7 Ways to Master Compliance with a Document Management System

Compliance audits are expected to become more strict due to increased remote workers, the potential rise in fraud cases, and unpredictable revenue growth. Adapting to these changes can be challenging. Nevertheless, compliance becomes much simpler if you have established a flexible foundation to quickly adapt to new regulatory demands. A document management system can be crucial in enhancing compliance efforts. If it’s not currently included in your compliance strategy, there are numerous reasons to consider incorporating it.

Cloud technology will remain significant in the coming year and into the future. Its importance will grow mainly because of the increased remote work, the demand for greater business flexibility, and the cost savings linked to cloud solutions.

Understanding what our document management software can do is key to improving business operations and staying competitive. This means knowing basic and advanced features to smooth processes, manage data better, and make informed decisions. Let's dive into the 7 ways of mastering compliance with our system.

How Does a Document Management System help Compliance Managers Master Compliance Processes?

1. Electronic Signatures

Electronic signatures help minimise paper usage and simplify your secure document processes. The federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) and the state Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) legally recognise qualified electronic signatures, such as those offered by DocuWare or a verified DocuWare reseller, which utilise verification technology to ensure authenticity and security. In the European Union, the regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions (eIDAS) affirms that the legal validity of verified electronic signatures is equivalent to that of handwritten ones.

2. Assignment of roles and responsibilities

The system can allocate permissions to specific employees or job roles, such as viewing, editing, printing, and downloading. Staff members can access specific documents using a unique username or password. This authentication generates an audit trail that logs who accessed a document when it was accessed, and what actions were taken. This limits unauthorised activities, and redaction provides additional protection for personal data.

3. Fraud prevention

Our document management software upholds document integrity through features like version control and a comprehensive audit trail, which help identify and prevent fraud. Alerts about breaches of security protocols via activity reports offer an additional layer of security.

4. Audit preparation

Utilising a document management system, your business is more equipped for audits, enabling quick responses to auditor inquiries and enhancing your control over company information. Transaction processing workflows gather, adjust, evaluate, and store compliance data, generating reports that verify data precision.

5. Legal issues

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure mandate that electronically stored information must not be converted into a hard copy format. Software with eDiscovery capabilities can ensure that documents are archived in compliance with legal standards. It is crucial to help companies locate the necessary information within an extensive database. This data may be required for internal investigations or by compliance and legal teams when preparing for litigation.

6. Disaster recovery

Unforeseen natural disasters or emergencies can occur at any location and any moment, therefore, maintaining off-site data copies is crucial. Safeguard your business continuity with redundant data backups, ensuring that all your documents and information can be restored immediately.

7. Protection against cyber threats

Alongside its inherent security features, the system offers superior protection against malicious software like ransomware and other types of malware. Built on Microsoft Azure, it identifies 99% of viruses, ensuring that any infected document is promptly detected and cannot be archived. Even if a new virus emerges, it won't spread to other documents, as the malware lacks access to the relevant data storage.

Our document management software makes it simple to achieve compliance for all document-based processes. To learn more, request a demo.