A Document management system (DMS) is a computer system (or a set of computer programs) used to track and store electronic documents. While DMS has been around for years, the penetration is now increasing with every passing day. With the exponential increase in generation of documents electronically, the need for a DMS cannot be understated.

Here are five of the major trends in DMS for the current year.

Increased penetration of the cloud:

More and more systems are moving from physical servers to the cloud. Thanks to the cloud, organisations would be able to access their documents / information anytime and from anywhere. There would be no need to be physically present in the office or at a specific terminal just to access the information needed. All one would needs is a good internet connection and a device that can connect to the system of course assuming all rights and permissions are in place.

Collaboration:

With the pandemic, businesses have evolved and working together or rather collaborating is a no brainer. Yes, one could argue about using e-mail too but anyone who has used that medium knows how cumbersome it is to collaborate over e-mail using “track changes” and documents flowing back and forth. Collaboration will be on the rise whether they work with simple documents or complex information. Also version control will gain significant importance allowing users to revert to some previous version.

Security:

With the increased migration to the cloud, data security would be of paramount importance. It would not just mean getting safe and role-based access but also features such as data encryption and multiple security level access would take centre stage. Information could now be accessed from public IP addresses so secure VPN, secure intranet would all be the need of the hour.

Productivity:

Physical storage of documents will be reduced as more and more people adapt to usage of digital means,. Off-site record management therefore would be an increasing trend as companies will look to free up the expensive real estate. With increased collaboration, automation and easy-to-find information, users would see an increase in their productivity. Information will be captured in a structured form and will flow as per business needs.

Automation:

There would be an all-round increase in automation. Not just with automation of business processes but also with automation based on data extracted. One could receive an invoice and based on the data extracted from the invoice, it could trigger a workflow. Once the approvals are all done, the data would be released into the relevant ERP module. This would also result in an increase in integration with other systems.

These are some of the trends which will help get an idea of what the future has in store for DMS. The system no longer will remain as just a storehouse of information but will become a powerhouse of getting the right data in the right form to the right people.

About Author


Manish Kamdar is the founder director of Rincon India Solutions Pvt. Ltd. a firm that specialises in enterprise document delivery solutions and also solutions for healthcare vertical. He is a music lover and a die-hard fan of Kishore Kumar and R D Burman. Apart from music, he is a cyclist, a yoga enthusiast and also a Toastmaster.

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