Intrigued by the concept of the paperless office? Business document management systems replace paper files with their electronic equivalents, promising a competitive advantage by helping your business manage and protect data more efficiently, facilitate collaboration, and streamline operations. Document management software, sometimes called content management software, typically delivers storage, indexing and retrieval, search, and version-control capabilities. A document management system has much to offer your business. It can help you:
Choosing the right document management system
There are dozens of document management systems and they come in many different flavors. Some systems are extremely complex and expensive, but others are simpler, cheaper and aimed at small business.
I recommend: This
iMedia Technology Inc. FAQ will answer key questions about document management software. When you're ready to evaluate suppliers of document management applications, check the buyer's guide at
Ziff Davis.
Focus on data recovery and security
Document management systems can help you safeguard your information by providing multiple layers of security, including audit trails, password protection and encryption. Be sure to drill down on the security and data recovery features of any package you consider.
I recommend: To get a handle on the security aspects of document management applications, check out the
DocuAdvantage Blog, a forum for discussing technical issues related to this software category. To find out how you can create a secure content management system based on Microsoft's Office SharePoint Server 2007, visit
Microsoft to download a white paper.
Consider a hosted or ASP document management offering
Consider an "on-demand" or "hosted" document management product. These applications are accessible over the Web through a browser. Buyers typically pay a per-user, monthly license fee to rent the software.
I recommend: VisualVault from Auersoft and
GoFileRoom, part of Thomson Tax & Accounting, are two such offerings.
Don't forget the hardware
If you opt for an on-premise document management system, you will have to invest in hardware, including storage servers, scanners and, in sophisticated setups, microfiche scanners.
I recommend: For a compendium of resources on document management hardware, go to
Knowledgestorm.
eWeek has a meaty buyer's guide on the topic. Business.com lists vendors of
document shredding and
document storage services.
Get a jump on compliance
More and more industries are becoming subject to legislation that requires specific record-keeping procedures. For instance, Sarbanes-Oxley governs how companies must keep their financial records, while businesses in the health-care field have to comply with privacy regulations under HIPAA guidelines. Document management software can help companies across a variety of sectors stay on top of these laws.
I recommend: To see how document management systems can facilitate SoX compliance, go to the
Sarbanes Oxley Compliance Journal or to
Bitpipe for information on the subject.
Zero in on a legal document management system
The unique demands of legal document management have resulted in the creation of document management applications and system tailored the meet those needs.
I recommend: Business.com provides a page of listings of general
legal document management systems as well as one dedicated to
legal document management software.
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