Benefits of Electronic Forms

Formatta e-forms technology was primarily developed to address the following requirements of the federal government and companies of all sizes.

1.	Eliminate End-User Costs
	Traditional electronic forms products require an expensive Filler application in order to fill out a form. This limits the government's ability to distribute forms to the general public for two reasons: (1) It is prohibitively expensive to pay for a Filler application for each user, and (2) users are generally unwilling to pay for a Filler application in order to fill out a government form. Formatta solved these problems by freely distributing our form Filler - Formatta Filler 7.0. There is no additional cost to fill out a form, nor does the software continually ask users to upgrade to a paid Filler application.
2.	Eliminate Form Distribution Fees
	Formatta forms are freely distributable. There are no additional per form charges or form "distribution fees". Formatta's pricing structure is based on cost-savings from paper and data entry. Formatta charges the originator of the form only when the form's data is ultimately extracted and loaded into a back-office file server or database - not upon each action within the chain of custody.
3.	Flexibility
	Users must be able to do all necessary tasks from a single form and be able to submit, route, or exchange data with other users and all necessary PC, server, and mainframe systems. Formatta Filler is a complete end-user application, not a stripped down version of a "for fee" product. Formatta Filler allows users to: submit forms electronically, print filled-out or blank forms; fax filled-out or blank forms, save data locally, import, export, encrypt, decrypt, email, route, and digitally sign forms.
4.	Security
	Users must be able to securely submit private information, and if forms are intercepted by a third party, prevent then from being decrypted. Formatta products include native 128-bit encryption. Utilizing algorithms for hashing, key exchange, and Triple DES, Formatta forms can only be decrypted by the agency and person(s) who filled out the form. Formatta's innovative encryption schema also means that the agency can securely exchange data back and forth with end users. Formatta also supports X.509 technology for companies using digital certificates.
5.	Automation
	Formatta Server 7.0 is used to automate all e-form processing to update file systems and databases with structured XML or other formats in real-time or as a batch. Formatta Server 7.0 gives life to your e-form solution. It provides full access to the form data, encryption, signatures, locking/unlocking, connectivity to the data sources and repositories, and a powerful set of Internet protocols.
6.	Support of Hybrid Processing
	Formatta bridges paper and electronic processes and allows you to collect data from paper for the same cost as electronic transactions. Because other solutions lack this hybrid processing option, originators have never had the ability to substantially reduce costs. Formatta solves this problem by offering Dual-Dimension barcode technology. This allows end-users to submit the same form electronically or on paper. This is especially useful when inked signatures are required. With this hybrid option, the user completes the form on a computer, prints it out with a secure barcode, and sends it via the U.S. Mail. Though the form arrives on paper, the processing can still be done electronically. Any flatbed or handheld scanner can read the barcode. Formatta Server decrypts the barcode, and the form’s contents are extracted into back office file systems or databases as XML.
7.	Non-Repudiation
	Non-repudiation is a legal standard. When forms are submitted, the data and transaction must be auditable and verifiable as if they were on paper. To fulfill this requirement, (1) the form and data must be bound together, (2) the form must have all user options and logic still intact and verifiable. Formatta Filler saves the form and data together as a .PFF file - Portable Form File. In addition the server creates an associated XML file for processing. This feature ensures that the data is always associated with the right form, and the right version of that form. No more guesswork, truncated field entries, or birth dates in name fields due to mistaken form/data associations. Saving the form with the data also eliminates the need to maintain separate directories for forms and data and makes it impossible to associate the wrong form with the wrong data file.
8.	Form Lock and Verification
	When forms are returned electronically via the Internet, Formatta can automatically determine if the filled-out forms are the originally designed forms. This eliminates form tampering and puts the agency /business in control of form propagation, instead of third parties.
9.	Maintain the Look and Feel of Paper Forms
	Users are already familiar with paper forms; Formatta provides the design tools (Formatta Designer) to reproduce these forms electronically. In addition Formatta can import and convert other popular formats such as PDF. Formatta Filler was designed to appeal to the end-user who doesn't want to learn another software application. The interface was designed based on a standard, web browser-like interface. Additional functionality is provided by Formatta Designer using automated calculations, Action Buttons, and Bubble-Tips (step-by-step instructions to guide users in filling out a form).
10.	Form Information and Auto-Update
	Information about the form and contact data can be embedded into each form. Additionally, approval (e.g., U.S. Office of Management and Budget) and expiration dates ensure the proper form is filled out by end users. With Formatta, users are notified when a form has been expired, and can auto-update the form to the correct version.