Cloud Document Management Software

Electronic document management enhances document-driven processes, improving productivity and business process insight. Benefits emerge rapidly as documents and other business content is directed automatically to the right place at the right time – improving collaboration and maximizing efficiency throughout an organization.

Instead of discussing why an organization should automate its workflow, let’s discuss a few benefits of document workflow automation that will help you decide when you need to automate your workflow.

Reduced Need for Manual Labour and Save Time Workflow automation provides team members with an opportunity to work in a more streamlined way. By automating a document workflow, reducing manual intervention and labor interaction in a workflow process, the job is done faster; workflow tasks are completed accurately and quickly. The automation of workflows also allows employees to focus on more rewarding duties and consequently improve productivity.

Fewer Errors When automating data entry tasks in a workflow, manual data entry errors are reduced.  There is less chance of work being routed to the wrong person or tasks being missed out. Applications such as Electronic Document Management System that allow workflows to be created and implemented do not make mistakes! Any errors occurring in a workflow are more likely to be introduced by human interaction.

Organisations have begun to realise the importance of structured filing and the plethora of benefits that can be achieved by an efficient Document Management System. Now that you decide to go digital and standardize your office process by implementing a Document Management System there arises a question of choosing the one which fits the purpose.

With so many options at our disposal, we have to answer so many questions but most important

● Which Document Management Application is the current best?

● Do I opt for a Cloud Document Management Software or a Desktop Document Management Software?

● Which document management system would suit our filing structure?

● Is it GDPR compliant?

● Does it integrate with all documents types that we use?

Your search ends here as Docusoft Document Management ticks every single checkbox!

Docusoft is one of The Best Document Management Software for 2019 and has been helping an organization manage their documents efficiently for over a decade. We understand every organization is different and what else sets you apart from the competition other than innovation! and we are here to help you make things even better by automating your day to day activities so you could focus on what really matters for your business to grow.

Unlike most other Document management systems we do not limit you on options, Docusoft is available both on Cloud and also as the desktop-based system so you choose what suits you best. Moreover, the system is very user-friendly and we offer freedom to choose your own filing structure and you are not confined to work with some rigid template.

Being one of the leading providers of Document management for years we understand the importance of being compliant with the regulations and we make it our priority to develop our product in lieu of the regulatory norms. Docusoft (v7) has undergone a rigorous evaluation and meets all the requirements the ICAEW stipulate for security and compliance which forms the core for our development and used as a base for our latest desktop and cloud versions while ensuring we are GDPR compliant as well.

Moving from paper-based to digital document management can be both an enormous time saving and cost saving tool for any organization. Switching from working with paper doesn’t have to be difficult. As an example, you may be searching for records which might be anywhere in the office, or even out of office in a file which someone has taken home with them – it could be anywhere. The alternative? A document management system which lets you save files of any type in a central location and make it available whenever and wherever you are.

Customer service improves, and less time is wasted. When stored in one location, the required documents can be recalled (in their original format) quickly and easily, and you can also automate workflows.

Where is your data and what format is it in now?

Where is all your paper filed now and how can it be converted into an electronic? Chances are it is hole-punched, stuck into files and then placed into a filing cabinet (a choice of many across the office) or stuck on shelves. All sorts of paper documents come into the office from the outside world, and all sorts of documents are created internally.

Many documents are already electronic – attached to emails or in the body of emails, or created in other software such as Excel, Word, etc. Keeping track and filing of all the documents relating to a client or a project can be a real challenge.

Process improvement?

Where are the inefficiencies in the business? All manual-based processes that require human intervention and the passing of paper from one pair of hands to another is inherently inefficient and time consuming. Printing everything – emails, Excel documents etc. is also inefficient and potentially costly. It is necessary to identify the processes and consider how things could be done “better”.

Digitize the paper and stop creating more

Existing paper files can be scanned and converted into an electronic format. There are choices – draw a line in the sand and change the methodologies going forward, or back-scan everything. This can appear a major task, but the documents may be able to be whittled down dramatically, and the whole process could be outsourced to a specialist scanning business.

Stop the printing and keep the electronic files. If paper needs to be printed e.g. for a meeting, either scan it back into the system afterwards, or shred it. Do not file it away!

Who can access the electronic files?

It is likely that not all documents will be made available to all; not everyone needs to see the accounts or bank statements for example. In the same way as a filing cabinet can be locked to prevent unauthorized access, document management systems allow permissions to be set to restrict access.

The client or customer will want access to certain files so the uploading of documents to a secure portal, accessible with a user login and password, makes these available to them whenever they need them.

Integrating your applications

The document management software should easily integrate with ALL critical business applications. The ability to send any document of any type from within the major tools used in the business is extremely useful e.g. buttons built into Word, Excel and Outlook. Other documents of any type should be able to be saved too though, so that the document management system contains everything.

Conclusion

Businesses operate in a competitive, client oriented world and must be able to respond accurately and quickly to future business requirements. There was a time, when everything was documented in books. Over time, these books became sheets of paper stored in folders. And then the folders and documents moved to filing actual. Now we have electronic documents and electronic storage.

Document and information management and administration is something that can easily be undervalued. With the increasing number of regulatory laws and business regulations, it is surely important a business of any size, in any sector, offers their employees a structured secure system to manage business documents: a Document Management System.

The value of a reliable DMS

Companies that implement an electronic document management solution use an organised filing structure to help them manage the storage process. Additional metadata such as project names, purpose of document, date of creation and expiration etc. are all stored in the system and as a result, records and documents are securely stored but easy to locate, access and track.

An organisation with multiple offices locations can share a single system and central point of access to pool company knowledge, provide secure central access to business information and manage the protection of this important business data.

Together with the protection of data, it is also important to protect an employee’s interaction with this data. Document and activity audit trails can offer this additional employee security.

The use of a flexible DMS

A document management system that offers customisation, points of integration, ease of use and a good feature set, can easily be used to provide a DMS solution in many different business sectors. Below are just a few examples of how a DMS can provide much needed business benefits.

Healthcare organizations

Providing a Central Document Repository is important to the healthcare industry sector. From care homes to dental practices, any different type of document may need to be stored, securely protecting patient data but still providing simple and fast access to medical and administrative staff.

Legal institutions

Legal practices appreciate the security and availability of documents provided by a DMS. One key feature is that access to the system is strictly controlled and activity logged. These features not only protect documents but also ease burdens of compliance.

The ease at which users can search reduces administrative costs and helps keep fees in check. With thousands of documents to manage features for advanced keyword search and optical character recognition functionality proves highly valuable.

Charitable organizations

A document management software will provide a high level of security and makes it simple to restrict and permission users to access stored data.

Charitable documents often contain confidential information, so a DMS can allow individual documents not to be opened or copied but still, allow it to be previewed without showing personal or private details.

The ability to standardise documents or create templates helps automate and personalise the creation and distribution of documents present an opportunity to reduce costs.

Why choose a DMS?

Businesses depend on accurate and timely information. However, a lot of people struggle to locate the file or document when needed. Organisations commonly use storages such as network drives, file cabinet or on personal hard drives and CDs. The people who want to access these documents are often positioned at different locations.

It is vital to ensure that the navigation option is good enough to help the user find the documents when it’s needed. This becomes more complicated when the volume of documents grows. Document Management Systems are created to tackle this very issue as its core while providing many other features.

Document management software is vital for any organisation that requires documentation so that the retrieval of documents is effortless. This system ensures the security of data and offers a comprehensive and searchable archive. A good document system should integrate perfectly with application tools such as Microsoft Office, as well as other desktop software, and that allows viewing and editing.

Profitability for a business largely depends on reducing costs, eliminating wastage, and improving work efficiency. Document management system reduces storage space and enhances security which also improves regulatory compliance. This system is cost effective, can be implemented without any disruption to regular business operations and employees can get started with brief training. The entire life of a document can be tracked with DMS.

Every document and pieces of information are vital in an organisation and DMS improves backup and the recovery process in case of disaster due to the way the software is designed. Using DMS not only increases your profitability but also gives a competitive advantage by reducing operating costs, improving customer service through efficient use of personnel Document Recovery and retrieval which in turn helps you respond more quickly and effectively to customer queries, generate important documents in a timely manner and organize them better. Every business that deals with paper or electronic documents will have a need for DMS.

If you are medium to small sized enterprise, it can be easily set up and simplify your business document process. Large enterprises will have to start by focusing on departments, which are paper intensive such as human resources, production, etc. minimizing storage costs and speeding retrieval and archiving while simultaneously safeguarding access to records is the best way to make certain that your files are safe, secure and well organized.

Docusoft is one of The Best Document Management Software for 2019 and has been helping organisation manage their documents efficiently for over a decade.

Every organisation is unique and to stay ahead of the competition it’s important to make use of the latest tools available to bring in efficiency and we are here to help you make things even better by automating your day to day activities so you could focus on what really matters for your business to grow.

Being one of the leading providers of Document management for years we realize the importance of being compliant with the regulations and we make it our priority to develop our product in lieu with the regulatory norms. Docusoft (v7) has undergone rigorous evaluation and meets all the requirements the ICAEW stipulate for security and compliance which forms the core for our development and used as a base for our latest desktop and cloud versions while ensuring we are GDPR compliant as well.

A system that allows you to create, store, manage, file, protect, collaborate, search and retrieve digital documents.

Our document management system stores all digital documents in the cloud and provides a solution that simplifies the flow of important information across an organisation.

A good document management solution can help an organisation to centralize and make accessible, all of its files and data from one place, keeping track of all of the important documents, speeding up workflow, improving accuracy and providing access to documents any time, from any place and on any device! So, by choosing our document management system, you will remain ahead of the pack and provide your employees with a solution that empowers them to more work efficiently and effectively.

Why is a document management system important?

Businesses’ create, transform and store huge numbers of digital documents: contracts, agreements, proposals, HR documents, marketing material, quality manuals, health and safety manuals, etc.

These documents are often saved randomly on laptops, servers, the cloud, and other storage devices. You may have files stored in the Cloud using apps like Dropbox or OneDrive, or on your desktop, in email attachments and other paper documents stored in boxes in the basement! So what happens when you can’t find a file you need for your next meeting that starts in the next 5 minutes?

Have you ever wasted precious time searching for a document on your computer, in the paper filing cabinet or in your email and attachments? Browsing through hundreds of folders, searching in your disorganized email inbox, searching through your cloud files and not being able to find that one important document!

A document management system makes the management of electronic files and documents easier, faster and efficient.

There are many reasons to think about if you are considering implementing a document management solution for your practice.

Cleaning up your laptop or computer

A document management system allows you to save all of your files to one location and then delete them from every other location where they had been stored.

Reduce Paper and take the next step in becoming Paperless!

If your company still uses paper documents, switching to a document management system can help reduce the amount of paper used and wasted and also save money in the form of additional costs of printing, storing, maintenance and filing. Going paperless can save you money but also benefits the environment too! Everyone should be helping the environment these days!

Improve overall Office Efficiency.

If you or any employees do spend a huge amount of time searching for documents, just think what this is costing the business! The task takes resources away from doing a job that makes the business money! a document management system can improve efficiency and free up time!

Our document management system provides a central location for all your Word, Excel and PDF files. It also gives the ability to save client or customers emails to their files making it a more efficient way of your employees being able to review any correspondence between your company and your client/customer/supplier. The browser-based interface also makes it extremely easy for them to access this information from any device, quickly and efficiently. Employees no longer need to take files to meetings; they can just log in to the document management system to see the documents they need.

Safe and Secure

When important business documents need to be kept safe and secure, and easily accessible, the best way is to store them in a DMS. A central location in the cloud to save your documents. All of your documents are saved and backed up using AWS storage. You can also set up two-factor authentication for extra security.

Our document management system comes with numerous features including folder access control, document auditing, version control, and non-admin users cannot delete from the system. By storing your files in the cloud helps ensure these documents can be found easily and can be accessed by the right people at the right time and from any location.

Search Capabilities

If you have not yet implemented a document management solution, then finding the right document at the time you need it can be very difficult. Our document management systems perform searches quickly and efficiently. Its excellent search capabilities allow documents to be retrieved by any or indexed field, and it can even search content from a file.

Better Accuracy

Our document management system provides all the features users need to manage the creation and any subsequent editing of documents. Collaboration features help users to manage versions, maintain quality and reduce inaccuracies. Features include version control and document annotation, and with document auditing users can see what changes have been made to a document.

Reduced Storage & Supply Costs

Without a document management system, and taking in to account the cost of paper, printing, office space, storage facilities, let alone people to manage all this paper, the cost of document creation and management of these documents can be very high

Summary

Docusoft can help you manage your documents so that you don’t have to worry.

Our software is very versatile and can be adapted to work with any type of business. We are already experts within accountancy, business recovery, distribution and housing sectors.

Docusoft Cloud Filer is our ‘cloud-based’ document management solution. It is an easy-to-use system developed to meet any business’ specific document management needs. Docusoft CloudFileris the most complete solution for paper reduction. It is comprehensive in terms of functionality for document and email capture, search and retrieval, document workflow, user management, and client response. Filing is made easy with Docusoft add-ins for Microsoft that allow you to file emails, letters and other documents directly from the application you are using – Outlook, Word and Excel, etc. Docusoft CloudFiler is designed to make the tasks of managing, filing, searching and sharing documents in the cloud even easier – any time, any place and from any device!

Having an organised working environment is vital for the success of a business practice given the current challenges such as customers and clients expecting faster response times and increasingly burdensome regulatory requirements. Regardless of the size of the business organisation, handling documents manually is time-consuming. and often results in data loss and extended response times.

Although initially, it appears that the flow of documents can be managed, it’s not really possible with the constantly increasing volume of correspondence – and it is not just paper; there are electronic communications too. This is why businesses turn to digital document management systems to help automate the process of document management. Document management software enables the organisation to convert paper files to digital storage, and enhance the ability to share all type of documents and information.

With the constantly changing requirements of a business, the nature and functionality of the document management application have evolved. Early document management systems used to support only a limited number of file formats, but now the software has developed enough to be able to support a plethora of digital formats.

Choosing a document management software application depends on several factors as it needs to fit in and be adaptable to the company structure and work culture.

Here are some of the most important factors to help you make the right decision:

Scanning – Scanning is an essential element in the business and most document management system provide the feature to scan documents. However, some systems take this further by providing the ability to recognize bar codes on the documents, to make it easier to both track and store the document information.

Accessibility – The documents, once stored in the system, can be accessed through not only the machine that was used to store it but also shared across multiple users and multiple devices – especially if the document management system is cloud-based.

Storage – Document management systems store documents conveniently on a server that can be in-house, or, if its a cloud-based system, the data is stored on a cloud server. Compared to manual storage, the servers can store huge numbers of documents, and this has the ability to free up significant amounts of office space which otherwise would have been required for storage. Efficient document management systems not only store documents but through micromanagement, can reduce the required space on the server by keeping track of user activities and archiving data that is not likely to be required in the immediate future.

Have you ever considered how document handling and processing can impact your business and the effect this can have on an employee’s average working day?

If you’ve ever lost important documents, you will know how costly it is to recreate them or have them duplicated. Apart from the physical cost, it also takes unnecessary time and causes unwanted frustration. Do you collaborate on documents or create legal documents that have to be approved by a given deadline? The deadline is approaching fast and you’re wasting time collating and reviewing comments from colleagues! Do you send important documents by post to ensure they are delivered on time?

Here are some of the document management factors that can affect your business.

Many employees use email for collaboration. Just think about the number of attachments that will be duplicated and the confusion this may cause if the final version needs to be traced! Find ways of electronically managing documents to reduce duplication and provide tools that will allow employees to annotate and review these annotations.

On average, nearly 10% of business documents may be lost, misplaced or misfiled. Discover if there are more efficient ways of filing the documents securely.

Searching for documents but not finding them wastes a considerable amount of employee time and may be cited as a the key factor that can account for lost organisational productivity. Discover if there are more efficient ways of filing the documents and searching for these documents and information when needed.

Employees can spend a notable amount of time getting documents signed or documents approved. Research tools that allow workflow approval and offer digital signatures.

Many professionals need to be able to collate information from many different types of documents and then present these in another. Think about how much time is spent finding this information, how documents are collated and how a new document can be created.

The cost to send a parcel by post in the UK starts at £7.25. Review what types of documents you are sending to customers and the costs involved to send them. Do you know how much time is spent by employees on these document related tasks?

These factors clearly indicate it is important to review any document management process and analyse the time they take; time spent filing, searching or re-creating documents for example. Review document handling systems or workflows that route documents between each stage of the processes to understand how efficient these are for the business.

One of the differentiating tools between document storage and document management is version control.

Normally, if you create a document, e.g. in Word or Excel, you save it, reopen it, make changes and save it again, replacing the original. This would be simple document storage.

Version control is the process by which different drafts of a document are managed, with an audit trail of the different revisions. Whilst it is possible to monitor mark up and changes in Word documents, you can never be sure that there is not another out-of-date copy of the document lurking elsewhere, either on the server or locally on a PC.

It is possible to check out a document, loading it into its originating program e.g. a Word document, make changes and check it back into the system again. The previous version will be retained in the system, but the new version will always be the first one viewed.

This feature can be quite novel for users new to the concept – but clear guidance should be provided to users, although hard and fast rules may not be possible. People need to stop and think… the key question is “might I (or anyone else) need a prior version of this file once I save this version?” If the answer is “Yes”, then check in to the document management system.

A few examples:

If an Excel working paper is being created, there is probably little point saving it the document management system, going home tonight or out for lunch, then checking it out again tomorrow to carry on working on it. Repeat this several times over and suddenly you have 10, 20+ versions. If the file is quite large, say 1MB just for illustrative purposes, having 20 versions uses 20MB of storage. Whilst disk space is not hugely expensive anymore, it is an issue worth bearing in mind.

It would probably be more practicable to overwrite the original file every time it has been updated and then save to the document management software once it is finalized so there is just the one version.

Another practical use would be for annual client risk assessments, the consideration of which need to be documented. If a standard form is used in year 1, it is possible to check it out in year 2, sign and date it then checks it back in again. This keeps all the forms together in one place, instead of having lots of records over a period of years. It does make it very easy to demonstrate the risk assessments have been carried out in the event of a compliance/monitoring visit.

Another possible use would be for correspondence – a draft is saved; the reviewer can check it out and amend it as necessary before checking it back in prior to its distribution.

Businesses operate in a competitive, client oriented world and must be able to respond accurately and quickly to future business requirements. There was a time, when everything was documented in books. Over time, these books became sheets of paper stored in folders. And then the folders and documents moved to filing actual. Now we have electronic documents and electronic storage.

Document and information management and administration is something that can easily be undervalued. With the increasing number of regulatory laws and business regulations, it is surely important a business of any size, in any sector, offers their employees a structured secure system to manage business documents: a Document Management System.

The value of a reliable DMS

Companies that implement an electronic document management solution use an organised filing structure to help them manage the storage process. Additional metadata such as project names, purpose of document, date of creation and expiration etc. are all stored in the system and as a result, records and documents are securely stored but easy to locate, access and track.

An organisation with multiple offices locations can share a single system and central point of access to pool company knowledge, provide secure central access to business information and manage the protection of this important business data.

Together with the protection of data, it is also important to protect an employee’s interaction with this data. Document and activity audit trails can offer this additional employee security.

The use of a flexible DMS

A document management system that offers customisation, points of integration, ease of use and a good feature set, can easily be used to provide a DMS solution in many different business sectors. Below are just a few examples of how a DMS can provide much needed business benefits.

Healthcare organizations

Providing a Central Document Repository is important to the healthcare industry sector. From care homes to dental practices, any different type of document may need to be stored, securely protecting patient data but still providing simple and fast access to medical and administrative staff.

Legal institutions

Legal practices appreciate the security and availability of documents provided by a DMS. One key feature is that access to the system is strictly controlled and activity logged. These features not only protect documents but also ease burdens of compliance.

The ease at which users can search reduces administrative costs and helps keep fees in check. With thousands of documents to manage features for advanced keyword search and optical character recognition functionality proves highly valuable.

Charitable organizations

A document management software will provide a high level of security and makes it simple to restrict and permission users to access stored data.

Charitable documents often contain confidential information, so a DMS can allow individual documents not to be opened or copied but still, allow it to be previewed without showing personal or private details.

The ability to standardise documents or create templates helps automate and personalise the creation and distribution of documents present an opportunity to reduce costs.

Why choose a DMS?

A document management system is a system used to track, manage and store documents and reduce paper. Docusoft is capable of keeping a record of the various versions created and modified by different users. While many other document management software only offer a client-server based system or cloud-based system; Docusoft lets you choose the best option you like be storing documents on your own self-managed server or our cloud solution that allows you to save documents on our cloud server and access them anywhere through various devices such as Desktops, laptops, mobiles or tablets.

Docusoft stores documents in their native file format (Microsoft Word or Excel, PDF) which helps to keep the formatting of the original document intact.

Solicitors’ offices used to be well known for the rows of books on the shelves and the voluminous file cabinets which housed client documents. Since the advent of the digital age, however, many firms have moved much of their paper online in the form of digital documents. While some documents will always be required to be kept in physical form, many lawyers today are finding they not only can have a paper-light office but that software provides much greater access than traditional physical files.

Traditionally when we speak of documents in a law practice we’re referring to pleadings, discovery documents, forms, and letters. Today, add email to that list. Email is not only the most common form of communication between parties in a legal matter but each email can be thought of as a document. So it should go without saying that managing documents and email is important to lawyers in every type of practice.

Docusoft takes this further by providing you the ability to automatically save emails in the system making the process furthermore seamless.

Moving from paper-based to digital document management can be both an enormous time saving and cost saving tool for any organization. Switching from working with paper doesn’t have to be difficult. As an example, you may be searching for records which might be anywhere in the office, or even out of office in a file which someone has taken home with them – it could be anywhere. The alternative? A document management system which lets you save files of any type in a central location and make it available whenever and wherever you are.

Customer service improves, and less time is wasted. When stored in one location, the required documents can be recalled (in their original format) quickly and easily, and you can also automate workflows.

Where is your data and what format is it in now?

Where is all your paper filed now and how can it be converted into an electronic? Chances are it is hole-punched, stuck into files and then placed into a filing cabinet (a choice of many across the office) or stuck on shelves. All sorts of paper documents come into the office from the outside world, and all sorts of documents are created internally.

Many documents are already electronic – attached to emails or in the body of emails, or created in other software such as Excel, Word, etc. Keeping track and filing of all the documents relating to a client or a project can be a real challenge.

Process improvement?

Where are the inefficiencies in the business? All manual-based processes that require human intervention and the passing of paper from one pair of hands to another is inherently inefficient and time consuming. Printing everything – emails, Excel documents etc. is also inefficient and potentially costly. It is necessary to identify the processes and consider how things could be done “better”.

Digitize the paper and stop creating more

Existing paper files can be scanned and converted into an electronic format. There are choices – draw a line in the sand and change the methodologies going forward, or back-scan everything. This can appear a major task, but the documents may be able to be whittled down dramatically, and the whole process could be outsourced to a specialist scanning business.

Stop the printing and keep the electronic files. If paper needs to be printed e.g. for a meeting, either scan it back into the system afterwards, or shred it. Do not file it away!

Who can access the electronic files?

It is likely that not all documents will be made available to all; not everyone needs to see the accounts or bank statements for example. In the same way as a filing cabinet can be locked to prevent unauthorized access, document management systems allow permissions to be set to restrict access.

The client or customer will want access to certain files so the uploading of documents to a secure portal, accessible with a user login and password, makes these available to them whenever they need them.

Integrating your applications

The document management software should easily integrate with ALL critical business applications. The ability to send any document of any type from within the major tools used in the business is extremely useful e.g. buttons built into Word, Excel and Outlook. Other documents of any type should be able to be saved too though, so that the document management system contains everything.

Conclusion

Storing files on personal computers and network drives is a good start towards achieving a structured digital filing system and can be used to store personal information, but managing the structure tends to depend to a great extent on personal preference and work style however in a profession environment where every user stores his own set of documents based on his own prefered structure the structure varies to a great extent and becomes difficult to access documents.

Having a structured filing system is crucial for faster accessibility of documents and smoother day-to-day operation of the organisation. This creates a need for central document repository and an organised filing system that can do this better than a Cloud Document Management System.

Cloud Document Management Software gives the advantage of providing a business with a central document repository shared between all its resources. Documents are made easily accessible and by avoiding duplications lesser space is needed to store them!

Storing documents on the cloud would make document management both convenient and secure and takes away a lot of pressure from your IT team as the data is stored and backed up on the Cloud by the Document Management provider and also reducing the upkeep cost and storage cost.

Using a Cloud document management systems instead of using own server to store documents improve document security from both types of threats deliberate and natural.

A document management system is a system used to track, manage and store documents and reduce paper. Docusoft is capable of keeping a record of the various versions created and modified by different users. While many other document management software only offer a client-server based system or cloud-based system; Docusoft lets you choose the best option you like be storing documents on your own self-managed server or our cloud solution that allows you to save documents on our cloud server and access them anywhere through various devices such as Desktops, laptops, mobiles or tablets.

Docusoft stores documents in their native file format (Microsoft Word or Excel, PDF) which helps to keep the formatting of the original document intact.

Solicitors’ offices used to be well known for the rows of books on the shelves and the voluminous file cabinets which housed client documents. Since the advent of the digital age, however, many firms have moved much of their paper online in the form of digital documents. While some documents will always be required to be kept in physical form, many lawyers today are finding they not only can have a paper-light office but that software provides much greater access than traditional physical files.

Traditionally when we speak of documents in a law practice we’re referring to pleadings, discovery documents, forms, and letters. Today, add email to that list. Email is not only the most common form of communication between parties in a legal matter but each email can be thought of as a document. So it should go without saying that managing documents and email is important to lawyers in every type of practice.

Docusoft takes this further by providing you the ability to automatically save emails in the system making the process furthermore seamless.

Businesses operate in a competitive, client oriented world and must be able to respond accurately and quickly to future business requirements. There was a time, when everything was documented in books. Over time, these books became sheets of paper stored in folders. And then the folders and documents moved to filing actual. Now we have electronic documents and electronic storage.

Document and information management and administration is something that can easily be undervalued. With the increasing number of regulatory laws and business regulations, it is surely important a business of any size, in any sector, offers their employees a structured secure system to manage business documents: a Document Management System.

The value of a reliable DMS

Companies that implement an electronic document management solution use an organised filing structure to help them manage the storage process. Additional metadata such as project names, purpose of document, date of creation and expiration etc. are all stored in the system and as a result, records and documents are securely stored but easy to locate, access and track.

An organisation with multiple offices locations can share a single system and central point of access to pool company knowledge, provide secure central access to business information and manage the protection of this important business data.

Together with the protection of data, it is also important to protect an employee’s interaction with this data. Document and activity audit trails can offer this additional employee security.

The use of a flexible DMS

A document management system that offers customisation, points of integration, ease of use and a good feature set, can easily be used to provide a DMS solution in many different business sectors. Below are just a few examples of how a DMS can provide much needed business benefits.

Healthcare organizations

Providing a Central Document Repository is important to the healthcare industry sector. From care homes to dental practices, any different type of document may need to be stored, securely protecting patient data but still providing simple and fast access to medical and administrative staff.

Legal institutions

Legal practices appreciate the security and availability of documents provided by a DMS. One key feature is that access to the system is strictly controlled and activity logged. These features not only protect documents but also ease burdens of compliance.

The ease at which users can search reduces administrative costs and helps keep fees in check. With thousands of documents to manage features for advanced keyword search and optical character recognition functionality proves highly valuable.

Charitable organizations

A document management software will provide a high level of security and makes it simple to restrict and permission users to access stored data.

Charitable documents often contain confidential information, so a DMS can allow individual documents not to be opened or copied but still, allow it to be previewed without showing personal or private details.

The ability to standardise documents or create templates helps automate and personalise the creation and distribution of documents present an opportunity to reduce costs.

Why choose a DMS?

One of the differentiating tools between document storage and document management is version control.

Normally, if you create a document, e.g. in Word or Excel, you save it, reopen it, make changes and save it again, replacing the original. This would be simple document storage.

Version control is the process by which different drafts of a document are managed, with an audit trail of the different revisions. Whilst it is possible to monitor mark up and changes in Word documents, you can never be sure that there is not another out-of-date copy of the document lurking elsewhere, either on the server or locally on a PC.

It is possible to check out a document, loading it into its originating program e.g. a Word document, make changes and check it back into the system again. The previous version will be retained in the system, but the new version will always be the first one viewed.

This feature can be quite novel for users new to the concept – but clear guidance should be provided to users, although hard and fast rules may not be possible. People need to stop and think… the key question is “might I (or anyone else) need a prior version of this file once I save this version?” If the answer is “Yes”, then check in to the document management system.

A few examples:

If an Excel working paper is being created, there is probably little point saving it the document management system, going home tonight or out for lunch, then checking it out again tomorrow to carry on working on it. Repeat this several times over and suddenly you have 10, 20+ versions. If the file is quite large, say 1MB just for illustrative purposes, having 20 versions uses 20MB of storage. Whilst disk space is not hugely expensive anymore, it is an issue worth bearing in mind.

It would probably be more practicable to overwrite the original file every time it has been updated and then save to the document management software once it is finalized so there is just the one version.

Another practical use would be for annual client risk assessments, the consideration of which need to be documented. If a standard form is used in year 1, it is possible to check it out in year 2, sign and date it then checks it back in again. This keeps all the forms together in one place, instead of having lots of records over a period of years. It does make it very easy to demonstrate the risk assessments have been carried out in the event of a compliance/monitoring visit.

Another possible use would be for correspondence – a draft is saved; the reviewer can check it out and amend it as necessary before checking it back in prior to its distribution.

Businesses look continually for that competitive edge. And with today’s digital economy, where so many products and services are being commoditized and process automated, any initiative to deliver improvements in any core business processes must be viewed as offering a slight business advantage.

Managing documents and information has long been seen by enterprise businesses as a way to improve processes and add to that competitive edge. And today, small and medium-sized business owners now view information and document management as more than just an administrative task. With each passing day and the plethora of documents and information a business creates, the profile of this critical management duty is raised and its importance highlighted. With so many regulations to comply with and data to protect, the importance of secure document and information management is a topic to which more and more small and medium-sized organizations must devote more time. It is also as important to consider how this once pure administrative task can provide some business advantages.

A document management system is a software solution that provides businesses with a system to manage and control every aspect of electronic files and documents; from scanning paper documents and combining these with existing soft documents, to store them in a secure central repository, that is accessible to users at any time, from anywhere. A DMS will include many features and tools that allow users to search, review and process their documents. The business benefits are many, here are just a few:

Reduce Acquisition Time and Storage Needs.

A DMS will have options to allow users to manually and or automatically acquire electronic documents and index them. Some will also offer A.I. features to train the system to store document information systematically. With customizable indexing and integration with other document creation tools, a DMS can quickly become the foundation of a businesses’ information management strategy. Allowing user to reduce the time to index and help reduce storage requirements.

Improved Safety, Security and Access Control

Safeguarding your data, and ensuring regulations that affect both business and personal data should be addressed by a DMS. It is important that a system provides the means to not only secure the digital files it stores, but also the data related to these files. A Secure Document Management system will also provide tools to secure access to the system, offering preferences that define policies about who and how a user can access the system, the documents, and information it stores and how this can be shared with others. An important feature that systems should also offer is document and activity audit trails. These are particularly important where evidence may be required for compliance with regulatory standards.

Document Control and Workflow