spacer

Buyers Guide for Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS)

Electronic Document Management

Document management is a universal problem of businesses of all sizes. A single customer my have files in multiple locations. Consider the information flow as a client's file moves from sales to operations to accounting. Each department has different information they collect and store to do their job. But not every person needs to have access to the entire record. There is no need for the operations department to have access to the customer's payment information.

Over time each department builds a system to help them manage their documents. Very little effort is given to integrating the various systems. Normally there are compatibility issues with how data is stored. This exacerbates the problem of multiple records for singe customers.

The solution to the document management problem is scanning documents into an electronic document management system (EDMS). An EDMS is a software platform that acts as a portal for all the documents of an organization. It can be purchased as software and used on a company server or used as a “software service” with cloud computing.

There are some basic features that every EDMS should provide for the business. The most important is improved workflow of information throughout the entire organization. It reduces the labor required to manage and handle the documents. With a simple keyword search all needed documents are available to the employee on their computer. This reduces labor costs and provides the return on investment that is required to justify the software.

A second significant advantage of an EDMS is legal compliance. They allow for the quick retrieval of all required documents if subpoenaed. Documents are aged and marked for destruction when they reach the end of their lifespan. Security procedures are also in place the set access to a user level. Each employee can only get access to what they need for their job and mass downloads are strictly controlled.

There are some other benefits of scanning company records to an EDMS. The need for inside space or outsourced records storage is eliminated or at least significantly reduced. The records are now easier to share among remote workers. The information is available to everyone in real time.

A good EDMS has several key features and many optional ones. Some requirements that should be included are:

  1. Ability to store electronic records
  2. Access control to a user level
  3. A simple system for adding in new documents
  4. Integration with other company software packages
  5. Version control of the documents with access logs
  6. Integration with the company document management policy
  7. A backup solution

Beyond the basic features they have many other options that will depend on the individual company and the goals for the conversion.

  1. Conversion of images to text or optical character recognition (OCR)
  2. Conversion and integration of multiple file formats
  3. Website portals
  4. Enhanced search capabilities
  5. Ability to export into multiple file formats.

Before choosing an EDMS vendor take the time to look at several options. It is useful to practice on each one of the packages. Don't just watch the sales person do a demonstration. Set up a practice database and perform the functions that each employee will have to perform. And always check to make sure you can export your documents in the future. This will prevent the company from being “locked in” to a single vendor if needs change.

866.385.3706 | Contact | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Site Map | Copyright ©2012 DataGuard USA