Document Management
Document management is the conversion of paper documents into electronic images on your computer. Once on your desktop, these documents can be retrieved effortlessly in seconds.
Thousands of organizations around the world use
document management every day instead of paper filing systems.
The reasons for this change are simple:
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Document Management: |
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| • | Prevents lost records. |
| • | Saves storage space. |
| • | Manages records easily. |
| • | Finds documents quickly. |
| • | Makes images centrally available. |
| • | Eliminates the need for file cabinets. |
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The steps necessary to introduce document management: |
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Documents are scanned into the system. The document
management system stores them somewhere on a hard drive
or optical disk. The documents then get indexed. When a
person later wants to read a document, he or she uses the
retrieval tools available in the document management system.
Which documents can be read and what actions performed on these
documents is dependent on the access provided by the
document management system.
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A complete document management system comprises five elements: |
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Scanning Major advancements in scanning technology make paper document conversion fast, inexpensive and easy. A good scanner will make putting paper files into your computer easy. |
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Storage The storage system provides long-term and reliable storage for documents. A good storage system will accommodate changing documents, growing volumes and advancing technology. |
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Indexing The index system creates an organized document filing system and makes future retrieval simple and efficient. A good indexing system will make existing procedures and systems more effective. |
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Retrieval The retrieval system uses information about the documents, including index and text, to find images stored in the system. A good retrieval system will make finding the right documents fast and easy. |
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Access |