LiveCycle now a ‘platform’

“The essence of what we’re announcing is our process automation capabilities” in LiveCycle 7, said Shawn Cadeau, director of product marketing for Adobe Canada’s intelligent document business unit.Previous versions focused on form design, he said.
New features include help for business managers without programming background to create workflow charts for employees or customers filling out forms. Icons can be dragged and dropped to create the flow chart, with LifeCycle automatically generating the necessary code.
LifeCycle used to be sold as separate applications for creating workflows, forms, controlling Acrobat Reader capabilities and regulating electronic document policies. Now it is called a platform, with organizations able to buy the entire package or license particular modules as they need.
Until now most buyers were picking up only a few of the applications, Cadeau said.
“By doing it as a platform we’re able to test the individual components working together,” he said. It also eliminates problems of customers using one version of one of the applications and an earlier version of another.
Although sold largely by Adobe’s direct sales force to enterprises, there are a few Canadian system integrators and ISVs who deal with the product.
Adobe has also created an online developer program with LifeCycle tutorials.