New Federal eDiscovery laws require organizations to present not only paper, but also digital files in the discovery phase of a lawsuit. If you cannot provide all the information related to a case, your company is at risk of losing the lawsuit or having to settle out of court. For this reason, it is very important for every business to develop an information management strategy that integrates both paper documents and digital files.

One of the easiest ways to manage your company’s information is with an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS). This technology provides a repository for paper and digital information that is secure and searchable. Not only will this keep you up to day with eDiscovery standards, it can also streamline your business processes.

The Challenge Managing Information

Today’s businesses transmit information in multiple formats. The biggest problem related to eDiscovery is that the documents required are not all centrally managed. While some computer files are on servers, many are scattered across individual desktops and laptops while paper files reside in filing cabinets and desk drawers. Furthermore, you email server can contain important emails.

One Location for Your Key Company Information

With an EDMS, all your key company information can be held in one place. These systems can store scanned paper documents, computer files, emails and many other formats in the same place. This means that all communication for a customer can be stored in a single folder.

Searchable

When you store documents in an EDMS, they become easily searchable. You can put documents in folders, just like a paper filing system and assign multiple index fields to each document such as client name, client type and document type. An EDMS allows you to search the full text of documents in the system go find information quickly. Not only will this help your legal team, it can also help you run your business more efficiently.

Exportable

The most expensive and time-consuming phase of a lawsuit is the discovery phase. You can spend days looking for information and pay attorneys hundreds of dollars an hour to sort through it all. With an EDMS you can gather the information you need instantly and present it in a searchable format that helps your legal team find all of the information they need to defend you.

By integrating an EDMS you can reduce your legal liability and improve your productivity. With decreasing costs for hard drive storage space and the availability of high-speed scanners document management is within reach of most companies.