Adobe Systems Incorporated has unveiled Adobe Acrobat XI software, offering complete PDF editing and export to Microsoft PowerPoint and touch-friendly capabilities on tablets.

Acrobat XI additionally supports IT departments with seamless Microsoft Office and SharePoint integration, easy deployment, applications virtualization and robust application security to help provide a low cost of ownership and sound return on investment, Adobe said in a statement.

Products included in this release are: Acrobat XI Pro, Acrobat XI Standard, Adobe Reader XI and newly integrated document services, Adobe FormsCentral and Adobe EchoSign.

“The compounding complexity of work has never been more pressing. As the number of mobile devices and the use of information workers must be empowered to work more effectively with documents anywhere on any device," said Melissa Webster, program vice president, IDC.

"They need a solution that enables them to collaborate with others inside and outside the firewall while at the same time meeting IT and organizational requirements for streamlined management, application security, and secure delivery of information – all with a high ROI.”

The mounting productivity inefficiencies and cost of document-based challenges are highlighted in a recent global IDC white paper. A typical company with 1,000 employees has a productivity cost of $15.9 million annually, the white paper calls out, and addressing these inefficiencies would be tantamount to hiring an additional 213 people.

With Adobe Acrobat XI, new and improved features and functionality for business professionals now include:

•    Edit PDF files, modify paragraphs, images, and objects by simply clicking and dragging using the new, intuitive Edit Text and Images tool. Arrange and visually merge select content and multiple documents into one organized PDF file, while retaining source file integrity.

•    Expedite document and Web contract approvals from weeks to hours with electronic signatures using the integrated Adobe EchoSign electronic signature service. Simplify forms creation, distribution and results analysis using the included Adobe FormsCentral desktop app.

•    Enhanced mobile capabilities. Work with PDF files across tablets and smartphones in touch-friendly Adobe Reader to annotate and add comments, as well as fill in, sign and save forms.

•    Save PDF documents as PowerPoint, Word or Excel files or reuse parts of or entire PDF files as Microsoft Office documents and Web pages without retyping or need to reformat.

•    Improved protection of all PDF files created from Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Excel to help prevent copying, editing, or printing without permission.

Kevin M Lynch, SVP and GM of Acrobat and Document Services, Adobe, said: “More and more information is being generated, shared and consumed in documents than ever before. Working with online forms, collaborative PDF reviews and signatures are the everyday norm for business professionals who were once simply content creators.”

“IT departments need to support these changes while maintaining and maximizing the use of existing infrastructures and systems, as well as provide support and services that enable their organizations to take advantage of new business opportunities, improve results, justify return on investment, and lower the total cost of ownership,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service