Document management systems are becoming an increasingly important part of companies. The amount of information generated by today’s businesses is increasing exponentially and older storage systems are not adequate anymore. But what exactly are document management systems, and why do we need them? In the article below, we explain everything you need to know about document management systems and their advantages.
What Is a Document Management System?
A document management system is designed to store, manage and control the flow of documents within an organization. It is a means of organizing digital documents and images in a centralized location that employees can access easily and conveniently.
The need to organize information is an important factor in the success of a growing number of businesses, and as a result, paper copies are taking a back seat. To effectively organize, share and accelerate workflow, the document management system must have certain essential features and benefits, like a command line export to schedule your exports or launch them from a third party migration application.
What Are the Advantages of Document Management Systems?
Document Digitalization
Starting to work with a document management system means scanning paper documents. With the help of a scanner, the physical documents will be converted into digital versions that will be stored in a central location. This procedure can be tedious and quite expensive, however, organized and planned scanning is essential for proper use of the system.
Central Location
The number of channels through which information reaches companies is important. As a result, large volumes of information are unstructured and distributed among the different systems of a company. A document management system stores and organizes all the information from the daily work of the company in a single central location. The company decides which employees can access the documents stored there through the licensing mechanism. This centralization of information means the end of infinite searching for documents through the organization’s file networks, which speeds up the pace of work.
Improve Workflow
An electronic document management system can transform workflows into more efficient and productive processes. By automating functions, the system will provide a comprehensive picture of the work processes within the company. This process control will allow you to track incomplete tasks, know which ones are already completed, or automate repetitive tasks that will ultimately save the organization time.
Information Security
There are still many companies that keep their documents in physical folders and, as a result, the possibility of a folder ending up lost or damaged is high. Document management solutions solve this problem. By making digital copies of paper documents, the risk of loss is significantly reduced. In this way, the organization works with the certainty that all its information is securely stored in the same system, a system that can include, among other things, data recovery in the event of a disaster.
Sharing Documents
Many documents are created to be shared. Document management systems facilitate this task. Through the creation of groups or unlimited access to the central location, documents can be distributed internally and externally. Document managers allow different groups outside the company (suppliers, customers…) to access the documents needed for their relationship. Thanks to this feature, small USB keys or emails containing different versions of a document are no longer necessary.
Document Collaboration
There are systems where several people can work on a document at the same time, while it is hosted in a central location. Thus, employees can access an overview of a document at any time, being able to modify it if deemed necessary. Document collaboration thus facilitates the sharing of ideas and information between the employees of a company. However, if the document management system is not fully established, document collaboration problems may continue to exist within the company. The document management guide presents the most common issues that an organization may face in order to get the most out of document collaboration.
If you need a company to help you with your document management system and to export your content, check out Synepsis Consulting. Dedicated to electronic content management systems, this technology company serves enterprises and is the #1 provider of Documentum™ export solutions for your business.