In the interview with Axel Schneider, Manager Sales at ALOS GmbH

Alos is a holistic solution partner that supports companies in digitalizing their business processes. With around 85 employees in Germany and Switzerland, the system house serves several thousand customers with installations worldwide in the field of Capture and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions. Alos has over 60 years of experience in intelligent document capture and storage. The integrator’s core competencies include implementing intelligent data capture solutions with fully automated workflows and ECM, including legally compliant archiving. At the DIGITAL FUTUREcongress on 5 November at Messe Essen, the company will present the latest solutions and trends for the future of ECM systems. This is the reason we conducted an extensive interview with Axel Schneider, Manager Sales, ALOS GmbH.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Mr. Schneider, step by step, German companies are now digitalizing their processes. The term digital transformation is on everyone’s lips. What role does Enterprise Content Management (ECM) play in this?

Axel Schneider: A tailored ECM solution is the cornerstone of any individual digital transformation. Essentially, the topic of ECM, like document management (DMS), has been the pioneer of digital transformation as we know it today for decades. The requirements for internal and external collaboration with management, partners, customers, and suppliers have evolved and changed significantly alongside various system solutions. Additionally, legal requirements have pushed the topic even more into the spotlight. Proper ECM solutions can increase a company’s revenue by up to 20%. This results in improved processes and time savings of approximately 1 hour per employee per day.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: To ensure that companies—especially in the SME sector—can operate successfully in the future, it is important not only to digitalize existing processes but also to consider new business models from the outset. How does Alos address this challenge?

Axel Schneider: One of Alos’s major advantages, alongside consulting, is its highly structured and professional approach in collaboration with customers. It is always crucial to “stay on the ball.” Through its employees and completed projects, ALOS GmbH has built up a wealth of experience across various industries and company sizes, enabling access to—and utilization of—an enormous pool of knowledge when needed. To quote ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky, “A good player is where the puck is going to be.”

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Typically, every customer already has digital solutions in place for various, sometimes extensive, areas of the company. What advantage do you see in a holistic system that is implemented company-wide?

Axel Schneider: Existing systems may already provide a solid foundation for developing holistic systems and do not always require replacement. It is important to assess each case individually and develop a digitalisation strategy tailored to the company. Customer requirements vary. In some cases, the ECM system operates in the background as a platform between systems. In others, a single-point-of-contact solution accesses data from all existing systems. The holistic system is uniquely defined for each company by the sum of its parts. Strengths of the existing system are leveraged, and weaknesses are eliminated. Ultimately, the solution represents a holistic system.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Apart from standard components, what role do customised software solutions play in this context?

Axel Schneider: Customised solutions become crucial where standard solutions fall short—often in the area of interfaces for data transmission. Fortunately, today’s technology allows us to rely on standards like REST or URL integration when developing custom interfaces. This makes solutions far more flexible without compromising release capability, ensuring customers continue to benefit from a high level of investment protection.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: It’s clear that e-invoicing is important for all companies. Why, then, does this topic hold such great potential?

Axel Schneider: In the area of e-invoicing, companies can quickly reduce costs in many areas while meeting legal requirements. From audit-proof document archiving to streamlined, transparent processes from ordering to payment, businesses can achieve significant savings on early payment discounts and minimise pre-financing periods. A large portion of manual work in departments can be eliminated, reducing overtime and errors. Invoices are no longer paid twice, and accounting staff can focus on other important tasks.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: More and more companies are shifting their IT infrastructure to the cloud. What role will the cloud play in ECM solutions in the future?

Axel Schneider: In my opinion, the cloud holds a very high priority. In Germany, in-house solutions are still in high demand today. Nevertheless, Software-as-a-Service solutions are increasingly gaining ground in the ECM sector. The complexity of the systems plays an extremely important role in this. However, leading DMS manufacturers are already seeing strong growth in cloud customers. When selecting a suitable service provider, the expertise of a solution provider is crucial to seamlessly integrate the various systems.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Your clientele includes practically all companies that have to manage larger volumes of documents. Could you name the three most important steps for implementing a successful ECM project in a company?

Axel Schneider: First and foremost is the choice of partner. After all, you will be using an ECM solution for decades, so you should choose a strong and professional partner who supports the company from project planning through go-live and throughout the entire lifecycle. Next comes the preliminary planning, which should look several years ahead and include the entirety of the systems and the company’s strategy. The era of many individual silo solutions in departments is over. Another key factor is the employees. They need to be involved. Only when everyone knows the strengths of the solution and enjoys using it will the company benefit. The solution will not succeed if employees start working around the system because the usability or performance is lacking.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: You will be participating in the Digital FUTUREcongress at Messe Essen with a trade fair booth and a presentation. What new developments will you be showcasing at Germany’s largest congress trade fair for SME digitalisation?

Axel Schneider: Alos will be presenting alongside a major partner, JobRouter AG, the leading manufacturer in the field of corporate digitalisation. The focus here will be less on functions and features. ALOS GmbH concentrates on strengths in consulting and decades of expertise in corporate digitalisation.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: That sounds exciting. We look forward to your presentation and wish you many good contacts and conversations.