Top 10 Must-Have Building Blocks of an Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS)

Discover the top 10 essential building blocks of a robust document management system (DMS) and electronic document management system (EDMS). Learn how these systems enhance document storage, workflow management, metadata management, and secure access controls. Improve your business operations and compliance with these critical features of DMS and EDMS.

The utilisation and efficient management of electronic documents are essential for businesses of all sizes. Organisations heavily rely on document management systems (DMS) and electronic document management systems (EDMS), also known as enterprise content management (ECM), for protecting invoices and HR contracts. EDMS enhance collaboration, transparency, governance, compliance, and productivity.

What is a Document Management System?

A document management system (DMS) is a software solution used to store, manage, and track electronic documents and images of paper-based information captured through the use of a document scanner. A document management system provides a centralised repository for all documents and enables organisations to effectively control document flow, ensuring the right documents reach the right people at the right time. It helps in reducing the reliance on paper, improving efficiency, and ensuring compliance with industry regulations.

What is an Electronic Document Management System?

An electronic document management system (EDMS) is an advanced type of document management system that provides comprehensive management of documents electronically. An EDMS includes functionalities like document capture, storage, retrieval, workflow, and document versioning. It is specifically designed to streamline and simplify document management for organisations, enhancing their ability to manage digital documents effectively.

Key Features of an Electronic Document Management System EDMS

Using Kefron’s experience with electronic document management systems, we’ll delve into the top 10 most important building blocks that form the foundation of any effective document management system.

1. Document Storage

   At its core, an EDMS is a centralised reserve for storing digital documents securely. But there are many variations in E. Storage options may include on-premises servers, cloud-based solutions, or hybrid solutions with features like encryption, redundancy, and scalability. Each option has its pros and cons, but for maximum accessibility, flexibility, and scalability, a cloud-based solution is best. Ultimately, the type of EDMS you choose depends on your organisation’s individual needs.

2. Capture and Importing

   A fundamental part of any electronic document management system is its ability to import digital documents into the system from both digital and physical sources such as local drives, network folders, emails, and scanners. When converting hardcopies to EDMS friendly versions, it’s typically best to outsource to a professional scanning bureau. Using an experienced provider ensures that the documents will be digitised in the most efficient way with best practice for the optimal representation of the hardcopy. It’s important to establish an exit strategy early on and to fully understand the propriety nature of the solution prior to entering an agreement.

3. Document Workflow Management

   Workflow management plays a pivotal role in an electronic document management system by streamlining document-centric processes and enhancing organisational efficiency. By automating workflows, EDMS solutions empower businesses to standardise and optimise routine tasks, such as document approvals, review cycles, task assignments, and notifications. Tedious admin-heavy tasks are automated, making time for value-adding tasks. Reducing tedium in the workplace reduces turnover and increases productivity. These workflows can be tailored to align with specific business processes, ensuring consistency, compliance, and accountability.

4. Document Lifecycle Management

   An electronic document management system is an end-to-end solution. In other words, it manages the entire lifecycle of documents, from creation to permanent deletion. Effective lifecycle management ensures that documents are managed efficiently and in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Customisability is key to ensuring your records are maintained in accordance with internal policies. Capability to manage multiple versions of documents, track changes, and revert to previous versions as needed including rollback.

5. Audit Trail and Compliance

   The complete logging and tracking of document-related activities ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies. You can see who performed each action and when for enhanced accountability. Easy access to comprehensive audit logs facilitates audits and breach management, saving you significant time and worry.



6. Collaboration Features

   Real-time editing, commenting, annotation, and document sharing make collaboration a breeze. Cloud-based EDMS enable seamless participation as users can access the electronic document management system from anywhere, so multiple people can work on a single document at once. Not only is collaboration more efficient, but according to Deloitte, it improves work quality by 73% and innovation by 60%. It also minimises duplicates, as it stores multiple versions of documents but will only present the most recent / relevant version. Duplicates are essentially eliminated unless purposefully restored by the user.

7. Integration and Interoperability

   Electronic document management systems offer integration capabilities that enable them to communicate with a wide range of software systems, including customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, collaboration tools, and more, like SharePoint and Microsoft Office Suite. So, your EDMS can function as central hubs, facilitating seamless data exchange, collaboration, and automation across organisational systems and applications. This enables seamless data exchange and workflow automation to minimise manual data input across your company.

8. Metadata Management

   From the author’s name and creation date to keywords, tags, and custom attributes, metadata empowers users to unlock the full potential of their document repositories. Metadata management involves the systematic assignment and management of these descriptive attributes across all documents within the EDMS. By carefully curating metadata, businesses can create a structured framework to better enable the organisation, searchability, retrieval, and management of data across all their systems regardless of whether they’re integrated or not.

9. Search and Retrieval

   Powerful search functionality allows users to quickly locate documents based on metadata, content, or full-text search. A recent study by Elastic found 60% of employees spend more time searching for documents than they do replying to messages and emails. An EDMS makes document retrieval easy, leaving more time for value-adding tasks. Retrieval capabilities are dependent on your company’s needs and retention policies. Documents can be hard deleted (non-retrievable) or soft deleted (retrievable for a time). If not hard deleted, previous versions of files are retrievable and searchable, ensuring any errors can be remedied.

10. Access Control and Security

    Electronic document management systems are secure and scalable repositories with robust security features including encryption, redundancy, and access controls. Granular access control mechanisms ensure that only authorised users can access, view, or modify documents. Role-based access means only those with the appropriate permissions can edit and/or view specific documents. A cloud-based EDMS ensures your information is protected against loss in the event of a natural disaster. All EDMS providers will be certified to ISO 27001 for information security management systems so you know they have standards and processes in place to ensure your data is protected.

These 10 building blocks form the foundation of a comprehensive electronic document management system, enabling organisations to efficiently manage their digital documents while ensuring security, compliance, and productivity. It’s important to undergo an extensive discovery phase including your purpose and location(s) of information silos and experience a demo of any system before implementation to ensure its usability. Book a demo with Kefron to see these 10 elements in action and see exactly how an EDMS can empower your business to thrive in the digital

Final Thoughts on Document Management Systems

In summary, an electronic document management system (EDMS) is crucial for modern organisations. They streamline operations, enhance collaboration, and maintain regulatory compliance by managing digital documents efficiently throughout their lifecycle. Features like workflow automation, audit trails, metadata management, and secure access controls make the system adaptable to any business’s needs.

Embracing a system reduces paper reliance, improves document retrieval times, and boosts productivity. Integration capabilities allow the system to function as a central hub for all document-related activities, facilitating seamless data exchange and operational efficiency.

Investing in a robust document management system ensures your business stays competitive in a digital world. A thorough discovery phase and selecting the right EDMS tailored to your needs can unlock significant benefits and drive success. Book a demo with Kefron today to see how these systems can transform your document management processes and empower your business to thrive.

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By Stephen Mackey, Senior Information Management Expert at Kefron
Stephen delivers business value by enabling information content through bespoke access and capture service packages. From unstructured forms to knowledge-ready and business-compliant information, Stephen’s expertise ensures that organisations optimise their document management systems (DMS) and electronic document management systems.