The Next Phase of Document Management Transformation

Data has become the most important asset every business possesses, and companies are now generating, collecting, storing, and sharing more information than ever before. This presents a double-edged sword of sorts, as pressure to optimize document management is high, but the challenges involved in doing so are similarly immense. Many firms have turned to more advanced software and managed services to overcome the obstacles standing in the way of perfect document management performance.

Others have not quite picked up on the urgency of getting these projects in order, nor the validity of investing more budget, time, and resources into the various technologies, services, and tools required. The time has come for all organizations to wake up to the call to arms presented by enterprise content and document management. The next phase of document management’s rapid transformation appears to be right on the horizon.

The ECM side

Enterprise content management and document management are not necessarily the same, but they are certainly synergistic and increasingly intertwined within corporate information governance strategies. Business 2 Community contributor Andre Klein recently argued that, right now, companies are highly focused on digitizing their records and documents, but that this process has already reached a peak in many respects.

The author stated that the next step will be more heavily involved in the management, storage, and analysis of that information once it has been converted into digital formats, and that document management systems will be vital in this transformation. From linking other management software, such as customer relationship and enterprise resource planning tools, to broadening strategies to incorporate ECM, Klein affirmed that there will be much work to do and many solutions to provision.

According to Klein, companies that find ways to optimize these frameworks will be inherently better positioned to serve their clients and boost their brand image in the process. What’s more, these types of investments and projects will almost always yield enhanced employee engagement performances, which translate to greater productivity, efficiency, and staff retention. Considering how competitive markets have become, optimal document management could not come soon enough.

A new call to arms

CIO magazine recently asserted that companies need to be using digital rights management solutions to control the ebb and flow of information through their departments and external entities, such as vendors and clientele. This is likely to be somewhat new to many firms but is an increasingly critical fixture of security and privacy policies. These solutions have been used elsewhere, as the source noted that Amazon’s Kindle service comes standard with DRM.

Although these tools might seem somewhat extraneous, all companies should take every opportunity to better control and manage their documents, especially given the immense increases in data breaches and exposure events. With the right document management solutions in place, businesses will get the most out of their information and reduce their risk of losing control.