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What to Look for in a Document Management SystemBy Judith Anne |
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A Document Management System, (DMS) sometimes referred to as a File Management System, helps you to manage the storage/retrieval/ approval/versioning of your business documents. A document is defined as information, stored on paper, as a scanned image, or electronically, that may be subject to revision. Document Management applies specifically to the management of business documents and images throughout their lifecycle. Sometimes documents are stored for years and sometimes they can be deleted after a short time frame. Find a DMS that is customizable to your specific requirements, is easy to use and affordable. Since there are multiple Document Management Systems available today, you will need to make sure they have the specifications that are unique to your needs. To help you determine what to look for in a Document Management System, you can start your search by looking for some of the futures listed below. Since most people today are using Microsoft Word, look for a DMS that is based on a similar environment. It will be much easier to learn and to navigate.
Some Document Management Systems are only accessible by authorized personnel, and this is a “must” feature. Can you imagine if 10 people were allowed to manipulate company data? Does nightmare ring a bell? Find a web based DMS that has a “document search” feature that allows you to search online to find, retrieve and revise your documents in real-time. Depending on how many times you will need to manipulate your data, you may find that a DMS that uses a “pay-per-use” methodology works for you. For most applications, this pricing model will be your most cost effective. A DMS should allow users to edit existing documents that are in the system or create new documents.
If using a web based DMS, find a company that uses robust servers that can store all your data in a secure environment so only authenticated individuals have access to the system.
Administrators will need to have the capability to set the user-level access on a per-user level.
A DMS should be able to keep track of all the versions of a document and time stamp the history of any changes that are made.
Important features of a DMS is the ability to associate (link) documents to a certain page/pages within a website and to be able to delete single or multiple content records, i.e. HTML, PDF, Image and Text.
Document Management Systems, surprisingly not used by most companies yet, are fast becoming an indispensable component of a company’s contingency or disaster planning efforts. Nature can cause any one of a number of disasters such as floods, fires or electrical failures that can wipe out any business papers that are not protected by a DMS. Try to imagine if a fire destroyed all of your business documents. Even back up tapes can burn up, but using a web based DMS will eliminate that obstacle to continuing with your business.
About Blue Robin, Inc. Blue Robin is a leading eBusiness Infrastructure developer and can design, develop, implement, and support eBusiness infrastructures that combine data, voice, and video, utilizing the latest and the greatest hardware and software technology in diverse operating environments.
For more information contact:
Hadi Shavarini, General Manager, Blue Robin
p: 781-577-6010
f: 781-577-6001
hadi@bluerobininc.com
www.bluerobininc.com |
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