Electronic Documentation Management

Electronic Document Management System (EDMS)

Records Studio features a comprehensive, state-of-the-art, enterprise electronic document management solution that easily integrates with leading ECM applications.

Records Studio EDMS has the following features:

• Built-in EDMS module.
• Easily integrates with your existing ECM application.
• Seamless workflow tool integration.
• Retention schedule interface.
• Destruction scheduling interface
• Fully secure and customizable multi-user workspaces.
• Built-in document imaging system with automated metadata extraction.
• State-of-the-art full text and/or metadata/property based search engine.
• Electronic document versioning control and multiple author work collaboration.
• Single repository for the retention and management of e-documents.

Using Records Studio EDMS provides these benefits:

• Risk mitigation.
• Reduces the occurrences of lost and misfiled documents.
• Organizes existing electronic documents.
• Reduces the need for physical space typically required to house/stage hardcopy records in or on file shelves, cabinets, warehouses, commercial offsite centers, etc.
• Facilitates efficient workflow.
• Faster location and access of electronic documents.
• Facilitates the capture, creation, receipt and or/editing of electronic documents (word processing documents, fax, e-mail, imaged/scanned documents, electronic forms, etc.)
• Enables remote and/or onsite employee, client and/or customer interactive e-document collaboration.
• Systematic workflow control to ensure that organizational metrics for the creation of electronic documents are maintained and adhered to enterprise-wide.
• Strict electronic document version control and automated document policy protocol enforcement.
• Comprehensive audit trail reporting, which includes–but is not limited to–document check-in/out activity, user profiles, document versioning history, etc.
• Support for organizational records taxonomy (classification/indexing), while enabling federated records searchability.
• Facilitates internal and external team collaboration, enabling authorized personnel to access and view, create, and/or edit. corporate documents as required.
• Lockdown and secure organizational documents while controlling user access rights and privileges.
• Seamless and direct interface with Records Studio core records management module ensuring that organizational document retention and security protocols are maintained and managed in accordance with company polices.

EDMS Must-Haves

The recipe for a successful electronic document management strategy must include all of the ingredients listed above. An EDM system is usually the creation point for most organizational documents today. As such, there is a requirement—without exception—to have an accurate, reliable and effective mechanism to control and manage documents.

Users must know with confidence and certainty that they will be able to locate and retrieve the documents they have created, and/or collaborated on with internal and/or external personnel, in an efficient, timely and secure manner.

For maximum efficiency, a seamlessly integrated desktop tool is a necessity. Intrusion into the user’s virtual workspace is not an option. The applications that one works with daily must not be interfered with and/or altered—if at all possible.

Records Studio facilitates seamless integration with your workflow application. It allows you to have confidence in the organizational control of your vital documents; while also ensuring that your documents are managed in accordance with your records management policies and ensures compliance with your enterprise retention schedules.

EDMS vs. ERMS vs. BCS

There are some very subtle but important differences between Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS), Electronic Records Management Systems (ERMS) and Basic Content Services (BCS). This section highlights the important features for each to provide a comparison of which system meets your company’s needs.

EDMS

• Reduces the occurrences of lost and misfiled documents.
• Provides faster location and access of electronic documents.
• Facilitates the reduction of physical space typically required to house/stage hardcopy records in or on file shelves, cabinets, offsite, etc.
• Organizes existing electronic documents.
• Facilitates efficient workflow.
• Facilitates electronic document versioning control; and multiple author documents for work collaboration.
• Automates electronic document dissemination.
• Enables efficient business document classification scheme.
• Facilitates content creation standards in accordance with organizational policy.
• Enables fast, secure, paperless methods of document distribution.
• Supports enterprise-wide ECM (electronic content management) strategies.

ERMS

• Facilitates the identification of all records—regardless of media type and location. Can be leveraged for audit purposes.
• Facilitates the enforcement of corporate policy/rule set for the management of all records, regardless of media, in accordance with organizational standards.
• Enables organizations to sustain compliant records management metrics in accordance with government and/or industry standards.
• Facilitates records retention scheduling for all stored records, regardless of media type.
• Facilitates the identification of records owners and associated records series.
• Ensures that a traceable audit trail and chain of custody exists.
• Facilitates records discovery, through systematic legal hold protocols, to ensure document and/or record preservation, as required.
• Facilitates accurate records control and reporting.
• Facilitates records lifecycle preservation up to and through Final Disposition, while also allowing for the permanent retention of some records material that may not ever be destroyed.

BCS

Basic Content Services, also known as ECM Lite, has the following simple features:

• Version and access control.
• Document check-in/check-out.
• Basic workflow (routing and approval).
• Web enabled document collaboration.

According to AIIM, if an organization needs a robust records management system, BCS is not the best solution. This is because BCS lacks the functionality of full text index descriptions and metadata values for records classification, as well as the ability to assign retention periods for lifecycle management; while records managements systems provide functions for indexing, classification, long term storage, records content, location, provisioning/searching, owner authentication and final disposition scheduling.