Document Management
Changes in how people use Invu?
Whilst we expect users to keep enjoying
good Document Management, I expect
to see many more Finance departments
automating their Accounts Payable
function to make their processes
more efficient and their controls
more effective. Invoice Processing is a
fabulous solution that is high on benefit
and relevance to businesses of varying
size. Customers are now seeing the need
for Workflow solutions. They understand
that a process needs to be embodied
in a system and not just described in a
standard operating procedure document,
printed out and left on a shelf. Auditors
now expect, and hope, to dock into an
electronic store of data and electronic
audit trails that make their job easier too.
Stuart Evans is Chief Technical Officer at
Invu Plc. Since joining the company in
2007, he has overseen the development
of Invu Document Management, taking
the Invu product portfolio from a simple
eDM solution to a suite of products
that can automate processes, provide
real-time information and offer security
and compliance of critical data. Invu’s
products are used by 1,600 organisations
in diverse sectors including financial and
professional services; manufacturing,
engineering and construction; estate
management; education; housing
associations; transport & logistics; retail
and wholesale; and leisure.
The road to a
paperless office
can be fraught
with difficulties
and unforeseen
challenges...
magazine
16
Technology has shifted the reliance
on physical paper documents towards
more electronic transactions and
documentation, transforming the
processing and retrieval of documents.
Yet, while physical documents are
extremely vulnerable to loss, damage
or misfiling, they are tangible and – if
untampered – do provide absolute
proof. It is this comfort factor that
stops many businesses from embracing
electronic document management
(eDM) solutions.
Despite the fact that more documents
are being shared electronically, the
‘paperless office’ has not materialised quite
yet – though the journey is well underway.
Even today, destroying physical paper
evidence can feel unnatural and risky, and
this is stopping many firms from embracing
the digital method wholeheartedly. There
are even cases where employees print and
file documents they receive by email.While
it is critical that company documents
are stored and managed securely, some
companies have outdated views on why
original paper documents should be
retained.
Is it safe to destroy originals?
Original paper documents are usually
destroyed because they are no longer
needed and getting rid of them frees
up precious filing and storage space.
However, certain documents that
are critical to an organisation’s legal
obligations must be retained, for example
HMRC tax forms, signed leases, title
deeds and contracts. There is a common
misconception that these documents
must be kept in hard-copy format,
but nothing could be further from the
truth. As long as digital documents are
appropriately captured and managed,
they have the same legal validity as
paper-based counterparts.
Opting for an electronic document
management (eDM) solution makes
good business sense. Effective document
management is about far more than
scanning and storing documents in
digital format. It is about using data
capture to automatically pull out
relevant information and drive an
electronic and automated process. This
includes document storage, but it can
also be used for invoice or payment
status tracking or for streamlining and
automating the approval process of
contracts, non-disclosure agreements
and other legal documents.
The main benefit of an eDM approach
is that it creates an audit trail that is
essential for potential legal challenges.
Operational documents, once captured
electronically and saved in an eDM
solution, will always be retrievable.
Meeting a court’s requirement for highly
reliable evidence is where the issue of
Legal Admissibility comes into play.
As with paper-based documents, if the
provenance of a document is clear
and its integrity is incontestable then
admissibility is not considered
an issue.
However, before you
reach for the shredder
and destroy hard-copy
documents, ask your eDM
supplier the following
questions to ensure you stay
on the right side of the law:
n
How credible are your scanned and
saved electronic copies? The scanned
document must be an exact replica of
the original document.
n
Can it be used to produce reliable
evidence? The scanned document must
be of a high standard of legibility with
no modifications between it and the
originating document.
n
What are the specific regulations
around eDM in your sector? Each
industry vertical is slightly different, so
make sure you know what regulations
apply to your business.
Aligning business processes
The road to a paperless office can be
fraught with difficulties and unforeseen
challenges, which require not only a
change of direction for the business, but
also a change of mind-set for employees.
In addition to reviewing the
technology involved, organisations must
address their own internal business
processes. The British Standard BS
1008:20081 includes best practice advice
to ensure the legal admissibility of
information. In complying with the code,
a business can be as sure as possible that
they are satisfying official record-keeping
requirements. Importantly, this standard
is device-independent, as in the last
few years smartphone use and remote
working practices have grown hugely.
Electronic filing is now increasing at
such a rate that it is commonplace for
regulatory bodies, such as HMRC,
to declare the standards they
require. Opting for an eDM
solution is therefore no longer
a luxury; it is fast becoming a
necessity.Whether you opt for
a web portal, cloud or server-
based solution, seek advice from
relevant industry bodies and
contact other companies in your
sector to ensure your choice of eDM
incorporates regulation and legislation
into your solution from the outset.
Invu CTO Stuart Evans suggests a strategy for getting rid of bulky
paper documents while complying with longer-term document
management regulations
Admissibility and Retention:
the best approach for document destruction
...continued
