ftopia And Brother™ Partner To Deliver Desktop Integration And "One-Touch Pull Scanning" To The Cloud

SAN FRANCISCO and BRIDGEWATER, N.J., June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ftopia, a global provider of cloud-based data collaboration and storage services, and Brother International Corporation, premier provider of products for the home, home office and office, today announced a partnership that enables businesses to securely scan files and directly upload them to the ftopia cloud service. The partnership marks the first cloud-based file sharing and storage solution that is part of Brother Online, a suite of smart, web-based business services and solutions. 

The new one-touch desktop integration allows businesses to perform the following functions within the ftopia "secure rooms":

- Operate Brother™ scanners and all-in-ones directly from the ftopia application

- Scan to ftopia cloud service, directly to the desired location

- Quickly and seamlessly distribute scanned documents for collaboration

- Immediately share important documents with outside parties - thanks to ftopia "shared workspaces"

- Help replace error-prone workflows like scanning to USB keys and attaching files to e-mail communications

Users simply subscribe to the ftopia service and register their Brother devices online. Then they place the documents in the feeder, trigger a one-touch pull scan from the ftopia workspace and the file is directly sent as a PDF to the desired ftopia cloud location.  Users will have immediate access to the file from the ftopia workspace and if they are using the ftopia desktop application feature, the file is also automatically synchronized to their local hard drive, allowing users to view and annotate the image even if they are offline.

This integrated solution comes on the heels of the launch of OmniJoin™ web and video conferencing service from Brother, also part of the Brother Online offering.  Brother Online will continue to add a variety of scanning and workflow solutions, which will complement and expand the value of Brother scanners, printers, and Multi-Function Center® devices.

"More and more organizations are reducing paper in their offices. Yet to do this in a scalable way today involves USB keys, emails—all sorts of workflows which ftopia was created to simplify," said Philippe Honigman, CEO of ftopia. "Integrating with Brother scanners fulfills the need to be able to efficiently move documents from paper to the cloud in a secure and reliable way. Archiving documents or sending a digital copy of that supplier agreement has never been easier."

"Brother recognizes the power of cloud services for customers. This web-based aid can help reduce the burden on IT and help organizations digitize hard-copy information thus allowing users to better deliver it and share it.  The combination of ftopia services and Brother scanners and all-in-ones, can help users communicate data that historically has been locked in printed form," said Dan Waldinger, Director of Marketing, Solutions & Services at Brother." 

The integration of Brother hardware, with web-based services from ftopia, provides one-touch pull scanning to the cloud, and is available immediately. For more information about this integrated solution, visit www.brothercloud.com and www.ftopia.com.

About ftopia
ftopia is a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider based in Paris, France and San Francisco (CA). Incorporated in 2009, ftopia harnesses cloud computing to deliver innovative, scalable, secure, and cost-efficient online file-sharing solutions to professionals and businesses. Our goal is to enable professional users to share information easily, securely, and instantly with their teammates, customers, and partners – no matter where they are or what network endpoint they use. ftopia is a privately-held company with offices in Paris, San Francisco (CA), Dublin, and Stuttgart.

About Brother
Brother International Corporation is one of the premier providers of products for the home, home office and office. The U.S. corporate office in Bridgewater, N. J., was established on April 21, 1954 and currently markets many industrial products, home appliances and business products manufactured by its parent company, Brother Industries, Ltd. of Nagoya, Japan.

These products include an award-winning line of Multi-Function Center® machines and printers. Brother also provides the number-one line of facsimile machines in the U.S. and is the leader in electronic labeling, with its full line of P-touch® Electronic Labeling Systems. For more information you can visit the website at www.brother.com.

SOURCE Brother International Corporation