Do I need software to manage my digitized documents?

When companies go paperless, there are generally two ways to manage the digitized documentation: store and manage the documents on a shared network drive, or store and manage the documents in an electronic content management (ECM) system.

Storing documents on a network drive will almost certainly be a cheaper option, and may be sufficient for your company. However, an ECM system gives you the ability to do some things that will be more difficult to accomplish if you store your documents on a network drive.

Index and search capabilities

ECM systems allow for easier enforcement of consistency in indexing and file naming conventions. In addition, these systems can allow for more powerful search capabilities - for example, the ability to search simultaneously on a number of different search criteria and locate all documents matching those criteria (in a Windows folder structure you are generally limited to the ability to "drill down" through the folder structure or conduct a general Windows search for folder or file names).

Access control

An ECM system allows you to control individual users' access and activity rights in many different ways. If you allow it, users can access documents while outside of your offices.