The electronic scanning of paper documents has been available for awhile, but only recently have document scanning companies begun to offer a full range of document imaging services to fully automate the electronic management of scanned documents. These systems can manage a full range of paper documents, photos and prints.
In its earliest form, electronic document storage was managed with only a limited number of file types. These document imaging solutions were designed to capture, store and index image files. Electronic Document Management (EDM) systems evolved to where they could manage any type of format, as long as it could be stored on a network. Applications were then developed that encompassed electronic documents, auditing capabilities, and tools for collaboration.
Today’s EDM and document imaging service options are designed to include higher storage volume, metadata, versioning, data security, as well as much more sophisticated retrieval capabilities.
Some of the Document Imaging Solutions being offered today include:
o Metadata: For each document, metadata is used to catalog and properly identify the document storage information for later retrieval. Extracted text from the scanned document can also be used a metadata component.
o Integration: Many document imaging services are offering new ways to integrate document management into other applications, which allows the user to open the scanned document, make changes, and save it back to the repository, all without leaving an application.
o Capture: Optical character recognition software (OCR) is used to convert digital images into readable, editable text.
o Indexing: By tracking electronic documents’ metadata or word description, indexing allows users to retrieve stored documents by entering a few words pertaining to their contents.
Electronic document storage and retrieval can be a highly sophisticated method of information management, allowing businesses to operate virtually anywhere, with more reliable data availability and security.