Frequently Asked Questions – Document Management

Frequently Asked Questions

Document Management

What is a "document?"
A document can either be represented in electronic form (i.e. Word document, Spreadsheet file, Movie file, Sound clip, etc.) or as a traditional hardcopy consisting of one to thousands of pages.
What is Intellifile™?
Intellifile™ is the product name for our document management system (also known by some as a “paperless office” system or content management system).  Intellifile’s unique design makes it easier to understand, setup, and deploy a full-fledged paperless office in just minutes.  The ability to create virtual filing cabinets and drawers (just like a manual filing system) is what truly makes Intellifile a breeze to work with.
What is the standard format used by Intellifile™ to store documents that were scanned into the computer?
Intellifile™ provides a variety of graphic formats and compression settings to suit your needs.  By default, Intellifile™ uses a highly compressed PDF file format for storing all of its scanned documents.  Other supported formats include TIFF Group 4, TIFF Group 3, JBIG, JPG, PNG, BMP, and GIF compression
How is a multi-page document scanned and stored in Intellifile™?
When a multi-page document is scanned into the Intellifile™ module, all pages of the document are appended to create a single compact Adobe PDF file.  Viewing a multi-page document is a breeze with the standard Adobe Acrobat reader which supports viewing, scrolling, thumbnail indexing, printing, emailing and zooming of your multi-page documents.
How much disk space does Intellifile™ require to store all of my scanned documents?

Intellifile’s advanced scanning technology uses Adobe PDF file format and typically occupies about 50k of hard drive space for a single page. This means that each gigabyte (GB) of storage space (which costs only a few dollars) will hold approximately 20,000 pages.

With the rapid drop in prices for hard drives, optical media and scanners, it costs much less to store documents on your computer than it does with paper.
In fact, when you consider all the expense factors involved with hardcopies (e.g. paying someone to constantly file paperwork; assigning expensive office space to accommodate filing cabinets; loss of time in retrieving paperwork; dealing with misplaced paperwork; etc.), it simply doesn’t make financial sense to continue operating a business with yesteryear thinking.

What are the risks of using a document management system? Is it worth it?

Next to the cost of setting up a document management system (which is no longer an issue with today’s low priced storage options), the next biggest fear by many is that of computer malfunction causing an entire virtual filing system to disappear.

The irony to this fear factor is that your company’s paper filing system is not any safer than having it all stored electronically on your computer.
Think about it… if your building, strip mall location, or complex were to suddenly have a fire breakout, could you quickly move all your filing cabinets at a moments notice?  How about a natural catastrophes like tornadoes, hurricanes or floods?  Or the possibility of vandalism, theft, terrorism or arson?
With a “paperless office,” you can easily place your entire filing cabinet in the palm of your hand.  A tape backup can be brought home each night or placed in a fire-proof safe on a periodic basis.  No matter what unforeseen event happened, you could be up and running in less than a few hours of the worst catastrophes imaginable.

Good backup systems are extremely inexpensive to implement today and should alleviate any concerns with regards to the safety of your documents.  In fact, you probably are backing up already if you are using your computer for any serious commercial purposes.

The truth is… your are at more risk when running a company while using traditional paper-based filing systems versus electronic document management systems like Intellifile™.

What if my database is simply too big to fit in one data volume?
Intellfile™ employs multiple-repository techniques which allows you to store documents across multiple volumes, with each volume residing in a different directory or on a different drive, disk array, etc.  Companies with more than one server can easily setup ManageMore’s document management system in a variety of ways (e.g. A/R related documents could be placed on Server A while A/P, Banking and G/L related documents could reside on Server B).
Does Intellifile™ support audit trails?
Yes.  Whenever a virtual filing cabinet is created, the owner of the cabinet has the ability to decide what employees can access a cabinet and whether or not auditing will take place on each employee who visits the cabinet.  The user name, date, time, document name and action performed can be recorded on an individual user basis.  Audit logs can easily be viewed and sorted for quickly looking at the who’s, what’s and when.
How much total RAM will Intellifile™ require?
Basically, follow the minimum requirements for ManageMore and you will be fine.
What image resolution should I use?
Intellifile™ can support documents scanned at various resolutions, from 150 dpi to 1200 dpi (or more) depending on your scanner. Depending on the purpose and the contents of the page, most documents should probably be scanned in black and white at around 300 dpi.  Higher dpi scans will consume more hard drive space, and often make very little difference on standard documents.
What about color files or photographs?
Color files can be scanned with a color scanner or imported into Intellifile™. There are a wide range of color scanners on the market. Many document imaging scanners support color and grayscale.
How can I scan double-sided documents?
There are two different ways to handle double-sided documents. If you own a duplex scanner, then both sides of the page will be scanned and then saved as a multi-page document.   Also, with a simplex scanner, you can simply scan the front page and then append the back page to form your multi-page document manually.
How secure are my really sensitive documents? Like Payroll and Company Financials?

Besides the security measures that can be assigned at each virtual cabinet within the Intellifile™ system, you can further protect your documents with individual password settings on each document plus a 128-bit high level encryption on the document itself.  This means that even a hacker who attempts to bypass ManageMore by going directly to the hard drive would have a near impossible time trying to open sensitive documents.