Document Management Systems

Document Management System Features

There's nothing more frustrating than being unable to locate an important document when you need it. Document management systems eliminate the time spent searching for lost documents and offer features you'll wonder how you lived without.

Depending on your industry, the way you manage files and documents could be a make or break proposition.

For some businesses, a single breach of security or lost document could result in a loss of credibility or worse. The bottom line is that you need a document management process you can depend on to get the job done every single time.

Document management software is a technology-based solution to the problem of document storage and retrieval. The right solution has the potential to deliver significant benefits to your business using standard and advanced features, including the following:

• Search & preview. Search features are common to all document management systems. But you'll want to verify that your solutions search features are intuitive and include the ability to preview documents.
• MS Office integration. MS Office applications are standard software in most businesses. The best document management solutions offer easy integration with MS Office and other software your business uses on a daily basis.
• Scalability. The ability to grow your electronic document system alongside your business is useful, especially if your company is a start up with limited resources and a huge potential for growth.
• Auditing & e-signatures. Compliance requirements can be facilitated through auditing and e-signature features. Depending on your industry, you may require a system that is capable of delivering features that comply with HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 9000/9001 or other standards.
• Custom configurations. Customization features match your document management software to existing company practices and workflows rather than requiring you to make significant adaptations to a new system.
• File sharing & collaboration. Company-wide access for authorized users is important in workplaces that rely on file sharing and collaboration. Combined with an ASP approach, it may even be possible to grant single file access to geographically diverse workforces.
• Advanced security. Regardless of whether your data is maintained on site or by the provider, you should settle for nothing less than the highest possible security features including advanced data encryption, audit tracking and password enforcement.

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