"Documents are the currency of business. But a hodgepodge of factional interests and inadequate systems thwart efforts to optimize document-intensive processes. A new breed of networked documents combine data, and processes." [1]
In 2001, the founders of Viga Technologies pioneered the concept of converting high-volume paper output into secure, interactive electronic PDFs which could be emailed directly to recipients. Their experience reinforced the assertion that people preferred documents over web sites as a means of conducting business. In fact, several projects enjoyed adoption rates of over 90% in a business to business environment and 35% in a business to consumer environment. High adoption of an electronic document initiative translates into significant savings in document creation, distribution and response processing expenses. Additionally, once recipients were comfortable receiving electronic documents in lieu of their paper counterparts, it was conclusively proven that customer retention rates increased and additional services were purchased through this interactive medium.
Adobe has long been the leader in the creation of electronic documents. The ubiquitous Adobe Reader® product (now on over 600 million desktops worldwide) has contributed to PDF being the de facto standard for electronic documents. In 2004, Adobe launched their Adobe LiveCycle server software product line as a new umbrella name for their many server products that, when combined, deliver solutions for a variety of document service categories.