What You Need To Know About A Document Management System

By Author: Nehal Preet
Total Articles: 17
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A document management system can be an electronic filing cabinet that provides a framework for organizing paper and digital documents. The system can work hand in hand with a scanner to make it possible to convert papers documents into digital versions. Using sophisticated search engines, the system offers quick access to any given file or document. Businesses both large and small stand to benefit from a system that helps them manage files.

Functions of a document system

There are so many functions you can use a document system for and the most common include: File Management System, Enterprise Content Management Software

Storing all types of documents include PDFs, emails, spreadsheets and even word processing files
Retrieving previous versions of documents that have been edited
Restricting access to sensitive business documents
Searching a huge file library using individual keywords for quick easy access
Monitoring viewership of the files and tracking any edits being made to them
Accessing, ...
... editing and sharing of the relevant documents using mobile devices
Regulating and controlling deletion of documents that are out of date
With all these functions, it is clear that all kinds of businesses stand to reap the benefits of a document administration program. Most businesses are embracing the systems to have an easy time handling the ever increasing documents as the businesses progress and expand.
System benefits to users

Businesses that decide to have the document management system in place stand to enjoy a number of benefits including:

Easy access to documents from computers instead of having to go searching in a stockpile of actual physical files when the need arises
Easy, quick searches of paperwork from the machine using keywords so the specific files are found without much trouble
Improved collaboration through elimination of hard copies that can be tedious to handle so employees have an easy time working as a team
Enhanced security since companies can track viewership and editing of every document inside the system; it is also feasible to designate which employees gain access what files using the document management software
Space saving because of reduced paper papers for the digital versions that are easier to store and handle even as the business continues to grow tremendously
Better recovery from disasters considering that critical documents are stored on-line and are therefore protected against damages and destruction like it is the case with physical filing cabinets
Choosing the best document management system
There are therefore many systems designed to offer document management solutions and they are not made equal. It means you would have to pay attention to features that matter most to be able to choose the best for your business. Some of the factors you should consider when looking for the best system are:

Ease of use
File structure
Searching options
Mobile access
Scanning functions
Security levels
Integration possibilities
When looking at the solutions, you should also remember that you have the option of selecting a self-hosted program or a cloud hosted system. They each come with their pros and cons and comparing them will help you pick the best program for the business needs.