VS.
With the development of Cloud Computing, more and more OCR solutions started to move processing to the cloud. There are several major Cloud OCR solutions like AWS Textract (from Amazon), Azure AI Vision (from Microsoft), Google Cloud Vision AI, as well as more specialized solutions like ABBYY Vantage.
These days it is much harder to find an OCR data capture solution that is not fully or partly cloud-based.
Sunshine Software or Sunshine OCR refers to on-premise Optical Character Recognition software that requires no internet connection to operate. Since there is no Cloud involved, we are calling it Sunshine Software to shine a light on the advantages of avoiding the Cloud.
We call it “Sunshine” because it’s catchy and makes us smile. But also because there is no good marketing term for this type of software. Before the “Cloud” became popular, it was known as simply as “Software.” After the development of Cloud Computing, it has been referred to as On-Prem, On-Premise, On-Site, Offline, Local, Native, Self-Hosted, In-House and other terms, but none of them highlight the benefits it has over the Cloud like Sunshine Software.
Cloud OCR or Sunshine OCR?
In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, businesses are faced with critical decisions regarding the deployment of software. Two prominent models, cloud-based and sunshine-based (on-premise) software, offer distinct approaches to meeting organizational needs. Understanding the differences between these models is essential for making informed decisions aligned with business goals and requirements.
Key Characteristics
Cloud-Based OCR Software:
Cloud OCR software operates on remote servers accessible over the internet. This model offers unparalleled scalability, allowing businesses to adjust resources based on demand. Subscription-based pricing is a common feature, providing flexibility and reducing upfront costs. Maintenance and updates are handled by the service provider, promoting seamless integration and the ability to work collaboratively from any location.
Sunshine OCR Software:
On the other hand, on-premises-based Sunshine OCR software involves deploying applications on local servers within an organization’s physical infrastructure. This model provides a high level of control and security, as data resides on-site. Upfront costs are typically higher, and businesses are responsible for maintenance, updates, and customization.
Contact Us for FREE Consultation on Your OCR Project
Data Security and Privacy
Cloud OCR Software:
Cloud-based solutions employ advanced security measures, including encryption and compliance standards, to protect data. However, concerns about data sovereignty and reliance on third-party providers may influence decisions, especially in industries with stringent privacy regulations.
Sunshine OCR Software:
With on-premises solutions, organizations have direct control over their data, addressing concerns related to data sovereignty. Security measures are implemented in-house, allowing businesses to tailor security protocols to meet specific requirements.
Legal requirements
A major part of the localization decision is based on what kind of data you are processing. Some data has to be processed on your servers with specific security requirements. This is an important argument against use of Cloud based OCR.
The federal laws and statutes that are commonly implicated in cloud-based service contracts range from data privacy and security laws specific to financial transaction information, healthcare information and the like. These include:
- The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which applies to financial services;
- The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), which apply to protected health information;
- The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which applies to educational institutions and their vendors;
- Federal and state laws and regulations that apply generally to third-party service providers in given industries, such as:
- Third-party risk guidance for the financial services industry from the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), and other regulatory agencies;
- FERPA, which in addition to governing data privacy, also governs the scope of permitted outsourcing in higher education.
Cost Considerations
Cloud OCR Software:
Cloud-based models often follow a pay-as-you-go structure, reducing initial investments. However, organizations should carefully consider subscription fees and potential long-term costs, especially as usage scales.
Sunshine OCR Software:
While on-premises OCR provides greater control and security, it typically requires more substantial upfront investments in hardware, software, and IT infrastructure, compared to cloud-based OCR services. Additionally, organizations are responsible for maintenance, updates, and support.
However, many cloud solutions make you to sign contracts charging you annually. Because of that accumulated costs of cloud solutions are often more expensive than it seem. On-premise Sunshine solutions are offered for onetime fixed payment, thou. Here is a study on Total Cost of Ownership for OCR solutions exploring the costs.
Scalability and Integration
Cloud OCR Software:
Cloud solutions excel in scalability, allowing businesses to scale resources dynamically based on demand. This flexibility is particularly advantageous for fluctuating workloads and evolving business requirements.
Cloud OCR solutions often provide APIs for integration with other cloud services. While this enhances interoperability, customization options may be limited compared to on-premises solutions.
Sunshine OCR Software:
Scalability in on-premises models may require substantial investments in hardware and infrastructure. Planning for future growth involves careful resource allocation and may lead to longer lead times for expansion.
However, modern hardware is capable of processing several million pages per year on a single server with baseline hardware specifications (8-core CPU, 24Gb RAM, 1Tb hard drive). Traditional OCR is CPU-intensive, but it is nothing compared to the requirements of artificial intelligence. When documents can be captured easily without AI, the cost of traditional OCR is significantly less in both hardware and software.
Sunshine models offer extensive customization capabilities, allowing businesses to tailor software to their specific needs. However, integration with external services can be more challenging.
Conclusions
The choice between cloud-based OCR and Sunshine OCR software is multifaceted and depends on the unique needs and priorities of each business. While cloud solutions offer flexibility and short-term cost advantages, on-premise models provide control and security, and lower licensing costs in the long term. Many organizations are adopting hybrid approaches, leveraging the strengths of both models to create a tailored solution that aligns with their strategic objectives. The key is to carefully evaluate the specific requirements, scalability needs, security considerations, and long-term costs to make an informed decision that propels the business forward in the digital era.
Sunshine OCR Solutions:
SimpleIndex is committed to the Sunshine Software model and continues to offer an unlimited, perpetual desktop OCR license as it has for over 20 years. Tesseract 5 is included with all versions, and FineReader 11 is offered as an upgrade in the OCR and Professional licenses.
Digitech Systems also offers several document capture and OCR data capture solutions with the Sunshine Software license model.
ABBYY FlexiCapture no longer offers perpetual licenses for on-premise implementations. While you can configure it to run fully offline, the license must renew annually to verify the current subscription or it will expire. You might consider this “partly cloudy”.
Cloud Based OCR Solutions:
Most of the legacy OCR engine developers have moved their flagship product lines to the cloud. ABBYY Vantage is an example, providing a data capture “marketplace” with reusable data extraction models based on common document types.
Modern, AI-based cloud OCR developed by the major tech companies are now dominant in the market. Microsoft Azure AI Vision, Google Vision Cloud and Amazon Textract are the the cloud OCR platforms they provide.
SimpleIndex has lets you leverage the Amazon AWS Textract OCR engine for handwriting recognition, forms processing, invoice processing, and other data capture applications. Google and Microsoft engines can be easily included by request. It also has ChatGPT integration to perform text analysis that allows you to write document summaries and extract irregular data from unstructured text.
Sunshine Solutions
Simple Software’s SimpleIndex has everything you need for document scanning, zone OCR, data validation and output to searchable PDF files, CSV or XML data, document management systems or cloud storage like SharePoint, Box and Google Drive.
The SimpleIndex document management suite includes:
- SimpleIndex comes in Standard, Barcode, OCR and Professional versions, with Server licensing available for unattended processing. FineReader OCR is included with OCR and Pro. Tesseract OCR is included with all versions. Upgraded bar code recognition and scanner drivers are included with Barcode and Pro.
- SimpleView offers folder and file based document management, OCR and editing.
- SimpleSearch uses database indexes for fast, precise document searches.
- SimpleSend automates sending of document files via secure FTP or email.
- SimpleExport converts CSV files into XML or any other text file format using XSLT.
- SimpleCoversheet creates bar code separator sheets to automate scanning and indexing.
Readiris PDF 23 Business is a powerful PDF centric Manager Software allowing from multiple different format’ files input to compose, edit, annotate, split, sort, amend, compress, e-sign and share your own build secured single or multiple PDF files. Similar to Standard version but offers additional features like scanning documents from any scanners, deep PDF features like eSignatures and multi format file saving.
ABBYY FlexiCapture is a powerful data capture and forms processing solution from a world-leading technology vendor. It transforms streams of documents of any structure and complexity into business-ready data. And its award-winning recognition technologies, automatic document classification, plus a highly scalable and customizable architecture, mean that it can help companies and organizations of any size to streamline their business processes, increase efficiency and reduce costs. We would recommend it as the best choice of OCR software for enterprise scale business.
ABBYY FlexiCapture SDK enables software developers to quickly create applications that extract meaning from documents. FlexiCapture SDK is ideal for system integrators, developers, and service providers who want to integrate powerful data capture capabilities into their solutions. Through the use of ABBYY’s machine learning and AI, end customers are able to process more transactions, faster, and with fewer errors, improving customer service, reducing costs, and making smarter process decisions.
FlexiCapture SDK, as a delivery option of the FlexiCapture platform, provides developers with a powerful and flexible toolkit to smoothly integrate ABBYY’s industry-leading data capture technologies to empower their own products and services according to vertical market needs.
PaperVision Capture’s fully customizable OCR server uses a machine-based Open Text OCR license to give you incredibly fast full-text OCR capable of handling millions of pages per day without expensive click charges. It can be expanded to add powerful zone OCR and forms processing capabilities. PaperVision Capture was designed for the biggest service bureau scanning operations in the world and tackle any scanning, OCR and data capture job. Its modular licensing based on the number of capture stations gives it the best price/performance ratio for many scenarios.
PAPERVISION performs dependable electronic document management to automate office environments, conserve paper, time, money, and provide peace of mind. Retrieval solutions provide enterprise scalability and functionality with advanced features that enhance your efficiency and protect corporate data.
Electronic information is retrieved instantly with our user-friendly graphical interface that displays a complete overview of all your available projects. View, manipulate, print, fax, export, and e-mail documents directly from your PC.
Cloud Based Solutions
SimpleIndex Cloud OCR option adds Amazon AWS Textract OCR capabilities and ICR/handprint recognition, as well as forms detection and accounts payable processing to SimpleIndex base or server license. Allowing you an access to automatically extract handwriting, text or data from any document using machine learning AWS capabilities.
Features:
- Highly accurate machine print (OCR) and hand print (ICR) recognition
- Automatic forms extraction to label/value pairs without drawing zones
- Automatic invoice extraction including line item data
- Output as plain text, label/value pairs or JSON
- JSON output includes coordinates and confidence values for each extracted word
ABBYY Vantage applies the RPA model to data capture software.
Vantage has a marketplace of reusable document “skills” that you can drag-and-drop into OCR projects and RPA workflows to capture data from documents with minimal configuration and specialized knowledge. Select from a huge library of pre-configured templates, or easily train new documents with machine learning.
Amazon Textract API offers you AWS Cloud Services and good and easy way to implement OCR into your existing AWS RPA. It is a safe bet that the future of OCR and RPA in general will be built on Google Vision API Cloud and Amazon Textract API.
However, it is very far from ready to use product. It would require good programing skills, experience with AWS systems and decent amount of workhours to implement it into your systems. And we at SimpleSoftware have necessary experience are ready to help you with that.
Vision API offers powerful pre-trained machine learning models through REST and RPC APIs. Assign labels to images and quickly classify them into millions of predefined categories. Detect objects and faces, read printed and handwritten text, and build valuable metadata into your image catalog.
Google Vision API offers you Cloud Services and AI technologies of Big G itself, decades of the best AI experience for a reasonable mostly flat rates. It is a safe bet that the future of OCR and RPA in general will be built on Google Vision API Cloud and Amazon Textract.
However, it is very far from ready to use product. It would require good programing skills, experience with Big G systems and decent amount of workhours to implement it into your systems. And we at SimpleSoftware have necessary experience are ready to help you with that.
Azure AI Vision is a unified service that offers innovative computer vision capabilities. Give your apps the ability to analyze images, read text, and detect faces with prebuilt image tagging, text extraction with optical character recognition (OCR), and responsible facial recognition. Incorporate vision features into your projects with no machine learning experience required.
However, it is very far from ready to use product. It would require good programing skills, experience with Big G systems and decent amount of workhours to implement it into your systems. And we at SimpleSoftware have necessary experience are ready to help you with that.
