Document management is a system for managing documents. Organizing, securing, storing, capturing, digitizing, and tagging business documents are the functions of a document management system.
The functionality of many document management systems extends beyond basic functionality to include workflows related to document creation. In addition to these standard capabilities, some document management systems provide other add-ons, features and capabilities. They have led to a variety of technical terms, including enterprise content management (ECM) and enterprise information management (EIM).
In document management, an organization’s overall strategy for storing, managing, and tracking electronic documents is referred to.
Why do Document Management Systems exist?
As per Business.com, a document management system serves three functions – capturing, storing, and distributing documents. Obviously, at a very basic level, a document management system should at least accomplish those three tasks well.
Any source of documents should be captured by document management systems
There should be a way to input documents and files from a variety of sources into a document management system. They may include the following:
- Digitize, scan, and capture documents
- Sending emails and attaching files
- CRM or ERP applications outside of the company
- Document management system natively saves user-generated content
A DMS should have a way to classify and index documents as soon as they are entered from whatever source.
System Providing Central Repository for Documentation
It serves as the centralized repository for company files, serving as the hub of the document management system. To move business-critical documents into a basic DMS, it typically requires a massive migration project. M-Files, for example, is a solution that applies metadata and relationships to documents stored in other systems using existing repositories. Integrations do not require migration, so other systems’ environments can be left untouched.
It is important to consider the security of datay. By storing enterprise information in a central location, enterprises can prevent malicious actors from intercepting data. Organisations can control who has access to certain files or classes of files with advanced dynamic permissions.
Search and retrieval of documents should be easy with document management systems
Users should be able to find information easily with a document management system.
Each file is tagged with metadata so they can be searched for using a variety of parameters. An invoice, for instance, might have the following metadata:
- Amounts due to the parties
- Dates to keep in mind
- Quantity
- Division or department of a business
- Product description or description of services rendered
The metadata of a document is made up of all that information, facilitating better searches and making it easier for users to retrieve documents. M-Files uses a similar search feature to Google, allowing users to find documents by displaying the most relevant ones first.
Document Management Systems: What are they used for?
It enables easy access, editing and sharing of company documents by automatically organizing, securing, digitizing and classifying them. As companies sought to move operations away from personal paper filing cabinets and manila folders, document management systems were formed. A pivotal part of the enterprise tech stack since then has been document management, which connects disparate repositories into a central hub and facilitates workflows.
How do Document Management Systems Work?
Document management systems can be classified in a few different ways, depending on their uses.
Document management in the cloud versus on-premises
Do you prefer working in the cloud, on-premises, or a hybrid environment?
You can access your documents anywhere with an Internet connection with cloud-based document management systems.
In some companies, files are stored on a local server, enabling on-premises document management. Data sovereignty, for instance, may be required in some countries or certain regulations.
