With what seems like an infinite number of alternatives for digital document storage and organizing, it can be challenging and intimidating to keep your company’s papers organized and safely saved. Document repositories, a component of document management systems, offer a simple, safe solution to keep all of your papers in one place. Continue reading to find out what a document repository is, how to use one, and how to create one for your own company.

A document repository is what?

A shared storage location where all authorized team members can view documents is called a document repository. Users who have been given admin privileges and controls are in charge of managing it. The key to establishing a document management system (DMS) that works well for your business is organizing your document repository. Because of this, document repositories are generally set up to meet the demands of users, enabling them to search for documents by title or keyword, organize them according to teams, or store them effectively using a folder system.

A centralized document repository is what, exactly?

A centralized document repository is a useful tool for consolidating and protecting all of your key digital data in one location. It can:

• less storage space is required.
• Simplify file recovery and backup procedures.
• Prevent data loss due to human error
• Secure sensitive data and provide centralized access to documents

Editor’s note: Does your company require a document management system?

What are the uses of document repositories?

There are many uses for document repositories, but they are most frequently used to provide access to and security for all of your company’s documents and files. In the majority of firms, repositories serve as a central location from which all employees may access Word documents, emails, scanned files, PDF files, external data, CAD files, photos, and other images.

A DMS, which is an automated system for storing, managing, and tracking electronic documents as well as managing workflows, output systems, and information retrieval systems, can be compared to or used in conjunction with document repositories. Since the repository is where all the papers are kept, it is essential and must be easily accessible and organized to function.

Reducing data duplication and “overcrowding” of files on your desktop or local discs is one of the key purposes of document repositories. Documents are not duplicated across departments, saving you space, and a document repository gives you a single storage place that is shared by all of your resources and staff. A document repository also makes all of your papers searchable through the use of indexing and labeling, ensuring that document retrieval is rapid and effective regardless of who is looking for the document.

Through version control, which keeps track of any changes made to a document and identifies who made them, document repositories can also shield your papers from unauthorized alterations, whether caused by mistakes or malicious intent. To limit who has access to which documents and who may make what kinds of changes, administrators can define permissions. This feature helps maintain the integrity of your documents and makes sure that only authorized individuals can make modifications.

You can exchange and distribute papers to your team members or employees using your document repository system. You can use the system to send documents via email or file transfer protocol, or any other method you require.

Document repositories provide six advantages.

Your company can gain from a document repository’s built-in advantages, which range from document protection to facilitated teamwork.

1. Indexing

Document organization and retrieval are made simple through indexing. This method involves classifying and registering all of your files in your filing system using metadata according to predetermined criteria that you can define, such as file function or size.

2. Safety

Among other measures, using a document repository helps protect your data by encrypting it, as a data breach, storage problem, or unauthorized person accessing critical documents could have catastrophic effects on your company. A document repository offers security features including password protection, managed access control, an audit trail, and automatic backups. Your files are saved securely in the cloud, away from physical harm, in the event of a calamity like a fire or a flood.

3. Scalability

The capacity of computerized storage to scale, or develop, your business is a significant advantage over traditional storage. Nevertheless, to take advantage of this benefit, you must pick software that enables you to later add advanced capabilities or upgrade to a higher plan to avoid switching software.

4. Cooperation

Users may easily exchange and collaborate on papers using a document repository. Look for features like access limitation, live editing, document sharing, and interfaces with Google Docs and Microsoft Teams.

5. Integration

Look for a single repository or DMS that integrates with your company’s CRM application or ERP database. By enabling you to access, update, backup, and keep track of documents created in your CRM or ERP, this will greatly simplify your everyday process. Email clients like Microsoft Outlook are typically integrated with electronic document management systems.

6. Rapid and straightforward document retrieval

Employees may be able to remotely access the documents they require thanks to effective indexing, which makes it possible to quickly find a document in a repository. The issue with keeping paper records is that looking through a complete company’s worth of records to find the proper one can be challenging, time-consuming, and even expensive. According to Record Nations, the cost of document storage for a company with 100 employees would be around $622,500 without a file manager and $48,000 with one.

How to establish a document storage system

Choose carefully how you want to arrange and name your files if you are just starting to create a document repository within a document management system. It will be much simpler for anybody in your organization to discover the files they require if you create a content management system early on. This will save you a lot of time and hassles in the future.

To set up your system, adhere to these five procedures.

1. Gather your papers.

Gather every document you want to store in the repository first. These files may be electronic or printed (though you will need to scan any physical documents). You don’t have to start using your complete system just yet, so arrange them loosely.

1. Scan your paper documents.

If you want to store paper documents, you can scan them using the printer’s built-in scanner or by downloading a mobile scannings tool like AdobeScan, Dropbox, or Genius Scan. Whereas a mobile app will create a PDF or JPG file that is saved on your phone or an online storage site and can be exported to wherever you need it, a scanner will upload a digital file directly to your computer.

3. Choose a naming scheme.

The specifics of your file system are decided in this step, therefore you must adhere to your choice. Finding papers is made simple for everyone in your firm by using proper and consistent naming. While deciding how to name a document, keep in mind its purpose, contents, date of production, requirement for storage, and other important factors.

4. Connect your paper and electronic systems.

Try to connect your two systems as well as you can if you have both paper and electronic documents that must both be retained in their original formats. To have a backup in case something happens to your paper documents, for instance, scan all of your paper documents and put them in the repository.

5. Bring your group on board.

Once your system is ready, make sure everyone in your organization is aware of how it functions and how you want future files to be called and kept. As part of your new hire onboarding procedure, think about organizing training sessions or including file storage instructions.

Exist solutions for open-source document repositories?

For document repositories, there are open-source document management systems available. A platform that may be altered to suit a company’s demands is known as an open-source document repository.

Open-source software is frequently affordable, simple for small businesses to use, and versatile enough to be used by a wide range of businesses. Several of the most well-known makers of open-source software include:

• Kimios 
• Community Version of LogicalDoc
• OpenDocMan
• Community Version of OpenKM

Software examples for document repositories

These document management services are some of our top choices because they all offer document repositories.

• Microsoft SharePoint is a thorough, adaptable document management system that is appropriate for companies of all sizes. It fosters simple collaboration with its team tools and multi-folder structure and is simple to use because users of other Microsoft products are already familiar with the UI.

• M-Files offers a wide range of functions, making it appropriate for companies of all sizes. Its cloud storage platform is user-friendly and claims automatic updates, little need for maintenance, and robust security safeguards for digital documents.

• Dokmee is an easy-to-use document management system with data encryption for all digital files and an integrated audit trail that complies with HIPAA regulations and logs access to critical documents to help protect your data.

• FileHold is an easily scalable service, so it expands along with your company as it does. FileHold is ideal for small businesses searching for a simple solution to organize and safeguard their papers because it is built for organizations with five to twenty users.