How document management can help you survive this downturn

You need a reminder that the economy is in the dumps right now as much as a paraglider needs a tornado. But the fact remains, the flow of currency is partially paralyzed, and that means skittish companies are cutting budgets and scrutinizing the management of IT expenses, kind of like they did in '02 post dot-com bubble bust.

The difference now is that it's harder to find fat to trim, and cuts may actually come in the form of an upfront investment that may entail a change in business process and culture to yield a more cost-effective organization. But before you go geek out with some books on ITIL, first consider hidden or overlooked costs that may be just under your nose.

First, audit your hardware environment. Find and remove unused equipment and do away with unnecessary software licenses. This can cut 1 percent to 2 percent of the annual operating budget, says this article.

Next, analyze the inefficiencies in your printing environment. According to Gartner, active management of office printing can lead to a 10 percent to 30 percent reduction in recurring spending on document output. You do believe Gartner, don't you? This may mean upgrading your printer fleet, which can reduce cost-per-page, maintenance, and energy consumption.

Finally, take the good idea of a document management solution; and put it in your pipe; and smoke it. In a recent article to resellers, Gregory J. Schloemer, president of DocuWare Corporation, makes a strong case for DMS that includes how it plays a roll in "limiting legal exposure in the event of a reduction in personnel." Layoffs may or may not be under consideration at your company, but it is prudent advice. He writes:

"By using document management to automate business processes (workflow), internal procedures are optimized so that productivity, accuracy, and quality are improved. One example is that incoming invoices can be automatically routed for approval, along with all supporting documents, ensuring prompt payment in order to secure cash discounts. Managing and automating business processes, accounting processes in particular, significantly increases control, keeps an eye on waste, and is a key factor for both internal and external auditors, regardless of size.

"Compliance with internal procedures, along with the retention of critical information, limits legal exposure. A good example is in the human resources department. Document management facilitates the necessary documentation for hiring and terminating personnel, allowing the required documentation for compliance with the various state, federal, and compliance agencies to be readily available."

He then serves up a few more benefits of DMS:

"By eliminating much of the human factor, processing times speed up, accuracy is improved and documents are no longer lost or misfiled. Retention cycles are easily managed regardless of document type or format. Streamlining business processes increases productivity, which allows employees to accomplish more in the same amount of time. Secure access is limited to only authorized individuals."

And lastly, adds this caveat, which I definitely agree with and couldn't say it better, myself:

"It can only be win-win if a document management system is easy to install, to maintain, to train on, and to use. It should be scalable, offer powerful features even in its base edition, while allowing for mobility or Web access to documents keeping all employees, even remote users, connected. It should also offer high security to help meet compliance needs. Local support and a worldwide presence also insure technology for the future. In bad times as well as good, efficiency in business processes improves the bottom line."