Document management solutions designed improve efficiency and reduce storage costs

Sometimes it seems as though the world of work is changing at breakneck speed and thanks to rapid developments in document management technology, there’s now a very real possibility that the prospect of a paperless office could move from science fiction to reality during the next decade. Not only is this great news for businesses keen to improve their environmental credentials and increase efficiency; it could also help reduce storage and administration costs. There’s little doubt that electronic document management solutions offer massive potential, but what are the trends for the future and how will the way we work be affected?

Cloud storage offers a secure solution

If you run your own business you’d have to have been living on another planet to have missed any talk of ‘cloud storage.’ In case there’s anyone out there who doesn’t know what cloud storage is; it’s simply a term used to describe the practice of using a network of remote servers to manage, store and process data. Cloud storage has moved into the mainstream over the last couple of years, and thanks to the benefits it can offer in terms of efficiency, data recovery and the ability to share data and work from anywhere, it’s now widely used by businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Despite the fact that many business owners worry about the security of cloud storage, this isn’t an issue which is confined to online document management. Any form of document storage has an element of risk attached – paper documents can be copied, stolen or destroyed, for example – the benefits of cloud storage far outweigh the minimal risks.

Findability is the latest trend in document management

The ‘findability’ of digital documents looks set to become a real talking point amongst companies providing document management solutions. Findability is very different to ‘search-ability’ and it’s important not to confuse the two. Findability is the term used to describe how easy it is to find a piece of information on a website, for example. Search-ability, on the other hand, is the way in which we find information using known information such as a phrase or keyword.

In the very near future it likely that the way we search the web or data will take into consideration who we are, where we are, what we do and what we already know; providing tailor-made search results which are unique and relevant to the searcher. We’ve all got used to using search engines – after all they’ve been with us for some time – and have come to realise that there’s an awful lot of information out there and that it can be very time consuming trawling through it all to find exactly what you need to know. With this in mind, the search engines have cottoned on to the fact that it would be much better if they could direct relevant information in the direction of individual users. This technological leap means that the document management systems of tomorrow will be designed to make content searches incredibly accurate.

It looks as though document management and electronic content management solutions are moving from the shadows into the spotlight. Remember when you first heard about email and what a novelty the web seemed when we first used it? This is the way electronic document management is likely to be seen at some point soon and it’s unlikely that, just like email, there will be many businesses left who aren’t making the most of the benefits on offer.

Contact Pro-Doc to discuss your requirements

If you would like to find out more about the document management solutions available from Pro-Doc, or to talk through your requirements, why not get in touch with us today?