A document management system (DMS) is a computer system (or set of computer programs) used to track and store electronic documents and/or images of paper documents. The term has some overlap with the concepts of Content Management Systems and is often viewed as a component of Enterprise Content Management Systems and related to Digital Asset Management, Document imaging, Workflow systems and Records Management systems.

Document Management specializes in new and refurbished large format imaging equipment, including wide format scanners and printers. They also offer a wide variety of software, from scanner operating systems, editing & cleanup, indexing, CAD, R2V, change & revision control, modeling, rendering, animation - all the way up to enterprise document mangement solutions.

If you are like most organizations, a significant amount of the information flowing through your business tends to reside outside of your PC. At the same time, government regulations can require your organization to securely store and efficiently retrieve that same information. Download our latest Streamline Guide to learn the key elements of evaluating document management solutions.

EDM systems evolved to where the system was able to manage any type of file format that could be stored on the network. The applications grew to encompass electronic documents, collaboration tools, security, and auditing capabilities

The EDM tag was invented when document management began dealing with electronic document management rather than just paper document management.

Document Management Systems
Document Management is the capture and management of documents within an organization. The term originally implied only the management of documents after they were scanned into the computer. Subsequently, it became an umbrella term that embraces document imaging, workflow, text retrieval and multimedia

Document management, while offering numerous benefits for today’s public sector organization, is rife with risks, risks that must be managed to ensure a successful project. In addition to the usual software engineering and project management challenges that are common to all new implementations, there are also issues peculiar to document management.

Regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA have changed the way companies must conduct business, and faxing is still crucial to delivering business documents governed by the regulations. Conventional faxing, especially where fax machines are "out on the floor," exposes your company to non-compliance risks. If you want to be compliant, fax document management strategy is crucial.

This white paper outlines the challenges many companies face in achieving compliance, and the advantages fax server solutions offer to address those challenges -- and help companies increase overall efficiency.

What are the key archive management points for businesses to consider?

Policy
In order to streamline the flow of documents and gauge the level of technology investment and storage options, a company policy needs to be drawn up and implemented across the business. Consulting each department and business function is essential in determining the varying formats of data, the different time periods that data needs to be stored for and a projection of total volume of data that will eventually need to be archived.

Technology & Storage
The next stage is to set up the infrastructure that can cope with the volume of data, as well as the various formats they may be presented in, such as an expense receipt or large architect drawings in either black and white or full colour. Businesses will need to accommodate the storage of physical documents and invest in electronic imaging and storage. It is in this area that outsourcing of the archive facility is an advantage, as technology provision is normally part and parcel of the service. Documents that are scanned and converted into an electronic image will need to be enhanced so the document is reproduced as clearly as possible whilst minimising costs.

Retrieval
Integration of electronic documents directly into workflow processes is vital in providing seamless access to information across the business. The electronic archive can act as a central information hub which is hosted on a secure website or internal system. The capability of searching and retrieving data rapidly is important in complying with statutory regulation and reducing lead times.

Auditing
Regular audits of the archive are imperative in ensuring that any mismanagement of document storage and destruction is minimised. We must bear in mind that the data selected to be archived has been chosen for a reason and most likely are business critical. Bar-code technology for physical documents will help users to track and trace the record throughout its entire lifecycle, allowing archive managers to trace the last user.

Security
Knowing where you have privacy information and managing it securely is another key factor to bear in mind. With electronic documents hosted on the central hub, different access levels can be established where only approved members of staff can retrieve sensitive information.
A document management system is created by combining several types of software to control document identification, storage, retrieval, tracking, version control, workflow management and presentation. Good systems can create, use and control documents across different computers, software packages and company divisions.