Simply put, document management allows you to put information in a place where you can find it and do something with it.

But in this electronically-driven business environment, where every shred of competitive intelligence is critical for business operations, documents are assets. They are projected through images, office forms, graphics and drawings, as well as virtual objects such as Web pages, email, instant messages and video. With the use of networked computers and "cloud computing" - based applications, document management is now a shared resource toward achieving the mission and vision of a company. Multiple users connecting through a centralized or multi-faceted document management system to store, search, retrieve, view, forward, and print documents drastically improves efficiency and enhanced productivity.

A document management system allows the user to.

• Add documents: Word processing documents, spreadsheets, pictures, video or other electronic files from the computer desktop or file system.
• Scan or image paper: Forms, invoices, documentation received in hard copy, which is imaged into a format to be stored electronically.
• Utilize Electronic Reports Management (ERM): The capture, archiving, and publishing of documents, forms and reports from the user’s Enterprise Resource Planning system (or ERP) to improve overall efficiency and reducing operational costs.

Document management systems must also incorporate retrieval functions into their processes, which will allow the user to recover and utilize the information.  Through these retrieval systmes, users can find documents through:

• Keyword search: The method of searching toward retrieving a document based on predetermined words that best describe that document.
• Full Text search: The search method which locates a document containing words or phases supplied by the user.
• Integrated Document Retrieval: A comprehensive method of retrieving  documents from within the user’s business system (ERP).

Next: The Need for Enterprise Document Management