Nearly every business, organisation, company, charity, government department etc. rely on their documents to store data and keep information readily available. Organisations can create hundreds of thousands, even millions of documents every year, all of which has to be filed, stored, indexed, accessible and protected. It is becoming an increasingly large and arduous task for many if not most companies.

This paper trail mountain has also led to serious environmental concerns as well as cost concerns from storing and using all this paper. So with the advent of scanners, ocr and cheaper computer storage, it is only logical that organisations would look to start storing this information electronically.

Document management software, or ‘paperless office’ technology, replaces paper-based processes with electronic procedures, eliminating the printing, posting and manual filing of paper documents. There are standalone document management systems available as well as systems which tightly integrate into organisations’ business accounting software and ERP systems. With tightly integrated document management systems, directly from a company’s business accounting software/ERP system and with just a few clicks of the mouse, business documents, such as invoices and statements, are automatically created, delivered, archived and retrieved.

Document management not only cuts paper, making good environmental sense, it also makes good business sense, forming a convincing proposition for any type of organisation. Some of the key benefits include improved cash flow, cost and time savings and enhanced customer service. The secure storage of documents in an electronic archive also means that invoices, statements and debtor’s letters etc. cannot be lost or misfiled and can be accessed at a moments notice anywhere in the world




By: Jim Seward