9 Features Every Document Management System Must Have
A document management system – DMS is a system used to track, manage and store documents. This system should be capable of keeping a record of the various versions of the documents created and modified by different users. It’s important to note that the ‘system’ in this definition refers to computer programs used in managing digital documents.
Many companies and organizations have lots of paperwork littered all around, making it hard for employees to find specific documents. Implementing a document management system is important for a business to succeed. When searching for a good document management system, here are 12 key features to consider.
- Document Indexing
Document indexing is simply the process of associating or tagging documents with different “search” terms. It helps to track electronic documents stored in the system. It can be as simple as tracking document identifiers throughout the system or as complex as providing a specific classification for each document based on metadata or word indexes taken from the content of each document. Indexing is an important component of a document management system. It helps to make the retrieval process faster, efficient, and more accurate.
- Document Security
Security is one of the most critical and important aspects of a document management system. The ideal software will provide a high level of documents encryption and role-based access. With the emergence of advanced security threats, it is now mandatory to ensure that your documents are stored in a safe and secure central repository.
- Document Search
An ideal document management system must contain a powerful document search engine that searches through document content and gives you quick results and allows you to quickly retrieve documents. Searching allows users to find specific documents and folders using template attributes or via a full-text search. Dataguard has a powerful search that allows you to search for any document stored in the system via a wide range of attributes including the document’s title and other metadata.
- Document Input
The Document Management System should allow easy input of documents using various methods. When it comes to document input, most of businesses combine paper and digital files. Hence, the ideal Document Management System should allow inputting files through the following sources: Scanner, Email, Manual upload, Bulk upload, automated process for mass uploading, Mobile application, and web services.
5.Document organization
How the documents can be organized in the DMS is very important and you should be able to define the organization as per your requirement. Structures such as folders, cabinets, or drawers that help in the organization of documents should be easy to create and use. The hierarchy of the folders should also be easy to define and replicate.
- Document Versioning
Document versioning is the process through which a document is checked in or out of the system, giving users access to current or previous versions of the document. Documents, both physical and electronic usually change or update over time, which is where versioning comes in to ensure users can still access previous copies as reference.
It should provide better and easier version control of your documents. You should be able to upload a new version of any document stored in the system while still preserving the earlier version and existing metadata. The system should have a highly efficient check-in and check-out feature to prevent accidental over-write by users when a new version is being created.
- User Interphase
The software interface should be simple and easy to navigate. Ease of using any application is very important because that drives adoption within the organization. Not everyone is technologically inclined, so the simpler the software, the better. If the DMS is very difficult to use and does not have an intuitive user interface, then training efforts and costs will be high. The time spent by the users in doing simple tasks will be higher, having an adverse effect on your organization’s productivity.
- Document Sharing
An efficient document management system should allow the regulated sharing and distribution of documents, sections of documents, folders, or even the entire account with any authorized person. Users should be able to share the documents for a limited period of time with others – be it other users of the DMS or as an email link with people who are not users of the DMS application. Access to the shared documents should be disabled after the limited period defined.
- Document Storage
Storage is all about how the document is stored in a central repository for later retrieval. Storage includes specific locations where each document is stored within the system, how long it is stored, migration of documents through different storage media, and the eventual destruction of a document.
An efficient electronic document management software like that of DataGuard makes your data secure, easily accessible, findable, and adaptable.
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