Top 8 Electronic Document Management Systems

Time was when electronic document management system (EDMS) meant creating documents using a word processor program, computational statements using a spreadsheet program and transaction databases through data entry from paper documents.

The situation has been transformed dramatically since then.

Computer Networks

Desktops were replaced by networked computer systems. Documents could now be stored in a central server and accessed from any computer attached to the network. The workstations could also access the programs on the server and create documents that went to the server, or were stored on the local computer. A single printer or fax could also now be shared among the computers.

Document management acquired a new dimension along with collaborative working and more intensive use of available facilities.

Network of Networks, the Internet (and Intranet)

With the appearance of the Internet, another dimension was added. Intranets based on Internet protocols, allowed networking across the globe. Documents generated at any of the widely scattered offices of a global corporation could now be made available anywhere else on the Intranet.

This meant that the global corporation could now function almost like a local business. Security of the documents was not compromised because Intranets could restrict access to the documents to authorized persons.

Intranets also enabled the kind of system integration that facilitated online SCM and CRM.

Transferring Paper Documents into the Electronic Workflow

Paper documents could be transferred to the electronic document workflow by scanning and OCR. OCR or optical character recognition converted the text character images into computer readable ASCII and other standard formats.

In a global corporation, for example, all the paper documents received at the offices the world over were scanned by a scanning workstation that completed all the processes up to transferring them to the electronic document store, and even did the indexing.

Indexing and Searching

Another major development was the development of search technology, and its use in electronic document management systems. Millions of documents could now be searched to find particular documents, or information. This could be done in a few seconds.

Databases optimized for querying and analysis facilitated such information research. Managers could identify trends and patterns for making appropriate decisions. Data mining brought unexpected patterns and other meaningful information using the power of computers to identify such patterns.

Remote Data Capture and Access

Data originating in the field had to be brought in some way to the offices with data entry facilities and recorded there. This situation changed with the arrival of handheld devices that could transmit the field data to the main systems. Data were captured on the field and transmitted, often automatically, to the central system.

Data could also be accessed remotely by travelers using their laptops or other mobile devices, and used for various purposes including remote working, presentations to prospective customers and so on.

Electronic data management systems have indeed come a long way. It is almost a wirelessly connected world now, with data being captured and accessed from almost anywhere, and being processed at increasingly faster speeds.

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Top 8 Electronic Document Management Systems:

LASERFICHE

Laserfiche is a world leader in Enterprise Content Management (ECM), document management (DMS) and BPM solutions. Discover what Laserfiche can do for you.

LASERFICHE

OPENKM

OpenKM is a document management software & record management software easy-to-use which simplify your work and yield efficency.

OPENKM

LOGICALDOC

LogicalDOC is a document management system that can be used as a flexible solution to effectively manage electronic documents.

LOGICALDOC

INFOFORT

enVision, the leading Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) in the industry, provides a comprehensive solution for managing the creation, capture, indexing, storage, retrieval, and disposition of records and information assets for hundreds of clients serving more than 200,000 users across the region.