Decisive advantages of electronic data management

Increase productivity and efficiency

In the current article, we would first like to explain the definition of the document management system and address the digitization of analogue and digital documents, as well as demonstrate the advantages of using electronic document management (DMS) on the associated business processes when creating, managing, exporting and checking the documents.

Cost minimization through digital transformation

Digitization or digital transformation of your paper documents is the prerequisite for efficiency and the success of your company. The need for digitization is now an important aspect for everyone.

Professional tip

Although the basic techniques of document management have been used in corporate document control for decades and have evolved over the years, the need for a document management system and its application advantages are still underestimated.

Studies have shown that employees spend up to thirty percent of their time searching for the necessary documents in the company. On average, employees lose more than one working day per week as a result. It gets even worse, because: In 70% of all cases the search is unsuccessful. The document is created again and the colleagues can no longer understand the current status of the documents.

PaperOffice employee holds a tablet in her hands

Advantages of electronic data management (document management DMS)

But what is the standard, what can the customer expect from a DMS?

In the current article, we will show you the advantages of using electronic data management (document management system).

This can be explained point by point using the PaperOffice document management software.

Before we get into the benefits, let's explain the definition:

What is a document management system?

A document management system (DMS) is used to store, manage and control the flow of documents within an organization.

This means that companies from a wide variety of industries accumulate important documents every day: pleadings, contract documents, drafts, external letters, research, expert opinions and much more. These do not only arrive by post, many documents also arrive by email.

You can organize all information, such as paper documents, Windows files or emails, in a central location, your document management system, which employees can access easily and without any problems.

Including unique functions for teamwork and document sharing and an innovative program interface that is unique worldwide.

Document management systems are becoming increasingly important to businesses as the amount of information generated by today's businesses is growing exponentially.

The introduction of a document management system, DMS for short, also helps you to bring a clear structure to your documents and to cope with the flood of information.

DMS also stands for document management software and is intended to manage documents, especially digital documents, which includes the conversion from analogue to digital. PaperOffice DMS is such software.

The management and control of the enormous amount of external and internal documents that are part of the business processes in public or business administration has become a challenge. This promotes the introduction of document management software that makes it easier to manage.

The introduction of the DMS ensures significant reductions in search time, handling and cost savings, which are very important in our administrative processes.

Notebook with PaperOffice stands on a tidy table

Digitization has a positive impact on the environment and many other benefits

The heart of a DMS

An advanced document management system has its "heart" in a database, where the information is stored in a way that allows it to be found and retrieved in an easy and controlled way.

The database can be set up locally or on a NAS system, such as QNAP NAS or Synology NAS. But by storing the information in a structured way, we only have part of the equation.

QNAP and Synology NAS devices are on the table as data storage with PaperOffice DMS

All of the information is stored in the database in highly secure encrypted form

The "brain" that controls the system is the workflow logic, which makes it possible to create dependencies between documents and processes and to link this information in flexible and previously defined flows.

An essential step in the implementation of such a sophisticated "workflow" is that as much documentation as possible is available in digital form.

Digitization and document management

When we talk about document management systems, we must not forget: the higher the level of digitization of the information that is part of the processes, the higher the level of control and automation that we can achieve. We have already written an article on the advantages of digitalization, click here.

In the first step, you determine which documents belong to our processes, how we integrate them into our document management system and which information is to be extracted and stored together with the documents in your database. Once the information is included, we define its life cycle, how it will interact with other processes and how we can integrate it.

Information comes from different sources

Most likely, we will come across information coming from different sources and in different formats. Some of it in digital form, stored in files or databases and some in the form of printed documents.

What do we do with digital documents in pdf, doc, etc. format? Here the process is very simple.

Drag the digital document into the PaperOffice interface. Or have your Windows folders easily monitored after documents have been received.

Tip

By the way, there is a video on YouTube on the topic of "Directory monitoring and bulk archiving of documents" that explains this process in an understandable way:

Documents in paper form can easily be scanned and converted into digital format thanks to the integrated scanner.

Tip

On the topic "Fully automated archiving of paper documents from the scanner" there is also a video on YouTube that explains this process in a simple and understandable way:

Thanks to the Optical Character Recognition program (OCR = Optical Character Recognition), we have already taken an important step. Using a scanner or other digitizing device, we not only convert the document into an image, but can also "read" its content electronically.

Not only is the pure OCR text included in the database, thanks to the artificial intelligence (AI) called PIA, automation can either be specified manually or automatically.

This is how we use the system to recognize and define which document areas need to be read out automatically. Such as invoice number, date, products, amounts, etc. Accordingly, we have all the necessary information in our document management system.

The digitization of information via OCR makes it easier to integrate a wide variety of documentation into the management of processes and workflows.

Workflow and document management

As already mentioned, it is essential for advanced document management to have all information in a digital and structured form in a database. So you can search for all documents saved in PaperOffice like google. You can also set the rules of who can access, modify and delete/archive your information.

PaperOffice interface with workflow module

The document management system PaperOffice brings organization, data protection and optimization of business processes under one hood

But we want to go even further and streamline our business processes. One of the pillars of our document management solution is the workflow engine. This allows us to specify each step of a business process with its associated activities and dependencies, as well as the departments and roles involved.

We can also define automatic notifications that will be activated depending on activities and events that occur throughout the process.

All this not only minimizes the time spent managing tasks, but also minimizes the likelihood of forgetfulness and errors in the process.

Added value and benefits of electronic data archiving

Here are some of the most outstanding benefits of implementing a document management system:

Availability: By storing and managing all your documents and their versions, updates, notes, stored contacts, document data in a central database, all the information gradually forms a central knowledge database.
Central and easy access to all of this relevant company documentation and the ability for multiple parties to collaborate on the same document make it top of the list of benefits.
Access Permission: Control who can access the documents, when, and what activities can be performed on them.

Settings for folders and documents, release levels and rights as well as groups and departments make access to sensitive documents transparent and secure.
Security, not only in access control, but also in the custody and security that comes with the introduction of new technologies and databases.

First of all, PaperOffice DMS encrypts all documents when they are saved for security, according to one of the highest security standards currently available, AES-1024bit.

The conversion back into readable documents is possible in any current format, with PaperOffice regularly updating its file formats, which means that the documents will also be readable in the future.
Retrievability and time savings: All your documents, previously in paper, are now available digitally, as well as emails, are stored centrally in your database. At the same time, the date and time, a version number and keywording are saved, which the PaperOffice search engine can use to find documents even if the person searching only knows the content of the document rudimentarily.

Everything that is stored in PaperOffice DMS is also OCR text-recognized, optimized with business dictionaries and indexed for a perfect keyword search in your SQL database for a keyword search.

Save time searching for documentation and costs managing and storing it.
Reduction of redundancies such as duplication of documents, photocopies, data recording.
Agility and automation of administrative tasks with the creation of workflows that allow the integration of documents and business processes in a controlled environment and clearly defined and monitored activities.
Not to forget the positive "side effect" of higher internal and external customer satisfaction. The use of a document management system enables you to react faster and more reliably and thus better to the wishes of your customers.

The increase in customer satisfaction is noticeable very quickly and, above all, sustainably - both in terms of sales and the company's reputation.

One of the most important aspects when storing documents via a document management system is compliance with legal regulations or the specifications of the GoBD.

The abbreviation GoBD stands for the "Principles for the proper management and storage of books, records and documents in electronic form and for data access".

In particular, due to the audit-proof, highly encrypted document storage directly in a central SQL database PaperOffice meets all requirements for document standards and legal guidelines or the world's highest German standard GOBD.

The term versioning is not a foreign word within a document management system (DMS). The need to use a document management system that has GoBD-compliant version control and audit-proof versioning is clearer than ever before.

PaperOffice exceeds all legal requirements

The development of PaperOffice DMS is GoBD-compliant, so you can use the software without any worries having to make you break a rule. For example, every time someone changes a document, a new version of that document is created. In this way you can track what content the document had at what time.

By the way, there is a video on YouTube for Synology NAS setup MariaDB 10 and document management system PaperOffice which explains this process in a comprehensible way:

In both cases, even in the worst case scenario, it is ensured that the archived databases are restored in the short term and the retention periods are therefore always observed.

Be sure to avoid this error

While large companies have long appointed digitization officers who deal with the topic of converting analog documents full-time, small and medium-sized companies usually lack human resources, especially since appropriate professional qualifications are required.
However, this is a common mistake and leads to bad investments, because many manufacturers take advantage of this ignorance.

Interim conclusion

You don't need an IT specialist or a trained librarian!

All you really need is

the right software
reliable IT partner
corresponding hardware

Sometimes the hardware is often already there, has more potential than before and can be used immediately.

Tip

By the way, there is a special article on the subject of "Digital invoice processing", which reported on the advantages of digitization or digital invoice processing:

Notebook with PaperOffice interface for digital invoice processing

Digitize incoming invoice processing: made easy with PaperOffice

Click here for the guide

FAQs

To conclude, we will answer a few commonly asked questions on the topic. "Decisive advantages of electronic data management":

Which scanner to use for DMS?

To scan bound documents, a sheetfed scanner with at least 300dpi is recommended. The scanner wanted to have a scan-to-fodler function and optional WIA/TWAIN drivers. We have had good experiences with Fujitsu Scansnap, which work very reliably.

What is the best way to archive documents?

Paper documents should generally be scanned in PDF/A format and then saved in a DMS document management software - or directly if the software supports this or automates it, e.g. through monitoring.

Can I throw away original documents?

If you are using decent software that gets regular updates and have a data backup strategy, the answer is YES for non-critical documents. Everything that could legally require the original should also be kept in the original. For example, PaperOffice DMS has the option of storing the original storage location in the document properties.

Conclusion

Investment that pays off

The term document management includes much more than one might initially imagine. The introduction of a document management system in your company is now a prerequisite for the efficiency and success of your company. The need for digitization is now an important aspect for everyone.

The list above of the advantages of electronic data management is by no means complete, but only limits your own creativity and professionalism, depending on the area of application! If the digitization of the analogue archive is considered from these points of view and a counter-calculation is made, it becomes clear that the effort is worthwhile and how, for example, an investment in a new, more modern and faster machine is considered should.