50 Innovative Companies to Watch 2022
The Silicon Review
“We have developed an unmatched expertise in helping organizations gain greater efficiencies, reduce risks and transform user experiences.”
ImageSource, Inc. is a recognized leader in consulting, strategic analysis, and rapid application deployment of process automation solutions. It currently provides business process automation for organizations ranging from SMBs to Fortune 500. The company serves clients across the United States.
Founded in 1994, ImageSource is a privately held corporation headquartered in Olympia, WA.
As a journalist, I find ImageSource, Inc quite striking. From the emotional branding standpoint to the high energy and motivation I felt just talking with the CEO, Terry Sutherland, ImageSource stands out. I feel a sense of pride in this interview and in learning about the company.
Interview Highlights
Q. What methodology does ImageSource implement to exceed customer expectations?
Our early days of system integration informed the development of ILINX, the world's most flexible process improvement platform. We have developed an unmatched expertise in helping organizations gain efficiencies, reduce risk and transform user experiences. We share this expertise in each of our deployments, which makes for long-term relationships, collaboration, and ongoing expansion and value of the ILINX platform within an organization. The modular nature and open architecture of ILINX enable us to add modules quickly and allow customers/partners to get creative and connect systems previously closed off to enhancements.
Q. How does ImageSource empower leading enterprises and governmental organizations to modernize operations, reduce risk, unlock productivity, and transform the customer experience?
We identify early with our customer partners what their most immediate needs or pain points are and prioritize their projects accordingly. Our processes in product development and project management are very similar. We watch what users do and create consensus around goals with a deep understanding of compliance and regulation. ImageSource deploys high-value systems on the ILINX platform with excellent internal and customer adoption. We don't leave a deployment without confirmation from our customer partners that they have what they envisioned at the beginning of the project.
Q. What are the various advanced solutions does ImageSource offer? And what can you tell us about ILINX?
As mentioned above, ILINX is flexible and modular with open architecture and real workflow from the moment information is onboarded to the final disposition or retention of data. Our state-of-the-art solutions transform the utilization of information in a user-intuitive way that has taken our customer partners through critical automation projects to easy-to-use, 24/7 self-service experiences. Our ILINX Engage solutions have been vital in transitioning to work-from-home and true customer-initiated workflow and transactions. We are helping organizations move from simply replacing in-person interactions or walk-in services to real-time views, insights, and access to processes like invoice processing, licensing, or loan applications. Invoice processing, for example, involves contract management and execution, proof of performance, billing, back-end budgeting, and multi-step approvals. As a vendor waiting for payment, ILINX Engage allows you to see where your invoice is, what information is missing from you and where on a calendar you can expect the next action to occur. Similarly, if you look at an interaction like applying for a contractor's or daycare license. There are multiple interactions and pieces of information required from the applicant. You may need to schedule an interview or inspection. These involve multiple departments. An ILINX Engage solution would provide a specific role-based view for each individual participating in the process. It's an experience that was previously completely a back-office operation, transformed into a user experience matching each individual's needs and expectations. ImageSource is excited about the true transformation that can take place in an organization when content meets productivity and utility.
Q. What makes your advanced automation technology platform revolutionary?
One of the foundational elements of the ILINX platform is interoperability. We have numerous success stories where we can bring content trapped in an aging system back to life. We achieve this through migration, through our open architecture, and by studying the process that our customers/partners are automating or repairing. We have worked with state and local agencies charged with interacting with federal databases that are intentionally difficult to integrate with. The ILINX platform and ImageSource expertise enable communication and facilitate important processes lilke firearm licensing. Similarly, we support case management in financial services organizations that must meet regulated audit trails and resolution timelines. All this while moving seamlessly between on-premise, cloud, hybrid, and remote implementations.
Q. What continuing learning opportunities do you have for your employees?
ImageSource is committed to ongoing certification and training for all our staff including developers, and project managers. Over the last two years, our teams have acquired hundreds of additional certifications ranging from Microsoft Azure to Cybersecurity specialization.
Q. Will ImageSource be expanding in ways we should be aware of?
ImageSource has recently moved into a new headquarters. We outgrew our original space and found a great location near the Washington State Capital. We have a more secure work environment, with more room for internal collaboration, which improves our software release cycle and customer partner outcomes.
Q. What level of growth do you hope to see in the next five years?
We are truly honored to help our customer partners make it through the challenges the world has witnessed over the last two years. We were quick to support the expansion of processes, solutions and to collaborate on new deployments. We expect ongoing growth in our SaaS deployments; they are easier to scale and manage from anywhere. We are ready to help our customer partners with staff augmentation, managed services, and deployment expertise as they make changes to their resource models. We have repeatable and measurable solutions that shorten the path to successful projects for organizations of all sizes. ILINX augments existing infrastructure and operates as a complete process automation platform on its own.
Terry Sutherland | Co-founder & CEO
As the CEO, Terry Sutherland is responsible for the vision, leadership, strategic direction, and successful growth of the company and its employees. Terry is a proven entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the process improvement and enterprise software markets. His leadership has been essential to the company’s extended period of growth and expansion.