A Real-World AI Modernization to Follow

Setting the Infrastructure for Tomorrow's AI Innovation—Today

Digital transformation isn't just about adopting new technology; it's about creating a foundation that will serve your organization for decades to come. When done right, it positions you not only to solve today's challenges but to capitalize on tomorrow's opportunities, particularly in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI).

A recent project we’ve completed with a prominent healthcare non-profit organization demonstrates exactly what strategic digital transformation looks like in practice.

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The Challenge: Decades of Disconnected Data & Content

This leading organization, which serves physicians, medical educators, regulatory bodies, healthcare consumers, and workforce planning researchers, faced a problem common to many established institutions: their valuable content was trapped across multiple incompatible document management systems and file stores.

Over 10, 15, even 20 years, the organization had accumulated critical documents across three separate platforms:

• A FileNet content management system
• An Oracle-based document repository
• Traditional file storage systems

Each system operated in its own silo and had its own metadata structure. This created blind spots that prevented the organization from having a complete view of their most important asset: their content and the people it served.

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The Execution: Precision Migration

DAS approached the project with the rigor it deserved, implementing a multi-phase migration strategy:

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Phase 1: Initial Migration‍

All content from the three disparate systems was carefully extracted, with metadata preserved and mapped to the new unified structure.

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Phase 2: Delta Migrations‍

Three periodic delta migrations ensured that new content created during the transition period wasn't lost. This kept the organization running without disruption.

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Phase 3: Content Transformation‍

• Annotations were converted to standardized XFDF format
• Documents were transformed to PDF for consistency
• Image files were converted from GIF to PNG for better quality and compatibility

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Phase 4: Final Delta and Reconciliation

A comprehensive reconciliation report verified that every document, every metadata field, and every annotation had successfully made the journey.

Throughout the process, DAS deployed proprietary migration tools specifically designed to handle the complexity of enterprise-scale content transitions.‍

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‍The Integration: Making Data Accessible Where It Matters

Migration is only half the battle. The content needed to be accessible through the tools the organization's teams actually use.

Salesforce became a primary interface for interacting with the newly consolidated content, giving staff a familiar environment to access documents and applicant information. Behind the scenes, MuleSoft orchestrated the integration between multiple cloud systems, ensuring seamless data flow and maintaining a single source of truth.

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The Outcome: A 360-Degree View and an AI-Ready Platform

Today, this organization has what eluded them for years: a complete, unified view of their content and the applicants in their system.

But more importantly, they now have a foundation built for the future. Their content is:

• Consolidated – No more searching across multiple systems
• Secure – Enterprise-grade cloud security protecting sensitive information
• Accessible – Available through modern interfaces where teams work
• Scalable – Ready to grow with the organization's needs
• AI-Ready – Positioned to leverage machine learning, natural language processing, and other AI capabilities when and where they make strategic sense

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The Lesson: Digital Transformation Is About Tomorrow, Not Just Today

This project exemplifies what a real digital transformation and AI modernization looks like. It's not flashy or about implementing AI for AI's sake. It's about doing the foundational work that makes future innovation possible.

Organizations rushing to adopt AI without first consolidating and modernizing their data infrastructure are building on sand. Those who invest in getting their content and data house in order (as this healthcare non-profit did) are building on bedrock.

The question for your organization isn't whether to modernize, it’s whether you're willing to do the unglamorous work of consolidating decades of content, standardizing your data, and creating a unified platform that will serve you for the next 20 years.

Because when the next wave of innovation arrives, you'll either be ready to ride it, or you'll be scrambling to catch up.
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Is your organization ready for AI-driven transformation? It starts with getting your unstructured content foundation right.