What is a DMS?
In short
A DMS (document management system) is software in which an organisation stores its documents centrally, with fixed attributes, versions, access rights and search. You quickly find the right version and see who changed what.
What does a DMS do?
- Central storage with fixed attributes per document, such as customer, project, type and date, so you search by attribute instead of browsing folders.
- Version control: every change is kept and you can see who changed what and when.
- Permissions: deciding per folder, file or document who may read or edit.
- Workflows: having documents approved or signed, with a recorded process.
- Retention and destruction: retention periods per document type and a reminder when something may be deleted.
Paper documents are scanned, often with text recognition so you can also search the content.
When do you need a DMS?
For many offices, shared cloud storage such as SharePoint or Google Drive is enough. A separate DMS pays off if you work with files that must meet rules: fixed retention periods, approvals you must be able to prove, or an integration with your industry software. Read SharePoint as a DMS: when do you need a separate system?
What should you look out for?
The Dutch Tax Administration requires you to keep your records for seven years, and data on real estate for ten years. Other laws have their own periods, for example for personnel files. Record which period applies to each type of document, and choose a system that actually deletes documents after that period. With a cloud DMS, check where the data is stored and how you export it if you switch.
Which software helps with this?
For many offices, cloud storage such as SharePoint is the first step. A separate DMS pays off for files with fixed rules for retention, approval and destruction, such as in healthcare, construction or legal practice.
Compare in the category
Including 4CEE (voorheen TradeInterop), Notulen Software and M-Files.