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Over the past year, we have discussed the possibilities and potential of mobile data capture in a variety of situations. From discussions on mobile capture applications and consumer education, to the introduction of our full mobile data capture solution, ABBYY set forth in 2011 to make the knowledge worker more efficient, regardless of time or place.

Now that 2011 is coming to a close, we stand at the virtual mobile data capture crossroads. Will the technology become the next big thing, or will it fall victim to the all too common “before its time” moniker that many before have? After participating in numerous industry conferences, vendor meet-ups and sales meetings over the last year, I honestly believe that we are headed in the direction of mobile data capture becoming the next big thing. But, and this is an important but, there is still work to be done before we can write this in stone.

In 2010, I traveled around speaking about the sheer idea of mobile data capture, often receiving critical responses in return. So, ABBYY and many other organizations in the data capture space, embarked on 2011 with educating our industry peers, potential end users and stakeholders, on the possibilities and benefits widespread mobile data capture would deliver. Did we meet our goal? If the course of conversations held in the second half of the year are any indication, yes! No longer do I, or my peers at other solution providers need to “sell” people that the technology has legs. Instead, the conversation has risen to a level where the focus is on showing that this isn’t a future technology, it is here and now, and it’s growing. In fact, our friends at Harvey Spencer Associates Inc expect the market for mobile transactional and mobile capture software in the US to grow to over $1.3B by 2015. The research firm reports that this growth will be driven by the impact of mobile devices and technology on business processes, and the use of new applications on tablets and smartphones to create, capture and consume content in real time while communicating with back end enterprise resources.

With the situation being here, now and relevant, the data capture industry as a whole is in an interesting predicament – one we will all need to work together to overcome. Because every situation is different and the opportunities are virtually endless, over the course of 2012, me and other ABBYY blog contributors will make this a primary focus for the year ahead. This will include celebrating the industry’s successes, exploring new possibilities and explaining things in ways that make it relevant to all of the constituents, including device manufacturers, software vendors, service providers, enterprises, small businesses and more. We will look at the opportunities there are in mobile capture, and the steps needed to tangibly get there.

Since I would prefer not to talk about this alone in the coming year, I am asking my peers to leverage the AIIM Capture community, and ABBYY’s Keen Eye blog, as hubs to debate the future, discuss the possibilities, and identify how to work together to accomplish the next phase of mobile data capture’s evolution. Looking forward to many great conversations that are sure to come!

Until then, are there any specific questions you would like to see addressed?

--Joe Budelli