Nuance Buys eCopy, Will Keep Channel Program Intact
Burlington, Mass.-based Nuance is best known for its voice recognition software but does have a small imaging division that sells three MFP desktop products: PDF Converter; PaperPort; and OmniPage. The products are sold through distributors and retailers such as Staples.
eCopy, which has been in business for 17 years, is well known for its scanning solutions, ShareScan, ScanStation and PaperWorks. The products provide connectivity to more than 100 enterprise apps, including Microsoft SharePoint, Oracle, EMC Documentum and SAP.
In addition, eCopy software is sold through partners in the MFP arena, including Xerox, HP, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Toshiba, Canon and Oce.
The companies intend to integrate Nuance's MFP desktop solutions and eCopy's server software to provide network scanning solutions that connect MFPs to a broad set of business applications and content management systems.
"There's some minor overlap, but this is a complementary acquisition to reach to a new market where we've had a minor presence," said Robert Weideman, general manager and senior vice president of the Nuance Document Imaging Division.
With the acquisition, Nuance also gets a regional channel program, and a built-in sales team that supports partners that work with enterprise accounts that include Cisco, Sony, Verizon, Siemens and General Electric, as well as a number of large law firms in the U.S.
Both companies said that it was too early for their partners to comment about the acquisition as they have not had any "discussions at length yet."
ECopy said its channel is in 10,000 worldwide locations -- the company does not calculate individual partners, but instead counts geographic locations -- according to a company spokesperson.
"Programs will continue in the same manner as in past," said the spokesperson. "We are 100 percent channel committed."