Document Management System (DMS) Buyers Guide

The issues of proper document management is a universal problem faced by just about every business of all sizes. Often times, a simple system is initially put into place that integrates all systems, but once the business begins to grow, the document management system can quickly become over-complicated with features continually being added on top of one another.

Record Nations works with local, document management services that offer various document management systems that are designed to integrate quickly and easily into specific industries.

Our document management systems are not only made to be adaptive to the many changing needs of a growing business, but can also allow security restrictions that help to keep internal data breaches at bay.

Electronic Document Management to the Rescue

Record Nations is partnered with document management services that can optimize the way your documents are stored, filed, and accessed.

An Electronic Document Management System (DMS) seamlessly integrates all your documents into a single software with features that are customized for your business’ operational needs.

Electronic document management can be purchased as software and used on a company server or used as a “software service” with cloud computing.

Benefits of A Document Management System (DMS)

There are some basic document management features that every DMS should provide for the business.

The most important document management feature is improved workflow of information throughout the entire organization, but there are several other tangible benefits that make a DMS system a great addition to your business.

Reduce Your Labor Costs

DMS systems reduce the labor required to manage and handle the documents after the document scanning stage.

With a simple keyword search, all documents that were scanned into the system are available to every employee on their computer.

Easier Management of Legal Compliance

A second significant advantage of an DMS is legal compliance. They allow for the quick retrieval of all required documents if subpoenaed. Documents are aged and marked for destruction when they reach the end of their lifespan.

Security procedures are also in place that set access to a user level. Each employee can only get access to what they need for their job and mass downloads are strictly controlled.

Save Office Space and Allow for Remote Access of Documents

Document scanning for company records to a DMS can reduce or even eliminate the need for on-site storage space.

Company documents and records are also easier to share for employees that are working remotely or are constantly on the road. Everything they might need is available in real time with an internet connection.

Key Features of an Effective DMS

An effective DMS has a variety of features and choices that need to be considered.

Here are some of the main features that we recommend (and should be included) for your Document Management System:

1. The ability to store electronic records and access them quickly
2. Access control to a user level to increase security and decrease liability
3. A simple system for adding or scanning in new documents and records
4. Integration with other existing company software packages
5. Version control of the documents with access logs to prevent redundancy and mistakes
6. Integration with the company document management policy and known procedures.
7. An easy to use backup solution that’s simple to maintain

Beyond the basic features, additional DMS options that can help your business include:

1. Conversion of images to text or optical character recognition (OCR)
2. Conversion and integration of multiple file formats
3. Website portals
4. Enhanced search capabilities
5. Ability to export into multiple file formats.