FileNet Teams With Satellite Firm in an Effort to Go After the Fax : SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

At a time when facsimile machines enjoy increasing popularity in corporate America, FileNet Corp. of Costa Mesa claims to have found a faster, cheaper way for companies to send large volumes of documents from point A to point B.

FileNet has teamed up with International Datacasting Corp., an Ottawa, Canada, satellite company, to market a high-speed, satellite-based method for transmitting data and images from one place to another.

The two companies are targeting Fortune 500 firms that send large volumes of paper documents or have far-flung branch offices, said Bob Castle, FileNet’s vice president of marketing. Insurance companies and large manufacturing firms are examples of such operations, he said.

The satellite system can electronically transmit documents, such as insurance claim forms, and images, such as charts and graphs, directly to a computer screen at the receiving destination. The recipient can get a hard copy of the image by sending it to a computer printer.

FileNet said satellite transmission can be less costly than its two main alternatives--fax machines or private, leased telephone lines--if a company sends hundreds or thousands of documents a day.

Because the satellite system carries a hefty price tag, it is probably inappropriate for small or mid-size companies. The system hardware costs upward of $335,000, plus $15,000 for each company site that is hooked up to the system, FileNet said. And satellite access fees boost the price another $8,000 to $10,000 per month.

FileNet is a manufacturer of computerized document storage systems.