Icho Doc

Document management is a term that can cause even tech savvy professionals to throw up their hands in confusion and exasperation. Why? It seems everyone has a different idea of what features and capabilities it includes. To simplify and eliminate unnecessary confusion we’ll skip the acronyms and break the system down into four basic components:

Document Capture Document delivery and distribution Document workflow Document storage and retrieval
Document Capture



Conventional document capture involves printing a document and placing it in an organized filing system. Electronic document capture places the document in an organized file environment as well, but without resorting to paper copies.

Documents enter the electronic filing system, now increasingly called the “document management system,” in several ways. External documents can originate almost anywhere: from trading partners, media sources, research institutions, government and regulatory agencies, to name a few. These documents normally are captured using document imaging, or scanning devices, using optical character recognition technology. Internal documents most often originate as output from office productivity solutions, such as document printing and check printing systems. Other sources are incoming faxes and incoming email documents.

Historically, there have been two methods for channeling internal documents into the document management system: raw data could be printed and then scanned into the archive system; or the data could be exported as a PDF file. External paper documents, including hard-copy faxes, usually are scanned into archives. E-mail documents normally enter the system in their electronic form.

A host of factors impact corporate archiving requirements. Not least of these are legal, financial and compliance matters but customer related considerations induce their own mandates. In all cases, companies must know where their information resides. For archives to be useful and successfully maintained, a comprehensive and precise indexing system procedure is mandatory.

Parallels exist in the traditional file cabinet processes, which typically are sectioned of by departmental and/or file type and which employ alphabetical and hierarchical file structures, and in the library industry’s Dewey decimal system. The contemporary imaging/scanning/OCR solution is electronic but in most cases it still involves extensive manual indexing, which can be time-consuming and error-prone.

A far better solution is to employ software solutions that employ automated document capture processes that interact with the document management system to apply indexing automatically as documents are captured – at the time of production, for internal documents, or as they are scanned into the system.

Document Delivery/Distribution

Until recently, paper documents have moved about an organization via the company mail system. While this is still commonplace, an increasing amount of document delivery and distribution is being accomplished electronically, with document delivery via email or intranet postings and alerts.

Document distribution to external recipients still relies heavily on postal delivery, but over recent years, communication with trading partners and other outside parties has transitioned to electronic document delivery and distribution methods: electronic mail, authorized intranet access, webforms and in the case of financial transactions, the banking industry’s Automated Clearing House (ACH) network and Financial-EDI.

Electronic document and delivery introduces efficiencies and cost savings not realizable only a couple of decades ago. ACH payments, for example, reduce per-payment costs of more than $2.00 using preprinted check forms and IT department check printing, to mere pennies. Savings stem from the eliminating of printing costs, forms inventory and handling, personnel costs, post-production and mailing charges.

The savings are similarly dramatic for general/special-purpose documents.

The following examples provide a general idea of the difference in costs between physical and electronic document delivery and distribution.

Document Distribution Costs by Delivery Method

Mailed $0.80 per document x 10,000 volume = $8,000 Manual Fax $0.60 per document x 10,000 volume = $6,000 Automated-fax $0.25 per document x 10,000 volume = $2,500 Emailed $0.03 per document x 10,000 volume = $300
Mailed document costs include paper, toner, labor, envelope, labor, and postage. Fax document costs include paper, toner, labor, and phone call to fax. Auto-fax document costs consist of phone charge for cover page, average-length document. Email document costs are negligible.


Consider also that the comparatively high costs of the printed documents referenced above are generated on plain paper on laser printers from templates within electronic document delivery and distribution methodologies. As such, they already represent reductions of more than half from the cost of producing business documents using preprinted form. Documents generated using these conventional processes, like conventionally printed checks, can easily approach $2.00 per delivered document versus a relatively few cents using electronic document delivery and distribution.

The cost implications are significant and rapid ROI is apparent.

Document workflow

In concept, workflow embraces many areas of corporate activity, from the assembly line to the business office. In office, it is concerned primarily with the creation and management of business documents – most specifically document routing, document approval and document versioning. Examples might include the development of marketing materials or engineering specifications, both of which often involve the input of multiple individuals at various touch points.

Workflow challenges have always existed, and now, electronic workflow environments exist which erase most of the complications and confusion endemic to the handling and flow, not only of paper documents but also those of manually executed electronic document workflow models.

In document routing applications, for example, documents can be circulated in a variety of ways. Ad-hoc routing is based on human decisions and judgment. A linear document approval routing system moves documents along step-by-step as phases or stages are accomplished – an invoice or purchase order approval cycle, for example. Rules-based routing adds logic to the equation and circulates the documents according to prescribed conditions. Parallel routing systems essentially “broadcast” the documents to all concerned – for example, a request for comments on a request for proposal.

In an automated electronic workflow environment, most document routing, document approval and document versioning steps can take place untended, using general, imbedded or application/content specific rules.

One of the most valuable attributes in an electronic workflow environment, for example, is document version control, where many hands may be involved in the building and refining of a business document. It is easy to envision the chaos that can result when many people have a hand in modifying an original document, working independently and often saving their changes in new document versions. Not many versions down the line, it can become difficult to separate original documents from successive versions.

While working in the electronic environment in itself provides the opportunity for considerable document version support and control it still leaves the collaborators responsible, which is often unacceptable for uncomplicated projects. Today, however, advanced workflow solutions are available that automate workflow processes, freeing workers at all levels to focus on their creative activities.

Document Storage and Retrieval



To assure their most useful life, documents must be stored in such a way that document search and retrieval are quick and uncomplicated. Too often, documents (or “content”) are scattered throughout organizations, created by single individuals or small groups and held in their computer files or remote databases. Much useful information remains isolated in “information silos,” with valuable corporate intelligence unavailable to others.

Corporate content management systems that centralize corporate data and which centralize document search and retrieval have been around for more than two decades, and with varying degrees of success. The upside is their potential to maximize the value of corporate information. The downside has been their proprietary nature, which has led to often unaffordable purchase and implementation costs; and their complexity in document storage, search and retrieval activities, which often has led to resistance by those who stand most to benefit from their use.

More recently, solutions employing web-based technology for document storage and retrieval – corporate intranets and browser search tools – have emerged. Because of the simplicity of their architecture and the fact that document storage, search and retrieval is accomplished using technology that almost everyone is familiar with, such content management solutions often can be acquired for as little as 10 percent of the cost of proprietary predecessors. Equally important, their web-based design virtually eliminates resistance, since anyone able to search the web is immediately able to search the corporate content solution.

By centralizing document storage, document retrieval procedures can be implemented using indexing or full-text search. Currently, indexing is most often applied to documents manually and individually but technology has become available that allow documents to be indexed automatically as they are generated and archived.

Consolidating corporate content using web-based document storage also provides an opportunity to establish intelligent document retention policies. The key is the availability of simplified storage and retrieval techniques and superior document visibility. Document retention decisions can be complex, one reason being that there are few hard-and-fast rules about what to save and for how long. Another is that different documents have different functions, with the functions often determining their retention span. For example, documents related to patents or legal discovery would be expected to be retained for indefinite periods of time — much longer, say, than paid utility bills.

The important thing is to establish a document retention policy: that alone provides a degree of legal protection under the concept of “good faith.” Once established, the policy should be reviewed regularly for the adequacy of it’s retain/purge procedures and to assure the effective capture and availability of all business documents.

Computer systems were incorporated by many businesses and organizations with a view to automating document processing and reducing administrative burdens on their staff. However, without particular types of software systems, electronic documents are no better than paper files. For instance, even if you save all your documents in digital format, you may still end up searching for the files in the numerous folders on your computer. Document management software provides the best solution to such problems.

With computerized systems most businesses started dealing with electronic documents in every possible way. However, many were still handling paper documents created prior to adoption of a digital system. Organizations usually require older files such as contracts, agreements and other legal paperwork, client information, policies and financial documents. With automatic data capture feature of document management software, paper files can be easily converted into digital format. In fact, such files are also easier to save and store, eliminating the need for massive storage spaces needed for archival files. Apart from this, digital files are also easier to search and retrieve when required.

Many businesses thought it impossible to have a system that requires minimal manual intervention. The macro and coding options provided by some database management systems and customized software based on them, were thought of no less than a miracle. However, with digital imaging incorporated into document management systems, the automatic data capture provides a system which minimizes manual entry to a large extent. Software with form recognition facility captures relevant data from a document and automatically enters it into a tabulated format. For instance, fields on an invoice such as date, invoice number, order number, number of items and so on, are captured through a scanner or OCR system and fed into the software. The software then saves this data systematically for later use.

There are tremendous possibilities presented by such a system. Ask any employee the amount of time it takes to manually enter scores of invoices or order forms coming in every day. The amount of time saved with automatic data capture is truly phenomenal, where the time saved can now be utilized for better purposes. Such a solution also helps in streamlining the documentation process. With document management software, your employees and administrative staff can concentrate on achieving the business goals and work towards better services for your clients and customers.

Benefits that can be achieved using document management software include:

Scanning and capture of relevant information from printed documents

Capture of electronic documents including emails

Systematic saving and indexing of data captured

Easy storage and retrieval when required

Integration with existing hardware and software systems including spreadsheets and word processing solutions

Document processing including auto-submission of final draft or delivery of an item to clients

Document management systems were usually associated with large organizations dealing with thousands of documents, which is true. However, timely and accurate information is of utmost importance to every organization, no matter how big or small. Every decision is virtually dependent on how fast information can be retrieved and processed for use by higher management and your clients. In this regard, every establishment handling documents will require a document management system at some point in time. Usually thought of as expensive, document management software have become more affordable and accessible today. They have also become more user-friendly and easy to incorporate into the existing system.

Apart from remote access, data backup and disaster recovery, document management systems is one of the top ten technologies that businesses must adopt in order to stay ahead of the competition. Clients and customers today expect quick solutions to their problems and faster delivery of information or items. The work environment has also become more competitive. With professional document management software, your staff is equipped to handle such an atmosphere and you can surely hope to achieve success for your business.

Let’s start this by stating the obvious: identity theft has become an increasingly common crime in our society. There are all kinds of identity theft can really mess up your personal and business information. In order to protect sensitive documents and information, shredding is your best option.

The Law Says You Must Shred!

With the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act or FACTA taking effect in June 1995, it has become a legal necessity for companies to employ a person exclusively for document destruction. Businesses are required to provide professionals with the necessary equipment for proper document disposal. The law was enacted to make sure that all business-related documents are discarded in the safest possible manner to eliminate any chance of identity theft. Not all businesses are aware of the compliance requirements of the FACTA Law. Fines under the State law could go up to $1000, while the penalty under Federal Law could be around $2500, for violation and non-compliance.

So What Now?

Under these conditions, you should first purchase a small, in-house paper shredder. It could be used for limited shredding applications, such as a few bills or credit card communications received via mail. It is most suitable for private use, in the house or at a small office where there is a limited amount of paperwork involved. In a medium or large business organization, or even a small business that produces lots of paper, it is best to invest in professional shredding services.

Professional shredding services are provided both onsite and offsite. The onsite option is considered to be the safest, but when dealing with a shredding company with a good reputation, the offsite experience is just as safe.

Professional Shredding – The Best Option

In onsite shredding, the company sends a special truck to your business address. The shredding is done in the truck and you are able to monitor the whole process of the shredding through a camera. This gives you the satisfaction of knowing that every document has been completely destroyed. The truck arrives as per your scheduled arrangement with the shredding company, daily, weekly or on a monthly basis, depending on the volume of work. These companies also provide you with secured storage containers to store the documents meant for shredding, until the next scheduled shredding day. After every shredding, the company provides a shredding certificate called the ‘Certificate of Destruction’.

When you choose offsite shredding services, the company ideally provides you with a container, to place the documents meant for destruction. They lock the container when they come for collection. There are security cameras installed at the site that allow you to witness the whole shredding operation. In this case also, you are provided with a ‘Certificate of Destruction’ and a note stating the date and time of destruction, should you require it at some time in the future.

Keep Your Business Efficient

There are lots of advantages to employing a document shredding company, one of the most important is simply limiting payroll hours devoted to mindless tasks like shredding paper. It is much better to have employees focused on greater tasks at hand and let a professional company handle the business’s paper shredding needs. The best part about these companies is they provide a convenient bin to place waste papers, folders, paper clips, staples and rubber bands included, and take care of the shredding for you on a pre-defined schedule. From there your documents containing sensitive information is safely shredded and recycled.