Documents and papers are part of every business, and one of the challenges of dealing with them would be how to keep them organized and easily accessible. What's more, since documents have evolved from merely being hard copies to be filed to different media such as email, image files, web content and other electronic forms, another challenge would be to keep them consolidated, so that all related information could be cross-referenced and integrated.
Solutions are definitely needed to answer these challenges - and that's where document management solutions come in. Document management solutions refer to the maintenance of a business document throughout its life cycle-from its receipt to content management and integration (also referred to as records management) to document storage to its distribution and to its eventual removal (if necessary).
Different businesses and companies have varying document management needs. For example, a small start-up business would require only a small scale degree of information dissemination and would also likely need a limited storage space. At the other end are global companies with different sub-branches that would need more intricate information and deployment systems, more powerful software for data integration and a vast and highly-structured data storage space. In fact, some big companies would choose to outsource their document management needs to another company who specialize in such task.
Simple paper filing may be once the main task involved with document management, it is now regarded as very inefficient - have you ever tried looking for a single paper document among hundreds inside a filing cabinet? With computers and their highly efficient keyword search option, accessing electronic documents is infinitely easier. That's why more and more businesses are conforming to a paperless policy wherein all records and communication would be in electronic form. In case documents are retained in paper form, these would undergo document scanning and document imaging, to convert them into soft data that could be saved and filed into a computer storage system. Of course, it's still best to retain highly sensitive and important legal documents (such as business licenses) in their original form and kept secure.
If you're planning to purchase a software (or downloading freeware) for better document management, some of the guidelines to consider include the following: ease of use and accessibility (does it operate within an easy point-and-click system, or is much programming and technical know-how required?); compatibility with existing programs (whether you are using Microsoft Windows server software, etc); integration and sharing capabilities; and its security and file protection. Other features that you could benefit from include e-mail content capture; automatic back-up options (and where these back-up files are stored); highly customizable user-access settings; and how the program tracks each document and provides user-friendly tables on information such as how many such documents exist, when they were created and by whom, and where they are stored.
There are many software available today, and these include NextPage Control, Adobe LiveCycle and EtFile Document Management Solutions. Also check out Document Management Solutions.
So if you own a business, it's time to say goodbye to all the rows of filing cabinets. Be proactive and take a step towards high efficiency and productivity.
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