Getting started with document management

Cut costs and boost productivity with a smart document management system

Time is money, and time spent searching for lost paperwork is money down the drain, as is money spent making unnecessary copies.

Document management improvements can reduce the number of documents produced by converting them into electronic format and organizing them, making them more readily available to the people who need them. While early document management systems were seen as a luxury only large organizations could afford, reduced software and hardware prices today enable most all organizations to reap the benefits.

A document management system is, in effect, a network with many different components, and though it may seem complicated at first, navigating it is actually quite easy.

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Time is money, and time spent searching for lost paperwork is money down the drain, as is money spent making unnecessary copies.

Document management improvements can reduce the number of documents produced by converting them into electronic format and organizing them, making them more readily available to the people who need them. While early document management systems were seen as a luxury only large organizations could afford, reduced software and hardware prices today enable most all organizations to reap the benefits.

A document management system is, in effect, a network with many different components, and though it may seem complicated at first, navigating it is actually quite easy.

ANALYSIS: ECM makes business processes efficient

There are two types of data: structured (e.g., database information) and unstructured (e.g., paper documents). Document management systems enable organizations to capture, route, store, manage and archive unstructured data securely. While paper documents are the most common type of unstructured data, document management systems can also store and organize electronic content, such as emails, Microsoft Office files, faxes, photos, audio, video, PDFs and Web content.

Document management systems further enable organizations to manage unstructured data by storing it in a single repository and linking it together by "keys," such as a customer number or an employee ID. This can be especially valuable to organizations that produce a lot of documents, like law firms or real estate offices. The documents can then be accessed only by authorized users either directly through the system or through one or more of the organization's software applications.

Not only can document management systems help manage documents securely, but they can significantly lower operational costs and increase paper document and electronic content management efficiency.

Document management systems also offer businesses rapid return on investment (ROI) due to benefits such as:

➢ Reduced costs associated with storing and retrieving paper documents and electronic content.

➢ Reduced storage space, both physical and digital.

➢ Improved operational efficiencies throughout the organization.

➢ Improved security of electronic content and paper documents.

➢ Enhanced business continuity (BC) capabilities in the case of a disaster.

➢ Improved regulatory compliance.

The following are the minimum building blocks of a document management system, commonly connected through an organization's data network. Keep in mind that it's not sufficient just to make a digital file out of a paper document; it's also essential to support storage, organization, security, access and timely disposal:

1.) Document scanners are the entry point, converting paper documents to a digital format, which can be done with the help of a stand-alone scanner, a digital sender or a multi-function printer (MFP). There are scanners of all sizes, shapes and speeds, and even scanners tailored to specific applications, such as check processing, so work with your providers to be sure you select the approach that best fits your needs.