Electronic Document Management Systems

A review of electronic document management systems used in businesses, what they are and how their use improves business efficiency.

Document management has been around since human beings began to write down information essential to the operation of their societies and businesses. Until very recently a Document Management System had a much simpler name: a filing cabinet! Invented at the end of the 19^th century this was seen as the solution for storing and cross-referencing paper documents and things stayed that way until the computer began to appear in offices around the world.

Now the desktop PC became an electronic filing cabinet – the digital equivalent to the metal box of drawers in the corner. Each PC user could organise their documents into folder hierarchies. Then came the office network (LAN), which tied together dozens, hundreds or even thousands, of individual computers. Electronic documents could be scattered with no version control, audit trail or security of access. Chaos would reign and the need for electronic documents management systems was born.

The fundamental features of an EDMS

Document management systems are designed  to help businesses to create, store, retrieve and protect  their essential electronic documents. An EDMS is based around a centralized repository that is used to manage the storage of any type of information that could be of value to an organisation. Access is controlled and changes are tracked.

Some of the Benefits of an Electronic Document Management System

1) Reduced Storage

Converting  documents  into electronic  files by scanning  frees up physical storage space.

2) Flexible Retrieval

Electronic documents can be located and retrieved from any location within the system network as they are stored in a single, centralized location.

3) Improved  searching

A “full text search” can be carried out in fractions of a second on documents in an EDMS – key words and phrases can be plucked effortlessly from a huge number of virtual files.  Meta-data can be added to electronic documents or folders to allow them to be categorized in many different ways.

4) Controlled and more efficient document distribution

The distribution of documents in an EDMS is fast and easy. They can be shared across a local network or the Internet in seconds, doing away with the need for photocopying, postage, or even CD or DVD distribution.

5) Improved Security

Varying levels of security can be attached to documents to protect sensitive information. Individuals or groups can be granted access permissions appropriate to their requirements. An electronic audit trail is also provided, showing who changed or deleted items and when.

6) Disaster Recovery

Paper documents are vulnerable to fire, flood and theft and keeping multiple copies in different locations for back-up security is difficult and expensive. An EDMS can provide an automated, off-site back-up in multiple locations protecting your precious data from accidental or intentional destruction.

7) Easier Compliance with Legislation

Increasingly, businesses are being required to store documents following certain procedures set down by legislation. In highly regulated industries such as the law, medicine and finance, a EDMS is the only realistic way that adherence to the legal requirements can be ensured, with a minimum of human error or fraud.

Implementing an EDMS

As with any new technology, an EDMS will only produce the efficiencies you are expecting if your staff are trained to use it properly. In the past there were filing clerks – now everyone needs to know how to create, store and retrieve documents. A consistent policy for document management within your organisation  must be in place for a successful implementation of an EDMS, no matter how sophisticated the software may be.

Your existing paper document may need to be scanned and digitized before they can be included in the system and this will be time consuming process.

If your staff are to spend much more time staring at a computer screen it will be worthwhile investing in large, high-quality screens or, even better, running an extended desktop across two screens. The increased efficiency gained in this way will more than compensate for the initial cost.

EDMS solutions can now be hosted off-site so that the hardware and software requirements are kept to a minimum. Services can be accessed through a browser and all  server costs  and IT support are provided by the hosting company. In this way you can pay for only the features you require in a monthy fee, rather than in one large capital outlay.

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