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Taming Information Overload With Document Management Software
The twenty-first century is well under way, yet the dream of the paperless office has yet to materialize. Access to information has exploded with digital storage and the advent of the Internet, yet more paper than ever is being generated. Computers sold without printers are considered incomplete, and every day millions of them in businesses around the world churn out record numbers of ultimately disposable hard copies. Add to that the artifacts of the pre-information age: cabinets with file folders stuffed full of paper records; photo archives made up of prints and negatives; and drawers filled with slowly decaying microfilm. Consider, too, that the world's hard drives are yet another fount of information, virtually overflowing with records that add to the current deluge of information. Indeed, we are at a time in history when we have unparalleled access to information in a plethora of different forms – and therein lies the problem. -The average document gets copied 19 times during its life cycle. -7.5% of all documents get lost. -3% of all documents are filed in the wrong place. -While professionals spend 5 to 15% of their time reading information, they spend up to 50% of their time looking for it. It should also be noted that the free flow of information is further impeded by the very twentieth-century solutions that were designed to make things more efficient. Those cabinets full of files take up valuable floor space and prevent easy access to needed information from remote locations. Microfilm is outdated, and the equipment used to read it is difficult to find and keep in service. Neither of these applications are flexible in interfacing with core applications. Many users have pre-conceived notions about the security level of documents with certain compliance issues. Finally, the very nature of paper and the celluloid material of microfilm make recovering from a disaster more a dream than a reality. Document Management Software As The Solution As the twenty-first century gets under way, many businesses have found a solution to these issues through Document Management Software. The technology for this solution has its roots in the use of microfilm and photocopiers to store and disseminate information. However, as the computer increasingly became a part of business models everywhere, it became known as a system for managing and securing the enormous volume of electronic documents created by companies. Document management software is a multi-platform solution, which makes data available on the core platform of a company. Starting with existing digital documents, it uses image scanning to incorporate existing hard copy documents into the system. From there a central database is built to collate the information, set security levels for access control, and create a backup system for use in the event of a disaster. Document Imaging is truly a data management system for the twenty-first century, as evidenced by the growing number of corporations that have come to rely on it to efficiently manage their information flow, with an eye on ROI and improvement of the bottom line. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com For more information on taming your information overload with document management software, visit www.gbscorp.com/doc_man_computer |
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