Documents, no matter the scale or nature of your business, are crucial to the efficiency and security of your entire enterprise. The more of them that pile up, the harder it can be to keep track of them all. Gone are the days of storerooms of archived receipts, and any sensible business owner knows that the key to effective organization is in the digital realm. Yet therein lies the rub. How do you organize what you have into a system that matches the scale of your business and its workflow? Don’t let documents pile up into messily arranged and inconsistently named folders. You need the right document management system to get the job done. This article will be your guide in the types of docum ent management solutions and what to consider when choosing one (or more) for your own company.

The Types of Document Management Systems

The global document management sector was valued at $6.23 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to a staggering $24.91 billion by 2032. Just as there’s no one business structure, so too is there no one document management solution. Similarly, not every business offers the same quality of solution.

The industry itself can be divided up into several categories. Specifics may vary, depending on who you ask, but there are five core categories that everyone agrees on:

Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECMs)

This document management system handles content based on the workflows, processes, and rules of the enterprise. It takes how a business is run into consideration and runs to meet it rather than the other way around.

What’s more, it considers (and organizes) all the unstructured files – like PDFs, Word documents, and spreadsheets – that over time become a nightmare to find, let alone categorize. ECM takes these files that are central in the day-to-day of any business and makes them accessible to the people who need them when they need them.

In short, ECM works with your business’s workflow and enables your entire team to do the same.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

Sometimes a business might not have an efficient organizational structure or workflow in place or wants to make theirs more efficient. This is where content management systems shine. This solution provides the software and structures that make organization easier.

What’s great about this solution is that most of the legwork has already been done to design the content. Staff don’t need to be IT pros to make the software work, and training is much simpler. Automated processes and content implemented across an entire business make for more consistent work.

CMS software is primarily digital and works well with cloud-based office solutions.

Document Imaging Systems

Businesses that have been around for a while or prefer to have things in print may find themselves with a growing pile of documents and shrinking space to store them all. Digital imaging systems involve more than simply scanning forms and receipts: the term also refers to the entire process of organizing and categorizing them.

How these documents are organized depends on the service provider and the nature of the business.

Workflow Systems

Consistency is the key to saving time, reducing errors, and saving everyone involved a lot of stress. Workflow systems streamline the processes of organization, helping establish set ways of getting things done. Some systems may be automated by software, cutting down on tedious processes, while others better outline the entire workflow and its participants.

Whatever the scenario for a certain business may be, the goal is always to better define the workflow and enhance efficiency by avoiding confusion and bottlenecks.

Records Management Systems

In businesses where easy access to archives is key (legal, medical, academic to name a few), having documents properly backed up, archived, and organized is crucial. Records management solutions do just that. They organize files in such a way that they’re easily retrievable to those who need them.

Proper labeling and sorting are vital to the success of any records management. Should employees or authorities ever need access to documents, they should be easy to locate or be part of a consistent filing system that makes for easy retrieval.

Other Management Systems

In addition to the main five categories of document management, there are several more which are occasionally mentioned, including:

  • Quality Management System – This system focuses on quality and consistency in capturing documents. This may involve correct categorization or correction of previously archived files.
  • Email Management System – Businesses may accumulate a lot of emails that need to be kept for posterity, while also need to keep their inbox tidy. This system better organizes the emails that matter, indexing and archiving them for easy access.
  • HR Management System – Employee documents and information are vital to the running of any business and are a large privacy concern too. In long-running or large enterprises, proper digital filing of employee information is vital for a whole range of reasons, be it tax filing, or pension fulfillment.

What Makes a Document Management System Right for You?

Choosing one (or more) document management systems for your business is no easy task. It can be easier with the right partner, but it still helps to consider certain things before making your decision:

  • Cost – Money will never not be a factor in your choice. Some systems operate on a subscription service, while others charge an initial set-up fee. All these costs should be considered. Choose a solution that’s within the means of your business, but keep in mind: you get what you pay for.
  • Security – Taking documents from the physical to online space may protect them from the elements, but lays them open to data infiltration. Seeing as nearly all document archives contain private or sensitive information, it’s important to ensure that the system you choose prioritizes security. Look for secure storage, backup options, encryption, and access controls.
  • Integration – Why have multiple disparate systems that can cause confusion when one system can maintain your document management needs just fine? Choose a solution that works well with your current systems in place or one that has enough customization to get there.
  • Accessibility – Not everyone using a data management solution will be an IT whizz. What’s more, a user-friendly system will streamline processes and save you time in the long run. The faster and easier your employees can learn the ropes, the better.
  • Size and scalability – You need a system that not only matches the current size of your enterprise, but that can grow with it too. Scalable solutions mean you won’t have to spend additional money and endure the hassle of switching systems later and will ensure you’ll always have the right amount of space.
  • Support – When things go wrong (which they probably will), you want to know that your document management system has the correct support structures in place to set things right quickly. If a provider can offer training, maintenance, and technical support, that’s a big plus.

The Right Solution for You

Ultimately, the document management system you choose will be the one that best suits the size, workflow, and budget of your company. It helps to have a partner that truly understands the particulars of your business.

If you’re in the San Francisco area, that perfect partner is Golden Gate Office Solutions. We’ve proudly served the Bay area since 1983, and have the expertise and experience to tailor a digital management system that’ll have your business organized.