KMSA software product manager, Mohammed Vachiat, says with organisations obliged to keep records of their business relationships and transactions for up to five years after the fact (Electronic Communications and Transactions (ECT) Act - date), well-organised document management is paramount.
"All business processes should have an audit trail, which is best achieved by incorporating efficient workflow systems into the business," he says.
Document imaging offers several benefits over paper or microfilm systems. It allows for fast retrieval and flexible indexing, as opposed to manually indexing or searching for files. Documents cannot get lost and are easily retrieved by any single or combination index criteria.
In addition, files can be shared with clients and colleagues over an intranet or Web environment. They can also be electronically retrieved from any location instantly, whereas paper documents usually require photocopying to be shared.
Vachiat says the enterprise document imaging solution can provide improved and more flexible control over sensitive documents. "The system offers security right down to the document type level," he says.
The system provides for backing up documents in digital format for offsite storage and disaster recovery, eliminating the risk of loss of paper due to fire, flood or theft.
Vachiat says the integration of document imaging into an organisation makes good business sense. "Customers expect increased efficiency of their business partners. Retrieving documents manually takes time - especially if they have to be retrieved from different locations. Using document imaging streamlines this aspect of the workflow process," he says.
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