For decades now, document management has been a vital component of a successful business. It’s the key to effectively and efficiently running a business, allowing you to have your invoices, contracts, tax returns, and other important information stored in an organized, secure, and easy-to-access way. Document management was a cumbersome task in the pre-digital era, with paper documents requiring considerable storage space. With the advent of hard drive storage and the cloud, it was believed a new age of super-efficient, easily accessible document storage had arrived. But as it turns out, implementing a good system for storing and accessing digital documents can be as challenging as using filing cabinets.

And if you get your document management system wrong, it can mean countless hours and lost manpower due to rummaging through physical filing cabinets or PC folders looking for that document you urgently need. That’s why so many companies today are turning to companies that specialize in document management services. But what does document management entail, and how might it benefit your business? Let’s take a closer look.

What Document Management Entails

The document management process in the digital era can be broken down broadly into the following steps:

  1. Capture – This involves amassing all the documents that need to be stored and managed and then converting them into a digital format. This may involve scanning and digitizing paper documents and collating existing digital files that are in various formats
  2. Storage – Once the documents have been digitally captured, they’ll need to be stored as accessible as possible. This involves developing a workable and scalable directory structure and conventions for naming files and folders. The files will then need to be moved into the allocated storage, whether that’s on hard drives, in the cloud, or a combination of the two.
  3. Management – The next part of the process is setting up systems and conventions for managing the stored files. This can include creating methods for indexing and categorizing the files, along with setting up version controls. You may want to keep only the most recent version of a file or store a version of each amended document.
  4. Retrieval – Just as important as how the files are stored is how effectively they can be accessed. You may want to set up access controls to limit who can access what and when. You may also need to set up complex search functionality if you have a large and diverse digital archive.
  5. Security – Last but definitely not least, you’ll need to ensure the safety and security of your files. This involves physical security, such as making sure the drives or filing cabinets where the files are stored are protected from theft, adverse conditions, and the elements. But it is also increasingly important to implement digital security measures to protect against cyberattacks, unauthorized access, and other digital threats.

Document Management Storage Options

Your document management provider should be able to advise you on how best to handle all the above storage methods in a way that’s best suited to your needs. And of course, they should be able to integrate the systems into your operations.

There are three basic locations where your documents can be stored:

  • On-site – Your physical documents will be stored in filing cabinets and/or on drives at your premises. The advantage is that you’ll have immediate access to your documents even if the network is down and you’re offline. The disadvantage is that your files will be at increased risk of loss or damage.
  • Cloud-based – Your documents will be stored on a remote server. The advantage is that you can access them from anywhere, anytime, without needing to be physically at your premises. The disadvantage is the risk of the cloud service where your documents are stored being hacked or suffering an outage, and, as a result, your files are stolen or deleted.
  • Hybrid – Your documents will be stored on a combination of cloud-based and on-site media. Many companies find this method offers the perfect blend of accessibility and security.

Benefits of DMS

The main benefits of implementing a modern document management system include:

  • Improved efficiency – Having a file storage system that’s easy to use and manage will not only save time locating and accessing documents but can also boost morale and reduce stress in the office.
  • Access control – A well-set-up document management system makes it easier to find, access, and save documents. But it also makes it easier to control access to sensitive data, and monitor who is accessing documents, how often, and for what purposes.
  • Regulatory compliance – Many states these days are implementing ever stricter data protection, privacy, and retention regulations. A good document management system can ensure that you stay compliant without too much effort.
  • Cost savings – In addition to the cost savings resulting from increased efficiency, accessible document management can reduce the hard costs associated with printing and copying documents.
  • Space saving – Filing cabinets and chests for storing documents can become bulky and clutter up the office, leading to inconvenienced staff and difficult-to-navigate premises. A well-implemented document storage system will go a long way to improving the accessibility and mood in the office.

Tips for Making the Most of Your DMS

Here are a few things you can do to make your document management system work optimally:

  • Develop a strategy – The better you think through what exactly you’ll need to store, how best to organize it, who is going to need to access it, and where the security risks are, the better the choice of system. Think about how you might scale in the future and how that might impact your system.
  • Train your employees – There’s no point in implementing a meticulous system if its users aren’t clear on how to use it. Take the time to ensure your personnel understand where to store and find documents, which naming conventions to use, and what procedures to follow if there’s an issue.
  • Redundancy – Do you need paper copies of your digital files? How many backups would you like to store, and where? The answers to these questions can impact the type of system you implement, and the costs.
  • Disaster recovery – It’s always worth making preparations for the worst-case scenario – the loss of your critical documents. It’s crucial to have an effective recovery plan in place, including backups of your files and the ability to trace the source of the breach or error that caused the disaster.

The Right Partner

There are many document management providers and stand-alone software packages available, and it can be bewildering to figure out what solution will work best for you. A trusted, vastly experienced partner can make all the difference in getting your document management done right.

If you’re in the Winston-Salem, Charlotte, or Greensboro areas, get in touch with Kelly Office Solutions. We’ve been supplying office technology and solutions for over 70 years and would be more than happy to devise and implement the ideal document management solution for you. Contact us today.