What are the "Cons" of a company choosing an online document management system? Honesty without shameless promotion please.

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Permalink Reply by Ellen Feaheny on September 12, 2009 at 7:29pm

I think the top issues with a proprietary system is that it is "closed" - none, few or limited APIs. Some thoughts:

1) Extending systems in integration (with other systems' or their data), functionality (adding on to it), or theming (look and feel) are critical needs - if not at the beginning, eventually.
2) Authentication and authorization flexibility is also critical. Forcing the user to login multiple times to all the systems in-house is getting to be intolerable at most corporations; creating single-logins and "single silos" (as much as possible) is desired.
3) Syndication and pull/push notifications of the information (new and changed) is a growing trend, not likely to disappear. RSS is moving into the Enterprise, with management and organization.

The most successful systems these days have robust (not minimal) open apis for easy integration or feature customization capabilities. Also, architectures that foster plug-ins or add-ons (so as to not break future upgradability).

Without, before long you will be looking for it. Or someone in the company will.

It's inevitable. Integration and extendability capabilities is core.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Walker on September 17, 2009 at 2:59pm

I assume that you aren't referring to a browser based solution that is in-house.

One of the biggest downsides, which is not applicable to all, is that there are legal constraints about where the "record" can be stored in relation to where business is conducted. E.g.: I came across a British Columbia based organization that had to sever a relationship with a provider because the data centre is in Alberta.

Another potential major downside is security; not single sign on as Ellen refers to, but the actual security model itself (roles/users/groups/accounts). There are times when the client organization needs to have full control over the security model in order to satisfy their business and regulatory requirements. The same could be said of the metadata model and the classification model.

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Permalink Reply by Rafael Moscatel on September 17, 2009 at 6:41pm

Thanks very much Chris and thanks Ellen for the insight. Is there anything else though in terms of functionality and application speed that is lacking, or cannot be accomplished with a web based system?

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Permalink Reply by Martin Kratz on September 21, 2009 at 2:11pm

When you say "Online" do you mean that you have access to the system via the Internet? w/o knowing more, I can only say their could be an issue with security and/or speed. Client/Server is faster because it suggests that you are connected with the system directly.

With regard to Document and Records Management there is a difference between the 2. From a Records Management perspective our solution is Department of Defense Certified (DOD 5015.2) and is capable of housing documents (as well as any other type of files) to the Top Secret level.

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Permalink Reply by Rafael Moscatel on September 21, 2009 at 2:33pm

Thanks, Martin. Yes, by online I meant a third party handling records and document management for an organization, storing their repository and providing them with a program by which to access their documents through the internet. I was not referring to a browser based system developed in house or an off the shelf client / server app.

On another point however, I am also wondering how the management of physical records is impacted by records management systems operating in the cloud. That is, is it possible for a Records Department at say a 100 attorney firm to use this type of application or are client/server apps more suited for handling these duties for the forseeable future. For example, aside from RFID, the tracking of records across an organization, check in and check out, labeling and relabeling of records, etc..

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Permalink Reply by Martin Kratz on October 7, 2009 at 4:08pm

Rafael,
Sorry for the delay in answering your question(s).

First, with regard to a third party handling the records and document management for an organization there are a few ways to do it...effectively and efficiently...

One way is the obvious...through the internet using a web browser to access the system..it wouldn't matter where the "solution" resided (from a user perspective).

to your other points, we have to keep in mind that "the cloud" is another buzz word which is really a metaphor for web/internet. That said, it wouldn't matter if it was 100 or 1 million attorney firms...the underlying technology in how they connect to the system isn't as important as the features and functionality that needs to get delivered to them to execute their jobs effectively. As far as tracking the records across the organization, check in/out, labeling, and in law...Bate Stamping...can be managed quite easily (with the right system) plug plug.... :)

For the tracking of records...rules should be set up w/i a Workflow solution..so whether they fax, scan, check in/out (from their desktops) or to go further...fill out a webform that has the ability to dynamically add rows (for indexing) with a button to browse and attach a document this should prove most effective for most government and commercial organization. Some of my Government clients have incorporated RFID's to add another layer of tracking...for the sake of security I wont mention them but lets just say that these clients have case files that are sent around along with evidence..the evidence gets RFIDs so they know electronically speaking who checked it out...where in the building it is...and when returned...when, where, and by whom it was returned. All this "data" becomes part of a workflow and is able to get reported on...and with a time based workflow...rules are set-up so that if something was supposed to be done w/i a certain time frame and isn't...they get notified (through email, mobile phone, land line call, etc..from the system) if (based on the rules) they don't do it w/i a certain time frame...it escalates those notifications up the proverbial food chain to higher management.

Finally...there is always the ASP model (Application Service Provider). Where the client may have a "black box" which caches their records for faster retrievable of records that are regularly retrieved...but the hardware and most of the software resides at the vendors location for them to handle the development, as well as the disaster recovery and back-up of the system. This model has been around for a long time and depending on the model...you could almost say that it fits the newer buzz word model of SAAS.

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Permalink Reply by Jill Nehrybecki on October 9, 2009 at 7:52pm

The best solution is one that can provide secure access by web but is absolutely controlled by the enterprise as an internal system that opens up the flow of data, documents, drawings, (all of your files really) within and to and from third parties on a privilege driven basis. This is why a web base system in itself will never provide all that you need.

Not to promote myself nor my company but perhaps to share with you the possibiliities and deliverables of instead investing in a single but robust and flexible system that can grow and evolve with your organisation, I recently wrote this piece to be published APAC.

Yes we do implement these systems but we fully customise them to the needs of each client. This is also a real requirement when procuring a system. It needs to work as you do and simply automate the processes most productive to your exact business operation. It also needs to work in line with the regulations that force requirements on your operation as well and provide full access control and file audit records that can be used in case of litigation etc.

Dont ever consider a system that makes you work with tools and functions that your user comunitiy have to come to grips with, but one that fits your current processes like a glove and actually reduce their workfload. If not you will be buying into clutural change dramas and ongoing training and customisation costs that your management and user community will hate you for. ECM should add controls but reduce the cost and expense of your operation and not add further complexity. Most web based applications fall very short in my experience.

Jill

Attachments:

• My article demisterfying ECM in IDM_September-October_2009.pdf, 1.1 MB

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Permalink Reply by John R Turner on February 1, 2010 at 8:16am

I like the response mentioning legal constraints. If the laws in the state (or states when sufficiently redundant systems exist) where the data resides offers more lenient discovery than your state allows it might come as a surprise when your records are summoned.

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