5 Common myths about document management to put to rest

5 Common myths about document management to put to rest

Documents, whether in printed or electronic form, play an essential role in any business. But managing business and customer information, particularly when it comes from many disparate sources, can be a challenging task. A document management system (DMS) is a specialised business solution that retrieves and stores documents from many different sources, including printed forms thanks to optical character recognition (OCR) and scanning.

Although DMS has been around for quite some time, there are still many misconceptions about the dms software.

#1. It’s not necessary for small businesses

Small businesses don’t typically stay small forever, at least not if they’re successful. In today’s fast-changing market, companies either grow or die. But, to grow, they need to build a scalable operational infrastructure that can keep up with demand and adapt to the needs of constantly changing business priorities. Since documents are the lifeblood of any business, having a scalable way to manage them is essential for ensuring future success. If you’re simply relying on folders, file cabinets, and manual processes, it won’t be long before productivity hits a brick wall, and your operations fail to scale with periods of increased demand.

#2. Going paperless requires technical expertise

Going paperless isn’t just better for the planet, it’s a necessity that will ultimately add value to your company and save money in the long run. It makes expanding repositories of information instantly searchable, thus greatly improving productivity. And, while relying on manual processes to digitise your documents is an arduous task, a modern DMS automates the process and doesn’t require any technical expertise. Modern document capture features automatically record, index, and store files in a centralised database for easy accessibility.

#3. Moving documents to the cloud is unsafe

Modern document management solutions are typically cloud-based or at least offer the option of hosting your documents online for enhanced accessibility and better redundancy. Most people assume that this puts data at risk of cyberattacks, but the reality is a bit more complex.

Major data centers are among the most secure environments in the world, with 24/7 physical, administrative, and technological measures in place to protect everything. Almost all data breaches are instead a result of mismanaged access rights, which are the same sort of problems you’ll have to mitigate with an in-house solution anyway.

#4. Documents still need to be manually managed

A modern document management system is far more than just a glorified file manager. Instead of just serving as a repository for your files, they automate a raft of mission-critical procedures, such as uploading, profiling, and tagging content. This means there’s no need to manually determine whether something’s a contract, an invoice, or a blueprint. The system detects what the document is about in much the same way that search engine crawlers match search queries to websites with a remarkable degree of accuracy. What’s more, documents rarely need to be manually reviewed or corrected because of automation.

#5. Everyone will start using it right away

Document management is a business-critical routine, and there’s no such thing as a perfect solution that everyone’s going to start using right away. Old habits die hard, hence the need to train your employees and educate them on the benefits of using tried-and-tested methods to address common challenges. Fortunately, today’s DMS solutions let users retain some autonomy over the way they create, name, and file their documents. But instead of having to force everyone to do things your way or do everything twice, a document management solution helps you enforce your rules and standards without getting in the way of your employees.

Total Calibration provides a cutting-edge DMS platform and professional IT services that empower companies in Sydney. Call us today if you want your business to be more efficient, more profitable, and more secure.