What you need to know about the exchange of electronic documents. Electronic document management system (EDMS): what is it, features and recommendations Types of EDMS

Hello dear colleague! The development of information technologies does not stand still, and business processes develop along with them, but something completely disappears. So, gradually various companies, including government agencies, are moving from paper workflow to electronic. The concept of "electronic document management", the main forms of systematization and implementation, we will consider in this article. Stay with us. I hope that the information provided will significantly reduce the time, labor and financial costs of your business or, if you are just planning to become an entrepreneur, prevent mistakes in this direction.

1. What is electronic document management, and what types of EDI are there?

Even just 5 years ago, such a concept as an “electronic document management system” could be very rarely seen. Gradually, with the introduction of computer technology into our lives, data exchange began to be introduced without using paper media.

Electronic document management in Russia is a modern technology that can significantly simplify the processes at the enterprise, reduce the time it takes to search and generate documents, and so on.

So, let's look at the basic concepts that we will have to deal with in this article.

office work is a set of measures to organize the circulation of documents in the enterprise. It has a certain algorithm, a set of rules and various directions. So in many organizations it is possible to distinguish between such types as personnel records management, production, and so on. At its core, it is documentation.

Electronic document is a document created using computer technology, which can be signed with an electronic signature and stored as a file of a specialized format on a computer or on a network (local or on the Internet).

Document flow is a large system for creating, interpreting, receiving, transmitting, archiving documents, as well as monitoring their implementation and protecting against unauthorized access. Document management can be both simple (on paper) and electronic.

And finally, electronic document management is a set of automated processes in working with documents, carried out in electronic form, carrying the concept of “paperless office work”.

Electronic document management can be both within an organization and between organizations.

Let's look at what types of workflow are:

Production workflow;
Management document flow;
Archiving (a set of procedures for archiving documents);
Personnel business (a set of procedures for personnel workflow);
Accounting document flow;
Warehouse document flow;
Secret (confidential) office work;
Technical and/or technological document flow, etc.

Obviously, there can be as many document management systems as there are processes in an enterprise. It is possible that, for example, personnel and accounting records management will be absent in your organization, since you will carry out this accounting by resorting to services and so on.

What are the tasks of the EDO?

ensures transparency of the organization's activities and management efficiency, due to automatic control over the implementation of tasks at the enterprise;
maintains compliance with international quality standards;
supports the effective accumulation, management and access to information and knowledge. Provides personnel flexibility by storing the entire history of the employee's activities in the enterprise;
logs all processes;
optimizes and automates business processes and mechanisms for their implementation and control at the enterprise;
due to the exclusion of paper documents from circulation, there is a big saving of resources by reducing the cost of paper, cartridges. Thanks to EDI, it is easier for an enterprise to control the movement of documents through the organization's channels;
simplifies and reduces the cost of storing documents through electronic archives.

Thus, we have considered with you the basic concepts and types of EDI, as well as the tasks that this system solves.

2. What is the automation of electronic document management. Electronic document management: pros and cons

Electronic document management is an information system that allows more rational and easy use of company data. It includes specialized software, e-mail, enabling operational communication, the Internet, a local area network, and so on. In different organizations, this kind of complex may consist of different components.

The main advantages of electronic document management compared to paper are:

the ability to search for files in the system using a variety of filters and parameters;
full accounting of production or any other documentation;
operational reporting of the enterprise;
operational management of the enterprise and the exchange of information via secure channels from anywhere (it is not necessary to be all together on the same territory in order to interact);
unified templates for creating documents;
supervision and control over personnel;
distribution of access rights to corporate information according to certain criteria and parameters;
reducing paper costs (and if more globally, then to some extent solving environmental problems);
it is possible to reduce the staff involved in paperwork, as well as reduce the rented (occupied) premises due to the lack of paper archival documents.

As for the disadvantages of EDI (electronic document management), there are not so many of them. This is quite expensive software and time-consuming, both for training employees and for digitizing existing documents. But if you are just starting to conduct business, then you should not have problems with the introduction of electronic document management, since the staff will already work in this system at the initial stage.

3. What is needed to switch to electronic document management?

So, if we figured out the concept of EDI and the main advantages, now I propose to consider the main systems for office automation and electronic document management, as well as the implementation processes for these systems.

As it has already become clear from the information above, it is not enough just to purchase and install software, it is important to train employees and completely rebuild the entire production process of your enterprise. If you are just starting out in business, then it will be a little easier for you, since the business processes have not yet been launched.

The process of introducing EDI in an already functioning company should occur gradually. Gradually connecting all structural divisions of the enterprise to work.

The very first step will be the creation of automated office work. At all stages, you may encounter not only technical problems, but also psychological ones, since it is difficult to “break” already established rules.

It is important to purchase and install software for EDI from one supplier, then setting up the entire system will be much easier and will not fail.

Let's look at the basic requirements for implementing the process of implementing electronic document management in an organization.

Firstly, availability of computer equipment for software installation;

Secondly, all employees of the enterprise involved in this process must be confident PC users and have access to it;

Thirdly, there must be electronic means of communication between the team, such as e-mail, skype and so on;

Fourth, you need to create a specialized division or involve it as an outsourcing company (you can read more about outsourcing in).

And finally, the administrative sector of the company should be prepared for the fact that instead of the usual “manual” signature, .

Thus, if all these requirements are met, it is possible to begin the transition to the use of electronic documents and electronic document management.

4. Types of electronic document management systems

In this paragraph of the article, we will consider electronic document management systems. I would like to note that any system can contain elements of the following categories, but basically they have a specific orientation in each area that is related to product positioning.

1. Electronic archives

Electronic Archives (EA) - These are electronic document management systems with thoroughly developed means of storing and searching for information. Thanks to the perfect EA system, you can search not only by the name of the document, but also by key parameters.

2. EDI systems with advanced workflow (WF) tools

A fairly complex category in which the documents themselves are not of paramount importance. Here, work comes to the fore, and documents are already attached to them. Thus, they move along a specific route (hard routing). With the help of such systems, it is possible to organize work in certain areas, for which all algorithms are known and prescribed in advance.

3. EDI systems focused on supporting the management of the organization and the accumulation of a knowledge base

Such programs, as a rule, are hybrid and can combine elements of the previous two. Moreover, the basic element can be either a document or a task, depending on the choice. To implement the management function of an organization, both rigid routing and free routing are needed, when the route of the document is prescribed by the head (for example: after registering the incoming document, the head “paints” it according to the meaning and task), therefore, both of these technologies take place in a given situation . Such systems are actively used by state bodies, large companies, in which the hierarchy is clearly distributed and there are certain rules and procedures. Employees themselves create documents, prepare them, make decisions and monitor their execution.

4. EDI systems of collaboration type (collaboration)

Such systems are focused on collaboration and are new in the field of electronic document management. They were created due to changing market conditions and the need to be clearly focused on certain areas without unnecessary ballast. They are the opposite of the above systems, due to the lack of a clear hierarchy in the organization and the formalization of the workflow. Their main task is to ensure that people in the organization work together, even if they are located in different parts of the world, and also to save the results of the work done. As a rule, they are created by the type of portals, which are storage and publishing services.

5. Systems with advanced additional services

I think that you have heard such a concept as CRM (customer relation management) more than once - this is a customer relationship management service, project management, billing, and so on. Such services are diverse and may include different sets of services.

Before implementing electronic document management programs at large enterprises, I advise you to conduct an in-depth analysis of the presented systems and choose the optimal one, with a list of systems applicable only to your organization. It is important that EDMS represent an opportunity for effective enterprise management and transparency of all its processes, but at the same time a high level of confidentiality.

When choosing platforms, I advise you to pay special attention to the organization of electronic document archives, workflow automation, taking into account the individual characteristics of your enterprise and involvement in an existing system.

5. Problems of implementing electronic document management systems

Any company that strives to modernize processes and keep up with the times, one way or another, faces the problems of introducing new systems. This may also apply to an organization wishing to implement electronic document management systems.

Let's take a look at what problems you may encounter:

Firstly, as we have already said, considering the pros and cons of EDI, this is a psychological barrier, but the problem is not only in it. Also, low education of the enterprise personnel, unwillingness to learn, fear of transparency of processes can become an obstacle. In a word, conservatism.

Secondly, many enterprises, unfortunately, have not yet gone far from the Soviet type of management, namely the factor of the director of the Soviet period, when he himself does not want to work with a computer, view and edit documents.

Thirdly, frequent structural changes in the organization and weak formalization of business processes.

Fourth, one way or another, you will have to interact with the outside world, which has not yet completely switched to electronic document management, although it strives to do so.

6. Electronic document management in public procurement

In this paragraph of the article, I would like to reflect the main points of the regulatory regulation of electronic document management in public procurement.

According to Article 5 of the Federal Law of April 5, 2013 No. 44-FZ “On the contract system in the field of procurement of goods, works, services to meet state and municipal needs”:

“Within the framework of the relations specified in Part 1 of Article 1 of this Federal Law, it is allowed to exchange electronic documents provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation and other regulatory legal acts on the contract system in the field of procurement between participants in the contract system in the field of procurement, including filing applications for participation in the determination of the supplier (contractor, performer), final proposals. At the same time, these applications, final proposals and documents must be signed with an enhanced electronic signature and submitted using ”.

This article also states that enhanced electronic signature keys and their verification certificates can only be obtained from specialized certification centers that have received accreditation in accordance with Federal Law No. 63-FZ of April 6, 2011.

The authorized bodies develop the procedure for the interaction of these certification centers with a single information system and, security requirements are also developed.

Thus, if the supplier (procurement participant) has an electronic signature, there are no obstacles to participation in public procurement.

So, in this article, we have examined the basic principles of electronic document management. Of the most well-known corporations that provide services for the sale and installation of software, one can single out such companies as 1C, 1C-Rarus, ABBY and others.

That's all for today. I hope that this material was useful to you. I wish you good luck and see you in the next editions.

Today, 100% of documents in the office are created electronically, but still more than 80% of them are printed out (for approval, familiarization, start-up). Can such an approach be effective?

It seems that the introduction of electronic document management is the most reasonable action on the part of decision makers. But the business need for automation is far from instantaneous. And only after receiving a number of signals, the management comes to the conclusion that the enterprise needs a special information system for content management (ECM-system). It is then that there is a need to manage information at all stages of its existence, until it becomes obsolete.

What is an electronic document, EDMS, ECM

There are many definitions. We will try to give you the most understandable and capacious.

Electronic document- a set of information (text, image, sound recording) stored on a computer (Word, Excel files, etc.). It is accompanied by a card with attributes, just as books in a library are accompanied by a file cabinet. By attributes (title, author, date of creation, etc.), a document can be quickly found.

Workflow(workflow) - a sequence of actions of employees within a specific business process. An example of such a sequence is the receipt of a document, its registration, consideration and execution of the document, and a business process is work with citizens' appeals.

Electronic document management(EDI) is a way of organizing work with documents, in which the bulk of documents are used in electronic form and stored centrally.

Do you need an ECM system

To assess whether an EDMS or an ECM system is needed, answer the following questions for yourself:

can you quickly find the right document while talking on the phone with an important partner?
will it be possible to say exactly which of the instructions you have issued have not been completed and are overdue at the moment?
Are you sure that the existing speed of document approval creates a positive image of your organization?
Are you satisfied with the volume of papers that are on your desk?
Can you confidently say where the document that was sent for approval is currently located?

Advantages of electronic document management

Transparency of business processes. Thanks to the system, you can track all stages in the activities of the organization. Business processes become absolutely transparent for management, they are easier to control.

Higher performance discipline. According to statistics, 20% of the tasks received are not carried out by the employees responsible for them. With full control of all stages of work, the ECM system directly affects the performance discipline of employees.

Lower labor costs for managers and employees. The system reduces the time employees spend on almost all routine operations with documents: creation, search, approval, etc. Accelerates document flow. And as a result, all processes in the organization go faster.

Information confidentiality is ensured. A data breach can cost an organization millions of dollars. Unlike the traditional "paper" workflow, the ECM system provides access to documents strictly in accordance with the assigned user rights. All actions on the document (reading, modifying, signing) are logged.

Complies with ISO 9000 standards. Setting quality management has now become one of the priority tasks in Russian companies. Among the requirements for the quality management system (QMS) is a transparent document flow, as well as information exchange between employees.

Easily innovate and train newbies. Thanks to the notification system built on the basis of the ECM system, you can quickly bring new work rules to all employees. The training time for new employees is reduced due to the quick search for the necessary information (regulations, instructions, etc.). It is easy to change routes and document templates, after which employees automatically start working in a new way.

Development of corporate culture. The introduction of an ECM system establishes and maintains the internal policy of the company, leads to team building. At the same time, the responsibility of each employee for the qualitative performance of the task given to him is increasing.

More competitive advantages. The ECM system directly affects the company's competitive advantages over other market players. The speed and quality of customer service are increased due to the rapid movement of information flows and precise control of all processes. The work of even the largest enterprise is becoming more mobile and less dependent on some "irreplaceable" employees.

ECM technologies

Enterprise content management can be approached both from the side of practice and theory.

Let's start with the last one. Pay attention to the components of the life cycle, indicated in the canonical definition from the AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management) glossary:

capture (Capture),
management (Manage),
storage (Store),
protection (Preserve),
delivery of information (Deliver).

It is necessary to manage information throughout its entire life cycle: from creation or receipt by the organization, to delivery to the end user or destruction after the expiration of the storage period.

Information permeates all the processes of the organization, it is created and processed in different software and with the help of various applications. But only an ECM system focuses on a unified approach to data management throughout their life.

From a business point of view, the stages in the life cycle of a document are important, which have a direct impact on business processes when it participates in workflows (workflow). But from a technical point of view, they do not carry a pronounced semantic load and are designated by the general term "document management".

Functionality and classification of EDMS and ECM systems

According to the research company Gartner, systems that support at least 3 of 6 functions can be classified as ECM:

document management: check-out/check-in, version control, security, document grouping, etc.;
collaborative work on common documents and support of project teams;
document scanning and paper document image management;
records management for long-term archiving, automating retention rules and regulations, ensuring that records comply with laws and regulations;
workflow for business process support, content routing, assignment of work tasks and states, route tracing and execution control;
web content management for publishing automation, dynamic content management and user interaction management for these tasks.

You can learn more about this topic in the headings of the "EDMS and ECM functionality" section:

An example of a business process in an ECM system

What not to expect from an ECM system

Currently, complex automation of enterprises is built by integrating several systems, each of which solves a certain range of tasks. Therefore, it is very important to understand what exactly to implement within each system.

Consider the most common business requirements, the implementation of which in the EDMS and ECM system should be reasonable.

HR records management. Despite the fact that it is directly related to documents, the task of this area is not the document flow itself, but accounting and personnel management.

An employee needs various selections by personnel - by education, gender, specialties, date of admission / dismissal, etc., for this information should be stored in a structured form in a database, and not in the form of separate unstructured documents.

The creation of each document should be reflected in a change in the state of personnel, therefore, to automate personnel records management, it is better to use specialized personnel management systems that can be integrated with an ECM system for storing unstructured information (CVs, photographs, personnel orders, etc.). In addition, it is useful to automate the processes of approval of these documents in the ECM system.

Accounting for financial documents.The situation is similar with structured financial documents: invoices, waybills, acts of work performed, etc.

For tax and accounting, which are based on primary documents, specialized accounting systems are designed, as well as specialized modules of the ERP system. The ECM system cannot replace them, although scanning and organizing an electronic archive of scanned images of financial documents are the tasks of the EDMS. The need to implement such solutions usually arises when there are a large number of documents and business process participants who will work with financial documents as with EDMS documents, taking into account access rights, electronic signature, etc.

In addition, it is now possible to exchange financial documents (invoices, contracts, waybills and acts) with counterparties in electronic form. And the storage of such documents in the EDMS will give an additional advantage. .

Analysis and modeling of business processes.

As a rule, systems of the BPM class () are used for the analysis and modeling of processes. These are specialized business analyst tools for an enterprise or external consulting firm. The simulated business processes may contain actions that are not related to documents, performed manually (for example, delivery of documents by courier), external entities (for example, suppliers) or with the support of other classes of systems (ERP, CRM).

Classical EDMS can provide information for the analysis of business processes (for example, in the form of reports on delays in the execution of certain types of tasks). But this is only a small part of the data needed for a full analysis.

It makes sense to integrate EDMS with modeling systems for reference data, for example, types of documents or organizational structure.

Implementation of an ECM system

Implementation effect

Evaluation of the results of an ECM project is no different from an analysis of the effectiveness of an IT project, and the latter - from the evaluation of any company project.

Here, the motive is the maturity of the company's technologies, without which the enterprise simply cannot be considered effective. In other cases, the benefits are almost impossible to calculate, although the need for implementation is beyond doubt. And sometimes the calculation of the effect is more expensive than the technology itself (as, for example, providing employees with unlimited access to the Internet). In all of these cases, the focus is rather on the cost of the project and the potential of the solution, including how easily the implemented system will solve other problems of the company.

EDMS and solutions based on it can not always be attributed to systems, regarding the effect of which everything is clear. Traditional methods of analyzing the effectiveness of the use of assets are not applicable to information, as well as the formula "the ratio of profit to total costs is efficiency." This is due to the fact that information is an intangible asset involved in production together with material and labor resources. The introduction of an ECM system is accompanied by a change in business processes and labor costs. The costs of information systems, including ECM, are in most cases indirect, which can be calculated per unit of output only using some economic planning model. And formalization is often quite difficult.

Stages of implementing an ECM system

The choice and purchase of an ECM system is only the first step towards building an electronic document management system in an organization. Before it starts to work and really starts to bring an effect, there will be an implementation process.

The implementation of an ECM system usually consists of the following steps:

organization of the project, allocation of personnel (project manager and working group);
research of the enterprise and design of solutions for the use of the ECM system;
setting up and adapting the ECM system;
training;
trial operation.

In any case, the following rules are mandatory for successful implementation:

active participation of management in the process of implementation and use of the ECM system;
allocation and in-depth training of key employees for the implementation and support of software;
organizing training for all users and providing instructions on how to work with the system.

Problems and risks of implementing an ECM system

In many ways, they coincide with the implementation projects of other information systems and lead to the following negative consequences:

the deadlines and budget of the project are violated;
not all goals are achieved (the system works, but not in full: less/worse than planned);
implementation is completely disrupted (the system does not really work).

Risk specifics due to the fact that most of the employees of the enterprise must be transferred in a short time to completely new methods of work for them (reading documents in electronic form, receiving resolutions and signatures of management in electronic form, etc.). The most characteristic risks of implementing an ECM system include:

conservatism of users, rejection of new methods of work;
low computer literacy of ordinary users and senior management;
unstructured processes (lack of regulations);
insufficient/inadequate technical equipment;
fuzzy project management.

Ways to prevent risks standard:

detailed and preliminary design of the operation of the ECM system at a given enterprise;
clear directives and personal example of leadership;
staff training and operational support in solving problems;
phased implementation.

Reliability and legality of the electronic document

The field of electronic content management and paperless interaction in companies is now actively developing. Legislation is also changing, some rules are fixed in it after they have become established in life, and some, on the contrary, are introduced after the adoption of new norms at the state level.

Determining the authenticity and legal significance of a paper document is a clear procedure for everyone: the document must have the necessary signatures and seals. But how to determine the authenticity of an electronic document?

Created for this electronic signature (ES)- details of an electronic document designed to protect it from forgery. You can identify the owner of the signature, as well as establish the absence of changes in the electronic document after its signing.

In its simplest form, the EP mechanism works as follows:

a certification center (subdivision or external organization) is allocated, which, using specialized software, generates so-called “key certificates” for each user;
an ES key is created - this is a unique sequence of characters. It consists of a private key, which is available only to its owner and they can sign the ES document, and a public key - available to everyone, with its help you can determine who and when signed the electronic document.

When using an ECM system, all the "difficulties" that the user may encounter are hidden. The user, as a rule, should simply select the desired function: “Sign the document” (the document signed by the ES will be closed for changes at the same time) or “Get information about signatures”. The legitimacy of electronic documents is recognized.

parting word

We wish you success in mastering new knowledge, and our materials will always help you with this.

Electronic document management system (EDMS)- this is a system (computer program, software, etc.) that allows you to organize and automate work with electronic documents (i.e. electronic document management) throughout their entire life cycle. The main functionality of the EDMS should include the ability to create, modify, store and route documents, as well as a number of service capabilities, such as search, classification, etc.

SED, in addition, is designed to organize and automate the processes of interaction between employees (transfer of documents, issuing tasks, sending notifications, etc.). Employees can quickly receive any necessary information on the company's customers. At the same time, documents can be both structured objects of the information system, which have a certain set of standard details, and unstructured (Word, Excel, .pdf, .jpg files, etc.). SED may include an electronic archive of documents, which enables the collective processing of information, and a system for automating business processes (workflow). Also, EDMS is one of the options for using the BPM system.

Traditionally, the concept of workflow automation is associated with work with correspondence, administrative and organizational documents, etc. but SED also allow you to associate each document with the actions that should be performed on it. Thanks to such a system, it becomes possible to track the performance of certain work by employees. Thus, the EDMS provides not only effective document flow management and information security in the company, but also an increase in control over the execution of work on documents and the productivity of employees.

Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS) are currently used in the IT infrastructure of almost any company - both private and public. In most companies, either EDMS has already been implemented, or it is planned to implement it in the near future. Electronic document management systems solve an ever wider range of tasks, integrate with accounting systems, and allow you to manage the performance of an enterprise (build KPI or BSC systems).
Via SED the enterprise becomes transparent and manageable: all the simplest business transactions (for example, the shipment of goods from a warehouse or the transfer of materials to production) are accompanied by their reflection in the accounting system in the form of electronic documents. Business operations can be accompanied by accounting and fixing indicators of business processes. The accumulated information on indicators is integrated into the EDMS into top-level indicators, and thus we get a balanced scorecard, reflected on the manager's panel.

Electronic document management systems have a number of advantages, which include the possibility of a single registration of an electronic document, the parallel execution of the necessary operations with tracking the person responsible for their execution, as well as the availability of an efficiently organized document search system and a developed reporting system.

Besides, SED, as a rule, contain tools for group work on documents and projects, scheduling and loading employees to work with documents, maintaining a history of working with documents and secure work with remote offices and divisions of the enterprise. On the most common platform in Russia "1C:Enterprise 8" example SED is an . With the advent of the 1C:Enterprise 8 platform, the distribution of the 1C family of programs was reoriented from small to medium and corporate segments of enterprises. Electronic document management is an attribute of a full-fledged information system for such enterprises, while workflow class systems and a more advanced version of BPMS are a standard module of an enterprise's corporate information system, in which the number of office employees reaches more than 50 people.

Should not be industry specific. The main and most common version of electronic document management are boxed products, and EDMS on the 1C platform is no exception.

In the conditions of modern business development, the EDMS must solve problems related to cost optimization, with the possibility of saving the internal resources of the enterprise. At the same time, the best option is such a situation for the enterprise, when the implemented information electronic document management system allows you to quickly (in 2-3 months) recoup the costs of implementation. A prerequisite for such an implementation is the presence in the enterprise of an employee who has knowledge in the field of process management, skills in constructing diagrams of business process description notations and quite well represents the business processes occurring in the enterprise implementing the EDMS. Formalized business process diagrams can be an important help.

Implementation SED should always solve the issue of optimizing business processes and saving labor costs of both the management and ordinary employees of the enterprise. At the same time, the maximum effect from the implementation is achieved when the electronic document management functions in a single information space with a management and accounting system. Such a combined system allows you to solve a much larger number of problems.

There are a number of standard applications SED on the 1C platform, for example, automation of contractual work. But the solution of such tasks as personnel workflow, work with business trips and advance reports, applications for funds, support processes for sales, purchases, production and warehouse workflow can only be solved in a single information system with an accounting system. For example, on the platform 1C 8 electronic document management system "PiterSoft: Process Management" or

For example, on the platform 1C 8 electronic document management system can work in a single database with the product "1C: Payroll and personnel management" or "1C: Production enterprise management", which allows you to comprehensively solve both functional tasks (for example, recruitment), and accounting (salary calculation) and management (making a motivational decision about a salary increase or a fine), and the tasks of interaction and information transfer (passage of a document along the route, associated with the timely notification of all interested participants in the process in accordance with the previously approved procedure).

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Documents can be signed on paper or electronically. On paper for a long time, electronically - it is not clear how.

Pavel Ovchinnikov

12 years working with electronic documents

But here I have been dealing with electronic documents for twelve years and I will tell you: this is an incredible thrill. Let me tell you how it all works, with examples.

Briefly speaking

To start conducting electronic document management, you need:

Convince counterparties to start exchanging electronic documents.
Buy an electronic signature certificate.
Decide on the method of sending documents: through a special service or without it.

Who needs electronic documents

Despite the convenience and modernity, few conduct electronic document management. If an entrepreneur on simplified taxation concludes a couple of contracts a year, he may not be so afraid to send printed documents a couple of times. But there are cases when electronic document management is extremely useful.

Large companies electronic documents help to reduce costs if the volume of external correspondence exceeds several hundred documents per month. For them, the delivery of securities directly affects the speed of transactions. Document flow costs can amount to hundreds of thousands of rubles a year, and the risks associated with losses, errors and fines from the tax authorities increase costs even more.

Even if now you sign one act every six months, this does not mean that your business will not grow. You may have large partners who work with electronic documents, and they will require the same from you.

For example

The online store regularly accumulated receivables worth tens of millions due to the fact that the invoice was once again made a mistake: the goods are in a truck, they cannot be taken to the warehouse. While they are waiting for the courier with the corrected document to arrive from the supplier, days go by. We introduced electronic documents, and now all adjustments in documents take less than an hour.

And in a large energy retail company, during field tax audits, inspectors annually found violations and errors in documents. The check for fines reached 120,000 rubles a year. It got to the point that the finance department put this money in the budget in advance as overhead costs. They introduced electronic document management, and now the correctness of documents is controlled by programs, not people. There are no more errors.

What is an electronic document

An electronic document is a regular doc or pdf file that can be created and read in any editor. It is important that it be signed with a special electronic signature and sent in a special way.

So that a partner, lawyer or judge has no doubt that it was you who signed the electronic document and no one changed it, digital security specialists came up with an electronic signature. It's like a fingerprint superimposed on a unique set of bits and bytes in your document. Roughly speaking, by signing something with an electronic signature, you are saying: "I confirm the authenticity of this set of bits."

An electronic signature is attached to any document, after which it is considered signed. The document can be read without a signature. It only guarantees that you have the same unchanged document in front of you, in the form in which it was sent to you. If you change something in the document and save it, its bit set will change - the signature will be invalid.

For example

The two companies decided to sign an electronic contract. We made a contract and agreed on the terms. Now one company signs the contract with its signature and sends it to another. She opens the contract and decides to quietly fix something, for example, the amount of fines. Corrects. Saves. Sends first. She looks - oops! - the original signature on this contract is broken. So something's been fixed, villains. Then they go to beat the face, probably.

Where to get an electronic signature

An electronic signature is bought in a special certification center. It is enough just to find a convenient center in your city. The main thing is that it be included in the list of accredited centers of the Ministry of Communications of the Russian Federation.

All the same can be done right at the office of the certification center: just come with all the documents and fill out an application. But in this case, you will have to wait for the cashless payment to go through - this can take several hours. It is impossible to pay for a certificate for a company in cash, just as it is impossible to receive it remotely.

How does an electronic signature work?

The legal force of an electronic signature is described in the federal law "On Electronic Signature".

The law defines the types of signatures: simple, unqualified and qualified. You can sign documents with any of them, but with reservations: qualified - for tax, bidding and, in some cases, for the court; simple and unskilled - for everything else.

Simple or unqualified signature

Affordable and cheap option, but with limited application. An unqualified signature contains cryptographic algorithms, but is not verified by any certification authority. A simple one is just a combination of a username and password, an account on a public services website or an email address of a counterparty.

Such signatures are suitable if you do not participate in electronic auctions, do not exchange electronic primary documents and do not send tax returns. A simple signature can be used for contracts, invoices and acts, but you will have to sign a separate agreement with the counterparty and record the consent of the parties to trust such a signature.

If you have dozens of counterparties and different documents, the scheme will not work. You will have to sign such a document with everyone, and over time this process will slow down, not speed up the work. Then it is better to think about another electronic signature certificate.

To use a simple electronic signature, you need to print and sign a paper version of the agreement or include a special clause in the contract with the counterparty - this is a requirement of the law.

Qualified signature

This signature is suitable for invoices and tax. By law, electronic invoices can only be signed with such a signature. A qualified certificate costs from 1000 R, you can buy it only at a certification center that is part of the FTS trust zone.

Each year, the Qualified Signature certificate needs to be renewed, which adds to the worries: you need to monitor the validity period and order a reissue in time.

To work with a qualified signature, you need to install a special program - a means of cryptographic information protection. The program attaches an electronic signature to the document and checks the signatures of other participants in the exchange.

You can choose a paid program ("Cryptopro DSP") or free ("Vipnet DSP"). Functionally, they are almost the same, but there may be compatibility issues with the free one. Both work on Windows and Mac. The paid one costs about 1000 R, the annual payment for the electronic signature certificate is about 1000 R.

Some use a cloud-based electronic signature, for which you do not need to install a cryptoprotection program. The cloud signature is stored in the exchange service, and every time you sign a document, you receive an SMS confirming the action on your phone. Such a certificate is cheaper and more convenient to use, but less secure than a cryptographic protection program.

Why Do You Need a Document Processor?

A signed electronic document can be sent via regular email, but this is not secure. If the mail is hacked, the documents will be in the hands of the attackers. Therefore, for example, the tax office accepts declarations only through special services. Through the same services, you must exchange electronic invoices, otherwise you will violate the order of the Russian Ministry of Finance. Such services are called document flow operators.

For a simple user, this is a pumped email. Works through a browser, there are folders with incoming and outgoing, address directory, built-in search, document editor. Inside - a highly loaded service with secure communication channels and encryption, which ensure the security of document transmission.

It is not even necessary to conclude an agreement with an electronic document management operator. Just register, upload an electronic signature certificate and pay the bill. The operator takes care of the rest: notifies the Federal Tax Service that you have joined the exchange, monitors the formats and guarantees compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

There are several dozens of such services in Russia. In terms of price, functionality, reliability and speed, they are about the same. It is customary to choose operators based on the quality of service: how quickly technical support works, whether the operator is ready to help connect counterparties, what opportunities he offers, and whether he has analyst consultants who will help you implement the service into work.

Your counterparty will also have to connect to the operator. He can choose yours or any other - then the exchange will go through roaming, as in a cellular connection.

How much do electronic documents cost

Working through an operator, you pay only for the document signed by both parties. On average, the cost of sending a document is about 6-8 R, and all incoming ones are free.

Usually beginners buy a minimum package of 300 documents, which ends very quickly. Then you need to buy the next package. It is more profitable to buy an unlimited annual package or agree on individual conditions.

Switching to electronic documents is beneficial if you send 100 or more documents per month or at least 1000 documents per year. Then you will reduce the cost of paper and delivery by almost 5 times.

How much does paperwork cost

1000 paper documents

A mandatory element of the "digital" infrastructure of a modern enterprise or organization is a document management system. Work with external and internal documents is considered to be the most complex, labor-intensive and “problematic” area of the enterprise activity. Electronic solutions make it possible to significantly simplify and optimize it.

The use of specialized systems is relevant both for companies in the commercial sector and government agencies. For the first, they open up prospects for increasing profitability, return on work, and for the second, they will be an effective solution to the problems of optimizing the flow of information and papers, interdepartmental interaction and work with.

An electronic document management system (EDMS) is a necessity, not an option. Most of today's companies create office papers in digital form, but, due to the imperfection of information exchange processes, employees are forced to print them out, transfer them in a “physical” form and waste time and effort on an unnecessary routine. An inefficient format can be difficult to change - for this it is necessary to automate the activities of the company in a comprehensive manner, but the result will exceed all expectations. A well-organized EDMS or ECM system (content management system of organizations) will help to manage information and document flows at all levels and stages of existence.

General information about the elements and structure of the EDMS

Initially created as a tool for traditional office work and its automation, today EDMS has evolved into multifunctional, complex products. An electronic document management system is a solution that:

provides the process of creating and moving internal company documentation in electronic form;
processes incoming correspondence and external regulatory and administrative documents;
simplifies control over document flows;
helps to effectively manage relationships with partners, customers, and so on.

In the company, EDMS provides work with all documents in electronic form - any set of information stored or transferred to a PC. They must be accompanied by attributes on a kind of "cards" that identify the unit.

Document management in electronic form is a way to centrally organize work with papers, where most of the registers and transactions are presented in electronic form. Accordingly, the system that manages it is a solution with tools for implementing all procedures for creating, modifying, searching for documents and supporting interaction between company employees.

Sometimes it is called EDMS (Electronic Document Management System) or the aforementioned ECM, but these terms are somewhat broader than EDMS - it is necessary to add to the latter the means of ensuring the safety of information, entering paper documents into a digital environment, processing multimedia content, and so on. The electronic document management system is based on workflows - Workflow, which are the actions of employees within the boundaries of a dedicated business process.

Advantages of EDMS

The existing basic structure of the EDMS has proven itself to be an efficient, effective mechanism that is convenient for enterprises and institutions of any size. The EDMS market is actively developing, as both the public sector (an active consumer) and business structures are interested in software products that simplify document management. Also, the development of systems is facilitated by the expansion of the scope of electronic signatures and increased attention to information security issues. You can effectively solve them with the help of high-quality and well-thought-out programs.

The modern document management system has many advantages - it:

ensures transparency of the document flow and all business processes of the company - all actions and movements of papers can be tracked and controlled;
improves the discipline of work and execution of tasks - transparent systems are convenient for fixing the results and the fact of responding to the requirement;
reduces the time spent on everyday routine work - you do not need to search for, coordinate papers for a long time, their turnover is accelerating;
protects information from leakage, ensuring data security and strict delimitation of access rights;
is based on the principles specified in the ISO quality standards;
easily implemented among employees - subject to a well-organized staff training system;
gives the company a competitive advantage, helps to maintain and develop internal corporate culture, and so on.

The electronic document management system (EDMS) includes, among other things, the management of regulatory registers. Therefore, its work must be organized in accordance with the requirements of the law.

Standards and legal framework for EDMS

There are few specific standards or laws for electronic business systems in the domestic legal field, and when developing an EDMS, its creators are guided by a variety of regulatory documents for "classic" office work. Among the main regulatory acts it is worth mentioning:

federal legislation on electronic digital signature (1-FZ of January 10, 2002), on information and its protection (149-FZ), on personal data (152 and 363-FZ), and so on;
Decrees of the federal and regional governments, industry rules and requirements;
GOSTs for office work, archives, administrative documentation systems - R 51141-98, R 6.30-2003 and others.

Sometimes regulations contradict each other, and the rules are advisory in nature, and developers try to make the company's EDMS as adaptive and flexible as possible. You also need to take into account the constantly changing rules for working with electronic signatures, the "compatibility" of the system with a legally significant workflow. It is necessary that all official electronic papers of the organization be legitimate, their reliability can be easily determined. All this must be considered when choosing an EDMS for corporate use.

EDMS functionality

In order for an electronic document management system to be called complete, many functions must be implemented in it. The main ones include:

documentation management - input and registration, daily work, flow control;
communication with paper documents;
organized search and retrieval of data and documents - fast, in accordance with the level of clearance;
tracking the relevance of documentation (especially external, incoming) and archiving outdated documents;
maintaining an appropriate level of information security;
simple, transparent, intuitive communication between the program and end users.

The electronic document management system should be equipped with convenient settings, localization tools, and scale well. It is important that the developer provides for the possibility of organizing a single EDMS in geographically distant divisions of the company. It is necessary to organize an ordered electronic exchange of information between hierarchical levels in the system, as well as competently implement it in a real enterprise.

Implementation of the EDMS and evaluation of its effectiveness

Docsvision offers high-quality and modern software products for solving the problems of organizing and supporting electronic document management. Our difference is an integrated approach: together with the product itself, we provide a full range of support for the implementation of solutions, staff training and EDMS service. The implementation of the system at the enterprise is an important stage, it is the final “polishing” of the system and its adjustment to the needs of the customer. An implementation usually consists of:

researching the current situation in the company, creating an implementation plan;
transfer of the designed product to the real capacities of the company - the EDMS system adapts to them;
performance testing of the configured product;
training of management and staff - by the method of "shock therapy" or gradually;
operation and adjustments in its process, scaling, solving current problems.

The document management system must be efficient and recoup the investment in it. To evaluate the effectiveness of the EDMS, you can use the calculation methods for IT projects and, in principle, any intangible assets. It is necessary to take into account how actively third-party experts were involved in the work, what is the return on their intervention, what are the prospects for further profitability. You may encounter a situation where the calculation of efficiency will cost the customer more than the EDMS itself, but this must be done.

It is worth considering that traditional evaluation methods do not accurately determine the result - they pay attention to the costs of purchase and implementation, not taking into account the optimization of the work of various departments, speeding up the turnover of documents, and simplifying decision-making. It is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the EDMS in the complex, some time after its implementation, and then the results will pleasantly please customers.

You can choose the optimal edition of Docsvision, get acquainted with the cost of modules and licensing options on the page

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