WORKPLACE BLOG

Document Management, in its simplest form, is a system designed to organize and manage documents. More specifically it’s a system that manages documents and information in a manner that allows for quick retrieval based on specific search criteria. 

For each document the system will detail what it’s about, who wrote it, who can see it, who can change it and where it can be found. Document Management software helps businesses store, manage and track its electronic documents.

You may be familiar with what it is, but are unsure why companies use it. Here are some risks to consider:

• If your business were to have a catastrophic event, what impact would that have on your employees and your customers?
• U.S. Small Business Association states that according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety, 25% of businesses do not reopen following a major disaster.
• The cost of paper documents: 3% of paper documents get misfiled, 7% get lost completely.
• The average business: Loses 1 out of 20 office documents and spends $250 recreating each lost document.

These statistics show why it is more important than ever to implement a Document Management Solution. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be,  so let's talk about what some of your options are.

Types of Document Management Available (Simplest to most complex)

Folder-Based (organized folder structure):

• You can implement this by simply creating folders and giving them a name based on the type of files stored inside. Users simply browse the folders or search within them to find documents.

Pros: Less Complex to set up, Inexpensive.

Cons: Labor intensive, fewer options to control user access.

Basic Index Value-Based:

• Lets you attach searchable “tags” or metadata to files. These applications allow you to assign index values to documents that you can then search by to retrieve the files.

Pros: Allows refined searching based on index values, which can save time searching.

Cons: More complex to set up, costs vary.

Full Document Management Programs:

Provides you with many powerful tools that allow you to control users access to files and or folders, control what users can do with documents (Print, Email, Edit, Delete, etc.) and much more.

Pros: More Security Controls, more customizable, mobile or web based options.

Cons: Longer Planning and Implementation periods, tend to be more costly.

Once you’ve determined what type of Document Management System you want to implement, the next steps involve how you’re going to get the documents into the system, and how much storage you need.

The final two phases are planning for and implementing your system. This is where most of the work will be done. During the Planning phase, your organization must determine, “what does fixed look like?” and how do we get ourselves there. During the Implementation phase you will answer, “where do we begin?” and develop a process for installing, training and eventually rolling-out the system to the entire organization.

Rhyme can help you with the entire process, from determining what type of Document Management System fits your organizations’ needs, to the installation and training. Contact us today for more information!

For more information on managed print see: