Security Features Within Document Management Systems

Posted on September 14, 2017

Data security is becoming one of the most serious concerns in the business world. That not only includes data breaches, as we discussed in a previous blog post, but also loss due to disaster. In some industries, such as health care, HIPAA regulations require certain levels of document security.

A document management system is software that manages and tracks electronic documents. It can be used in conjunction with scanners and multifunctional devices (MFDs) to create a document workflow that is easy to use and navigate in an office environment.

In addition to improving workflows, document management systems come with features that enhance the security of your company’s important and confidential information.

Document encryption

According to TechTarget, “data, often referred to as plaintext, is encrypted using an encryption algorithm and an encryption key.” The information can be viewed in its original format only if the correct key is used to decipher the message. Document encryption is essential to providing the most secure environment for your company’s documents and records.

Role-based access

Role-based access starts when users are added to a company’s document management system. Each user is assigned a role; roles can be assigned to teams or left alone. Based on the role and the team to which a user is assigned, this grants the user access to certain documents and information. This feature keeps information secured to only those who need access.

Audit trail

Document management systems provide audit trails for all of the documents contained. An audit trail tracks a document through its lifecycle. This feature gives administrators the ability to see who edited a document, when they made the changes, what those changes were and any comments made at the time. This enables a company to understand the accountability for mistakes or to clarify anything that changed within the document’s lifecycle.

Modify ownership

When an employee leaves a company, the ownership of his or her documents can be transferred to another user. This allows for greater accessibility and also for increased security, so that former employees do not have a way to access sensitive information.

Disaster recovery

By using a cloud-based document management system, your important documents and information will be stored and available should a disaster occur. Paper documents can get lost in a natural disaster or due to human error. With an online-based backup, you will not have to worry about important documents being unable to be recovered.

With the security of documents and company information being more important than ever, it is crucial to integrate a secure document management system into your company’s workflow. Centric can get you started. Call us at 877-902-3301 to learn more about the secure document management solutions available for your company!