EDM is an acronym that stands for Electronic Document Management. It’s a system that, in short, manages a document’s entire lifecycle.
Electronic management is a trending topic, especially considering that professionals are increasingly working remotely from various locations.
Therefore, it’s necessary to have virtual access to documents and information.
If your business needs to reduce costs and storage space for physical files, ensure information security, prevent losses and misplacement, and prioritize sustainability and organization, it’s time to adopt an EDM tool and ensure competitiveness.
After all, how does EDM for documents work, and why should you adopt it in your company? Find the answers to these questions and learn all about Electronic Document Management.
What is EDM?
EDM is a system that captures, stores, manages, edits, validates, accesses, distributes, and archives digital documents and information.
In summary, this tool covers the entire lifecycle of enterprise documents, from creation to final archiving or deletion.
In this way, EDM enables companies to organize and manage information much faster and more efficiently than using physical documents.
In fact, with so many technological resources available, not using digital documents is becoming contradictory.
After all, searching for documents in physical archives is time-consuming, and of papers and information loss and misplacement can cause several issues.
On top of that, this type of tool has advanced security features that help protect sensitive information.
With an organized and easily accessible platform, all authorized parties can access documents.
Thus, avoiding the use of physical documents, electronic management contributes to environmental conservation and allows information to be accessed from different locations.
How does EDM work within companies?
Although it may seem that EDM is a useful tool only for storing and sharing receipts and contracts, this resource encompasses the entire corporate knowledge management.
Thus, EDM is a strategic solution for both documents and processes. Electronic management enhances ways to receive, process, review, store, retain, or delete files.
Within companies, EDM unifies documents, providing monitoring and control.
In practice, the implementation, when the document is physical, occurs through scanning, i.e., it is scanned and converted into digital format. It is then indexed – organized for easy retrieval later.
For added security, digital files are stored on a server or in the cloud, facilitating access and sharing from anywhere.
It is worth noting that within the EDM technological solution, filters can be created so that only authorized individuals have access to the information.
Benefits of implementing an EDM tool
The function of Electronic Document Management is to facilitate access to and sharing of documents.
In this way, there is greater agility throughout the professionals’ activities, leading to increased productivity.
But it’s not just that. Having organized files in digital format provides:
- Reduction of costs associated with printing, storing, or retrieving paper documents.
- Control of the flow of information and documents.
- Organization of documents in digital folders.
- Quick and easy access to information.
- Greater security and access control.
- Reduction of human errors.
- Better collaboration and overall company efficiency.
- Compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Transparency of administrative actions.
- Content search within documents.
- Precision in the decision-making process.
- Document viewing without the need to download.
- Maintenance of the company’s information and knowledge base.
In addition to these benefits, there are unlimited possibilities for indexing, response speed, and transaction accuracy, providing support for professionals’ tasks.
Where can I apply EDM?
Basically, EDM can be applied in various sectors and departments. After all, it’s about managing documents and information – components present throughout the organization.
Management improves business processes, streamlining activities and increasing productivity.
Although we often focus on private companies, government agencies also benefit from EDM, since it is an excellent for managing public records, licenses, certificates, taxes, among others.
In private companies and other sectors, the use is also quite extensive, with examples including:
- Accounting: centralization and control of invoices, receipts, and other documents.
- Legal: Managing documents and processes, contracts, intellectual property records, court records, among others. EDM ensures compliance with existing and applicable laws and regulations.
- Healthcare: storage of medical records and patient information, laboratory and imaging results, ensuring access to up-to-date information, coordination, medical history, security for sensitive information, and a single source of truth.
- Education: student records, grades, attendance, scholarships, among other documents. EDM in educational institutions eliminates the need to maintain paper files and ensures traceability and security. It also assists in internal administrative processes.
- NGOs and non-profit organizations: managing beneficiary information, donor information, grant requests, report generation, and operational efficiency.
Furthermore, the methods for implementing EDM are numerous and can be adapted to the different needs of each company.
In short, any type of business benefits from adopting electronic document management.
Electronic Document Management has evolved
Although the acronym EDM is still widely used, this concept has evolved into ECM, which stands for Enterprise Content Management.
ECM is a step forward because it made EDM more comprehensive by adding workflow and BPM tools.
Today, an ECM solution holds high value for organizations because it manages the entire transactional content of the company. In other words, it is a pillar for optimizing processes, enhancing actions, and improving decision-making.
Indeed, ECM not only takes documents off paper but also adds a layer of intelligence, since it turns them into strategic information.
In general, ECM allows the creation of forms, diagrams that facilitate process understanding, alert configuration, document attachment with ongoing processes, among other features.
Fusion Platform, Neomind’s comprehensive tool
Neomind works with an all-in-one platform system. In other words, Fusion Platform natively encompasses all the tools for managing your business’ processes, documents, and indicators.
Regarding EDM/ECM and document management, the environment is unique to facilitate the orchestration of business documents. After all, it includes corporate mobility.
Furthermore, the tool is customizable to meet the demands and complexity of your processes and business.
Integrating easily with other solutions, Fusion is user-oriented. This means you don’t need to be a developer to automate processes.
With a single Neomind solution, your company undergoes digital transformation. Try Fusion Platform for free for 15 days, or talk to our consultants.
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