Document Imaging: A White Paper

Transcription

1 Document Imaging: A White Paper RJS Software Systems, Inc. Page 1

2 Table of Contents DOCUMENT IMAGING: PROVIDE INSTANT ROI WITH DOCUMENT AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT... 1 INTRODUCTION... 3 MAINTAINING ACCURATE BUSINESS INFORMATION IS COSTLY... 3 DIGITAL DOCUMENTS: HOW THEY CAN IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS PROCESS IMPORTING DOCUMENTS TO A DOCUMENT AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM... 4 MANAGING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS... 4 Document Indexing... 4 Business Workflow Process... 5 Document Security... 5 THE RJS SOFTWARE ADVANTAGE... 5 Image Server/400 and WebDocs... 6 CONCLUSION... 6 CONTACT DETAILS...6 RJS Software Systems, Inc. Page 2

3 Introduction In today s fast paced business environment many companies struggle to stay on top of the demand for accurate and timely information delivery. By converting and storing critical business documents and reports electronically, companies can dramatically reduce paper utilization, improve their business processes and provide the ability to retrieve information quickly and easily from anywhere. For many companies HIPAA and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are playing a major role in how information is stored and tracked. Document and image management software will help address compliance issues associated with these legislations. Improving business processes with electronic document management will have a significant impact on any organization s bottom line by reducing paper and postage costs, increasing productivity, maintaining security/government compliance and providing instant ROI. Maintaining Accurate Business Information Is Costly Maintaining a reliable and accurate picture of business activity can be costly. Consider the types of information a business must maintain - financial information, human resource records, sales reports, product inventory, business and marketing information and more. Most businesses use a variety of methods to store business information and documents. In any given organization this information is stored in filing cabinets, individual offices, on employee PC s and network servers. In addition, some businesses store so much information that they require off site storage facilities. The enormity of managing this data over time can be overwhelming. Document and image management software reduces the need to search multiple locations to retrieve critical business information because all documents are stored in a central repository for fast and easy retrieval. Digital Documents: How They Can Improve Your Business Process Imagine the power of accessing any business document immediately from a web browser. Then consider how employee efficiency and productivity will increase when they can respond quickly to information requests without leaving their desk. Consider the following: Accounts Payable manages an enormous amount of paper. Document and image management software will streamline Accounts Payable processes, supporting the payment lifecycle from start to finish: from capturing images of inbound packing slips and invoices, to routing those images through the approval process, to displaying images that assist with data entry, auditing, and vendor inquiries and finally capturing copies of outbound checks. Human Resource departments manage a never ending flow of paper documents. By electronically storing employee documents, tax information, insurance information and corporate policy manuals an H/R department can more efficiently manage employee relations and information requests. By publishing current financial reports on a daily basis, busy executives can more effectively make critical business decisions. Since today s executives travel frequently the ability to access documents from any location is critical to the management process. These are just a few examples of how timely access to business information via a document and image management system can improve business processes and ultimately the bottom line. Importing Documents to a Document and Image Management System Every business has many different types of documents or business information that will be included in a document imaging and management system. A full-function product will allow many RJS Software Systems, Inc. Page 3

4 methods of bringing documents and reports into the system. The most flexible systems will allow any type of document to be stored for retrieval. Common import methods include, but are not limited too: Scanning paper documents into the imaging system Uploading documents from individual PCs Uploading documents remotely Importing documents from Importing documents from incoming faxes Importing from outsourced scanning services Capturing electronic reports and forms (e.g., invoices, checks or statements) Scanning documents is the easiest way to bring paper-based documents into an imaging system for electronic storage. Typically, as documents are scanned they are also assigned one or more index keys for easy retrieval. Quality document and image management software systems allow for easy upload of documents from individual PCs or network servers. Often remote access is accomplished through the use of a web browser. Additional methods of importing documents are via inbound or fax. Both message text and file attachments can be considered sources for an imaging system. Fax documents can usually be imported through an automated fax monitoring process. If there are large volumes of backlogged paper documents in storage that need to be imported into a document and image management system, businesses may want to consider outsourcing the document scanning process. A quality document and image management system will allow outsourced documents to be automatically imported from CD or DVD. Businesses that generate a substantial amount of printed reports from electronic databases can capture these reports or electronic forms (e.g., invoices, checks, or statements) and import them into a document and image management system for storage and easy access. Managing Electronic Documents The success of an electronic document and image management system will be provided through a few key elements. There are three important functions that aide in the ability to manage the environment: document indexing, business workflow control and adequate security. Document Indexing When documents are scanned or imported from PC files, the most important element to locating the document is the index. A document index can be thought of as an electronic label used for locating a document once it has been stored. With such large amounts of documents being stored, document and image management software must have an efficient means to recall documents for display. There are various methods available to create or enter the actual keys for each document. The easiest way to enter document index information is to manually enter the index keys. This method is the most error prone as each user can potentially miskey or mislabel a document. Often imaging systems will include the ability to enter index keys automatically by integrating applications through the use of application programming interfaces, or screen scraping technology that reads index keys directly from a computer screen. Complete indexing accuracy can be achieved when the user launches the scanning process from their application and the application automatically passes index key information to the document index fields. OCR technology provides comprehensive full text search for selected documents. Finally, some document and image management software will also include barcode recognition as part of the RJS Software Systems, Inc. Page 4

5 indexing function. Barcode recognition allows document index information to be read directly from barcodes printed on a document. This method of extracting index information is usually 100% accurate as long as a high-quality scan was achieved during the document scanning process. Business Workflow Process Some documents need to be routed through a specific approval and review process. Not all documents have a prescribed workflow. However, many times it would be helpful to be able to dictate the workflow route that a document, or series of documents, must take. For example, if you work for a manufacturer and an order is received via fax, there is a specific process that must occur to ensure the order is properly entered and processed. Workflow will control the direction of the order from the moment the order is entered through completion. The process may work something like this: Order received electronically via fax. Order is automatically routed to order entry via document management system. Order entry dept verifies and enters order information and forwards to manufacturing. Manufacturing schedules order for build. Product technician receives order document with detailed build instructions. When complete, order is forwarded to shipping. Product is shipped and delivered to customer. Accounts Receivable dept is notified to bill the customer for shipped product. By utilizing electronic workflow, the status of an order can be viewed at any stage of completion without the need to search for a paper file. Document Security It is important to have adequate security for all information placed into an electronic document and image management system. Not every document is created equal. In fact, most documents need to have some level of security or authorization to ensure only those people that need to see or modify a document can do so. A quality document and image management system will have security controls in place to manage document access at the user, folder and individual document level. HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley HIPAA With the sweeping changes of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), healthcare providers are embracing initiatives for escalated levels of information privacy and security. Many organizations find themselves restructuring existing information systems in order to leverage the use of technology to help meet these privacy and security regulations. Document image and management software and workflow technology provides an affordable and efficient facility for supporting HIPAA compliance initiatives. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 mandates a number of reforms requiring corporate responsibility and proof of financial controls over a company s information, records and financial reporting. Basic provisions include signed verification of the completeness and accuracy of financial reports, effective internal controls over reporting and information, and rapid and current reproduction of information illustrative of material changes in financial condition. Document image and RJS Software Systems, Inc. Page 5

6 management software provides features, controls and functionality in direct support of initiatives aimed at Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. The RJS Software Advantage RJS Software Systems has been providing document and image management, report and data delivery and productivity and development solutions for over 10 years. RJS is committed to providing high quality products that meet the diverse needs of businesses in today s rapidly changing environment. Our document and image management systems will benefit every department within an organization that produces paper documents. From manufacturing to the health care industry we can optimize your business processes. RJS Software Systems, Inc. s growth is driven by customer needs and achieved by nurturing the customer relationship. Document Imaging Solutions by RJS Software ImageServer/400 for the iseries Platform WebDocs for PC Platforms RJS has developed document and image management systems for both the AS/400 iseries and PC platforms. Both products are complete online document and image management and publishing systems for the web. Paper documents can be quickly scanned and stored for secure online access. Other reports and PC document types such as MS Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat, etc. can be stored as well. Users access the systems via any web browser to locate and view documents, check out documents for changes or simply add a new document. By utilizing a web browser for access, Image Server/400 and WebDocs users can retrieve and view documents from any location where they have access to the web without installing special software. Imagine providing instant access to documents for employees, suppliers, customers, business partners and more. Web enable your documents today with Image Server/400 or WebDocs. Conclusion Document and image management software can enhance the way in which you do business while reducing your business operation costs. Hopefully we have shown how the benefits of a document and image management system can help your business to curb costs while providing better access to business information. RJS offers a FREE, fully functional 30-day demo on any of our document and image management system products. Contact us today to learn how a document and image management system can save money and provide instant ROI. Contact Details RJS Software Systems, Inc Burnhaven Dr. Suite 120 Burnsville, MN Phone: Fax: Sales: 888.RJSSOFT ( ) toll free RJS Software Systems, Inc. Page 6