Document management is an administrative function that sees to the efficient creation, storage, retrieval, retention and disposal of documents. A filing system lies at the heart of a document management system.
A filing system is a set of policies, procedures and methods used for organising and identifying files or records to increase the speed of retrieval, their storage and preservation.
An effective filing system is the key to getting the most out of the vast number of business documents created and received within an organisation every day.
Three basic things are kept in a filing system:
• documents received;
• documents dispatched;
• documents used internally.
When documents are properly managed, people within an organisation are able to function efficiently and can offer a high quality of service to their customers.
Whether manual or electronic, a filing system:
• stores information;
• safely preserves information;
• facilitates quick information retrieval.
A manual (or traditional) filing system stores paper-based documents in a device that offers some protection against unauthorised access as well as against fire, pests and natural disasters.
Paper folders and metal filing cabinets are popular storage devices in a manual filing system.
In an electronic filing system, documents are stored as electronic documents on a storage device or in iCloud storage. These devices include compact discs (CD-ROM), digital video discs (DVD), floppy disks, hard disks, flash drives and memory cards.