Document Management in 2022: Expedite Workflow, Boost Security, Facilitate Information Sharing, Save Money and Much More
Document Management in 2022: Expedite Workflow, Boost Security, Facilitate Information Sharing, Save Money and Much More
Document management is an imprecise concept that can mean varied things to different people. However, if we expand the term to “document management systems” (DMS), we gain a little more clarity. With advanced capture, content management systems, printer management, workflow systems, etc there are great solutions for every task. The majority of these systems secure and store digitized documents either at a firm’s location, in the cloud or both, but they offer far more than simple document storage.
They also create a means to expedite secure information workflow to throughout every firm, whether it has one location or many. They can even support information flow between companies and their partners, clients, vendors, and other authorized external entities. Automating manual processes through document workflow is a great way to enhance the client experience, reduce manual errors and to drive operation efficiency.
In addition, another of their most important functions is to integrate with printing/scanning equipment (MFD’s) to facilitate “anytime-anywhere” document printing, scanning and sharing. The best DMS Systems can record watermarking (valuable for legal and other official documents) and support version control, where multiple authors can each contribute with all changes tracked for posterity.
Unfortunately, business leaders often opt for simpler solutions because they sound easy to implement and manage. In other cases, they don’t know where to begin their quest to attain a best-practices posture. Such a stance can reduce information integrity and transparency with potentially severe consequences. The result can be version management headaches, data loss and even security breaches or litigation to address regulatory violations.
As President and Chief Information Security Officer of a business technology firm that has long touted the value of DMS, I can confirm that the best of these solutions will alleviate the challenges mentioned above. DMS can empower a small to mid-sized firm with capabilities that leadership may assume are outside of their budget. They can also help a large organization operate smoothly no matter how many people are involved in the development, tracking, publication, sharing and printing of a document.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Additionally, as the world has become increasingly digitized, businesses have been empowered to retain all ?information that has value — provided they can manage it. This capability has led to?explosive growth?in business data and content. Every day, many firms create and manage dozens, or even hundreds, of documents, contracts, proposals, HR materials, training manuals and more. DMS offer a perfect solution to maintain order and to protect the data in such an information-rich, but potentially chaotic, environment.
Document Management at Its Most Useful Level
Document management also promotes secure employee document storage, sharing and other common workday activities, which can be a real bonus for business leaders and department heads who find themselves bogged down solving problems. This is where DMS really shine. Let’s explore a few examples.
Document Security
Top-rated DMS enable firms to implement rights-based security, in which workers must be authorized to access certain scanning and printing resources. Security can also control document activities such as viewing, editing and exporting to a different file format. The best of these systems enable firms to switch into “high-security” mode for documents with especially sensitive data. With this feature, documents can usually be password protected, as well.
Business leaders seeking the most robust security possible should look for DMS that offer document encryption (AES-256) for highly sensitive or proprietary documents, with only those having the encryption key able to access them for review, sharing and other activities.
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Document Transfer
Most of these systems can scan documents from any device with a scanner or a camera (including a mobile phone), then transfer them to any authorized, system-connected printer for output. These could potentially include multifunction printers that can collate, staple and bind documents as well as large format printers that can handle blueprints and other oversized items. Some of these systems even offer a “print anywhere” functionality that enables print jobs to move with the user from one printer or physical location to another.
Furthermore, when documents are going to be transmitted across systems via the Internet, such as between a corporate server and an employee’s mobile device, laptop or other remote resource, the solution optimally will be able to ensure the transfer is made via HTTPS and SSL protocols for data encryption.
Cost Recovery
Some DMS can track print, scan, copy and fax costs to pinpoint inefficient or irresponsible print habits. They can empower business leaders to adjust their device and network settings, such as limiting the processing of high-cost print jobs and automating toner replacement reminders. (This second item might sound inconsequential, but when toner runs low on an inexpensive printer, staff may default to using a printer with higher consumables costs.) I continue to be amazed at how effectively modern DMS can help streamline corporate printing practices while also lowering expenses.
Value-Add Benefits
Beyond just management of traditional (e.g. word processing) documents, these systems can provide a central location for virtually any file that can be digitized, including brochures, PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations, photographs, videos, blueprints and corporate artwork for business cards and other important items. All this information can be retrieved remotely by any user with authorization to access the system and the files.
As a final efficiency booster, many document management solutions facilitate searches. With these systems, documents being processed can also be scanned with optical character recognition. The system can usually index file names, document titles and potentially even content within the document depending on the platform. A user could then search the system for a document that contained a reference to a particular company product, event, department, or other key bit of information.
?Document Management as a Competitive Weapon
I have spoken before about the importance of business leaders having “competitive weapons” — business enablers that give them an advantage over their competition. DMS are a perfect example. When organizations “go digital” with the support of these systems, they gain an array of competitive advantages that collectively can be quite impressive. They include:
Final Thoughts
DMS are not inexpensive, but they can pay for themselves over time. I urge fellow business leaders not to skimp on features but rather to “run the numbers.” Consider the savings your firm will enjoy with the system and how long it will take to amortize the cost. If you cannot afford to purchase a system outright, leasing or a subscription model is always an option.
If you end up selecting a DMS based upon this article, I would love to hear your thoughts about it — and the stories of any specialized capabilities you found particularly helpful. To reach me, send me a message in LinkedIn (https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/davemoorman/). To learn more about DMS and their possibilities, request a no-obligation discussion at https://novatech.net/contact-us/.