In my talks with customers, it always amazes me how much similarity there is in the core problems businesses are trying to solve. Companies are trying to figure how to get things done more efficiently and effectively, while at the same time, lower costs, streamline their processes, protect their business interests, and empowering their end users with best practices.

This is no easy feat for IT. Where to start? I have found that the best organizations do this by first focusing on prioritizing the “pain points” of their end users.

My latest article in Lifehack expands more on the specific challenges I hear on daily basis from customers, like: “Editing PDF documents is a hassle” and “It’s hard to send large files with email and IT restrictions”. In the article, I suggest that IT organizations think beyond just offering tools and begin to leverage best in class practices for their business that address the common issues of the end user. This becomes even important as we move into a new business climate where we are not just trying to be productive on our PC’s, but also on our phones and tablets.

Thanks to feedback from our customers, this is how we think at Adobe when addressing their needs. Now, many companies including McGladrey, Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, and Canon are deploying Acrobat for reasons that directly address the pain points of their employees, customers and constituents, and they are all realizing extraordinary benefits.

You can read the full post in Lifehack here for a list of common customer IT “pain points”.

–Mark Grilli, senior director of product marketing, Acrobat Solutions

With teams dispersed all over the globe and multiple review cycles, how do IT organizations enhance collaboration?

One of the ways that Epona sets itself apart from other IT consultancy firms is by concentrating on enhanced collaboration across its diverse workforce and clients worldwide. Epona president Bart van Wanroij recently talked with us about how the company is using Adobe Acrobat X Pro with Microsoft SharePoint, saying “Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft SharePoint are unparalleled at enabling more efficient collaboration.”

Epona is staying at the forefront of technology by operating in a cloud-based environment that helps safeguard proprietary information. Adds van Wanroij, “Working with SharePoint-hosted, Adobe PDF files, teams collaborate seamlessly in cloud-based environments as they share, review, and comment on materials.”

Today, Epona converts many of its business documents to PDF and uploads them to Microsoft SharePoint, as part of a process that not only saves paper, but also speeds up review and approval because all documents are centrally located and easily available in a single, reliable file format.

With Acrobat X, Epona is using a lot less paper, helping the company realize cost savings and environmental sustainability goals. By taking advantage of the PDF workflows supported by Acrobat X and Microsoft SharePoint, Epona is improving productivity all around. For instance, the company has found that fewer employees can now manage ten times more accounting transactions per month, thanks to the new efficiencies.

To read more about Epona and its use of Adobe Acrobat X Pro with Microsoft SharePoint, check out the full story here.

We are launching a new series of short videos to explain common support questions we get from IT admins. Meet Steve Cordero, Acrobat Support Engineer, who has yet to get an Acrobat problem he wasn’t able to solve. In the first 5 videos Steve demonstrates different ways to create an installer package.  Let Steve show you how to create an Administrative Installation Point   for Acrobat 10.1.

Still on Acrobat 9 and confused about the order in which to deploy security and quarterly updates?  Watch the video on creating an AIP for Reader 9.4.6. The same method also applies to Acrobat Reader 9.

Another method of creating a single installer is using a Bootstrapper. Steve shows how to modify the Setup.ini file to chain all Acrobat Updates using the command line. Whether you select the AIP or Bootstrapper method comes down to preference. While the bootstrapper method may be quicker to create, you’ll have less control should something go wrong.

If you are looking to customize Acrobat to suit your organization’s environment, the free Adobe Customization Wizard allows you to predefine features of Acrobat prior to deployment or enabled pre-deployment customization of both the installer and the installed product. Steve explains two lesser known features of the Customization Wizard:

• First up is using the files and folders option to add plugins, redaction files or joboptions. In Steve’s demo he adds JavaScript files to an Acrobat X installation.
• In the second Customization Wizard demo Steve explains how to predefine the users’ preferences by modifying the registry, for example security preferences you want streamlined throughout your organization. The example used in the video shows how to disable the Welcome screen in Acrobat 10.1.

Both the Files and Folders and the Registry features allow you to leverage an existing configuration via simple drag and drop or create new configurations.

We would like to receive your feedback about these clips. Did you find them useful? Do you have suggestions for topics you always wanted to get visual help with? Please leave your comments and rate the videos.

When selecting an enterprise PDF solution, there are many factors to consider. In this video, Joel Geraci, Acrobat Technical Evangelist, is joined by Ali Hanyaloglu, Product Evangelist, Acrobat Solutions, to discuss Acrobat alternatives, based on the recent white paper, Top IT Considerations for PDF Solutions (check out the full white paper, here).

If you’ve been thinking about using alternatives to Acrobat, check out this brief video and learn about some key considerations: security, deployment and management, standards, innovation, savings, productivity, Sharepoint and more.

Check out this IT Matters video segment with Acrobat Technical Evangelist, Joel Geraci, ”Focus on Application Security.”

This Part 3 in a series shares configuration details for the Acrobat X family of products, including enhanced security, scripting controls, and other security related features.

Watch the full video here:

Gain insights on how organizations can standardize processes and routine multi-step tasks with the new Actions capability in Acrobat X, reducing the burden of training. In the third of the five-part Acrobat X and IT series, Chris French, Senior Product Manager, Acrobat Solutions, highlights Actions, one the top new IT capabilities in Acrobat X.

Check out the video here: