Home
>
Software
>
Understanding Document Management

Understanding Document Management

The term "document management" and "paperless office" is the subject of countless articles and books. Everyone wants to achieve this lofty goal but not everyone understands what the terms really mean. Before you can embark on the journey of achieving total document management, it's important that you have a good basic knowledge of the terms and concepts that go with it.

Once you start investigating the various software solutions that are available you're going to run into some document management abbreviations, acronyms, and general terms that you might not be familiar with. Here is a "cheat sheet" that will help you to understand the material that you'll encounter as well as the conversations that you'll be having with document management solution providers.

Electronic Document Capture (EDC)

This is the generic term that refers to the entire process of converting paper documents into their electronic equivalents. It covers concepts such as scanning, text recognition, image conversion and indexing for later retrieval. In other words, it is a catchall phrase for the entire document management process.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

OCR is a process that recognizes the printed words that are present on a physical document. OCR is generally used when processing documents that are printed in "normal" printer or typewriter fonts.

Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR)

This process is similar to OCR but is generally capable of also processing certain handwritten documents on special forms. It can also recognize and process "tick marks" and bar codes.

Electronic Document Management System (EDMS)

Sometimes referred to as Document Management (DM) or Document Management System (DMS), this term encompasses not just the electronic conversion of paper documents, but the management of electronically created documents including word processing and email. EDMS systems are used to locate and display documents as well as to maintain different versions of the source document.

Electronic Record Management System (ERMS)

Also known as Record Management (RM) or Record management System (RMS), this term refers to systems that are used to insure that important records such as payroll, human resources, patient records, contracts, etc, are stored and available during their useful lifetime.

Web Content Management (WCM)

Also called a Content Management Systems (CMS), this term refers to software that is used to store and publish content to a web site. A CMS separates the web content from the underlying HTML design so that any authorized person can publish or remove content from a web site without having to know HTML.

Workflow Management (WFM)

WFM systems are used to management document preparation in a structured environment where certain preparation, review, or approval steps have to be done in a defined order. WFM systems direct the documents to the correct people, in the correct order, until the entire process has been completed.

Knowledge Management (KM)

These systems are used to make the total legacy "knowledge" of an organization available to everyone. KM systems eliminate the need for employees to "reinvent the wheel" when dealing with questions, processes, or any other issue that has already been dealt with by someone in the organization. A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) system is a good example of a valuable KM system.

Now that you have an understanding of the basic terms that you will encounter, your next step is to determine the type of document management system that best meets your requirements. After that you can begin the process of identifying the available solutions and pick the one that meets your organization's needs.

Cavyl Stewart is the owner of http://www.find-small-business-software.com. Never again slave away at boring tasks inexpensive software can do twice as fast. Find out how by subscribing to her exclusive free 100% orginal content ecourse:"Discover 52 ways to do more with software," by sending a blank email to: http://www.find-small-business-software.com.

professional maid services Glenview ...

In The News:

Black Friday deals are already drawing scammers who use fake delivery notices and gift card payment requests to steal your personal financial information.

Apple's iPhone Duo reportedly outlasted the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 by over three hours in battery tests, but its weight and repair costs raise concerns.

Florida Polytechnic University's Jetson ONE eVTOL police vehicle named Astro still awaits FAA authorization before officers can fly operational patrols.

OpenAI's new locked chats feature lets you protect ChatGPT conversations with a PIN, Face ID or Touch ID, but there are key privacy limitations.

A phishing email disguised as an Evite fooled a man even after he emailed his friend to verify it, revealing how compromised Gmail accounts aid scams.

Microsoft's AI diagnostic system identified 83% of complex medical cases in a study, more than doubling the 36% accuracy of generalist doctors.

Account takeover threats go beyond stolen passwords as criminals exploit session cookies, SIM swaps and MFA fatigue to bypass your login security.

SpaceX is reportedly pursuing access to 80,000 cell sites to turn Starlink into a major wireless carrier rivaling Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

Tech advocacy groups warn that foreign nationals at AI companies like OpenAI and Google pose a national security threat amid a lack of federal oversight.

Singapore researchers built the world's first touchscreen woven into clothing, surviving 50 machine washes while displaying images and responding to touch.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A startup founder woke to $449 in unexpected OpenAI and Anthropic charges after stolen API keys were exploited during the "Black October" cyber wave.

Educational Testing Service hackers stole millions of California student records, but families who moved out of state years ago may also be affected.

Apple's iPhone Duo screens are cracking near the hinge just days after its $1,999 launch, and iFixit's CT scans may reveal what's going wrong.

Travel expert Katy Nastro says 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles vanished from her account after someone redeemed them without permission.

Google AI Overviews can't be permanently turned off, but adding -AI to your searches and using the built-in Web filter can help bypass AI summaries.

Attaxion researchers found 30 fake Texas campaign merchandise stores traced to just two sellers hawking gear for competing Republicans and Democrats.

GM plans to debut eyes-off driving in the Cadillac Escalade IQ by 2028, but safety testing reveals how long distracted drivers take to regain control.

Data brokers assign labels predicting your health, finances and religion based on browsing and purchases, then sell those profiles to businesses.

Elon Musk says he'll give one SpaceX share to every kid in America in 2027, but key details about eligibility and distribution remain unclear.

ClearSpace UK's robotic spacecraft with giant claws will chase down dead satellites at 17,000 mph, with a 2029 launch from Scotland planned.

A fake Social Security statement phishing email uses the SSA logo and a convincing layout, but the sender's domain instantly exposes the scam.

A clean credit report doesn't mean your identity is safe. Six ways criminals can steal from you without triggering a credit monitoring alert.

Carolyn Marvin, a 78-year-old retired professor, was arrested after blocking an Uber Eats delivery robot on a Philadelphia sidewalk for months.

The Midnight Mimosa malware campaign hides inside cheap Android phone firmware, giving attackers powerful access before owners even turn devices on.

Understanding Document Management

Software