Electronic Document Imaging and Document Management Introduction

Written by Posted On Saturday, 17 November 2018 05:19

Every firm must have and manage evidence - the proof of their actions, such as dealing with clients, customers, other firms, etc., as well as the other way around. In short, every firm should be able to prove all their actions were done efficiently and effectively. That's why in many companies, thousands and even millions of documents have been accumulated and more documents are added daily.

As the time is passing, more and more the proof is moving from traditional paper documents to electronic media, so electronic documents management is a significant part of any agency's business operations. But, it also means that no single medium now holds all the documents relating to an agency's business activities. If electronic document management is not done to the full extent and/or not all traditional records management disciplines for paper documents are applied to electronic documents, it can result in:

  • confusion between different versions of a document
  • loss or destruction of documents that should be kept
  • questionable authenticity, because of possible manipulation of text in electronic documents
  • loss of context of documents due to lack of linking of related documents
  • document inaccessibility because of technological change in record management software or records storage media

Which is naturally a consequence of inadequate document management model and business record retention policy, and not due to creating and keeping documents in electronic form.

Fully effective electronic document management system requires consideration of an agency's total information environment. All sources should be managed in a coordinated way, in a manner appropriate to their environment, in order to identify authoritative versions of documents, and to preserve and provide access to all business documents.

Modern digital technology has created a situation where documents are easily copied and transferred from one medium to another. Electronic document imaging is the conversion of paper documents into electronic images on a computer. Electronic document archival and retrieval provide conditions for:

  • improved, instantaneous and more efficient, access to documents, records and evidence than ever before
  • preventing misfiling and loss of documents
  • reducing indexing time
  • Conserving storage space.

In addition to the above, electronic document imaging systems keep an exact scan of every original document, protecting them from wear and tear as well as preserving the fragile ones.

Electronic  and document imaging system as one of its vital, constitutive activities, saves valuable time, increases work productivity, reduces distribution costs, enhances security and improves public service.

But it all depend on quality of document management model. The truth is, electronic document imaging systems will only worsen the problem of a poor or non-existent document management system. Before undertaking any electronic document imaging activity, a strict document management model should be established, including a detailed business record retention policy.

Business record retention policy provides:

  • vital records identification, which if lost would affect the continued operation of a company
  • accurate and consistent classification of records, which ensures proper filing and thus easier retrieval of records
  • legitimate timing and method of records destruction, including maintenance of disposition records
  • Records maintenance according to retention regulations of applicable regulatory agencies, in the form admissible as evidence to support litigation.

Maintaining records under a good document management model would enable implementation of fully effective electronic document management system and lower the cost of document preparation, which is the greatest cost involved in electronic document imaging systems.

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