Document Management for the 21st Century

In 1898, a young man named Edwin Seibels invented the vertical filing system used in filing cabinets. Filing cabinets have been a staple of homes and offices ever since. Once computers arrived, storing data had never be the same.

Giant mainframes, databases, and an assortment of disk types have been used. We are finally at a point where digital document storage and management is viable for most homes and businesses.

Scanners, thumb drives, and cloud storage have made personal tax filing and record keeping digital. It is actually possible to safely and permanently store your documents or at least most of them in a digital format. No more lugging dusty file boxes around every time you have to move.

Digital document management

For businesses, digital document management is a perfect solution for document storage and much better than having those large file rooms of the past.

Compliance

Businesses have a lot of rules and regulations to abide by. The only way a business can prove that they are in compliance with current regulations is by keeping strict records.

Following and documenting guidelines and being able to access those documents is how a business will prove to a governing entity that they are in compliance. Digital records not only make keeping and storing records easier, but it can automate creating those records through templates and finding them through document search programs.

Benefits of the Cloud

Cloud storage has many advantages. It is much more cost effective to use cloud storage than to store records in-house. The information can also be accessed from anywhere with a network connection. It is also much easier to organize and search for specific documents.

There are even specialized software products and programs designed to make this process easier. From small businesses to the enterprise there is a Document Management System that will keep things running smoothly.

Safer and Cheaper

Digital documents can be encrypted, so even if there is a data breach the actual content of the documents won’t be accessible. Keeping networks and data storage is a constant job and new methods for securing networks, data, and access are constantly being designed.

Proper disposal of sensitive documents is also an issue. In the past and still today, businesses usually pay another company to properly shred and dispose of sensitive documents that are no longer needed. Digital documents can be digitally shredded and destroyed at no cost or a very low cost. There is also no need to recycle or physically deal with the document disposal.

Storing your business data in the cloud
photo credit: FutUndBeidl / Flickr

Digital Records Are Here to Stay

Modern digital document management has finally come into its own. It’s easier and more efficient and more widely available than ever before. There are so many advantages for businesses such as easier document compliance, easier searches, better organization, using less space, easier accessibility, and better record management.

Homeowners and small businesses can benefit from digital document management too. From getting signatures online to sending digital invoices and keeping tax records, there is a digital solution for everyone. It’s time to throw away those shoe boxes of receipts and start using that new document scanner.