by Fortress & Castle Ltd | Aug 13, 2015 | Article
The paperless office has moved beyond the metal filing cabinet, and now your business needs a platform for managing your digital documents. A document management system (DMS) can organise, store, and track changes in your electronic records. The right DMS will integrate with your current systems to maximise workflow and collaboration. Not all document management systems are created equal, so before you rush to purchase one, first consider the following:
1. Determine Your Specific Document Management Needs
You can’t buy the right tool unless you know what you’re trying to fix. While it’s tempting to throw technology at an issue, take the time to assess your organisation’s specific document management needs. Start by making a list of current issues, and engage your staff in this process so that you can target a solution that will actually work for them. Note the various software applications you’d like to integrate with your document management system. Factor in your firm’s projected growth areas so that your new DMS can handle future challenges.
2. Look for a Simple, Straightforward User Interface
Your system should offer an intuitive user interface (UI) that your staff can easily navigate. A powerful software platform with a confusing UI will only frustrate employees. Look for a system that’s simple and efficient, with clear commands and a clean visual design. After initial training, your staff shouldn’t have to constantly refer to a user manual to access your DMS. Designate a few “power users” on your team who can master the UI and share tips and tricks on getting the most out of your new system.
3. Select a DMS with Full Integration Capabilities
Your DMS needs to integrate fully with your current software systems so that you won’t have to hop between applications to complete daily tasks. Make sure your new software can “talk to” your other programs.
4. Manage Workflow
A document management system is far more than a digital filing cabinet. The best ones also act as workflow management systems, keeping your projects moving forward smoothly. Choose a DMS with project management features that meet your organisation’s specific needs. Make sure the platform also includes sufficient scalability for your business, so that your software can adapt to your company’s growth.
5. Focus on Collaboration
With more staff working off site, your system should enable users to collaborate seamlessly. Your employees need to access files simultaneously without having to log out, and they need to track revisions and document versions in detail. Make sure that the system you implement catalogues all changes, and that it lists document versions in a logical order so that your team can reference previous instances quickly.
6. Capture Data Intelligently
The right document management system will capture your data from a variety of input devices. Once your documents have been scanned, the system should intelligently extract and validate the data in the files. The software will then tag and categorize materials for fast retrieval through an easy-to-use search engine, conserving your staff’s time and increasing productivity. While many DMS options claim to offer intelligent data capture, not all deliver. Work closely with your supplier to make sure that the product you select can actually interpret your data correctly.
7. Prioritise Security
Recent data breaches have underscored the importance of guarding your business intelligence. Protect your corporate and client information with a system that includes rigorous security protocols designed to block external attacks. Reputable software suppliers will stress security as a key feature of their products. Remember that you’ll need to constantly monitor and update security levels to address evolving threats.
8. Choose Software with Administrative Control Features
In addition to external threats, you must also protect your data from within by using software that provides administrative control options. Set user permissions that are tailored to the needs and responsibilities of each staff member. Some employees will simply require read-only access, while others will need expanded authorisation to move and delete files. Work with your team to refine permissions, and develop standard “permissions profiles” that you can reference when taking on new staff. Add flexibility with temporary permissions for staff working on short-term projects.
9. Verify Support Options
Look for a supplier that can provide superior product support, preferably in a number of formats (such as telephone, email, and online chat options). Before purchasing your document management system, ask your supplier about turnaround times for support requests.
10. Back It Up
No matter how large or small your business, you can’t afford to lose your documents and data. Always choose a product that offers constant backups on secure servers. Your document management system’s backup capabilities should form part of a larger disaster recovery plan for your organisation.
The Bottom Line
Selecting the right document management system can be a challenge. Take control of your search by first understanding your needs and the available software options. Choose a reputable supplier with a proven product, insist on security, back up your data, and your document management system will provide significant return on your investment.
Source: Tim Eisenhauer, Axero
Why not consider making the transition from hard copy to electronic storage of documents, and let our intelligent document management solution take care of your important data.
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by Fortress & Castle Ltd | Jul 17, 2015 | Article
Speedy access to critical information separates the winners from the losers in today’s information economy. And just as everyone organises their documents in some way or another – even if it’s a ‘home made’ naming convention of always including the client name or a keyword – then, everyone who is not using document management software spends far too much time looking for “lost” documents or trying to work out which is the most recent version.
We would like to think that DM has finally gained full acceptance in the business world; but the truth is that some businesses still remain stubbornly unconvinced despite the facts and figures that support the business case.
Why Wouldn’t You?
According to Deutsche Bank and Gartner research, no less than 95% of the 30 billion invoices processed across Europe in the year 2010 were still done so in a way that involved manual data entry. Think about that for a minute – that’s over 28 billion invoices still being moved around from person to person, desk to desk, sometimes with as many as 10 steps to complete the whole process. The truth here is that manual processing can push the cost of processing that invoice by a factor of 20 over doing it electronically. That equates to £80,000 for 20,000 invoices at £4 each (done manually) versus the much lower £4,000 if they were done electronically (so at 20p each). And 20,000 invoices isn’t really a lot if you are a multinational.
Another statistic has it that the average office worker in the UK uses 15,000 sheets of paper every year with a cost implication of approximately £170 per person. At roughly 10 million UK office workers, that amounts to nearly £2 billion pounds being spent on possibly unnecessary paper.
A 2012 IDC report (‘The High Cost of Not Finding Information’) found that information workers spent up to 20% of their time filing and searching through paper documents. On top of that, they wasted over 10 hours a week searching for, but not finding, documents, recreating lost documents and other time-consuming tasks. IDC has gone so far as to cost out three scenarios – Time Wasted Search, Cost of Reworking Information and Opportunity Costs To the Enterprise – that can help companies estimate the cost of not finding information and the productivity gains that can be achieved when they do. Using these three scenarios, IDC estimated that an enterprise employing 1,000 knowledge workers wastes at least $2.5 to $3.5 million per year searching for nonexistent information, failing to find existing information, or recreating information that can’t be found. The opportunity cost to the enterprise is even greater, with potential additional revenue exceeding $15 million annually.
Plans, ideas, and thought processes have to be reinvented and recreated because an original document cannot be located and retrieved or – as sometimes happens when people retire or move on – other people are unaware of its existence. These figures, and many more like them, can all be attributed to the problems inherent in hardcopy document management – problems that have been known about for a long time.
This is something that should concern everyone in business, as despite all the cheerful headlines about a recovering UK economy, most businesses are still not increasing their spending – which means that money spent carelessly like this if there really is no need is not really on.
‘Must-Have’ List
There is no room, then, for complacency. Until DM software is on everybody’s ‘must-have’ list, there is still work to be done. The DM market is still a very healthy one and there is great scope for selling more of the sector’s wares. But unless we start working with customers – new and old, frankly – on the need to get the efficiency beyond the Finance office to the rest of the office, making the internal handling of the payment cycle a much slicker process and close out the situation where invoices can spend three quarters of their time in a company doing nothing, then we don’t have time to relax.
Source: Document Manager
Why not consider making the transition from hard copy to electronic storage of documents, and let our intelligent document management solution take care of your important data.
View our explainer video here…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBjh5Y9-zAA
by Fortress & Castle Ltd | Jun 10, 2015 | News
Kofax CEO Reynolds Bish to be president of Lexmark’s Enterprise Software division
Lexmark has acquired Kofax in a cash transaction for $11.00 per share, for a total enterprise value of approximately $1 billion. This acquisition will nearly double the size of Lexmark’s Enterprise Software annualised revenue to approximately $700 million. Lexmark also announced that Scott Coons, president of Lexmark’s Enterprise Software, has decided to retire, effective at the end of July 2015. Coons has successfully led Lexmark’s software division since the company acquired Perceptive Software in 2010. During Coons’ tenure, Lexmark’s Enterprise Software expanded from its enterprise content management software roots into process, capture and search technologies, and significantly strengthened the company’s industry-focused solutions. Coons helped expand the Enterprise Software team’s international footprint through organic sales investment and acquisitions. Coons will assist in the leadership transition until his retirement date.
Effective immediately, Reynolds C. Bish, CEO of Kofax, succeeds Coons as president of Lexmark’s Enterprise Software. Bish will also be a Lexmark vice president and report directly to Paul Rooke, Lexmark chairman and chief executive officer. Bish has been active in enterprise software markets for more than 20 years. He has successfully led Kofax since 2007. Prior to Kofax, Bish co-founded Captiva Software Corporation and served as its president and chief executive officer from 1989 until its acquisition in 2005.
“Scott’s career in enterprise software has been truly extraordinary. He successfully led Perceptive Software from a small startup to one of Kansas City’s hottest companies and one of the industry’s leading enterprise content software providers. Our acquisition of Perceptive Software truly changed Lexmark, helping to grow and position us as a leader in managing unstructured print and digital information,” said Paul Rooke, Lexmark chairman and chief executive officer. “Scott’s thoughtful and insightful leadership has been key throughout Lexmark’s Enterprise Software evolution. His passion for the technology, and for attracting, developing and retaining a deep and diverse group of talented employees, will be the hallmarks of his career. We wish Scott the best of luck in his retirement.”
“We have tremendous confidence in the future of our Enterprise Software business under Reynolds – a testament to his proven leadership abilities and career success. His considerable experience in building and operating global businesses is a harbinger of future growth and expansion for Lexmark’s Enterprise Software,” added Rooke.
Source: Document Manager
Why not consider making the transition from hard copy to electronic storage of documents, and let our intelligent document management solution take care of your important data.
View our explainer video here…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBjh5Y9-zAA
by Fortress & Castle Ltd | May 20, 2015 | News
Adobe already offers tailored cloud products for creative and marketing professionals, and on Tuesday it launched a like-minded initiative focused squarely on documents. Essentially a set of integrated services that use a consistent online profile and a personal document hub, Adobe Document Cloud is designed to address the waste and inefficiency associated with many of today’s document-based processes, the company said.
At the heart of the new product is Acrobat DC, a major update to Adobe’s longstanding family of PDF tools that features a new tool center and a new, touch-enabled interface. Users of Acrobat DC can easily convert any paper document into an editable digital one, Adobe said. They can also edit, export and reuse any PDF content across devices. Microsoft Office and SharePoint integration is included.
E-sign capabilities, meanwhile, are fully integrated into Document Cloud and included with every Acrobat DC subscription, allowing users to electronically sign and send any document from any device.
Also new from Adobe are two new mobile apps dubbed Acrobat Mobile and Fill and Sign, giving users the ability to create, edit, comment on and sign documents directly on their mobile phones and tablets. The cameras built into those devices, in fact, can be used as portable scanners to convert any paper document into a digital, editable file that can be sent for signature.
Finally, new document management and control services help users manage, track and control their documents. Intelligent tracking, for instance, offers insight as to where critical documents are in the process, including who has opened them and when. Control features help protect sensitive information both inside and outside the firewall.
Source: www.computerworld.com
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by Fortress & Castle Ltd | May 15, 2015 | Article
The mailroom is responsible for managing your most valuable documents and sensitive information. Outsourced mailroom services can address a range of operational issues.
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Working with you towards a solution
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The effective management of your mail can impact on the success of your business. Contact Us today to find out how we can help your organisation.
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