Army Publishing Directorate Improves Delivery of Document and Forms with Adobe Solution.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 24, 2003

Adobe Document Integration Solution Streamlines Administrative

Operations, Reduces Costs, Speeds Processing and Ensures

Information Accuracy

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE), the leader in network publishing, today announced that the Army Publishing Directorate (APD), U.S. Army Services and Operations Agency, Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, is adopting Adobe document integration solutions to better manage its document generation and processing for thousands of publications and forms used by millions of Army personnel worldwide. The Adobe solution enables the directorate to streamline Army-wide administrative operations, reduce storage and distribution costs, speed processing of administrative forms, and improve the accuracy of information exchanged by personnel.

The APD manages the distribution of administrative, technical, equipment, training, and doctrine departmental publications and forms to more than 2.1 million active military, reserve and civilian personnel worldwide. Administrative publications and forms include materials outlining policies and procedures, as well as forms used for the administrative operations of the Army, such as requesting leave, evaluating staff, and ordering supplies. The APD has streamlined operations by electronically delivering more than 1,500 administrative departmental publications and approximately 2,300 forms Army-wide to personnel via a secure intranet or to the public accessing official Army Web sites.

Personnel around the globe can bring up many administrative publications and forms in Adobe PDF and in XML to review policies and procedures or to initiate purchasing, human resources, and payroll tasks. "Building our processes around XML gives us a strong foundation for future electronic workflows," says Steve Wehrly, Chief of Standards and Technology Division at APD. "The support for XML will enable us to easily integrate data into our backend systems and reuse it in related applications."

"Automating document delivery and forms processing saves the Army administrative costs and gives us better control over our materials," says John Czekner, Chief of the Publishing Division. "Equally important is that it enables staff to work faster and more efficiently."

"It's a benefit all around," adds Sylvia Hord, Chief, Forms and Design Branch of APD. "Personnel can easily access the materials they need, while APD can quickly update documents and make them available in minutes to staff worldwide."

Army-wide personnel can access the up-to-date administrative departmental publications and forms via the Directorate's Internet site (www.usapa.army.mil), the Army Home Page (www.army.mil), or the secure Internet site, Army Knowledge Online (www.us.army.mil). For materials needed by veterans, spouses of enlisted personnel, and others without access to the Army intranet, APD converts materials to Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and posts the platform- and application-independent files on the Web and distributes them on CD-ROM. Some groups within the U.S. Army take APD's electronic forms and use additional Adobe solutions to automate the routing, review, and approval of forms, these groups include the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) at Fort Detrick, Md., and a Major Subordinate Command of the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM).

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Founded in 1982, Adobe Systems Incorporated (www.adobe.com), the leader in network publishing, offers a comprehensive line of software for enterprise and creative professional customers. Its products enable customers to create, manage and deliver visually rich, compelling and reliable content. Based in San Jose, Calif., Adobe is one of the world's largest software companies.

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