How To: Organize Organizations

By Tim Nissen

I caught a TV segment the other night featuring a home garage organization consulting franchise. Their revenue indicated business was brisk as demand was robust; probably commentary on our cluttered lives…

Think about your client’s offices. Our garages are temples of tidiness in comparison. Their offices offer you more potential, as your electronic document management advice will prove much more beneficial and longer lasting.

Equipping the document scanners you provide them (MFP’s, production/desktop scanners, wide format and facsimile units) with networked, automated capture capabilities, with a way to access their newly-organized must-keep information is all it takes for sanity-saving organization.

Network-enabled document management software facilitates multi-capture locations. The capture component connects these scanning units to the server. These automated, easy to use, walk-up and scan programs provide simplified paper and electronic file capture and indexing from all angles, enabling streamlined capturing of electronic files and emails directly from MS-Office applications (including Outlook email), in addition to utilizing a send-to feature from the familiar Windows Explorer.  Once captured, documents are managed throughout their life cycle with the accessing retrieval function of the electronic document management system.

To access stored documents, users benefit from Web 2.0-based document management program developed for use throughout a business’s operations to enable secure, ‘Instant Document Access’ from any location with convenience of use that is similar to an Internet search engine. Searches may be performed using document specific meta data descriptions, full text content, as well as date ranges, search history, search lists and saved searches. They have now become workflow enablers, providing users the ability to share and amend native format documents, while organizing and tracking each amended version.

Documents of any file type may be uploaded directly to the server-based access component, indexed (with additional document identifying meta data added remotely if necessary) for native format storage and ease of access. SQL or SQL Express database support handles substantial file data storage, providing users with Microsoft’s off-the-shelf database power. Active Directory integration enables heightened security and user permission access and tracking. These programs manage multiple levels of security, including organization, community, group and users, as well as individual files.  Document and user activity tracking logs are always available, assisting in compliance of privacy laws including HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley.

Some programs also serve as a document hosting facilitator, with advanced public-key infrastructure (PKI) providing encryption and digital signature security for outsourcing daily-use information access to the electronic file storage.

Your client’s organizations need organizing. You can lend a hand. I can help you, too – see www.doculex-usa.com for details of (thankfully) simple solutions. u

Tim Nissen is a representative of DocuLex, Inc.  He can be reached at 863-619-2638.