Why do you need a Document Management System when you can store files in a shared drive?
Documents are an essential part of any organization, be it electronic or paper. The accessibility of documents is greatly emphasized these days, especially since most office workers have transitioned to remote working.
This article aims at enlightening businesses on why storing important business documents in online file storage such as Google Drive may not be enough and why there is a need to store these types of documents in a DMS.
Documents
Electronic Documents:
A Document Management System (DMS) can store your office files, in addition to your newly scanned images. A DMS is used by companies as a central storage of records. This means that employees are not left
to their own devices when it comes to document storage, especially for critical and confidential files.
Search:
Having a DMS to manage your files enables you to search for records quickly. It is like having your own "Google" to locate your internal documents wherein you can search through document content.
This saves valuable employee time as a powerful search function gives quick results.
Version Control:
Document version control is important for you to know which is the latest version of a document, and prevent the mistake of using an outdated version. Every time you save a document back to a Document Management System, it creates a new version, but you can still view the older versions of the same document.
Indexing:
Anyone can scan documents - but to make sure they’re easy to find, you need to focus on a well-organized document indexing system, whether it is manual or powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The indexing function is also available in a DMS.
Other Benefits
Security and audit
Having a shared drive as document storage often exposes the files to unauthorized personnel. Surely payroll information must be kept confidential at all times.
With a DMS, there is no way to open the files, except through the application, which helps in controlling the security of documents.
Ease of collaboration while maintaining privacy
Easier file sharing should not equate to poorer security and compromised documents. With a DMS, sharing files is much easier but more secure as it can maintain its privacy settings.
Minimize duplicate copies of electronic documents
How many copies of a single presentation can your office have? The cost of duplicate files in shared drives is often overlooked, but it can bring a negative impact as having the wrong and outdated document can cause confusion and errors.
Real-time access to documents for remote workers
Employees get to work in their preferred location with easier access to every document that they need. This also makes it possible for companies to be flexible in hiring and working with remote employees.
Archive One is a document management system designed to help companies easily classify, store, secure, and retrieve essential company documents needed for retention and audits. With the help of our partners, we provide an end-to-end document management solution from scanning to document storage, at a highly competitive price.