Finding a document is ten times more expensive than producing it. Digitizing a document and wishing to treat it only in its digital version seems to be a relevant alternative. This facilitates research and guarantees the company a more efficient and effective information system.
Electronic Document Management (EDM) is an IT tool that directly supports document management operations :
- creation (according to defined approval rights),
- archiving and storage,
- classification (constitution of files),
- indexing (association of information or "attributes"),
- research and restitution,
- control (management of access rights, locks).
Benefits of EDM :
- Unique documentary repository: each document exists in a single, official copy. There are no more duplicates.
- Protected and fast access: documents are protected against unauthorized access; they are easily accessible through search and navigation functions.
- Document protection: documents are protected against loss, against accidents and malice.
- Uniqueness of documents: more duplicates or triplons of the same document, so more confusion possible.
- Access control: access to documents and their modification are checked and recorded in an activity log (trace or log).
- Version management: the versions of a document are saved and thus allow to have a perfect history of the modifications.
- Activity Log: All events and actions are recorded in a log, thus providing an activity audit for quality.
- Standardization: The naming and filing of documents can be automated and satisfy a charter or standard, thus increasing the legibility of information and its usability.
- Reliable and up-to-date information: due to the uniqueness of the data and the guarantee of always having the latest version up-to-date or applicable.