What is information management?
Information management is a type of management and generally describes the administrative processes required for information. Well-organised information management is essential for companies as they have to process a great deal of internal and external information every day. It is necessary to collect, process and evaluate information – and processing the data that occurs is an enormous task. Document management is then required to ensure that employees can access information in a fast and flexible manner. A database (a document management system) is mainly used to manage and categorise electronic documents. Thanks to categorisation, it is much easier to find data again and work on it. However, it is first necessary to digitalise the data if a digital document management system is used within a company.
Document management in companies
Contracts, invoices, orders – despite digital possibilities, this kind of information is still often only available in physical form. Organising, finding and storing it is becoming an ever greater challenge: rents for storage space are rising, less paper is supposed to be used and important personnel resources are tied up to handle the time-consuming administrative work. Digitalisation is therefore increasingly becoming the focus of attention as a way of resolving this conflict so that firms can cope with these challenges.
Digitalisation as a driving force powering document and information management
The significance of digitalisation has increased in the economy and industry during the last few years. More and more companies are gradually switching their processes and their document management operations.
The benefits of digitalised document and information management
- Saves time
- Eases the pressure on employees
- Easy to organise
- Data can be found/managed quickly
However, even after switching to a digital document management system, it is still vital that data is handled correctly and the necessary information is obtained. The following aspects must be considered to ensure that this runs smoothly:
1: Digitalisation
Digitalisation is essential for a digital transformation process. In order to successfully introduce digitalisation projects, it is not only necessary to have the technical prerequisites and expertise, but also take into consideration the needs of the company and those of the employees. An internal switch therefore often creates challenges for companies. An external service provider can offer support and take over the digitalisation process.
2: Data protection
Data must be secure at all times, both during the digitalisation process and any storage, and it must not be lost or deleted by mistake. Otherwise, the company could incur enormous damage. It is therefore important to find out about the regulations and how to reliably implement them beforehand. Advice on data protection can offer great benefits. Companies gain access to expert knowledge in all areas of data protection by using external data protection officers. This includes compliance with the relevant regulations, protection of sensitive data and information about other responsibilities. As a result, the process of introducing data protection no longer poses a risk.
Data security should be organised in the processes too – in addition to obtaining advice about data protection. The service provider should also be able to provide information in this regard. Certificates provide the necessary transparency. Many service providers have their processes certified by official inspection bodies – and there are different kinds of certification for different processes.
You should look out for these certificates:
- DIN ISO 9001
- The internationally recognised standard for quality management systems.
- DIN ISO 27001
- The leading standard for information security management systems.
- DIN ISO 66399
- The standard for destroying data storage media.
3: Secure storage
Once the data is available in digital form, it also has to be stored securely. Even if there is no longer any need for a physical storage site, a digital storage place needs to be created. Companies themselves are often unable to store the volumes of data that occur, as their own server capacity is inadequate. Firms can therefore have their data hosted at external data centres. However, the security of the data storage method is crucial for any external storage. Companies should therefore ensure that the data centre that they have selected is located in Germany and, as a result, is subject to German regulations and certification processes.
All-round document and information management with Rhenus
Rhenus Office Systems supports customers all over Europe with its services and offers modern and innovative document and information management as a business partner.
You can find more information about the service portfolio of Rhenus Office Systems here.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
Our experts are there for you at all times.