Every educational institution remains under budgetary pressure during each academic cycle. As schools look for new ways to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency, leveraging technology has become a viable way to achieve more with less. Many institutions in Wisconsin also need to improve their document security, as the information they process can be sensitive. If the school still uses archaic processes and legacy systems to manage documents, it makes the process inefficient, tedious, and time-consuming.

The number of documents involved in providing quality education can be substantial as it includes student transcripts, financial records, human resource information, and notes from meetings with administrators or parents. By implementing a comprehensive document management software, academic institutions can reduce their operational overheads, streamline workflows, and provide a more efficient experience to their students.

The Benefits of Document Management Software for Academic Institutions

Modern Document Management Systems (DMS) enable every organization to reduce overheads and streamline their work processes. For schools and universities, a DMS can decrease their reliance on physical documents considerably. While budgets are prone to stagnate, maintaining a paper-based document management process can require a massive amount of effort from teachers and administrators alike. It’s also essential to protect all sensitive information from uncontrolled access or disclosure.

A digital DMS ensures all information remains secure while limiting access to documents to only authorized individuals. This provides educators with easy access to crucial information from a central repository and helps the institution to improve the entire operational process.

Streamline Operational Workflows and Improve Document Security

Any school district can benefit from implementing a DMS. Firstly, it reduces the reliance on physical documents and requires less physical storage when using an electronic system. It also improves document security as the school can encrypt information and guarantee only authorized users gain access to a specific file. The retention period for educational records is also high, meaning schools relying on physical processes have to allocate prime real estate to filing cabinets.

Finding a document under these conditions can also add overheads to teachers and administrators. With a DMS solution, the school can retain every document in the electronic system while archiving essential physical records offsite. Additionally, a DMS enables the institution to digitize workflows and streamline their operational processes for increased productivity.

Reduce the Cost of Compliance and Eliminate Bottlenecks

A full in-tray is never a good thing while the school year is in full swing. When teachers fall behind on paperwork, usually the students suffer. To eliminate bottlenecks from the process that puts educators under pressure, the institution should invest in a document management software. A DMS will assist teachers in completing specific document-related tasks in a timely and productive manner, giving them more time to focus on their students.

Similarly, schools manage a lot of sensitive information relating to students and staff. This kind of information is subject to regulations and require demonstrable compliance with state and federal agencies. As a DMS tracks every activity on a document from capture to destruction, it will reduce the costs associated with compliance by generating an audit trail for the entire lifecycle of every digital copy.

What to Look for in a Modern Document Management Solution

New solutions come with automated workflows, file encryption, cloud storage, and backup tools for improved disaster recovery. These features keep documents secure, ensures fast search and retrieval of information, and improves collaboration between teachers and administrators. While there are many solutions to pick from, each is customizable according to the existing processes and can integrate with other information management systems.

The features a DMS should have that are important for educational institutions include:

  • A system that is interoperable with existing software solutions
  • Document security tools that prevent undisclosed access or dissemination of sensitive information
  • Mobile integration to improve productivity and provide authorized access from remote locations
  • Detailed workflows to manage the information flow through the institution
  • A complete audit trail of every view, edit, or print of each document
  • Easy capture and filing of a document by using advanced scanning technologies
  • Backup and recovery tools including cloud storage
  • An easy to use and attractive user interface, since the DMS is a platform that members of staff log into every day

A Complete Document Management Software Solution from James Imaging Systems

James Imaging Systems have assisted organizations in regaining control over their document management processes since 1977. With an integrated DMS solution from James Imaging Systems, schools can improve their document security and operate more efficiently, while reducing overheads. James Imaging Systems will work with educational institutions in Wisconsin to find a solution that suits their budget and serves both the teachers and administrators effectively.

To implement a document management software solution that improves your school’s operational processes and ensures your document security, contact James Imaging Systems today.