You typically need to have what has been separate areas combined into a single, integrated whole. The intellectual property needs to be combined. But experimentation by users and vendors with ways to address the many changing industry needs is not over yet. Over time, workflow will have to be adjusted to meet industry demands. For now there are options.
Some organizations continue to use brokers, while others opt to leap directly into full integration.
Some use digital images for most applications, while others will always prefer film. More and more use the Web to store and share data, while others are waiting for the right opportunity. Whatever the case, complacency can only last so long. The project has proven to be a meaningful exercise in vendors working together, according to David Dimond, vice president of First Consulting Group's digital imaging practice in Boston. When IHE started, many of the larger vendors waited on the sidelines to see if the idea of integration would take hold, Dimond says.