Question 1

What is an ECM data conversion?

Accepted Answer

An ECM data conversion is the process of extracting document images, indexes, COLD data, and annotations from a legacy content management system and transforming them into a format that can be imported into a new ECM platform. It preserves legacy data integrity, rightsizes repositories, maintains the corporate record, and produces auditable results.

Question 2

What is the difference between an ECM export and a professional conversion?

Accepted Answer

An export asks the legacy system to perform a task it was never designed for, stressing the system and potentially interfering with daily operations. A professional conversion avoids using the legacy system entirely, processing data through purpose-built workflows using a database backup and native file system. A conversion includes binary file validation, cryptographic hashing at every stage, and live annotation migration — none of which a standard export provides.

Question 3

How does 4matix price its services?

Accepted Answer

Services are offered on a fixed-fee basis, scoped to the project. Pricing takes into account source platform, data volume, annotation complexity, media types, and delivery format requirements.

Question 4

Does 4matix work directly with end users or only through partners?

Accepted Answer

Both. 4matix works directly with end-user organizations of all sizes and also partners with software resellers (VARs), OEMs, and systems integrators. When working through a partner, the project manager can engage directly with the end user or work through the partner — whichever best fits the project.

Question 5

Does 4matix handle annotation migration?

Accepted Answer

Yes. 4matix migrates live, layer-based annotations — not burned-in copies. Live annotation delivery maintains a single source of truth, avoids storage doubling, and allows future annotations to be added cleanly. Supported annotation types include highlights, stamps, text notes, redactions, and color/user/timestamp data. If you have been told annotations cannot be converted, contact 4matix.

Question 6

Are 4matix migrations legally defensible?

Accepted Answer

Yes. File integrity is cryptographically verified via MD5 hashing at every stage of the migration, field mappings are documented, and validation results are repeatable. This approach meets evidentiary standards for data authenticity.

Question 7

Can 4matix handle COLD data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. 4matix decompresses COLD data into native print streams for COLD processing into a new ECM, or imports them as complete documents into any repository. Large single-statement runs and multi-user print streams can be segmented into individual indexed documents. This has been applied to bank statements, hospital invoices, claims forms, and other high-volume COLD document types.

Question 8

What is a Design Integration Test (DIT)?

Accepted Answer

The DIT is a production-format test run delivered before full production conversion begins. It covers every document class and type, delivered in the same import format as final production data. The customer reviews the DIT for correct mapping, page ordering, document format, and index accuracy, then signs off. The approved DIT becomes the benchmark for all subsequent production deliveries.

Question 9

Can 4matix handle projects of any size?

Accepted Answer

Yes. 4matix has converted projects ranging from a few hundred thousand documents to over 130 million pages and data sets exceeding 32 TB. The same methodology is applied regardless of scale.

Question 10

What are the risks of leaving a legacy ECM system in read-only mode instead of converting?

Accepted Answer

Risks include: escalating subscription and maintenance costs (with annual increases of 7-10% potentially doubling costs every 7 years), hardware and OS obsolescence, inability to find staff with legacy system expertise, security vulnerabilities from unpatched operating systems and databases, and the risk that components simply stop working without a clear recovery path.

Question 11

When is conversion better than integrating a new ECM with a legacy system?

Accepted Answer

Conversion is typically better when the legacy system is being fundamentally replaced, when either system integrates with a line-of-business application (Epic, Workday, SAP), when documents are subject to legal holds or active retention schedules, or when the organization lacks infrastructure or staff to maintain the legacy environment for the full life of its documents. Conversion is a one-time fixed cost vs. ongoing integration, maintenance, audit risk, and EOL exposure costs over 7-10+ years.

Question 12

How does 4matix validate files during a migration?

Accepted Answer

4matix validates every file by inspecting actual binary content — not relying on the source system's reported file types. Each document is checked to confirm it is truly a TIFF, PDF, JPEG, or other expected format and is not zero length. MD5 hashes are calculated and verified at each stage of the migration to ensure file integrity from extraction through final ingestion.

Question 13

What is MIKG and why does it matter in an OnBase migration?

Accepted Answer

Multi-Instance Keyword Groups (MIKGs) allow OnBase to associate multiple related sets of keywords with a single document, preserving relationships between repeated data elements such as multiple borrowers on a loan document. If MIKGs are flattened or improperly mapped during migration, critical relationships — such as borrower-to-address or borrower-to-SSN — can be lost or corrupted. 4matix handles MIKGs to ensure these relationships are preserved in the target system.

Question 14

What makes 4matix migrations different from standard ECM exports?

Accepted Answer

4matix treats migrations as data conversion projects, not simple exports. Every file is binary-validated, hashed, and normalized before ingestion. Deliveries are batched and import-ready with no additional manipulation required. Standard exports trust source system metadata without verification, ignore or flatten annotations, and typically require additional conversion steps before data can be used in the new system.

Fortune 500 Co. partners with 4matix for FileNet Optical Migration

Locations

Contact

CONNECT WITH US

Resources

Supported ECM Formats

FileNet optical

Locations

Contact

CONNECT WITH US

Resources

Supported ECM Formats