5 Reasons to Modernize Your Document Management System

Many businesses have embraced document management systems (DMS) for the many benefits they provide to companies of all sizes and across all industries:

  • Workflow integration with business processes
  • Savings through replacing outdated equipment
  • Reduction in paper documents
  • Digital storage of documents, with ease of retrieval and distribution

These are all extremely worthwhile strategies for implementing a document management system, but today’s technology and business process have changed significantly since the initial offerings of such systems. This raises the question, “How is your current document management system running?”

The Benefits of Upgrading Your Document Management System

Documents are a critical element of conducting business. There are nearly unlimited types of documents, with totally different functions, distribution paths, retention requirements, and security considerations. Here’s why you should keep your DMS updated.

1.     Streamlining Business Processes

What served as an optimized workflow yesterday may not suffice in today’s business climate. Regulations such as HIPAA that impact healthcare record privacy and retention can be quite different over some time.

Getting more work done while also reducing labor costs is challenging for any business. Filing, copying, and retrieving paper documents is not an efficient use of personnel skills. Document management systems transform paper into digitized documents that can be created, saved, distributed, and protected from unauthorized view at electronic speed.

2.     Enhanced Security

As technology evolves, the capabilities of sharing documents easily and quickly are enhanced, as well. Documents can be scanned by modern equipment with automatic detection of content. This can initiate electronic routing of documents to only those parties authorized to view and process the information. Electronic distribution and filing that is protected by digital encryption provides maximum levels of security and productivity.

Printing technology has also advanced so that sensitive documents that truly require paper documents can be routed to a printer where only the authorized user can print them. This can be controlled through the use of PIN codes, fingerprint scans, or secure ID cards, enhancing the security of even printed paper documents.

Compliance with evolving regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and HIPAA is a significant advantage of implementing and upgrading document management systems.

3.     Improvements in Printing Technology

Printer manufacturers are continuously implementing new technology that provides smaller, faster printers loaded with additional features. No longer must work teams have separate printers for different tasks or take up valuable real estate with multiple devices such as printers, scanners, copiers, and fax machines. One state-of-the-art multifunction printer can do it all.

Placing multifunction printers on the network provides all these functions for any employee authorized to use the equipment. This saves space, energy, and consumables such as ink, toner cartridges, and maintenance kits. Managed print services combine the best of printing technology and document management software.

4.     Ease of Access and Control

Optimized workflow assures every document gets to the correct resources – at digital speed. Document management systems are continuously enhancing workflow and automation, adding features such as confirmation of delivery, notifications when documents reach your inbox, and alerts for distribution failures.

Many businesses that implement a sophisticated DMS initially set up a workflow to manage electronic documents more efficiently. Even so, it can be surprisingly easy to get behind on digitizing your workflow effectively. To maximize the benefits of a DMS, the workflow should be revisited regularly.

Modernizing your document management system will upgrade not only accessibility and workflow functionality, but will also build upon security controls that take advantage of new technology such as printer access and remote printing capabilities.

Updated document management systems feature not only controls over who has access to documents, but also who can access specific printers.

5.     Cloud Storage

Cloud computing and cloud storage are trends that businesses of all sizes are taking advantage of to reduce costs while offering flexibility and mobility.

Earlier document management systems relied on local servers or data warehouses for document storage. While this was regarded as secure storage and made documents accessible to employees who could access the corporate network or managed service provider, there were distinct limitations.

Modernizing your document management system can offer the movement of documents to cloud storage, making critical business documents available from anywhere, on any device. With a couple of clicks, managers across town or the country can review and approve purchase orders, speeding the process, and streamlining the supply chain. All this can be done remotely with mobile devices including laptops and smartphones.

Cloud storage for documents is encrypted, secure, and always available.

Virginia Business Systems – Your Source for Document Management

Virginia Business Systems (VBS) has been providing superior service and products for every customer since our founding in 1954. We service businesses of all sizes and across all industries including healthcare, government agencies, and academic institutions.

VBS can help your organization optimize workflow, reduce printing expenses, and transition to digitized document management that improves productivity and security.

Contact VBS to talk to our experienced document management professionals about modernizing or implementing a document management system in your organization.

May 12th 2020