| Nearly every business, organisation, company, charity, | | | | are standalone document management systems |
| government department etc. rely on their documents | | | | available as well as systems which tightly integrate |
| to store data and keep information readily available. | | | | into organisations' business accounting software and |
| Organisations can create hundreds of thousands, | | | | ERP systems. With tightly integrated document |
| even millions of documents every year, all of which | | | | management systems, directly from a company's |
| has to be filed, stored, indexed, accessible and | | | | business accounting software/ERP system and with |
| protected. It is becoming an increasingly large and | | | | just a few clicks of the mouse, business documents, |
| arduous task for many if not most companies. | | | | such as invoices and statements, are automatically |
| This paper trail mountain has also led to serious | | | | created, delivered, archived and retrieved. |
| environmental concerns as well as cost concerns | | | | Document management not only cuts paper, making |
| from storing and using all this paper. So with the | | | | good environmental sense, it also makes good |
| advent of scanners, ocr and cheaper computer | | | | business sense, forming a convincing proposition for |
| storage, it is only logical that organisations would look | | | | any type of organisation. Some of the key benefits |
| to start storing this information electronically. | | | | include improved cash flow, cost and time savings |
| Document management software, or 'paperless | | | | and enhanced customer service. The secure storage |
| office' technology, replaces paper-based processes | | | | of documents in an electronic archive also means that |
| with electronic procedures, eliminating the printing, | | | | invoices, statements and debtor's letters etc. |
| posting and manual filing of paper documents. There | | | | |