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Weekly UpdatesWhat's in a name? Well, anyone trying to design or maintain an electronic document management system knows that just about everything is in the document's file name. Or is it? The document management systems reviewed here have made remembering file names a thing of the past. This is accomplished through the use of indexes, the key to all document management systems.
Indexes are the plain English way of "naming" the file. Indexes consist of several fields that define the document. Typical fields include client name, client number, date, and document type (such as tax return, letter, W-2, etc.). The more fields used the more information the system has by which to search for and retrieve documents.
The level of flexibility in the indexes is also a vital feature. The success of the system relies on what information is provided at the time of saving the document into the system. Fortunately, all of the systems reviewed offer assistance in the index setup process.
Each system also offers at least a basic level of password security, where users are identified as authorized to access specific documents or groups of documents. The web-based systems offer more functionality in this area, as they produce audit trails of users' actions--saving, viewing, and altering documents.
Web-based systems also require a different level of security from that of local systems (where the documents are stored on the CPA's own hardware). Additional data security issues include the security of the buildings, servers, and Internet connections. Both web-based systems have security guards, multiple data locations and Internet encryption for document uploads and downloads.
Transferring the documents back and forth is also unique to the web-based systems. Since these services function as complete data storage solutions, they allow for multiple document types (such as Microsoft Word, IBM Lotus Notes, and e-mails). There is an expectation that these documents will be uploaded to the service and downloaded to the user's workstation multiple times before the documents are considered final. As a result, both services have a feature that prevents a second user from downloading and editing a document that has been downloaded and not re-uploaded. However, both services allow the downloaded document to be viewed online by additional users in a read-only mode.
The local document management systems take a different approach to managing the documents, as they consider them final upon being saved into the system. Users do all editing on their workstations using whatever software necessary. Upon completion, users then send the documents to the management system where they are converted to PDF format versions of the originals. The PDF files then become permanent additions to the system for retrieval, reference, and archive only. This is a limiting feature, as it offers simple categorized storage with little management.
What the local and web-based systems do have in common is a centralized and secure storage of documents, including confidential information. As the government begins to pass regulations and requirements on these issues (such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regulating the documents of U.S. publicly held companies with $75 million or more equity market capitalization), taking the steps now to electronically organize, audit, and archive documents can save paper now and headaches in the future.
By Ellen DePasquale
FCS Allows "objects" to be Embedded Such as Word & Excel
Simplicity, organization, and easy storage and retrieval of client and internal documents are the virtues of Thomson Creative Solutions FileCabinet Solutions (FCS). FCS installs on your local computer or network as either an add-on to Creative Solutions' other programs, such as ClientBookkeeping Solution, or as a standalone program.
As an add-on FCS utilizes information in the main application to help organize and categorize the documents as they are added. The communication between the two applications plays a role in the design of the indexes, referred to as drawers and folders in FCS. As a standalone, the structure is designed as part of the system configuration, so it is customizable to each accounting firm.
Features
The familiar split-window interface will facilitate a short learning curve for navigation resulting in quick adoption by users. The drawers and folders are listed on the left in the folder window, with the image of the document on the right in the watch window.
The event history log, also in the watch window, tracks information regarding the documents in the selected drawer. It is kept at the drawer level because there is only one folder level in a drawer, no folders within folders. All documents are available in the log with their appropriate folder noted. The number of items in the log can be set in the system configuration to limit its size.
All documents added to FCS are images of the original. Among the 18 supported file types are PDF, BMP, JPEG, and TIFF. Users can either scan directly into FCS or manually attach image files.
In addition to the images of documents, FCS allows "objects" to be embedded, such as Microsoft Word and Excel documents. These objects can be viewed in the watch window, and FCS will also launch the application in the watch window to allow editing.
The search function is slightly different. Users are required to first select whether to search in a single drawer or all drawers. They can then search the results using a different term or phrase. This can be repeated multiple times to narrow the search results to exactly what the user needs. However, since the drawers are the top index, it would take less time to search if the user could start at a lower folder instead.
FCS's approach to security is another example of its features breaking the mold. Instead of user-level passwords there are drawer-level passwords. This can be a challenge if the user has to remember multiple passwords to access necessary data. There is also a "master password" to control the system configuration settings. This must be generated before the drawer-level passwords can be implemented.
FCS also offers a variety of annotations that can be attached to the document including highlighter, typed text, "stamps", image from file, and audio. Users can place the highlighter, typed text, and image from file anywhere on the document. Stamps, such as "Draft" are located in the same position on all documents and resemble an ink stamp. (Users choose from the stamp library.) Audio annotations can be recorded, edited, and played right in FCS, or users can import pre-recorded WAV files.
Summary
Smaller firms that need to reduce paper yet keep detailed records will find FCS useful. It is easy to set up, easy to use, and offers enough security to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. FCS is a simple but useful tool that users will most likely leave open for most of their working day.
Thomson Creative Solutions
www.creativesolutions.thomson.com
800-986-8900
By Ellen DePasquale
GoFileRoom Offers Features and Benefits Not Found in Local Systems
Thomson Corporation's web-based document and workflow management service, GoFileRoom, can remove many of the headaches associated with both the accountant's accounting workflow and IT concerns. Since this is a web-based service, it requires accounting firms to closely review the system's security features before placing their clients' confidential documents out on the Internet.
Ease-of-use, document audit trails, and workflow management as well as data back-up and disaster recovery plans are already being implemented at GoFileRoom. However, reliable user Internet service is a must.
Features
GoFileRoom servers are located at several IBM data centers which are "tier 1" in the industry. This means seven layers of physical protection, from security guards to physical locks on the hardware. Physical access is only one element of the necessary security; anti-hacking is the next.
All server transactions use 128 bit encryption, the same level as online banking. The servers have also been audited and tested by FoundStone (a web-application security company owned by MacAfee). FoundStone certified the GoFileRoom servers with their highest grading since they could not hack into them.
Second only to security is back-up. GoFileRoom is redundant with two servers housing the data and replication between NY and Chicago, so there are four layers of protection. They also produce monthly backups of all documents and deliver them on a DVD to the accounting firms.
Access to the GoFileRoom servers is through redundant OC3 connections to high-bandwidth multiple independent Tier 1 backbone networks. As long as users have access to the Internet, they have access to the documents.
User-level access and security privileges are extensive. In addition to file location and/or client access restrictions, actions can be restricted, such as document viewing, annotating, and editing either by user, user groups, drawers, or even down to the individual documents.
GoFileRoom offers easy document search, retrieval and viewing online. However, all editing is done at the users' workstation via downloading the documents in their native application format. Downloads and uploads are managed through a check-out/check-in process, and monitored by the audit trail function. Any document that is checked-out, can only be viewed online, until it is checked back in. This prevents two or more users from editing a document simultaneously.
The indexing feature is extensive and offers a host of initial criteria to quickly find the right document. Based on the user privileges, searches can span across data types, clients, and file locations.
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