Adobe Acrobat XI: Unraveling the Complexity of Working With Digital Documents

The introduction of Adobe Acrobat XI software with cloud services delivers a powerful new version of the industry-standard PDF software for creating, editing, sharing and securing PDF content across devices and platforms. With more information being generated, shared and consumed than ever before, Acrobat XI software rises to today’s document challenges with a streamlined approach to working in PDF. Acrobat XI software now features sophisticated online services, including Web contracting capabilities with Adobe EchoSign and online forms with Adobe FormsCentral. Acrobat XI additionally supports IT departments with compelling new capabilities that provide a lower cost of ownership and sound return on investment.

The explosion of digital documents in the workplace has created new challenges for productivity. Each week, individual information workers spend half their time searching, filing, organizing, merging and editing comments, obtaining signatures, reviewing feedback and consolidating data, or collaborating with people outside their organizations. IT departments struggle with integrating and managing a diversity of platforms, devices and services, while trying to protect sensitive corporate IP and personal information. Information workers are asking: “How do I do what I was doing before, but work in this new environment?” And organizations of all types are faced with adapting to this complexity, while driving their businesses forward, wondering: “How do I accelerate revenue, secure my IP and continue to evolve my workers capabilities to meet these new challenges?”

Adobe and market research firm IDC took a closer look at these inefficiencies and the impact document-based challenges have on information workers and IT professionals. According to an Adobe-commissioned IDC white paper, the addressable impact of these inefficiencies on an organization of 1,000 employees is almost $16 million annually. Bridging that gap could add 21.3 percent, or the equivalent of 213 employees, to an organization’s resources. Recovering just half this productivity loss, could equal hiring close to 100 new employees. Imagine the impact of 100 new engineers, salespeople, marketers or IT professionals?

With Acrobat XI, information workers can now directly edit PDF files as well as easily convert PDFs to their original format such as PowerPoint. They can accelerate document exchange using PDF and the Web, forms data collection, review, approvals and eSignatures. For IT, Acrobat XI can help to mitigate risk and lower costs with the most advanced document and application security. And with mobile device support, employees can be productive on the go with PDF on tablets and smartphones.

Acrobat XI lets information workers edit PDF files as easily as other documents. They can modify paragraphs, images, and objects by simply clicking and dragging using the new intuitive Edit Text and Images tool. They can also edit faster and more easily, spend no time retyping or hassling with line breaks, reflow paragraph text without disturbing format, and find and replace text globally in a single move. Plus, they can transform PDF files into fully reusable Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Excel documents; for example, they can save PDF documents as PowerPoint files to quickly update bulleted text, tables, objects and master layouts. Information workers can reuse parts of or entire PDF files as Microsoft Office documents and Web pages without retyping anything.

Integrated Adobe FormsCentral simplifies form creation and results analysis. Its features include distributing professional, branded PDF and Web forms from scratch or by customizing templates; saving and sharing forms as fillable PDF or Web forms that virtually anyone can complete using a Web browser; and instantly distributing forms, automatically collecting responses and analyzing real-time data in one place.

Acrobat XI accelerates document and Web contract approvals. Documents can be easily signed and sent to others for signatures using the integrated EchoSign electronic signature service. This helps shorten contract deal cycles from weeks to hours.

Adobe Reader XI and Acrobat XI are now touch-enabled for use on tablet devices—including when the applications are virtualized using Citrix XenApp for richer document delivery and consumption. Now PDF files containing dynamic media content, as well as files in shared review and electronic signature workflows, can be managed from virtually anywhere.

Industry-leading security technology, in addition to the Adobe PDF Whitelist Framework, is now included and allows selective enablement of JavaScript for both Windows and Mac OS. The Protected View in Acrobat XI and Protected Mode in Reader XI deliver an implementation of sandbox technology that limits the level of access to systems for all PDF files and helps with data-loss prevention. Additionally, improved application security helps safeguard systems and data while reducing the frequency of out-of-cycle patches.

For IT pros who need to watch the bottom line, Adobe Acrobat XI integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint. It enables the export of PDF files to fully editable PowerPoint as well as Word and Excel files. SharePoint-hosted files can also be used on Macs. Further, free Adobe tools can streamline deployment and aid configuration and installation, as well as provide enhanced support for Microsoft SCCM/SCUP (Systems Center Configuration Manager/System Center Updates Publisher) and Apple Remote Desktop.