One of the major problems small-to-medium businesses face is figuring out how to handle their ever-increasing stacks of documents. Although the increase of documents in the business may seem like things are going well when it comes to the amount of information that is retained and stored, it could eventually spiral out of control and be the bane no one wants to address.

Not too long ago, documents used to be hoarded in dusty warehouses that made it almost impossible to retrieve them without a strict filing order. But as technology took over, the warehouses were replaced by digital filing cabinets in the form of high-end personal computers and servers. While that may have come as a relief, it also presented new problems like accessibility and security issues.

And so, that was when document servers and management systems were invented.

What are they?

A document server and management system can be defined as a business’ modern version of a filing cabinet that also comes with a framework that allows for the organizing of the digital data that is stored on them: documents, spreadsheets, media files, etc.

These document management systems can also be integrated with input devices like scanners or digital cameras so that the required information is captured and stored automatically. Once everything has been put in its proper place, it makes it easier for the system’s users to find and retrieve data. But just in case, a good document system always comes with its own built-in search engine to facilitate the search and retrieval process.

How can businesses benefit from them?

Well, as mentioned, the primary task of a document server and management system is to make sure all data is stored in one place. But of course there are many more advantages to the system:

1. Data and Document Longevity: being able to store data on a server means, it is possible to secure them to avoid loss, damage or theft. Paper documents have a tendency to deteriorate over time and after frequent handling. In this case, the server ensures all the files stored on it will look and remain as the day they were archived.
2. Authorization and Security: obviously, not everyone in a business’ hierarchy is privy to every document that passes through; some of them will only be for the top echelon’s eyes only. With a document management system, each individual file can be granted or denied read and/or write permissions which can then be assigned to users. This way, only those that are allowed to do so will gain access to the documents.
3. Document Tracing: a good document management system will allow a business to know exactly where a document currently is. This can come in handy in case of documents that need successive levels of approvals. Anyone following up on the process will be able to quickly find out what level of approval any single document has reached and can then act accordingly.
4. Document Tracking: sometimes a document will need to be modified by different departments or individuals in the business. If everyone were to simply edit the document, it would soon become difficult to figure out what changes had been made to it or in what order. Document management systems ensure there are no mess ups by keeping various versions of the same documents so anyone concerned will know what modifications were made to it, by whom they were made, and at what time. This also helps in ensuring that collaboration between staff and departments do not end up in chaos, as documents can be locked while someone is editing or updating them and will only allow someone else to take over once they have been released.
5. Search and Retrieve Easily: the main purpose of storing documents is so that they can be easily retrieved at a later date. Now, apart from having a good search engine, document management systems will also have a way of “tagging” or assigning keywords to each document. This way, when a user is looking for a document they will use the search engine and then when they want to also see any other documents that are related to the first document, they can simply search by adding the tags or keywords. Any document that is even remotely related to the original one can then be retrieved.
6. Saving Time and Money: studies done by major companies like the Gartner Group and Laserfiche found that a business can lose around 7.5 percent of its documents – these documents will never be found. Also, only around 10 percent of documents are put in their proper place while the vast majority will end up where they do not belong. Finally, the studies showed that employees will spend half their time searching for documents and will then only spend 5 to 15 percent of their time actually reading them. These numbers alone should convince any business to implement a document management system to cut the time wasted on searching for files that have been misplaced and/or that will then only be glanced at once they are retrieved.

And there we have it. Implementing a documents server and management system can only mean more productivity to a business.