Adobe Systems Incorporated has unveiled Adobe Acrobat XI software, a powerful new solution that rises to today’s complex document challenges.

The industry standard for PDF software will now feature complete PDF editing and export to Microsoft PowerPoint; along with new capabilities and functionality designed for tablets and mobile devices, such as touch-friendly capabilities on tablets and smartphones allowing users to add comments, fill in, save and sign forms.

Acrobat XI also supports IT departments with more 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.

Products included in this release are: Acrobat XI Pro, Acrobat XI Standard and Adobe Reader XI.

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 US$15.9 million annually, according to the white paper. Addressing these inefficiencies would be tantamount to hiring an additional 213 people.

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

“More and more information is being generated, shared and consumed in documents than ever before,” said Kevin M. Lynch, SVP and GM of Acrobat and Document Services at Adobe. “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.”