs and system integrators to sell its document imaging and distribution software, which integrates paper documents into more than 20 enterprise software applications.

Company executives say their recently launched channel program will give VARs and integrators an opportunity to widen their reach and boost revenue by getting into a growing area of technology.

eCopy's software captures printed information through multifunction machines, such as copier/printers, and integrates it into enterprise applications, such as ECM (enterprise content management), ERP (enterprise resource planning) and CRM (customer relationship management), in addition to e-mail.

Resource Library:

"The user walks up to the copier, scans the document and up comes our interface, just as if you were at your desktop," said Tom DiBurro, director of VAR and system integrator sales channels at eCopy. He added that the company's products are as easy to use as a desktop PC.

eCopy's technology, though primarily aimed at the enterprise, also is appropriate for any organization with scan-enabled multifunction devices, he said.

eCopy has partnered with Cleveland-based specialty distributor Cranel Imaging to tap VARs in the document-management market. Cranel sells to about 500 VARs and provides them with training, marketing and support.

"eCopy software is clearly the market leader in integrating paper-based information into enterprise applications," said Scott Slack, vice president and general manager at Cranel. The company's new Open Platform architecture "will be the catalyst for major new business opportunities across our reseller network."

Read more here about eCopy boosting support for peripherals.

To widen its market reach, eCopy on Tuesday made two additions to its product family. The products are eCopy ShareScan OP (Open Platform), which transforms digital copiers and scanners into information hubs that integrate hard-copy documents into business applications, and eCopy ScanStation OP, a system with a touch screen, keyboard and PC that operates ShareScan OP software on nonembedded-architecture digital copiers and scanners.

The new eCopy products support Canon Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Océ N.V., Ricoh Co. Ltd., Sharp Electronics Corp. and Toshiba Corp. digital copiers, and Fujitsu Computer Products scanners. eCopy products traditionally were compatible only with Canon copiers and scanners.

For VARs, eCopy software presents an opportunity to add front-office offerings to the back-office Document Management System applications with which they typically have more experience, DiBurro said. eCopy aims to recruit 25 to 40 qualified VARs as the "cornerstone" members of its channel program, DiBurro said.