Aprotec DMS Electronic Document Management Solution

Aprotec DMS Electronic Document Management Solution

In a recent survey conducted by CCH, a Wolters Kluwer company, 72.8% of respondents who have implemented an EDM system agreed - it has increased their efficiency and productivity. The business case for an electronic document management (EDM) solution speaks for itself, what company wouldn t want to save time and money by investing in such technology? Let us introduce Aprotec DMS. Our EDM system has been developed continuously for over 25 years to meet the challenging and constantly increasing demands of a document management solution. Our software was initially conceived to provide a solution for the design/drawing office with all of the complexities of CAD management, today Aprotec DMS represents a comprehensive companywide document management strategy suitable for all company types regardless of size or industry. Aprotec DMS works seamlessly with your existing Microsoft Office and CAD applications as a core part of your business I.T. Strategy. Documents and drawings can be imported electronically, emails imported and paper documents readily scanned in. Once within the safe storage of the Aprotec DMS system, documents can be easily found and utilised by all authorised personnel within the organisation and potentially beyond with the addition of our Aprotec DMS Web interface. Aprotec DMS has an Outlook style look and feel with a simple to use, navigation interface. It is quick and easy to use allowing your business to realise the benefits far sooner than you would imagine. Our solution delivers a comprehensive system with higher quality, stricter compliancy and increased efficiency at a surprisingly affordable price. Whatever your needs for better document management and control, Aprotec has the answer. Our Mission: Our mission is to continue to provide best in class software applications and services that will help companies to manage workflow documents and data throughout the enterprise. Our Vision: We believe that industries, where multiple (external) organisations cooperate, and where knowledge and intellectual property is kept and distributed in documents, will continue to work in a mixed world where digital and paper documents are required. Aprotec will continue to provide a document management solution that is capable of managing a variety of documents, efficiently and locally to a network of individuals. This solution will provide a huge ROI for our customers in both staff productivity and lowered risk. Contact us for a demonstration of Aprotec DMS. Page : 2

Consultation Service Capabilities Overview At Aprotec we treat our customers with honesty and we support them relentlessly. We strive to earn our customers trust every day, whether it s writing software products that do what we say they do, addressing technical issues with speed and accuracy, or identifying the most pressing document management challenges and helping our customers solve them. We understand that implementing an EDM system can seem like a large and complex task and because at Aprotec, what s most important to us is focusing on our customers, we are available to provide the advice and support you need to make that first step into electronic document management. Document Security Aprotec DMS provides a secure environment, where all users can enjoy document and data access levels which uniquely match their needs. Document Retrieval Aprotec DMS offers powerful searching tools, whether it is a simple one off search or a more detailed query which may be saved and used on a regular basis. Document Creation Aprotec DMS provides a document creation wizard which guides the user through the important stages of creating a new document, ensuring consistency. Identifying the need for an EDM system is easy, identifying a solution that is ideal for your company, sometimes not so, whilst scrambling through all the computer jargon available online. That s why Aprotec have a team of industry experts who are available to help you through your journey to your optimum, more profitable document management system. Our Consultants have a wealth of experience and knowledge, which is a valuable and essential part of any document management solution. It is through this key network of specialists, that today Aprotec serves customers in just about every industry and of every size. Should you desire, you can take advantage of our consultation service, where our Consultants will help you: - Identify your exact requirements - Make plans to aid you with implementation - Provide aftercare and support Revision Control Aprotec DMS provides strict control of the revision cycle with specific revision schemes applied to documents. When a document is approved for issue it is locked by the system preventing any further modification.. Email Management Aprotec DMS offers an email management facility which simplifies the import and management of important Emails. CAD Drawing Management Aprotec DMS has always offered the best solution for managing the CAD design office, with many thousands of CAD workstations being managed effectively over the past two decades. MS Office Integration With Advanced Document Creation functionality you are able to create new MS Office documents using templates for specific layouts, like letters, memos and reports and automatically populate the documents with field data such as the document number, revision and title. DMS Web Interface An optional extra, Aprotec DMS Web provides most of the view only capability of the main DMS interface within Microsoft Internet Explorer whilst Web+ allows remote users to book documents in and out and carryout many of the principle editing and creating functions. Can you really afford not to Implement a document management system? Page : 3

Document Security Aprotec DMS provides a secure environment, where all users can enjoy document and data access levels which uniquely match their needs. Aprotec has developed a unique Security Mask mechanism which links together with the user network permissions to provide a highly flexible, yet totally secure environment which avoids the perils of document and data vaulting. Every Document knows who can see it and edit it. Unapproved documents are easily shielded from unauthorised editors / users. View only permissions allows users to see and reference documents directly on the network without risk. Document Retrieval Aprotec DMS offers powerful searching tools, whether it is a simple one off search or a more detailed query which may be saved and used on a regular basis. Quick Search Saved Search Detailed Search The Quick Search function provides a powerful keyword or multiple keyword search through the entire database quickly locating any document where a match exists. Very useful when you re not quite sure where within a database record a particular relevant keyword would be likely. Saved Searches are for those repetitive searches that are used frequently. This saves a great deal of time when browsing for documents as all the search parameters are ready defined thus guaranteeing consistent and reliable results each and every time. Also makes the system easier to use for the inexperienced or occasional user to find documents quickly. These saved searches can be tailored by the system administrator for specific user groups. By specifying specific values against individual fields within the database the Detailed Search tool allows the user to quickly locate a specific document or set of documents based on a precise search criteria. The user can easily generate complex searches, which if required, can also be saved and added to the saved search list. Document Creation Aprotec DMS provides a document creation wizard which guides the user through the important stages of creating a new document, ensuring consistency. At Aprotec we consider the control of the Document Creation process as one of the most important aspects of document management. Companies need and want standards upheld and this not only creates a good impression of the business but also helps to ensure business efficiency by maintaining data integrity and consistency. It is our strong belief that without such control over the creation of documents a DMS system can never be truly reliable and therefore destined to fail in the workplace. The document creation wizard helps to ensure that the correct document templates are used and guarantee that certain document details are logged for future reference and searching purposes. Document names and numbers are uniquely defined by the system for each document, adhering to the company naming conventions. Document security (if required) is allocated at the document creation point ensuring the document is protected right from the outset. Employees can also determine the exact location of the electronic file on the company network. The document creation wizard takes all of the hard work away from the user but ensures that every document is correctly defined every time. Documents created to approved company guidelines. Company quality procedures adhered to. Control over standard template documents. Control over document numbers. Control over central network storage locations. Can you really afford not to Implement a document management system? Page : 4

Revision Control Aprotec DMS offers prudent version control for all document types, providing absolute management of company documents. When a document is finished it can be formally marked as checked by an authorised person using the Check function. This records the checkers identity and date along with any comments they submit for reference. Distribution and Transmittal Available as a separate module, Aprotec DMS has a simple wizard, which guides employees through the transmittal generation process, quickly and efficiently, dramatically reducing the time taken and eliminating errors. Recording specifics of transmittals, of who received what and when. This prevents errors and delays in your project and improves the efficiency in your collaboration with your project partners. When the document has been checked the Approve function may be actioned by the relevant authorised person. Updates to the revisions of the documents are recorded using either letters or numbers (or both) dependent on the documents revision scheme properties set by you, the client. The Aprotec DMS version control system is extremely powerful but also highly configurable to reflect precise company procedures even if these differ from one department to another. If an approved document requires a modification then it may be Released for Change creating a new working revision of the document, which will then ultimately pass back through the same Checking and Approving processes. The system will always store previous approved versions of documents for later reference, however the latest approved version is always presented as the result of a search by default. All activity is logged providing the company with a full document audit trail. Strict revision control of the revision cycle with company specific revision schemes. Strict approval system, ability to lock documents by the system preventing further modification. Automatic increment of revision number/ letter. Formal document Check and Approve functions Automated Release for Change procedure. Automated notification of revision changes via internal messaging and SMTP Email. Automatic updating of internal header/footer and title block details. Automatic generation of PDF copy for issue. Automatically generates transmittal from secure document metadata. Generates a Transmittal Package as a ZIP file ready to send to the recipient. Ensures that only approved documents are issued. Automatic conversion of MS Office documents to Adobe PDF format. Precise control over the PDF output of AutoCAD drawings, layout, pen widths, colour and paper size. Records all transmittal details for administration and audit purposes. Email Management Aprotec DMS offers an email management facility which simplifies the import and management of important Emails. For most business, Email has replaced traditional forms of correspondence; letters and faxes to suppliers and customers, internal memos, quotations, meeting minutes etc. Unfortunately in most cases the tradition document management methods used to maintain and control these types of documents have also been lost. Businesses now find that valuable and often vitally important communications are unmanaged and uncontrolled and extremely vulnerable within user s private email folders. Aprotec DMS offers an email management facility which simplifies the import and management of important Emails. Can t find what you are looking for? Contact us for more information or to book a demonstration Page : 5

Email Management (cont ) Aprotec DMS offers an email management facility which simplifies the import and management of important Emails. Simple Drag and Drop import facility for Email Messages ( or fully automated ). Automatically records Email subject heading within the metadata for later reference and searching options Wizard style interface for importing multiple Emails Applies unique document numbers to imported Email for easy identification Shares important Emails on the network to provide group visibility Aprotec DMS supports AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Solidworks, PTC Creo and certain other popular CAD applications. MS Office Integration With Advanced Document Creation functionality you are able to create new MS Office documents using templates for specific layouts, like letters, memos and reports and automatically populate the documents with field data such as the document number, revision and title. CAD Drawing Management Aprotec DMS has always offered the best solution for managing the CAD office, with many thousands of CAD workstations being managed effectively over the past two and a half decades. Aprotec DMS treats CAD drawings like any other electronic file, applying all of the same rules and controls you would expect for any mission critical document. The CAD integration, using licensed technology from Autodesk, ensures that the details held within the drawing title block are always synchronised with the data card itself, therefore preventing any possible mix-ups with revisions. As well as guaranteeing data integrity the system will also, optionally, generate a PDF version of the drawing at an appropriate point during the revision cycle. The benefits of this tight integration with CAD are numerous and with Aprotec s unique experience in this field, if your company requires a document management solution that can also integrate with CAD then look no further. Tight integration with AutoCAD with synchronised title block updating Automatic conversation of AutoCAD drawings to PDF Support for Multiple Sheet Drawings Provides access to find and view CAD drawings from non-cad workstations Tight integration with MS Office up to and including Office 2013 Configurable application drivers to automatically update field values within Word and Excel documents. Automatic conversation of Document to PDF Provides access to find and view documents without the need for MS Office installed on the local PC Contact us for more information or to book a demonstration Page : 6

DMS Web Interface and DMS Web+ An optional extra, Aprotec DMS Web provides most of the view only capability of the main DMS interface within Microsoft Internet Explorer whilst Web+ also allows remote users to book documents in and out and carryout many of the principle editing and creating functions. DMS Web DMS Web is intended for View Only users who are working remotely from the main office but connected via the internet. Aprotec DMS Web provides a simple browser interface for accessing and viewing centrally stored documents so employees don t have to wait for them to be retrieved and emailed when required. This creates an external working environment, allowing employees to access documents, at any time and location. Controlled remote access Shorten project lead times Access anywhere at anytime Simple and easy to use DMS Web+ DMS Web+ builds upon DMS Web capabilities for clients who want that extra capability for employees who work within the field and need an enhanced capability in the field, intended for document creators and editors as well as viewers Aprotec Web+ allows external office workers to amend, create and edit documents. With added email capability, employees enjoy a remote working environment of their office. Controlled remote access Shorten project lead times Access anywhere at anytime Fully operational DMS revision control, editing and creation capabilities Receive and send DMS messages and SMTP emails Stay in control of project documents when the team are apart Contact us for more information or to book a demonstration Page : 7

DMS Modules There are additional advanced features available to complete your document management solution, some of which are included as standard within the Enterprise Edition of Aprotec DMS Remote Desktop # Messenger This option allows DMS edit and view users to operate DMS remotely, using an internet connection via the Windows Remote Desktop facility. This can be extremely advantageous for workers who are always on the move and away from the main office or perhaps if there is a need for certain personnel to work occasionally from home. This facility keeps people connected to their documents at all times whilst under the procedural control of the DMS system wherever they are in the world. SMTP Email # This module allows the DMS to send out automatic Email notifications using the company s existing external Email system. A powerful and effective way of keeping people informed who are remote from the office regarding the changing status of documents. Customers and Sub-contractors for example, can all be notified immediately when a new document revision is approved and issued thus saving valuable time helping to shorten overall project lead times. Full MS SQL Server # Although Microsoft s SQL Server Express product is more than adequate in most cases, there are situations where it will be advantages to use the full SQL version to support Aprotec DMS. If the business has already invested heavily in SQL Server technology, this module will allow DMS to fully utilise the Full SQL product. Document Linking # Sometimes you just want to be able to create a link between documents so that when you are looking at one, you are reminded of the existence of others and can quickly access them. This module allows you to easily make and break links between documents by selecting them and clicking the button. A typical example of this may be a Bill of Material (Excel file) linked to a design drawing or a purchase order. The messenger module allows multiple users of DMS, including those users operating with the Web interface, the ability to communicate in real time. It is also possible to drop a link to a document in to the conversation window so that all participants can quickly access and view the same document whilst chatting. This is a great collaboration tool which will greatly improve communications across the business, particularly where work team members are dispersed. Document Mark-up This module provides a uniform method of marking up documents within a typical review/checking processes. Mark-ups may be generated for most windows file types and are stored as a separate managed PDF documents and clearly identified to the mark-up author. Mark-ups are displayed against the original document and securely managed by the system with a completion status indicator which may be set by the author. Other users can easily view using standard Adobe Acrobat and identify the author with a right click of the mouse. Document Workflow The Workflow module allows you to generate your own custom workflows to map any business process relating to the lifecycle of documents. A typical workflow could include multiple checking and approval steps, assigned to specific personnel with automatic notifications via the internal messaging system and optionally by email or SMS Text. This module really does provide the ultimate control over the procedures and standards which are so vital to the smooth running of your business. Transmittal Management Automatically generate and then manage transmittals with this powerful module. The transmittal is quickly generated from secure data stored within the DMS, saving considerable time and eliminating human errors. Configuration options allow automatic conversion of the original document to Adobe PDF as the complete electronic transmittal package is created. Can t find what you are looking for? Contact us for more information or to book a demonstration Page : 8

DMS Modules MS SharePoint Interface MS Outlook Add-in If you use Microsoft SharePoint (or FTP and other similar extranet portal systems) as a means of publishing issued documents to other parties beyond the confines of your local area network then this module will be essential. This provides an interface to your (or another party s) SharePoint server so at a predefined point an issued document may be automatically uploaded and if required a previous version of the document removed. SMS Text Messaging Mobile phones have become a vital business tool and text messages are often used to provide instant communication between work colleagues. This module provides an interface with an external SMS text messaging provider and the DMS custom Workflow system. Notifications regarding workflow tasks may be simultaneously sent using SMS text, as well as other methods such as Email, to ensure the right people are promptly notified of any important event requiring their immediate attention. Document Content Searching This module provides a powerful extension to the existing high performance searching tools within DMS. It adds full index text searching for document content and will quickly return documents where a match occurs not only within the DMS meta-data but also where keywords are located inside the document itself. For clarity, DMS separately highlights documents that have been found solely using content searching. The system can access content within numerous file types including MS Office, PDF, Image Tiff files, AutoCAD and many others. From a click of a button within MS Outlook itself, ( or fully automated ) this module allows you to drop an Email or a selection of Emails straight into DMS for safe storage. An Email import wizard will appear and guide you through the process ensuring that the Email with any attachments are correctly reference and secured. This also allows the Transmittal system to automatically create and generate Transmittal Emails ready to send to the recipient Another great feature of this module is the ability to save an external hyperlink of a selected document(s) to the Windows Clipboard. This may then be pasted into an Email or an instant message to allow the recipient (assuming they have access to DMS or DMS Web) to go straight to the document(s) being discussed by simply clicking on the link. Document Control When documents are formally issued to a third party business, using the DMS Transmittal module, this module will provide an electronic method of obtaining and recording a receipt acknowledgment from the recipient. Whatever method is used to transmit the documents, hardcopy by post or electronically via email or direct upload, the recipient will be asked to enter an acknowledgement code on-line which has been generated and supplied with the transmitted documents. DMS will receive this acknowledgement and automatically record the recipient details date and time for future reference against the transmitted documents. To make things even easier for the recipient, a QR Code can optionally be added to the transmittal and with a QR code reader the recipient can quickly and instantly acknowledge the receipt. Aprotec provide an extensive document management support service for all our products to ensure the optimum success with your solution. Page : 9

Aprotec DMS Support Aprotec provide: A Support Forum We understand that implementing a EDM system can seem like a large and complex task. That s why providing a solid software solution is only the first step in delivering the full value of your investments with Aprotec. Aprotec consistently delivers premium people, processes and products to ensure you maximise the return on your document management investment as soon as possible. Aprotec provides a variety of services when working with you to understand your specific needs so we can offer you the correct level of care and attention from enquiry to installation and aftercare. We undertake requirements analysis, implementation, training, maintenance and aftercare technical support. The Aprotec support forum is the place to find the latest information on your Aprotec DMS software. We provide a full and detailed support forum that is nourished with easy to understand information How to's FAQ s Interactive Support Aprotec provides access to an online interactive support function, where you can; Request software Report issues See previews of the next release Find out more about software upgrades Register your software Access and update your Company details You ll be pleased to know that Aprotec provide an extensive document management support service for all our products to ensure the optimum success with your solution continues throughout its lifespan. Aprotec Consultant will work with you to identify your exact requirements. Naturally as you would expect with any complex software we provide a full technical support helpline. Aprotec provide an extensive document management support service for all our products to ensure the optimum success with your solution. Page : 10