Integrating your document storage, security, and workflows into a single ecosystem can help your business grow and thrive

If your business has a solid document management system, you can access old records when you need them. But if you have a unified document ecosystem, your whole staff can mine those old records for valuable data. Document storage, security, automation, and analytics don’t have to live in separate silos. Integrated document solutions can help your business grow and thrive.

Integrating your company’s various document solutions doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, if you use high-quality hardware and software, you likely already have the tools you need. Once you’re done, you can expect faster workflows and better legal compliance. You’ll also have plenty of data to help you make smart business decisions.

What do unified document solutions look like?

A unified document ecosystem is a system that combines document capture, storage, management, security, and analysis into a single workflow. If these steps are isolated from one another, then you have a fragmented document ecosystem. For example:

• In a unified system, you scan new business documents as you receive them. Your scanning software digitizes the text, tags the captured image with metadata, and routes the file to a clearly marked folder. Only authorized users can access this folder. Staff members can collaborate on these files. Administrators can see exactly when and how each worker modified or shared a given document. Meanwhile, the scanned text gets automatically uploaded to a database. There, employees can analyze the information for useful trends and data points.
• In a fragmented system, you scan documents as needed, using basic software that doesn’t digitize the text. Every digital document goes to the same folder, regardless of what information it contains or when you scanned it. That folder is on the IT manager’s hard drive, where most of the staff can’t access it. There’s no easy way to analyze trends, since information is spread across dozens — or hundreds — of disparate records.

The biggest advantage of a unified document ecosystem is that your whole staff can help your business achieve its strategic goals. Your records contain a wealth of data on your finances, your legal agreements, and your customer base. If your staff has access to this information, they can help find competitive new angles for your business. Otherwise, your entire strategy could hang on a handful of decision-makers without much raw data to guide them.

Did You Know?:RICOH PaperStream Capture Pro software can digitize text as it captures images. This powerful scanning program can also tag metadata and route files to specific folders. Click here to learn more.

How to integrate your document solutions

A systematic approach is what separates unified and fragmented document solutions. You need a repeatable process that stores, protects, and shares your information. The following steps are a good place to start:

Optimize your workflows

Organizing your records is usually the first step in creating a unified document ecosystem. You should follow a structured, repeatable process for every new business document you receive.

For example, if you receive physical invoices or customer intake forms, you should scan them right away. Choose scanning software with optical character recognition (OCR) technology to digitize text. Use the program’s metadata tagging to route scanned documents to specific folders. Create consistent naming conventions for your files. With this workflow, every record becomes an easily accessible source of information. The digitization process takes seconds rather than minutes, freeing up your staff for more demanding work.

Secure sensitive files

A smart workflow helps direct every document to its proper folder. From there, you can set up security options at the folder level. These safeguards include:

• Access restrictions: Administrators choose which employees can access a folder. Users may also have to provide multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes or log in from pre-approved devices.
• Password protection: Users may have to enter an additional password to access certain folders. Administrators can change these passwords frequently and share them only as needed.
• File encryption: Encrypting your documents makes them unreadable for any user without a decryption key. This way, even if your business suffers a data breach, an attacker may not be able to decipher your data.

These options are available in Windows, macOS, and most major cloud storage programs. Once you protect a folder, you also protect all the files within it. This process automates a large part of your document security.

Share information

If you’ve automated document capture and file security, your staff should now have access to the information they need. Unlike physical records, multiple employees can view digital files simultaneously. They can also collaborate on these documents in real-time. Online productivity software can log changes and create backups, ensuring consistent version control.

You’ll have to strike the right balance between granting and restricting access to files. If every employee can modify and share every document, that’s a cybersecurity risk. On the other hand, if only a handful of workers can access your records, the rest of your staff won’t be able to share their insights. Isolated workers in siloed departments can maintain the status quo, but they can’t help you build your business.

Ensure legal compliance

Some industries and regions must comply with legal standards to handle sensitive information. In the United States, for example, healthcare organizations follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). In Europe, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) affects almost every organization that gathers personal data. If regulatory standards apply to your business, complying with them should be part of your document management strategy.

Compliance requirements vary from field to field. Still, organizing and securing documents is a good start. Regulated industries generally require data to be access-restricted, encrypted, and available on request. They may also require companies to delete data after a certain amount of time. You can satisfy these requirements with scanning, security, and database software.

Make data-driven decisions

Once the rest of your document solutions are in place, you can start making data-driven decisions. Your past invoices and expense reports can help you predict sales spikes and slow seasons. Your employment contracts can shed light on staff turnover. Your customer records can give you important demographic data. Your employees can analyze this information manually, or they can use artificial intelligence (AI) to find subtle patterns.

What you find will depend on how much data you have and how well you study it. A unified document ecosystem may not guarantee success, but it gives you the best possible tools to find a competitive advantage.

Did You Know?:Ricoh’s fi Series scanners make document management simple, thanks to high-resolution image quality and accurate OCR software features.

Create a document ecosystem with Ricoh solutions

If you’re looking to upgrade your company’s document solutions, you’ll need robust scanning software. Ricoh’s PaperStream Capture Pro can be the backbone of your digitalization strategy. This powerful program uses OCR to identify and digitize text as you scan documents. From there, it can tag files with metadata and direct them to specific folders, both locally and in the cloud. PaperStream Capture Pro can also distinguish between different types of documents and add scanned text directly to databases. Along with a RICOH ScanSnap or fi Series document scanner, you could digitize thousands of records per workday.

Book an appointment with us today to learn more about how Ricoh can help your business build a unified document ecosystem.

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