This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ademero for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
For those that have created a website or blog, they may no a thing or two about a content management system (CMS). Such a system helps to manage the content – pages images, videos, etc. – that comprise a website. In the business world, however, a document management system may be necessary in order to manage all the documents for the business.
Ademero is one company that provides a complete document management system for businesses of all sizes. Their document management software takes the management of documents into the Web-based world by being able to manage documents directly within any Web browser.
About Ademero
Up until recently I haven't heard about Ademero, let alone what products they had to offer. They are a Central Florida, US based company that has created a line of products that allow any business manage their documents safely and easily.
Their products are contains in one large application called Content Central. Content Central is comprised of many different components that easily help any size business manage their documents. Everything from document capturing the approval processing is availaing within Ademero's application.
What is Content Central?
Content Central is a Web application that can be installed on a server, and accessed via a Web browser. The application itself is actually a compilation of many different components that allows any business to easily manage all their documents.
Users of the application will be able to create documents, as well as capture documents from scanners, network folders, or e-mail accounts. Content Central can even scan images and convert them into searchable PDF files.
All of this is done within a Web browser on a client computer.
Supported Server and Client Software
The application is installed on a Windows server with Internet Information Services (IIS), and requres both the .Net framework and Microsoft SQL Server for data storage.
From a client perspective, Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, and Unix/Linux are the supported operating systems. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome are the supported browsers. Microsoft Office is the supported office suite for the documents.
Content Central Components
As mentioned, the Content Central application is comprised of various components to help create, and manage documents for your business. The components include the following:
- Approval Processing
- Many business have approval processes that are based around various documents. Unfortunately, documents can be lost or misplaced. With Content Central, you can define an unlimited number of approval processes that late you manage the stages of a document's life cycle. The documents will not be misplaced as they are managed within the application. System administrators can grant specific permissions to users to help manage the responsibilities of the approval process.
- Electronic Capture
- With the Electronic Capture component, Content Central can accept files of any type that are obtained through uploads, e-mail accounts, and network monitoring. By monitoring specific folders, Content Central can allow you to easily add documents quickly and easily.
- Paper Capture
- This is probably one of the most powerful features of the application. In order to take advantage of all that Content Central can do, it is important to convert paper copies of documents into an electronic form. The Paper Capture component allows users to capture paper copies using most scanners. If documents have been scanned into images in the past, the Paper Capture component can also import those files as well.
- Collaboration
- When working with multiple employees in a business, the ability to collaborate on various documents is vital to the sucess of the business. By setting up various permissions, users can add, edit, and manage documents within Content Central with ease. No longer are documents managed by only one person.
- Distribution
- Of course, documents are not effective if they can't be distributed. Content Central allows for easy distribution of documents through e-mail and faxing. Documents can also be distributed automatically through workflow events within approval processes.
- Editing
- Content Central allows someone to easily edit a document in the document's native application. The document can automatically be checked out (version control) and then opened in the document' application for editing. Once the application is closed, the document is then uploaded back to the server.
- Forms Processing
- PDF forms all new documents to be generated instantly within Content Central. Such forms can be used as templates that can contain lists, field requirements and calculations. This can decrease the amount of time required to generate information for you business.
- Indexing
- Indexing each document makes it easy for any user to find documents based on different data. Different types of fields, such as text, numeric, and data types, can be indexed and searched. Some data can be indexed automatically, such as text found on your documents.
- Integration
- Content Central provides easy integration with various software packages, from account and project management applications to Microsoft Office. With the editing capabilities of the application, you can easily open and edit document stored within Content Central directly within Microsoft Office 2003, 2007 or 2010.
- Packets
- If you constantly manage documents that are related to each other, you can group such documents together in what is known as a Packet. Each packet is linked together by a common index field, such as a purchase order number for an accounts payable packet.
- Search & Retrieval
- A document management system is only as good as it's search and retrieval ability. Content Central allows you to find content by searching on words found within a document. You can use vendor names, transaction numbers of invoice numbers to help find the documents you need.
- Security
- When it comes to important documents for a business, security is extremely important. Within Content Central, a system administrator can assign various permissions to each user to help protect the documents. Each user must also login with a user ID And password, and after a perioud of inactivity the user will be required to reconnect to the system. Also, Content Central also includes various auditing features to monitor the application.
- Storage
- Documents are stored on the server in their original formats. The folder structure on the server matches what you can see in the application, and each version of the document is stored separately.
- Support & Assistance
- Content Central is supported by Ademero 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from their call center in Central Florida. Support can be accessed via phone, live chat and e-mail.
- Version Control
- All document revision history is maintained by Content Central. Document additions and edits generate a major version (1.0, 2.0, etc) while other events can generate a minor version (1.1, 1.2, etc.).
- Workflow
- Workflows can be created to automatically run when specific actions are taken. For example, a trigger can be setup when a new document is captured or a field is updated with a new value. There are many different actions that can be executed within a workflow such as initiating the approval process, moving content, or sending an e-mail. All workflow actions are logged within Content Central so all actions are tracked for auditing purposes.
With Content Central gone are the days of losing documents, or processes not being followed. Also gone are the days of being unable to track who made edits to a document, or why an approval process was not followed. If you own a business, I suggest you check out Content Central to help streamline your document management process.