Document software could be described according to the ways most major corporations use it today. In today’s business environment, it is most frequently used to design documents, and then process, organize, generate and distribute them. During each of these phases, document software is also expected to safeguard documents by saving changes efficiently and reliably while protecting sensitive information from theft and attack.
Many large organizations count on their document software solution to create continuity, effectively keeping large teams in lock-step as documents travel from one department to another. This is achieved in a variety of ways which could be described by illustrating the different types of document software.
- Client Server: This form of document software gives designated workers access to interfaces and tools that allow them to accomplish specific tasks in a specified manner according to their level of authority or job description.
- Database: A database package typically integrates any database structure a company uses to interconnect information, data, and images.
- Web: Here, company terminals are given access to document software via an ordinary web browser. This is especially useful for workers who telecommute, satellite office personnel, and mobile workers. It enables disparate teams to stay connected with ease and still leverage the unifying capabilities of their document software.
- Cloud: Cloud computing based document software solutions reduce the hardware requirements of an organization and relieves their IT departments from the work of maintaining the systems on which they are stored and run. Document Software delivered in this way is a software as a service (SaaS) which allows large teams to spread out over distant locations and work together on a common project via an Internet connection.
The Technological Evolution of Document Software
Like most legacy productivity applications, document software technology as it exists today is the product of a long process of development, use, and refinement. The products we use today are the end result of a great deal of user input, research, and technological innovation.
Early document software products focused largely on simple document management and basic print jobs. As information and document technology advanced, more and more documents could be stored digitally, saving room and the overhead costs associated with the real estate needed for physical storage, in-house IT. At this point, developers could begin to focus on other more interesting aspects of document software.
Today’s advanced computing systems and cutting-edge document software technologies offer many powerful capabilities for designing, generating, storing, processing, indexing, and sharing any type of documents. Modern document software solutions offer organizations a wide range of choices, streamlining information and sharing related business processes in multiple ways.
The Business Applications of Document Software Technology
It’s important to understand exactly what document software can do for your company before you can justify investing in it. Today’s best document software products offer end-to-end document life cycle management. That means it offers tools and processes that help with every stage of a document’s existence from initial design to permanent storage or deletion.
Standard ways to generate documents such as dynamic templates start the process. Then the system must handle output, whether that is printing to paper, to a file, transition to email, another workstation, to a disc and so on. Once the document has been in circulation, it may require revision. At this point, it can go back to the generation phase or simply receive a few edits before going back into circulation.
In addition, a comprehensive document software system enables workers to scan and store their own digital signatures safely and securely. This is essential for the processing of contracts, non-disclosure agreements and other formal pieces of documentation. Because these types of information are so sensitive, signatures must be highly secure with advanced and robust encryption to protect them during transitions between users- or from one business to another.
Organizations frequently maintain image files which employees are expected to use exclusively. This is done to protect an organization’s reputation, and maintain uniformity in the artwork, such as the company logos it uses to embellish or enhance certain documents. Typically, specific resource management features are implemented to ensure that the correct image is used in the correct version of a document.
Other important functions document software technology offers are print optimization capabilities, such as compression of print files to speed up their distribution, pre-processing and post-processing of document files, as well as a wide assortment of electronic and print output formats.
Electronic Signatures and Document Technology
Electronic signature features are among the most important components of any document software solution. An electronic signature, or eSignature, verifies the authorship of a document, specific changes to a document, and enables other interactions with a given piece of documentation to be accurately and reliably attributed to a specific user, group, or entity.
Electronic signatures are unique digital markers that are attached to a document in order to verify a user’s identity. Users can create their own, or in some cases, may be issued an eSignature for use within an organization.
While electronic signatures have been around for a long time, they did not come into general use until the early 2000s. At that time, document technology for digital signatures was used to function as a simple signature as we use it on most physical documents.
Today, eSignatures are a valuable asset for cutting costs, reducing fraud, saving paper and increasing customer satisfaction. Among other advantages, they give employees and professionals more time to attend to their core business processes and make mission-critical data much more secure.
Challenges Facing Document Technology in the Future
As with any technology, document software technology will have to respond to the coming changes in the digital space- some of which we can anticipate, and some which may be unforeseeable.
As file sizes become increasingly larger and the number of stored files grows, document systems will have to expand their capabilities in order to keep up. Bandwidth, storage space, and management tools will have to become more robust and sophisticated. Those who rely on Cloud storage will be able to lean on their service providers. Those who maintain on-site control of their files, however, will have to take a more hands-on approach- updating and expanding their IT assets as needed.
In addition, digital transformation, that is, integration of digital technology, including electronic signature integration, into all areas of an organization, is becoming an imperative for businesses. This means that the number of companies turning to document software solutions is increasing rapidly, and manufacturers must keep up with that trend, delivering solutions that meet ever-changing needs.
IT professionals and manufacturers will need to remain alert as the inevitable problems associated with the limitations of document technology software systems come to the fore. Security will be a constant concern as the scope of stored data swells, while attackers search for ways to exploit any weakness. Mobility, such as mobile printing, is increasingly important and is a requirement that should already be addressed by document technology manufacturers.
For those reasons, and more, IT leaders must work with developers who adhere to best practices and offer the latest document software solutions in order to guarantee continuity and security across organizations and during the complete life cycle of the documents they use.
- https://www.signinghub.com/electronic-signatures/
- https://enterprisersproject.com/what-is-digital-transformation
- https://docpath.com/art-document-software-evolving-document-technology/
André Klein
Freelance DocPath Consultant