Archiving and organizing paper documents consumes a great amount of time. Employees who manually file the documents are also susceptible to commit errors in filing. A single document misplaced in the wrong folder or section is almost as bad as losing that document, especially when there are no duplicates or back-up electronic files. Paper documents can also be lost, destroyed or fail to be returned by employees who used them. The manual filing process involves manpower; and it is common knowledge that manpower costs are usually the most expensive expenditure a company has. This not only involves the salary but the training costs that the company invests on every employee. If the company can turn to a reliable and virtually infallible online document management software to handle their important data, the company will be able to save a huge amount of money.

It is quite common for organizational departments and sister companies that are located in different parts of the country or the world to share documents. The usual way for companies to solve problems in sharing paper documents is to make duplicate copies of these documents and store them in multiple locations that are quickly accessible to the companies. However this involves a huge waste of manpower and resources since the company will have to maintain employees that are responsible for storing and retrieving the documents. Version control is also impossible when people in different locations annotate and edit the paper documents. For the head office to determine the official copy of the document, it will need to hold meetings for the representatives of the geographically distributed organizational departments.

The problems that arise from the disparity among multiple copies of the supposedly same documents are numerous and disadvantageous to the company. For example, documents about the features and characteristic of a certain product need to be uniform and standard. In the unprecedented event that franchise or sister companies happen to differently annotate and edit copies of the documents and shared them with clients, should the clients discover the disparity among the documents, they could begin to question the credibility of the organization that governs these companies. The production of multiple copies of documents and document sharing reinforce the need to centralize the storage of original documents. These documents should be made available through secure, electronic document management systems.

Costs Involved in Manual Document Management Manpower Costs:

Manpower takes up a significant amount in the overhead costs of any organization in different parts of the world. From the costs during the hiring process, the pre-employment trainings, the regular salary and the bonuses, the organization spends a great deal in maintaining employees across all levels. Employees in charge of document management are in charge of printing, distributing and filing paper documents. These employees, however experienced they may be, are still susceptible to commit filing errors. There are additional time and money involved in having to redo the procedures involved in preparing the paper documents. The company will also have to shoulder such expenses that could otherwise have been spent on tasks that increase productivity.

Most companies utilize an intricate system of archiving paper documents in their storage area. However systematic the employees are, there is still a possibility of misplacing the documents. An employee in charge of document retrieval will most likely take a considerable amount of time in searching for a misplaced document. Should the document be needed immediately, the employee may have to report that the document is missing and will need to reprint the document. Although this entail an added cost, it would be only possible if such document actually has a back-up electronic copy. There are instances when some old files’ electronic copies have been corrupted. This would mean that the only surviving copies are the paper documents. It would cause the company a great deal of trouble if such paper documents are lost or destroyed during a fire or other natural disturbances.

Materials Costs:

The cost of printing and maintaining paper documents take up a significant amount in the company’s yearly overhead costs. Paper and printer toner entail the largest office supplies expenses in any company. A survey was done on 1000 different employees of a certain well-known office supply magnate. They were asked which two office supplies sell the most and the most common answers they gave were paper and toner. These costs are readily identified and quantified from accounts payable invoices. An estimated paper and toner reduction can be easily converted to big savings that can be used for more productive tasks. Turning most documents to electronic documents can greatly reduce material expenditure of the company.

Other miscellaneous costs involved in managing paper documents include storage supplies such as filing cabinets, folders, labels and plastic covers. Also included under miscellaneous costs are those that are involved in shredding, archiving and mailing of paper documents.

Equipments Costs:

Documents need to be printed, reproduced, sent by facsimile or even destroyed for confidentiality reasons. To be able to perform such processes, companies need to invest on different kinds of equipment. A company needs to have computers, printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines and shredders. These equipment need to be maintained and regularly checked. There are times when they need to be changed to ensure that processes are being performed smoothly. The electricity needed to use the equipment also needs to be taken into consideration. Electricity costs quite substantial especially during electricity price hikes.

A paperless office will simply need reliable desktops or laptops and a high-speed Internet connection. With electronic documents, filing and archiving is so much easier when utilizing an online document management software. Printing documents will only be occasionally necessary since there is efficient document sharing through document management platform. A company can work with a single account to be shared among its employees. An account administrator will handle the files and is in charge of granting access to the employees. Each employee will have different access privileges depending on their projects.

Storage Costs:

As companies expand, they acquire and produce significant amounts of paper documents over time. These documents, particularly important ones, need to be located in close proximity to workers. Such documents require extensive amounts of office storage space. In the cities, office rental is ridiculously expensive thus storage space for documents is often limited. The reason why some companies would opt to store documents in an off-site location is to make the most out of the rented office space within the city.

Storage spaces require to be protected and maintained to prevent damage to the documents. Pests such as rats or termites can feed on and destroy these documents. Natural disasters such as fire, floods and hurricanes can sufficiently damage an entire storage warehouse and all documents contained inside will be forever lost. Paper documents tend to have molds when stored in a humid environment. The storage spaces will need to be dry and cool to maintain the documents’ shelf-life as long as possible.

What makes up an online document management solution?

Online document management involves a process wherein documents are scanned, indexed, and stored as a digital copy of its original form. Once a document is in its digital form, it can be easily routed or distributed among the employees who need the document through their laptops or office desktops. For this to be made possible, users will need to have a high-speed Internet connection. State-of-the-art document management platforms utilize web-based architectures, hence only an Internet browser is needed to use the software.

Users will be given an access code by the account administrator of the company’s online document management software account. The good thing about online document management softwares is that they are being offered as ‘software as a service’ wherein the companies no longer need to install a software to their computer systems. All they need to do is to subscribe to the online solution to have their own account. This account will be managed by an appointed account administrator.

The account administrator is responsible of granting access privileges to the users. It is up to the administrator to determine the extent of the access privilege given to a particular employee. There is always the need to protect the confidentiality of documents even from the eyes of the company’s own employees. Software companies are aware of this fact which is why they designed the intricate access privilege feature in maintaining document confidentiality. An administrator can assign the folders to a group of users to which only they can have access to. Users assigned codes only allow them to have access to the folders they are directly involved in. In instances where they are removed from a project and transferred to another project, the administrator can change that particular user code’s accessibility. Should employees resign or be terminated, the administrator can also remove their accessibility to render their codes invalid.

Online document management softwares have an automatic and organized system of archiving stored and uploaded documents for convenient retrieval. Filing errors are virtually eliminated with the online solutions’ foolproof archiving system. To retrieve documents, users no longer need to go through the folders even if they know the documents’ location. All they need to do is to type the title of the document in the document management software’s built-in search engine. In cases where the users forgot the title of the documents, all they need to do is type the keywords that the document contains and the software will present a list of possible matches relevant to the keywords given.

Document workflow management is another feature that is being offered by document management softwares. Aside from storing and retrieving documents, the online document management software automatically routes throughout the organization to deliver the newly uploaded documents to the electronic inboxes of the involved individuals. This is similar to a mail delivery system, only a hundred times faster and more efficient. This routing process follows the path that a document usually takes until it has passed through the different individuals concerned and reaches the working cycle’s completion. The document undergoes annotations and changes during the work cycle, as the cycle is completed the document is either archived or discarded.

Electronic documents stored in online vaults are safe and immune from any form of environmental hazard, loss, destruction, and theft. Online storage provide a safe and secure environment with its military technology of transporting electronic documents over the Internet. Each file uploaded is encrypted twice before travelling through the Internet to the online vaults which make them invisible to the eyes of Internet hackers. As the paperless office becomes more convenient and beneficial to companies, online document management may very well replace the traditional and manual document management system.

Global concerns on environmental changes due to depletion of forests led most companies to use less and less paper documents. The green movement is no longer simply an effort put forth by concerned environmental organizations. Companies have begun sharing the mission and vision of environmental groups in reducing paper consumption and saving trees. The fact that technology has created a way to let people carry on with their work efficiently without having to rely on paper is truly astounding. It is now up to companies who still rely on paper documents to be open-minded to the benefits that could be gained by turning their paper documents into electronic documents.

Disasters are occurrences that spring up when they are least expected. They can either be natural or man-made circumstances. Granted that no one has the absolute capacity to predict when a disaster will take place, it is best to always be prepared for the worst that could happen. Offices that store a lot of paper and electronic documents have the most to lose should a disaster such as a fire or a tornado destroy those documents. Losing these documents will not only cause potential problems to the company but also for the clients who have trusted their information with the company. It can cause the company a great deal of embarrassment to not be able to produce backup data that have been lost during a disaster.

Technology today has paved the way for more security in storing documents and data. Document management services offer document hosting on the Internet through a remote hosting site. The good thing about remote document hosting is that the documents are safely stored in a separate vault that is not affected by damage to the users’ computers or hard disks. This also allows for access to the documents with a PDA or a laptop wherever the users may be.

Computer Viruses
Computer viruses are the biggest threats to documents and data that are stored in computers and electronic storage devices. They are the reason that a lot of budget is being allocated for efficient anti-viruses and anti-spywares. The problems that computer viruses pose are endless and potentially devastating for the offices and companies. From destruction or corruption of data to theft of important information, the possibilities on how viruses can inconvenience companies are matters that should never be taken lightly. Practically anyone who has a computer or a PDA has experienced some form of virus or spyware attack that has caused damage to their computer systems. Viruses can cause minimal problems such as slowing down the computer processes but they could eventually cause a total breakdown of the computer system when undetected early. Loss of data is one of the primary concerns of any computer owner but there are devastating instances when virus attacks cause the computers to be completely inoperable.

A computer virus is a small software program that spreads from one computer to another and interferes with computer operation. Viruses can be spread from infected external hard disks or electronic storage devices. They can also be spread through the Internet, from corrupted e-mails or attachments. Malignant websites disguise themselves by offering “free” services or prizes that are really spywares that infect computer systems once they are clicked or downloaded. They also come in the form of attachments of funny images, greeting cards, or audio and video files. It is important to remember to only open or download attachments from trusted senders since e-mails from unknown sources can potentially contain viruses or spywares. Viruses can also be hidden in websites that offer free audio, video, game and file downloads. A lot of people fall prey to this type of virus scheme since mp3 files and videos are all the rage nowadays. They are also often sold at a price in music stores hence websites that offer such files for free can easily trick people who are looking to save a few dollars for entertainment. Yet there are instances that despite having saved some money from the free downloads, the users will need to spend quite a bit to have the damages caused by the viruses that came with the free downloads. Viruses can also come from pirated softwares that usually come with a hefty price tag but are being offered as a free download. There are also websites that ask for e-mail addresses before giving access to the file downloads. These are being sold to spammers or to advertising companies that use e-mails to advertise various products and services for different companies.

The people who create computer viruses use their innate intelligence and cleverness to wreak havoc in cyberspace. The viruses created constantly change and mutate to continually escape detection and cause damage before they are screened by anti-viruses. The probable reason for creating a virus is for the creators to feel a sense of satisfaction that they can cause so much destruction and watch as panic is being spread via the news and television. Their know-how on computers and information technology is being used for destructive purposes that could have otherwise been used for more productive innovations. Their extensive knowledge of computer networking, security systems, operating systems and file structures are utilized to carry on with their criminal acts in spying on other people via the Internet and destroying important data stored in users’ computers.

Water

Electronic devices’ primary weakness is water and moisture in general. Water corrodes the metal in the computers and damages their electrical system. Computers or laptops, once damaged by water, can be expensive to be repaired if they can be repaired at all. The hefty price of repair is comparable to the price of a new desktop or laptop hence, more often than not; people with electronics damaged by water are compelled to buy new computers. The loss of expensive desktops or laptops is aggravated by the loss of important data that is stored in the computer’s hard drive.

There is a possibility that complex pipelines inside building can burst and cause flooding inside the offices. Paper documents and computers are the valuable resources of offices that are most susceptible to the damage flooding can cause. Natural disasters like storms or hurricanes can break windows of the buildings and damage the contents of the offices including computers. In cases of fires, the built-in water sprinkler inside buildings can be set off and drench the computers inside the offices. The damaged computers is almost always synonymous to lost data hence saving important files in computers is not the most secure way of storing data. Online document management solutions offer a safe and secure way of storing data in remote hosting sites to avoid unnecessary data loss.

Fire

Even the safest buildings have the possibility to be damaged by fire whether by accident or by arson. If by sheer luck or early containment of the fire some computers are saved from total destruction; there is still the possibility that the computers can get damaged by the intense smoke caused by the fire. The intense smoke can corrode the delicate microchips inside desktops and laptops and can ultimately ruin the computer’s operating system. Fires can also occur from short circuiting of electrical wires inside buildings or even houses. It is quite devastating when such unpredictable incidences occur since they usually happen when no one is around to do damage control. Oftentimes, fires are detected when it has already been going on for a while and has caused substantial property damage. There are also instances when computer systems themselves experience overheating and electrical short circuiting which can cause fires. Irretrievable data loss is a huge problem that can cause the company to have decreased productivity and increased work to compensate for the lost information that are stored in the computers.

Identity Theft

People with ill intentions have penetrated cyberspace and have been committing crimes against individuals and companies at large. Computer crime can be broadly defined as any criminal activity involved in information technology infrastructure; including illegal access, illegal information interception, systems interferences, misuse of devices, forgery or identity theft and electronic fraud. Identity theft is potentially the most devastating of all the mentioned cyber crimes that are currently occurring all over the world today. A cyber criminal who has used the identity of another to create damage in a cyber community can cause irreparable damage to the involved person’s reputation and relationships with other people on the web. Valuable personal information such as access to credit card information and online bank accounts can be stolen through ingenious and devious means by scheming cyber thieves. They can also use credit information and online bank accounts to embezzle money without detection thus driving the account owner to bankruptcy. Credit ratings can be ruined and there is no easy way to quickly reverse the damages caused by the fraud. Usually, the criminal is able to make a string of illegal purchases before the owner can discover that the credit card is being used by someone else and report it to the bank. Stores cannot refund the bought products to the credit card owner since the criminal has already taken these products. While some credit card companies offer insurance against inappropriate charges, there are many kinds of purchases or services bought that are not fraud-proof.

Mother Nature

Hurricanes and earthquakes appear more often in the news more than before. The devastation caused by hurricanes can be lingering in terms of the financial effects from the damaged properties and lost manpower. The massive force from a hurricane can destroy a building’s windows and doors thus exposing the electronics and furniture inside to water and fire. Tornados can rip the roofs of houses and establishments and take with it the contents of these structures. Tornados have the power to carry with it debris as big as trucks and drop them in a place very far away from where they were picked up. Hurricanes and tornados can potentially damage computers even if they are inside buildings and offices by the sheer force of the wind and water getting into the buildings and destroying everything in its path. Areas that are prone to tornado attacks are never safe from potential destruction of their offices and homes and the valuables inside. Computer can be easily destroyed during a tornado or hurricane and the data inside the computer is inevitably lost. Saving important files through an online document management solution is still the safest way to protect data from loss and damage.

Terrorist Acts

Terrorist acts are performed when people least expect it. Like the calm before the storm, they strike during a day that seems no different from any usual day. During the 9-11 terrorist attack, many computers and data centers lost their valuable data due to the destruction of the buildings and some surrounding structures. The power outage also caused damage and loss of data to computers that are located in the New York area. Due to the money lost from losing important files and information, companies have become reluctant to trust data centers with their documents. Major cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and New York should not be the only ones to be concerned with the effects of terrorist attacks on the companies’ workflows and productivity. Terrorist activities can take place anywhere in the United States. Terrorists may decide that less lesser-known cities are more attractive targets since security has been increased in major cities in the United States due to the 9-11 attack. Today, storing documents in an online document management platform is the safest and most convenient way of keeping documents accessible and secure. Employees in charge of computers for document storage no longer need to bear the responsibility of lost data when online document hosting solutions offer a secure environment for documents.

Personal Sabotage

Successful companies and individuals are both susceptible to personal sabotage due to the envy harbored by detractors and rivals. A disgruntled employee, an ex-spouse or ex-lover who may have known the company passwords to have access to the desktop and laptop containing important information can easily destroy those data or use it to damage the company. The damage may come in the form of viruses being spread behind corporate firewalls to insidiously destroy company files. Data with no remote backups or extra copies will be forever lost.

If an individual or company is at risk for any of the aforementioned dangers, it makes sense to store important programs and data remotely. The cost of lost data dwarfs the cost of paying proven backup services to maintain multiple copies of data in multiple locations. The advent of online document management has helped companies in resting assured that their documents are safe and well-protected from destruction or theft.

There are different things that need to be taken in consideration when it comes down to choosing the right software for the company. When the company has been working for a long time without a software solution or with an older software, the transition to utilizing a newer software involves risks that most managements are hesitant to take. It is understandable why most managers think twice before even considering using a software solution or changing their previous software solution because of the possible costs and time that could be wasted should this transition prove to be disadvantageous to the company. But then again, there is still that huge possibility that if the company is able to decide on a software that they have screened and tested thoroughly based on their company’s needs, routine tasks and workflows; it could turn out to be a successful endeavor for the company to take. Initially, the employees who will be using the software solution may take some time to learn the software and to use it efficiently. But with enough management support and software training, the employees will quickly maximize the use of the software to come up with faster turnaround and increased productivity.

The following are steps that are highly recommended when evaluating software solution for the usage of the company. Although evaluating a new software may take a lot of effort, time and money from the company, the benefits that the right software can give are definitely worth it. An efficient and effective software can save the company a lot of money and time once the users has gotten used to it.

Begin with a detailed list of requirements and daily work tasks

• Firsthand information from people who will be using the software in the future is one of the most valuable determinants in choosing a software solution. This is because they are the ones who know exactly what the software should do to make their work easier and faster. Interviewing these people and conducting a survey to create a database of the necessary features that the software should have can be very helpful in deciding for the right software to implement. Aside from taking note of the things that users want in a software, the managers should also consider the things or features that users would not want to be included in the software. Most of the time some of the predetermined softwares have features that are too complex which only hamper efficient workflow and task completion. There are two important reasons as to why the users should be included in the evaluation process. The primary reason is that they are the ones who are knowledgeable when it comes to the needed software functionality. They are also the ones who know what the software needs to provide its users in order to carry out daily tasks more efficiently. The other reason is when the end users of the software, particularly the employees, are involved in the screening, evaluation and selection process, they are more likely to be supportive of the new software. They will be much more willing to learn because they will understand that the implementation of the new software is not meant just to increase overall productivity but to make the work of employees simpler, easier and lighter.

Decide between on-premises or SaaS model software solutions

Both on-premises and software as a service (SaaS) model software solutions have their advantages and disadvantages. Knowing the features and benefits as well as the downside of each software solution will help decide which one is the right software solution for the company.

On-Premises Softwares

These are the software solutions that are described to be having a computer and software located within one of the company’s facilities. The vendors usually require a one-time license fee for indefinite use of the software. The software company will also require an annual support and maintenance fee which is more or less 15% of the license fee. The continuous software support is has its good and bad points. The company needs to have an IT team of employees to learn the troubleshooting and in-house maintenance of the softwares to keep everything running smoothly and securely. Most of the time, the people from the software company are the ones who train the employees of their customers on the operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of the software. The software company only oversees and supports the company’s IT team in their management of the software solution. This entails additional costs and manpower for the company just to keep the software solution well-maintained. There are also problems that could arise in cases of system failures which require the company to maintain failover sites. Software in off-site locations will also need to be maintained and this also necessitates additional resources from the company. The company will have to continuously keep backup copies of the software and the data involved should there be unwanted incidences of system failures. The company will have to thoroughly weigh the benefits of on-premises solution against the costs and manpower involved in maintaining it.

Software as a Service (SaaS) Solutions

The advent of Software as a Service (SaaS) Solutions has paved the way for drastic improvements in the way companies go about their daily tasks and workflows. The corporate world sees SaaS solutions as the newest trend in the software industry that could bring about higher productivity and improved work efficiency. Those who have turned to SaaS found it to be the right architecture of choice and software solution for the overall task management support of their company. The reason behind the success of SaaS solutions over on-premises solutions is that software companies have estimated the amount of money and manpower that could be saved when softwares are offered as an online solution instead of as an on-premises solution. The cost efficiency of SaaS benefits not only the customers but the vendor company as well since only a single software program needs to be maintained for all of the customers who use the services. Since the software is made available to customers via the Internet, the vendor company can easily handle maintenance problems and update the software without having to go to each of the customers who have rented their services. The costs on distributing software in different parts of the world for the use of the clients are virtually gone since the selling of the software solution is done through the Internet. The company who uses a SaaS solution will no longer need to have an IT staff to maintain and support the software used in an on-premises solution. The only thing the company need to have to utilize a SaaS solution is a web browser and an Internet connection. The company’s employees can access the software solution wherever they may be with their PDA or laptop. A user ID and a password can be given to the employees who are directly involved in the projects that would necessitate the use of the online SaaS solution. Confidentiality of documents is maintained because only those given access can view the data. Every time a user logs in, the date, time and activity is recorded so management can keep track of the performance of the employees. Whenever a document is uploaded or change is made on previously uploaded documents, the online SaaS solution automatically sends emails to all members to keep them posted and updated of the activities of the other members. SaaS solutions not only make tasks and workflows more efficient, they also improve office communication and collaboration.

Create a Request for Proposal (RFP) for qualified vendors

• Determine which vendors supply a solution that meets your functional requirements

Scouting for vendors that provide different software solutions is the first step in finding the right solution for the company. After gathering a list of software vendors, comparing the features, advantages and disadvantages of the different softwares is the next step. No single software is the right solution for all companies with different types of tasks and workflows. A company will have to find the software solution that most suits their needs to make the most out of it.

• Determine which vendors are within your budget

Different vendors that offer software solutions often have a range of prices depending on the features offered and the complexity of the software management and support being given. As soon as the company has fully understood exactly what it needs and what kind of features they expect from a software, they can choose the software that offers the advantages that they need while staying within the budget. There are instances when two or more software vendors which offer software solutions with more or less the same features but are with different price tags. The most prudent thing to do is for the company to check feedback of the different softwares to know which of the software solution in the market offer the best features at the most competitive price. If two software solutions have similar prices, checking with other people who have used both systems would be best to know which software solution improves software abilities.

• Create a RFP

To allow vendors to select the most appropriate software solution for the company, they need to present a detailed list of daily work tasks and features that the company needs would be necessary. This list will be forwarded to the leading software vendors in the market along with a formal request for proposal. Once the vendor companies have prepared their portfolios, it is now time for the client company to gather the people involved in the software utilization to thoroughly review the software solutions.

• Review the RFP and create a short list of vendors

The management of the client company should select the employees that they would involve in reviewing the softwares offered by the vendors and in creating a short list of the most suitable vendors. They need to methodically compare the features and the user-friendliness of the softwares. They also need to compare the price with their budget while still putting quality into consideration.

• Have each vendor present and demonstrate their solution

The shortlisted vendors should be asked to present and demonstrate the usage of their software solutions in front of the team of people who will be choosing the software to purchase for the company. It is impossible to gauge the effectiveness of a software solution by simply reading its features and benefits hence it is important for the vendors to show how their software works and how it will improve the working conditions of the client company.

Prioritize vendors by lowest risk of failure

• Vendors companies that lack experience, training and functionality often add up to the potential for failure of the implementation of the software. When vendor companies have employees that are not fit for speedy troubleshooting and maintenance, client companies are the ultimate victims of their incapability.

• Finding a list of the client companies who have used or are using the softwares from the vendor company they are planning to buy from is necessary to determine the credibility of the vendor company. Most of the time, the software vendor companies have the approval of their clients to use them as a form of advertisement. The clients would give recommendations and detailed descriptions of how the software has helped their company in increasing productivity. When reviewing product reviews and recommendations from “satisfied customers” it is good to keep in mind that not all recommendations are real and may just be made up by some of the vendor companies for advertisement. Some customers may even give good recommendations and referrals in exchange for kickbacks or profits from the vendors. The vendor companies should provide their potential clients a list of their previous customers from the same industry or geographical location. From there the client company can contact the other customers and ask for opinions regarding the software to create and objective description of the software. If the customers are willing to participate, the client company can conduct a survey or an interview to learn about the actual experiences in using the software and how the software help boost the sales and productivity of their company. The customers who have used the softwares firsthand are the only ones who can talk extensively about the implementation of the software, the learning process, the problems that came up along the way and how their company handled those problems. It would also be beneficial to know if the software was bought as the vendor company offered it or were there customizations made to suit their specific needs. Customizations and changes entail additional charges and time before the software can be prepared so this also needs to be carefully considered.

Prioritize vendors by lowest long-term cost of ownership

After reviewing all the presentations, the team should narrow it down to two software solutions and allow the vendor companies to bid for the most competitive pricing proposal. Often, vendor companies are more likely to bend to the price the clients propose if there is a competition involved. Unlike if the client company has singled out a software vendor company and asked for a final quotation, the vendor company would tend to give a higher price knowing they do not have to compete with anyone in order to sell their product. At this point the client company should have decided whether to use on-premises or SaaS architecture. They would now be comparing two quotations that are both either an on-premises solution or an online SaaS solution. This is because the overhead and maintenance costs of the both on-premises and SaaS solution are different. The client company can set up a formal bidding for the potential vendors to compete for the sale of the software solution.

Make your decision based on empirical data only
To be pragmatic in selecting the right software solution for the company, it is imperative to base the choice of the software on only empirical data. Studies and surveys on vendor companies are important sources of information that could be used in deciding on the software solution to purchase. A fact such as a vendor company having sold 100 softwares whereas another vendor company only 10 softwares from the same year of launching is an example of a very important empirical data. This could mean that, although the both companies launched their softwares on the same year, one company gained the trust of more clients over the other. It would also be good to find whether client companies switch to a different software after using newly purchased software from some time. This probably means that the client company did not perform a thorough review of the software before buying and implementing it. A company that is planning to buy a software can gain valuable clues from the success and failures of other companies who have already purchased softwares from vendor companies. It is not all the time that established software vendor companies offer the best software solutions. Client companies should not be hesitant to consider reviewing the software solutions of new companies. A systematic approach in coming down with weighted decision criteria is necessary to come up with an objective review of the softwares of each vendor company.

Document Management Solutions

It seems that technology is touching every aspect of our lives and telecommuting is one of the biggest changes. Telecommuting is essentially working from home and every year it gets easier for employers to offer this option to their employees. Internet based collaboration, including online meetings, document sharing, information access, and video conferencing are all making the concept of telecommuting a reality. Companies are more socially responsible today and offer products and services that enable information sharing and collaboration via the Internet and are making telecommuting more productive and convenient than ever before.

Impact on the environment is one of the most positive reasons for companies to promote telecommuting to their workforce. We are living in a time when most things that we do as a society tear down or destroy our planet. Telecommuting is definitely one thing that we can do to help save it. So what are the ways that telecommuting can help our environment? The following four examples are at the top of my list:

Vehicle Costs:
A tremendous amount of energy is required to produce transportation equipment such as automobiles, buses, trains and jet aircraft. If telecommuting is promoted, there will be less use of this equipment and less energy will be required for production, maintenance and repair of this equipment. Even more significantly, fuel resources needed to operate this equipment will be reduced, as well. Many studies have been done quantifying the large amount of resources wasted every year by commuters stuck in rush hour traffic.

Highway Costs:
The building, repair and maintenance of highways requires a large consumption of energy. Not only in the operation of the highway construction and repair equipment, but also in the manufacture and transportation of the required materials. An increase in the percentage of people telecommuting to work will decrease the need for expanded highways and associated road maintenance. In addition to highways, parking lots are continuing to consume more and more of our land surface area. If a larger percentage of people telecommuting to work, existing highways could be reduced in size and many parking lots could be converted to parks.

Office Building Costs:
The office building has heating, cooling and lighting needs, and the materials to build it and maintain it require energy in their production and transportation. Working from home requires only modest incremental demands on energy for heating, cooling and lighting needs, and makes effective use of existing building space and facilities. The trend toward video conferencing and internet based meetings is also gathering steam. Technology is finally making these modes of conducting business both dependable and productive. Having people attend meetings remotely reduces office space requirements, especially those large meeting rooms which are used only part of each day. These large spaces take a lot of energy to heat, cool and light.

Air Quality:
Whether or not you believe that the internal combustion engine is contributing to the erosion of the ozone layer and consequently to global warming; nobody can argue the negative affect that they have on air quality. One of the largest sources of pollution is the automobile. This is especially true of slow-moving automobiles that often exist in heavy, congested rush hour traffic. Of course, one solution to this problem is increasing the size and number of our roads, but an even better solution is to encourage those who can telecommute to do so.

Telecommuting is definitely one of the positive things that we are doing today as a society and not just in the United States. This is a worldwide trend that will grow as each developing country becomes Internet enabled.

The paperless office doesn’t mean that there will be no paper at all. It does mean that the amount of paper that one would find in an office will be significantly reduced. More importantly it means a societal change which will lead to the practical change. People need to start thinking of ways that they can reduce the use of paper, which has run rampant in our society.

Change the workplace:
We need to make significant changes to the workplace if we expect to go paperless. One suggestion is to remove all paper in the workplace that could possibly be replaced by electronically stored documents. A perfect example would be the rooms that are filled with glossy sales brochures that describe products, services, customer references, press releases, etc. etc. Literature Rooms have been a part of corporate life for as long as I can remember. They are usually located in the hallway exiting the building so sales people can grab what they need on the way out. These rooms filled with exquisitely labeled shelves are a way of life for most sales oriented companies. They are also a tremendous waste of paper and trees; wasting both financial and natural resources. People are becoming more accustomed to accessing electronic documents at vendor web sites rather than having to keep hard copy brochures. Vendors need to follow this lead by eliminating the Literature Room, or at least drastically reducing it.

On Demand Printing:
We also need to begin utilizing technology to eliminate the needless waste of paper. A good example is to utilize an online Document Management solution, such as file hosting, to reduce paper waste and eliminate the need to store paper documents. Documents can be scanned and maintained in a central location for everyone to share. No longer do we need to have stacks of forms in each office, which all need to be discarded when a new version comes out. Who hasn’t walked by a trash can and seen countless sales brochures or business forms that have been needlessly discarded? Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions for Document Management enable documents to be printed when needed or as is commonly referred to: On Demand. On Demand printing provides any user with the latest version of any document, regardless of when or where it was modified. Tremendous savings in both paper costs and trees would be possible if discarded, outdated documents were never printed in the first place. Check out our On Demand Printing services in Dallas, Texas.

The consumer web portals that most people are familiar with, offer a search engine, news, stock prices, weather and entertainment. They sometimes offer enhanced collaboration functionality such as email, chat rooms, dating sites, networking sites and sites for socializing. The argument can certainly be made that these consumer portals bring people together much more than ever before.

Corporate web portals provide a way for enterprises to provide a consistent look and feel, with access control and procedures for multiple applications, which otherwise would have been different entities altogether. Corporate intranets came into common use during the 1990’s. Having access to company information via a web browser ushered in new way of working. Rather than paging through thick employee manuals to find only outdated information, corporate intranets provided a method for disseminating current information to all employees. Some corporate intranets made it easy to find information by having very intuitive and easy to use front ends. Some facilitated information access and retrieval by offering search engines.

As corporate portals gained popularity, a number of companies began offering them as a hosted service. The hosted portal market fundamentally changed the composition of portals. In many ways they served simply as a tool for publishing information instead of the loftier goals of integrating legacy applications or presenting correlated data from distributed databases. Current Online Document Management companies, such as iDOC Corp, focus on collaboration and scheduling, in addition to the distribution of corporate data. As hosted web portals have risen in popularity, their feature set has grown to include hosted databases, document management, email, discussion forums, and more. Hosted portals automatically personalize the content generated from their modules to provide a personalized experience to their users. In this regard they have remained true to the original goals of the earlier corporate web portals.
Corporations are now offering portals that, for example, integrate every player in their supply chain or service infrastructure. A good example is a SaaS applications provider that offers sub-prime auto loans. The auto lending community is comprised of multiple organizations that all need access to centralized information. However, this information can only be accessed by individuals having the required user ID’s and passwords. The following are the types of organizations included in a typical auto lender ecosystem:

• Banks
• Credit Bureaus
• Auto Valuation Services
• Auto Lenders
• Auto Dealers
• Customers
• Investment Companies

All of these organizations benefit from sharing information that is normally collected when loan applications are underwritten or active loans are serviced. But there are also many loan related documents that need to be stored and retrieved via web portals. These types of documents include loan applications, credit reports, auto titles, insurance policies, and operational reports.

At iDOC Corp we have been offering Document Management solutions that facilitate the scanning, storage, and access of these documents for years, and since our entire solution utilizes a Software as a Service (SaaS) architecture, all access is available via any web browser.

While some concepts require a sophisticated Return on Investment (ROI) analysis to prove their value; not the case with the Paperless Office. The cost savings associated with going paperless are easy for most individuals to comprehend. However, it makes sense to be pragmatic when evaluating significant change in organizational culture.

First of all, the concept of the Paperless Office is not to be taken literally. No office could exist without paper. The goal is to reduce the amount of paper in an office as much as possible, especially the printing and discarding of paper documents needlessly. Following are examples of significant cost savings that are available to organizations that go paperless:

People Costs:
Always the most significant costs to any organization are people costs. People are required to print, file and distribute paper documents. And since people are unfortunately prone to making mistakes, one has to include the costs associated with having to re-perform these functions. Consider the time it takes for an employee to first search for a document that was misfiled, realize that the document isn’t where it should be, notify the affected individuals, and then reprint the document all over again.

Materials Costs:
Paper and Printer Toner are by far the two largest office supplies expense of any organization. Ask 1,000 different employees of well-known office supply giant, Corporate Express, what two products they sell the most of and you’ll get the same answer: paper and toner. These costs are also easily identified and quantified from Accounts Payable invoices. Simple estimates of paper and toner reductions can be easily converted to cost savings that go directly to the bottom line of an organization. Other miscellaneous costs include storage supplies (hanging folders, labels, etc.), shredding costs, archival costs, and mailing costs.

Equipments Costs:
The costs associated with printers, copiers, faxing machines, shredders, and the maintenance to keep them running are all significant office expenditures. Printers, copiers, and fax machines are also sophisticated mechanical devices. We are probably still many years away from being able to manufacture printers that don’t routinely jam and require the assistance of trained individuals. The less that these machines are used, the greater the savings to an organization.

Storage Costs:
Paper documents need to be located in close proximity to workers, which requires extensive amounts of expensive storage space. Most often these storage spaces need to be protected from environmental hazards, such as fire or water damage. They also need to be heated, cooled and de-humidified if documents are to maintain a reasonable shelf-life.

These are just a few of the costs associated with a paper intensive organization. While there are costs associated with implementing and using an Online Document Management solution, such as offered by iDOC, the costs are significantly less than those associated with a heavy reliance on paper documents.

When it comes to the utilization of business software there are three primary reasons that can lead to skyrocketing success within your organization. The first basis revolves around time. Business software dramatically reduces the amount of time employees need to complete pressing tasks. Most companies are fully aware of the importance of time management. Allocating a set time for particular tasks, work hours, or deadlines are crucial for overall financial gain. Using software as a tool to quickly and more efficiently record data saves time. This extends the hours your employees have to accomplish additional sales. Typically manual data processing takes away valuable time from an organization. The second basis to utilize this form of software in your business is the increased efficiency it provides. Compared to manual document processing software usage doubles accuracy. Having an easy-to-follow template allows the individual to concentrate only on the input instead of the entire format as well. This helps reduce errors and creates an environment where a mistake can be easily corrected without loss of time. The third basis for business software is enhanced communication in your enterprise. Communication issues are common in companies. The constant need to share vital data with each other makes it easy to misinterpret information. Implementing a database system through a business software application can simplify the method information is shared.

The use of customized business software has its advantages over general editions. As a company grows so does the need for increased productivity. Business software is a valuable tool to use for the successful execution of primary business operations. It guarantees the efficiency of daily tasks and productivity on a larger scale. The average company uses multiple applications or standard practices to accomplish their objectives each day. A software designed specifically for your organization will quickly integrate various applications required for your company’s primary function. They also aid in effective document management. Supervisors can concentrate on pressing matters instead of micro-managing the proper input of data. Providers conduct a consultation which focuses directly on the specific requirements for your business to operate daily. They implement these aspects into your software. You’re not using a general template but an exclusive version to enhance your productivity and minimize room for error. Each custom-made disc is formatted for your company’s platform system. Common business software lack the flexibility that companies need on a regular basis. It allocates a company to achieve objectives in an organized manner.Customized software also propels businesses in a direction that will ultimately increase productivity. When your organization is operating on a document management software system specifically designed for your needs your company accomplishes more. The accelerated profit gains and ROI’s make business software worth it’s investment. The fact that the software is developed for your specific business functions its free of unnecessary setup, options, and bonus features that waste your time. Customized business software for document management effortlessly aids in running your organization. Using business software is an effective method to manage documents, day-to-day tasks, and reduce operational costs while increasing profits.

Electronic discovery or eDiscovery was a digital tool used in only the biggest document encompassing cases. Over the past 15 years eDiscovery has become a common trend in the majority of litigation processes conducted daily. The cutting-edge technology in electronic discovery simplifies the document review procedure in criminal and civil cases. Between 55% and 88% of all litigation costs originate from the document review phase. It’s a crucial and hefty expense for legal firms. Up to 70% of data can be reduced by using eDiscovery. Considering that generally the review phase in the litigation process is conducted manually this is an incredible improvement.

The main objective of a basic first level document review procedure is to decipher if a document is ‘receptive’ or ‘non-receptive’ as it relates to a certain case or issue. This is the first step in the review phase designed to assist in dividing the documents in two categories. The process is started after attaining records following a legal “Request for Production of Documents.” Massive amounts of records in the millions often must be sifted through and examined by fellow volunteers and law firm associates. They must indicate four common principles during the review phase such as relevance to the case, confidentiality, legally protected information, and which documents are essential for the case.

Although, most individuals hired to aid in the examination of documents during the litigation are skilled like all manual tasks there will be inconsistencies. When different people are frantically searching boxes of information it’s bound to be error. These minor mistakes cost valuable time and money. eDiscovery provides legal professionals with an economic and efficient solution to their document review demands. Attorneys no longer need the assistance of large teams occupying entire floors painstakingly sorting through giant boxes stacked to the brim with paper documents in preparation for litigation. Now, legal professionals can utilize the eDiscovery technology to reduce costs, chaos, and inconsistency.

So, what is the legal professional’s alternative solution do? A litigation review program with eDiscovery simplifies your process creating an effective platform for you to win your case. It’s a computer program designed for the storage, sorting, reviewing, organizing, and accessing of files. This tool can effectively manage case files making the litigation process easier. A quality program eliminates the need to purchase software and permits users access from any computer with powerful data security enabled. Filter all of your records from a single database which allows collaboration and messaging. The ability to monitor reviewer activity quickens the pace of the process. The database should also be user-friendly. To completely ease the time consuming review phase compatibility with mainstream legal software such as IPRO and Summation is mandatory. This will increase productivity between tasks.

When investing in a litigation review program always remember to look for features that can ultimately speed up the discovery phase and create an efficient system to accomplish your objectives. A technical staff on call for around-the-clock assistance is an important feature to look for. Countless cases burn the midnight oil and having the assurance that if you do run into a problem at 2AM with the program help is available means the solution service has your best interest. Another must-have feature is a flexible interface which allows the resizing and rearranging of windows. Whenever you’re reviewing multiple documents the ability to switch windows with a click is essential. The best alternative solution for legal professionals is a litigation review program utilizing eDiscovery technology to save and simplify the process.

With a financial crisis looming it’s important to reduce business costs and save money. The number game controls the world of business. Companies need to concentrate on cutting costs to remain competitive. Eliminating minor expenses that accumulate over time that deducts from your profits is important. The economy will always fluctuate but your business should stay solid. Incorporating good spending habits and making changes that will improve productivity is essential. The best method to increase profits is by saving money through reducing overhead costs. The process of managing documents for most organizations is not only time consuming but costly. Although, paying for a storage facility to house older files you no longer have use for and making print copies of documents when needed seem like an inexpensive route to take it’s not. Those quarter prints here and there actually add up to thousands of dollars wasted per year. The majority of prints made are copied in error due to a lost or unavailable form that has been requested. Why waste your money? Save on filing, storage, and printing costs by implementing an online document management service. It will not only reduce your business costs but save you massive amounts of money in the long-term.

Online file hosting or document management services copies your paper documents and transfers them into digital files. These documents which are now in electronic format such as PDF or TIFF is uploaded and stored remotely on their online hosting servers. They can be accessed, shared, searched, emailed, printed, or retrieved at any time. Companies select which files they want to be copied and scanned into the system. Documents can consist of business brochures, orientation manuals, confidential medical records, financial statements, personnel files, weekly invoices, or tax forms. Documents do not have to be in paper form to transfer into the online document management system. Digital files can also be uploaded into the hosting site and archived. To save money it’s essential to completely integrate your information into the system. Having a file management system reduces printing and storage costs. It also organizes your business for success which leads to phenomenal productivity. Employees spend less time sifting through papers and more time achieving daily business objectives. Online document management services eases retrieval of data and makes the distribution of valuable information between your staff members easier. This process can help to reduce unnecessary hours as well. Enabling access to files in electronic form makes the data useful without downloading or printing restrictions.

Using this type of system keeps you in compliance with the HIPPA also known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This regulation requires organizations with personal client records or information to properly manage and store them. You can always be up to code with online document management services. Becoming free from the clutter of endless paperwork without risking the loss of vital information is priceless. Also having the security of knowing that your data is secure from any type of damage is important. Document management services is the type of investment that pays for itself. Creating a collaborative work environment with increased productivity is a step that will save money and reduce business costs for years to come.