DMLATEST

DOCUMENT 

M A N A G E R 

Dm 

www.document-manager.com 

DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT 

IMAGING & CAPTURE 

WORKFLOW/BPM 

CONTENT MANAGEMENT 

BPM Strategies: 

Trusting the process 

Data privacy: 

Protecting sensitive content 

Management: 

Vendor compliance 

Enterprise Content 

Management: 

8 best practices for 2024 

OPINIONS • REVIEWS • CASE STUDIES • INTERVIEWS 

ISSN 1351-3222 Vol 32 No 2 March/April 2024

Knowledge is power. 

Document Scanning 

Digital Workflow Solutions 

FreeDocs Cloud Document Management 

Automated AI Technology 

Microfilm and Microfiche Scanning 

Consultancy Services 

Secure Document Destruction 

Call 0800 612 4065 

or email sales@storetec.net 

www.storetec.net

Dm 

COMMENT 

Editor: 

Dave Tyler 

david.tyler@btc.co.uk 

Sub Editor: 

Mark Lyward 

mark.lyward@btc.co.uk 

Welcome to the March/April edition of 

Publishing Director: 

John Jageurs 

Document Manager, which includes a 

john.jageurs@btc.co.uk 

Sales Manager: 

wide selection of bylined opinion pieces 

Abby Penn 

that are sure to catch the eye. We have insight into 

abby.penn@btc.co.uk 

Lead Designer 

protecting sensitive content at a time when 

Ian Collis 

criminals continue to evolve their strategies and 

ian.collis@btc.co.uk 

Circulation/Subscriptions: 

approaches. "It is fair to say that the landscape of 

Christina Willis 

sensitive content communication is rapidly 

christina.willis@btc.co.uk 

Managing Director: 

transforming due to technological innovations and 

John Jageurs 

increasing regulatory measures," says Kiteworks' Tim Freestone in his article. 

john.jageurs@btc.co.uk 

"Businesses are under heightened strain to protect confidential data amidst 

Published by: Barrow & 

escalating cyber threats and the need to ensure adherence to burgeoning 

Thompkins Connexion Ltd 

35 Station Square, 

international regulatory standards." Elsewhere an article from Generis 

Petts Wood 

reminds us all of the importance of Business Process Management to 

Kent BR5 1LZ 

Tel: 01689 616000 

successful digitisation deployments. As Max Kelleher argues: "By jumping 

Fax: 01689 826622 

straight into a digital overhaul without proper process documentation, 

Subscriptions: 

analysis, and redesign, organisations implement one-off systems that 

UK: £35/year, £60/two years, 

£80/three years 

increase complexity rather than unlock efficiency gains." 

Europe: £48/year, £85 two 

We also feature a must-see check-list for successful ECM from Reveille 

years, £127 three years. 

ROW:£62/year, £115/two 

Software's Brian DeWyer. His analysis includes eight steps, and if you're 

years, £168/three years 

missing out on any of them - from AI-driven automation, through multiplatform 

management, to capacity planning - you could be heading for 

Published 6 times a year. 

Single copies can be bought 

for £8.50 (includes postage & 

disaster! "The future of ECM holds promise as organisations increasingly 

packaging). No part of this 

magazine may be reproduced 

recognise the critical role of content management in driving digital 

without prior consent, in writing, 

from the publisher. 

transformation and achieving competitive advantage," says DeWyer. 

©Copyright 2024 Barrow & 

"Advancements in AI, machine learning, and automation will continue to 

Thompkins 

revolutionise ECM, enabling intelligent content analysis, automation of 

Connexion Ltd 

repetitive tasks, and personalised user experiences." 

Articles published reflect the 

One of our regular contributors, Jason Field of Document Logistix, 

opinions of the authors and are 

not necessarily those of the 

espouses the theory that an 'attachment to the familiar' may be hindering 

publisher or his employees. While 

every reasonable effort is made 

digital transformation in his article: "There is still confusion about how onpremise 

and cloud document management solutions operate, what they 

to ensure that the contents of 

articles, editorial and advertising 

are accurate no responsibility can 

can and cannot do, and how to integrate them with current systems and 

be accepted by the publisher for 

errors, misrepresentations or any 

into daily operations. When there is a lack of clarity about implementation 

resulting effects 

and how digital document management functions, business leaders are 

likely to stick with familiar paper and hybrid systems, and are less likely to 

commit fully to digital management systems." 

We also take a look at Generative AI from a data management perspective, 

with an article from Dell's Stewart Hunwick, who examines the potentially 

vast and complex storage requirements of GenAI: "…an organisation must 

align their storage platforms with the more complex realities of unstructured 

data, also known as qualitative data and the emerging needs of GenAI. 

Unstructured data accounts for more than 90% of the data created each 

year, so businesses require innovative ways to store data of this scale and 

complexity cost-effectively while offering easy and quick access to it." 

Whatever your current interests, we're confident there is something in this 

issue for you! 

Dave Tyler 

Editor 

david.tyler@btc.co.uk 


March/April 2024 

@DMMagAndAwards 

3

Dm CONTENTS 

C O N T E N T S 

MARCH/APRIL 

6 

10 

12 

16 

24 

..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 

MANAGEMENT: VENDOR COMPLIANCE…………......................................……….6 

Vendor compliance isn't just about meeting standards; it's about protecting your business 

and stakeholders, explains Daniel Clark, Quality and Compliance Manager at Storetec 

REVIEW: KODAK INFO INPUT 7....................................................................……10 

STRATEGY: BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT……....................................…….12 

Max Kelleher, CEO of Generis, examines the role of Business Process Management in Digital 

Transformation 

STRATEGY: GENAI……...................................................................................……16 

Stewart Hunwick, Field CTO, Primary Storage, Dell Technologies UK, argues that the right 

data storage approach is critical to achieve GenAI success 

EVENT: AIIM FORUM EUROPE 2024…………..............................................……..18 

AIIM Forum Europe 2024 offers a unique opportunity to dive into the cutting-edge world 

of information management 

STRATEGY: ECM………..................................................................................……20 

Brian DeWyer, CTO and co-founder of Reveille Software, analyses the key components of a 

successful ECM system and shares his check-list of best practices for content management 

MANAGEMENT: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION………...................................……..24 

Jason Field, Integration Director at Document Logistix, argues that an 'attachment to the 

familiar' is hindering digital transformation 

STRATEGY: CONTENT SECURITY……............................................................……..26 

Tim Freestone, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Kiteworks, looks at managing content 

exposure risk in 2024 and beyond 

RESEARCH: AI………….................................................................................……28 

Success with AI means going back to the basics of good IT management, says new 

research from the Cloud Industry Forum 

CASE STUDY: THE VATICAN………..................................................................…..30 

The Vatican's Dicastery of Communication has digitised the historical documents in its 

media archive as part of a major reform of the communications efforts of the Catholic 

Church 

ANALYSIS: HEALTHCARE RECORDS MANAGEMENT……….............................…..32 

Harry Pettet, Managing Director of EDM Healthcare Solutions Ltd., examines the cost of 

records management and storage across the NHS and looks at potential productivity and 

cost improvements for the future 

EVENT: IM TECH 365 SUMMIT……...............................................................…….34 

The IM Tech 365 Summit takes place in May in Brighton - here is everything you need 

to know 

4 @DMMagAndAwards March/April 2024 www.document-manager.com

KODAK Info Input Solution 

with Open Intelligence 

Intelligent Document Processing Automation 

for Everyone, Anywhere 

Delegate more work to trusted AI with an intelligent document processing platform 

that automates and simplifies the journey from document arrival to usage in 

business processes quickly, accurately, and reliably. 

Incredibly Intuitive. Fully Flexible. 

Exceptionally Scalable. 

With so much information flowing into organizations today, people 

need intuitive automation solutions that can organize, extract, and 

deliver key data accurately and consistently, enabling more efficient 

business operations and helping leaders make more informed 

decisions. Experience the future of IDP, today. 

An automated workplace 

starts here. 

Visit our site to see the difference: 

www.alarisworld.com/go/infoinput7 

© 2024 Kodak Alaris Inc. TM/MC/MR: Alaris 

All trademarks and trade names used are the property of their respective holders. 

The Kodak trademark and trade dress are used under license from Eastman Kodak Company.

Dm MANAGEMENT: VENDOR COMPLIANCE 

Non-compliance is not an option 

Vendor compliance isn't 

just about meeting 

standards; it's about 

protecting your business 

and stakeholders, 

explains Daniel Clark, 

Quality and Compliance 

Manager at Storetec 

Vendor compliance is a vital 

consideration for businesses 

entrusting their document 

management needs to external providers. 

At Storetec, we understand the balance 

between cost efficiency and maintaining 

uncompromised quality, security, and 

compliance standards. 

In this guide, we delve into the 

intricacies of evaluating vendor 

compliance and provide a detailed 

checklist to aid in your decision-making 

process. 

WHY VENDOR COMPLIANCE 

MATTERS 

Before delving into the checklist, it's 

crucial to understand why vendor 

compliance is non-negotiable. 

In 

an era where data breaches and 

compliance failures can have far-reaching 

consequences, entrusting critical business 

information to a non-compliant vendor 

poses significant risks. 

Compliance ensures that vendors adhere 

to industry standards, legal regulations, 

and best practices, safeguarding your 

data and reputation. In the event of a 

legal dispute, this could prove crucial in 

protecting your business by 

demonstrating that you have carried out 

the necessary due diligence. The following 

points are all key compliance 

considerations when choosing a provider. 

1. Certifications 

One of the primary indicators of vendor 

compliance is certifications. However, not 

all certifications hold equal weight. It's 

essential to look beyond surface-level 

claims and verify the legitimacy of 

certifications. Certifications such as 

BS10008, ISO9001 and ISO27001 signify 

adherence to authenticity and 

admissibility, quality, and security. 

Many companies may claim to 

work in line with these standards 

but do not hold formal 

certification. Ensure that 

these certifications are 

formally issued and 

validated by a 

reputable 

organisation 

governed 

by 

6 



www.document-manager.com

MANAGEMENT: VENDOR COMPLIANCE Dm 

the United Kingdom Accreditation 

Service (UKAS). 

The following certifications represent 

the bare minimum standards to look for 

in a digital provider, encompassing 

quality, security, and legal admissibility. 

ISO9001 Quality Management - This 

certification signifies adherence to quality 

management systems. It ensures that the 

provider follows stringent quality control 

processes, resulting in consistent service 

delivery and customer satisfaction. 

ISO27001 Information Security - This 

certification focuses on information 

security management systems. It 

demonstrates the provider's 

commitment to safeguarding sensitive 

information both physically and digitally, 

including data confidentiality, integrity, 

and availability. 

BS10008 Legal Admissibility of Electronic 

Information - This certification requires 

strict adherence to procedures, 

particularly concerning data authenticity. 

In the event of legal proceedings, 

authenticity becomes vital. It's crucial for 

buyers to conduct due diligence and 

demand proof of formal certification 

rather than mere 'alignment with' 

BS10008 standards with no formal 

validation of compliance. 

ISO22301 Business Continuity - 

Outsourcing critical processes 

necessitates assurance that the vendor 

possesses resilient systems. Business 

continuity and resilience are vital aspects, 

especially considering the potential risks 

of disasters. Robust procedures must be 

in place to minimise risks and have 

appropriate backup measures in case of 

emergencies, whilst ensuring continuity 

of service with the protection of client 

information and data the main priority. 

Cyber Essentials Plus - This certification is 

essential for any vendor handling 

sensitive data. While Cyber Essentials 

involves self-assessment without thirdparty 

validation, Cyber Essentials Plus 

includes audits and system checks to 

validate security measures via a reputable 

third-party auditor. It includes robust 

scans and testing of our external facing 

IP addresses to identify potential 

vulnerabilities and ensure best practice 

security measures are in place to 

safeguard against cyber threats. 

2. Independent penetration testing 

Independent penetration testing is a 

critical step in evaluating the security 

measures of a digital provider. Unlike 

standard compliance certifications, this 

testing involves professional hackers 

attempting to breach the system using 

advanced methods, providing a 

comprehensive assessment of 

vulnerabilities. 

This rigorous evaluation, conducted by 

government approved third-party cyber 

firms, ensures that any potential 

weaknesses are identified and 

addressed promptly, demonstrating the 

vendor's confidence in their system, 

commitment to safeguarding client 

data, and upholding the highest 

standards of security. 

3. Operational site visits 

Before entrusting sensitive information to 

a third-party provider, it's necessary to 

conduct operational site visits to assess 

their onsite security measures. While 

certifications and assurances may tick 

certain boxes, physically inspecting the 

premises provides invaluable insights into 

the provider's security protocols. 

At Storetec, we advocate for due 

diligence audits on supplier premises 

prior to contract awarding. Websites can 

be misleading, and first-hand observation 

is essential to ensure alignment with 

security standards. We welcome and 

encourage site visits to showcase our 

facility, operations, and dedicated 

employees. Our commitment to 

transparency underscores our dedication 

to providing clients with peace of mind 

regarding the security of their data. 

4. Validation 

Ensuring the validity of certifications is vital 

when selecting a digital provider. Here's 

how to validate certifications effectively. 

In the UK, the United Kingdom 

Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the 

government-appointed accrediting body 

to assess and accredit organisations 

that provide certification services. UKAS 

plays a crucial role in auditing certifying 

bodies to ensure adherence to rigorous 

standards, however, not all certification 

bodies are accredited by UKAS, so it's 

important to question the legitimacy of 

these organisations. 

When evaluating scanning companies' 

certifications, it's essential to consider 

how they obtained those certifications. 

While any company can claim to be an 

awarding body and provide 

certifications, the credibility of these 

certifications lies in the accreditation 

process. For ISO and British Standards, 

certification from a UKAS-accredited 

body holds significant weight due to its 

government validation, ensuring 

adherence to internationally recognised 

standards. 

To verify the authenticity of 

certifications held by scanning 

companies, public registers serve as 

valuable resources. Websites such as 

those provided by BSI Group, UKAS 

CertCheck, and IASME offer 

transparency and facilitate the 

verification process. By utilising these 

resources, businesses can ensure that 

their chosen vendor holds valid and 

reputable certifications. 

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS 

ISO14001 Environmental Sustainability - 

Look for suppliers who prioritise 

environmental sustainability and have 

obtained ISO14001 certification. A 

commitment to sustainability, including 

a Net Zero plan, demonstrates 

alignment with government initiatives 

and reflects shared core values. 

Frameworks - Assess whether the 

supplier is accepted onto industry 

frameworks that impose stringent 

requirements for security, quality, and 

other key aspects. Being part of 

recognised frameworks can indicate a 

commitment to meeting industry 

standards and best practices. 




7

Dm MANAGEMENT: VENDOR COMPLIANCE 

"IN AN ERA WHERE DATA BREACHES AND COMPLIANCE FAILURES CAN HAVE FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES, 

ENTRUSTING CRITICAL BUSINESS INFORMATION TO A NON-COMPLIANT VENDOR POSES SIGNIFICANT RISKS. 

COMPLIANCE ENSURES THAT VENDORS ADHERE TO INDUSTRY STANDARDS, LEGAL REGULATIONS, AND BEST 

PRACTICES, SAFEGUARDING YOUR DATA AND REPUTATION. IN THE EVENT OF A LEGAL DISPUTE, THIS COULD 

PROVE CRUCIAL IN PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS BY DEMONSTRATING THAT YOU HAVE CARRIED OUT THE 

NECESSARY DUE DILIGENCE." 

Case Studies, Testimonials, Reviews - 

Evaluate the supplier's credibility by 

reviewing case studies, testimonials, and 

reviews from previous clients. Positive 

feedback and success stories provide 

valuable insights into the supplier's track 

record and ability to deliver on promises. 

Transparency and Communication - Don't 

hesitate to ask questions and engage in 

discussions about the supplier's processes, 

security measures, and environmental 

initiatives. A reputable provider should be 

transparent and willing to address any 

concerns, demonstrating a commitment 

to open communication and 

collaboration. 

Consequences of non-compliance 

Neglecting to prioritise thorough due 

diligence and compliance in selecting a 

document management supplier can have 

severe consequences for businesses. Some 

potential outcomes include: 

ICO Fines on GDPR Penalties - Noncompliance 

with GDPR regulations can 

result in significant fines imposed by 

the Information Commissioner's 

Office (ICO). Failure to protect 

sensitive data adequately 

can lead to costly penalties 

that impact financial 

stability and reputation. 

Financial Loss and Risks - 

Choosing a supplier solely 

based on cost without 

considering compliance 

and security measures 

may seem like a shortterm 

gain. However, it 

can expose businesses to substantial 

financial losses and risks in the long run. 

Investing in a compliant supplier is an 

essential strategy to mitigate future 

financial loss and safeguard business 

interests. 

Data Ransom - Inadequate security 

measures can leave businesses vulnerable 

to ransomware attacks, where 

cybercriminals encrypt sensitive data and 

demand payment for its release. Many 

businesses find themselves with no other 

option but to pay the ransom to regain 

access to critical information, especially 

where appropriate backup copies have 

not been maintained, resulting in 

financial losses and reputational damage. 

Cyber Attacks - Failing to prioritise security 

measures can increase the risk of cyberattacks, 

including malware infections, 

data breaches, and system compromises. 

Such attacks can disrupt operations, 

compromise sensitive information, and 

lead to legal liabilities and reputational 

harm. 

A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT 

In conclusion, vendor compliance is a 

multifaceted aspect of document 

management that requires careful 

consideration and thorough evaluation. 

By following this comprehensive checklist 

and prioritising compliance, you can 

ensure that your chosen vendor meets the 

highest standards of quality, security, and 

legal compliance. 

Remember, investing in a compliant 

vendor is an investment in the long-term 

success and security of your business. 

More info: www.storetec.net 

8 March/April 2024 www.document-manager.com 

@DMMagAndAwards

The right information, the 

right people, the right time. 

Exclusively available to Document Manager readers 

Drive your digital evolution. Watch Hyland Summit on-demand >> 

Our recent UKI customer conference in London brought together 

400+ information management professionals to share best 

practices for connecting content, data and business processes 

across the enterprise. Access the speaker sessions including 

inspiring customer success stories from Amazon, Aviva and more 

on demand now.

Dm REVIEW: KODAK INFO INPUT 7 

Review: KODAK Info Input 7 

As paper use declines it becomes 

ever more vital that systems can 

ingest content from any source, 

processing the data and performing as 

much validation as possible in an 

automated manner, and all the while - 

crucially - applying the same workflows 

consistently across digital and paper 

documents. 

At the same time, unstructured data 

has continued to present a sticking 

point for most technology solutions, 

including those focussed on Intelligent 

Document Processing (IDP), an 

emerging high-growth market within 

and adjacent to the broader DM space. 

The 'I' in IDP is really AI, and the AI in a 

truly robust IDP solution must be able to 

understand all (not just some) of an 

organisation’s business critical 

documents and information. 

This is where KODAK Info Input 

Solution from Kodak Alaris excels, and in 

its latest iteration, version 7, the 

software takes a massive leap forward. It 

exploits the best and biggest AI 

offerings available to address that 

unstructured data 'disconnect' in a 

highly intelligent - and remarkably userfriendly 

- platform. 

The key new aspect to Info Input 7 is 

the use of what Kodak Alaris is calling 

an Open Intelligence architecture. What 

this means in practice is that users have 

the option to validate documents 

against the enormous and vastly 

comprehensive AI models available from 

one or all of Microsoft Azure, Google AI 

and AWS as well as (or instead of) any 

internal AI models they may have in use. 

This allows enterprises (and BPOs) to 

offer fast and remarkably accurate 

understanding and processing of 

complex unstructured documents - from 

invoices or waybills to healthcare claim 

forms. Straightforward APIs mean that 

document AI services are effectively 

embedded into line-of-business 

applications seamlessly and easily, and 

deployment and management are 

intuitive and simple. 

The demo we saw made it clear that 

Info Input 7 really can offer the kind of 

recognition and validation processing 

that many IDP solutions have been overpromising 

and under-delivering on for a 

long time. Their smart use of proven 

AI/ML technologies is unlocking the 

value of unstructured data. 

Kodak Alaris told us that the way they 

look at AI and LLMs (and therefore their 

own product strategy in this area) is that 

"It's all about better data - which means 

'give me more data' - to drive better 

decisions, to drive better outcomes". 

While Open Intelligence is probably the 

single biggest innovation in version 7, 

there are other aspects of Info Input's 

newest release that merit examination: 

the ability to deploy on-premises or in a 

private cloud mean that it offers a 

genuinely scalable solution, at a 

surprisingly affordable cost - especially 

when compared to using some 

competitive offerings from suppliers 

who are developing their own internal 

AI services. 

Cost is not the main reason for Kodak 

Alaris going down the route of 

integrating services from the 'big three' 

of MS, Google and Amazon, but it could 

well be a differentiator for potential 

users, especially large enterprises with 

applications in finance, healthcare, or 

legal, for example, or any other use 

cases that require fast and reliable 

validation and processing of large 

volumes of unstructured documents. 

More info: www.alarisworld.com/engb/solutions/software/info-inputsolution 

VERDICT 

KODAK Info Input 7 is unique in how it leverages the world's most powerful and trusted cloud document AI 

services to deliver workflow automation at enterprise scale - we have genuinely not seen anything to rival it in the 

Intelligent Document Processing market as yet. 


FULLY INTEGRATED DIGITAL 

DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT 

FROM RICOH, DOCUMENT LOGISTIX AND LEMMANA 

… POWERED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 

AUTOMATION 

TO MAKE 

WORKING 

LIVES BETTER! 

BOOK A DEMONSTRATION 

WWW.DOCUMENT-LOGISTIX.COM 01908 366 388 INFO@DOCUMENT-LOGISTIX.COM

Dm STRATEGY: BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT 

Trust the process 

Max Kelleher, CEO of Generis, examines the role of Business Process 

Management in Digital Transformation 

So your organisation is embarking 

on a digital transformation 

initiative, but what does it 

involve? Yes, you're shifting away from 

paper based and manual processes 

toward digital solutions, but is that all 

it takes? 

Digitally transforming your business 

doesn't just mean taking your existing 

processes and putting them online, it 

represents a fundamental shift in the 

way you think, the way you operate. It 

means efficiency, connectivity, and 

innovation have to take centre stage. 

With that in mind, it might be time to 

consider Business Process 

Management's (BPM) impact on Digital 

Transformation. 

WHAT IS BPM? 

In its simplest form, Business Process 

Management is about figuring out how 

a business does things; identifying 

regular activities, pinpointing how they 

could be improved, and making 

changes to optimise repeated 

processes. The ultimate goal is for 

businesses to become more efficient, 

more consistent, reduce costs, increase 

transparency and accountability, and 

provide a better experience of day-today 

work for employees. 

WHAT IS DIGITAL 

TRANSFORMATION? 

The term 'digital transformation' has 

become somewhat of a buzzword over 

the last few years, so to many the 

phrase may induce some sort of 

reflexive eye roll. However, we'd be 

remiss not to give a brief description: 

Digital transformation is a pursuit of 

efficiency through the 

removal/reduction or standardisation of 

human touch points and IT systems 

across an organisation - both within 

and across target business processes. 

In simpler terms, it's about making it 

easier for teams to confidently 

complete tasks - because the right 

information and materials are served 

up as and when needed, in the context 

of what someone is doing. They are not 

hidden away somewhere inaccessible, 


STRATEGY: BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT Dm 

and individual team members are less 

likely to cause bottlenecks if they are 

otherwise engaged. In many routine 

cases, processes can be automated 

when everything can be reliably 

brought together in the right context 

to reach conclusions, complete tasks, 

and determine next actions. 

HOW ARE BPM AND DIGITAL 

TRANSFORMATION CONNECTED? 

Business process management plays a 

crucial role in enabling and supporting 

digital transformation initiatives across 

organisations. As companies look to 

digitally transform, BPM provides 

several key functions: 

1. Driving efficiency through process 

improvement 

One of the main goals of digital 

transformation is to increase efficiency, 

productivity, and agility across the 

organisation. BPM provides the 

methodology to analyse current 

business processes, identify 

inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and 

unnecessary tasks, and then redesign 

those processes to be streamlined for 

the digital age. 

With a focus on constant 

optimisation, BPM provides the 

roadmap for transforming legacy 

processes into digital, automated 

processes that improve speed, reduce 

costs, and enhance quality. 

2. Supporting adoption of new 

technologies 

Digital transformation inherently relies 

on the adoption of new technologies 

like cloud platforms, AI, and advanced 

analytics. BPM helps to ensure effective 

integration and change management 

as these new technologies are 

embedded into business processes by 

design. BPM provides visibility into 

end-to-end processes to help identify 

the best areas and use cases to 

leverage new technologies for 

maximum impact on the business. 

3. Enabling greater collaboration 

across functions 

Digital transformation breaks down 

traditional company silos, encouraging 

greater collaboration and connectivity 

across teams, functions, and locations. 

BPM provides documentation of 

people, systems, data, and steps in 

processes that gives greater visibility 

across the organisation. This supports 

cross-functional collaboration and 

alignment that is critical for success. 

4. Driving a customer-centric culture 

A major goal of digital transformation 

is using technology to provide seamless 

and personalised customer experiences 

across channels. BPM initiatives embed 

the customer into process design, 

mapping different customer journeys 

to identify pain points and areas for 

digitisation. This contributes to the 

cultural shift with the customer at the 

core rather than internal goals. 

Without robust and mature Business 

Process Management, companies will 

struggle to successfully implement 

digital transformation initiatives. 

Attempting large-scale technology and 

process changes without a detailed 

understanding of current workflows, 

metrics, and bottlenecks creates 

misguided transformation efforts, 

insufficient governance, lack of 

standardisation, and poor adoption of 

new tools across the organisation. 

By jumping straight into a digital 

overhaul without proper process 

documentation, analysis, and redesign, 

organisations implement one-off 

systems that increase complexity rather 

than unlock efficiency gains. In the 

end, overlooking BPM before 

undergoing transformations leads to 

disjointed operations that fail to meet 

targets and never achieve the level of 

digital integration required to excel in 

today's regulated business landscape. 

BENEFITS OF BPM SOFTWARE FOR 

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION 

Now that we've looked at how Business 

Process Management and digital 

transformation are connected, the next 

step is to discover how to implement 

BPM to bolster the digital 




13

Dm STRATEGY: BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT 

"WITHOUT ROBUST AND MATURE BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT, COMPANIES WILL STRUGGLE TO 

SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVES. ATTEMPTING LARGE-SCALE TECHNOLOGY 

AND PROCESS CHANGES WITHOUT A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF CURRENT WORKFLOWS, METRICS, AND 

BOTTLENECKS CREATES MISGUIDED TRANSFORMATION EFFORTS, INSUFFICIENT GOVERNANCE, LACK OF 

STANDARDISATION, AND POOR ADOPTION OF NEW TOOLS ACROSS THE ORGANISATION. BY JUMPING 

STRAIGHT INTO A DIGITAL OVERHAUL WITHOUT PROPER PROCESS DOCUMENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND 

REDESIGN, ORGANISATIONS IMPLEMENT ONE-OFF SYSTEMS THAT INCREASE COMPLEXITY RATHER THAN 

UNLOCK EFFICIENCY GAINS." 

transformation of your organisation. 

A software solution that specialises in 

Business Process Management and 

Business Process Automation can 

provide a number of benefits for 

companies undergoing a digital 

transformation initiative: 

1. Comprehensive visibility 

BPM software gives comprehensive 

visibility into an organisation's 

processes by mapping connections, 

sequencing workflows, documenting 

policies & procedures, and 

tracking metrics. These all aid 

transformational planning 

and insight into areas that 

need the most 

prioritisation. 

2. Collaboration across 

departments 

BPM Platforms like the 

CARA Platform put all 

your users and 

processes in one place, 

so you can create-cross 

functional workflows, 

author collaboratively 

with other departments, 

and notify and share results 

or findings with unlikely 

colleagues. A good platform 

should mirror your real business, not 

the siloes your tools put you in. 

This enterprise connectivity drives 

digital transformation in your teams 

and their processes by centralising and 

controlling your data so that it can be 

re-used, shared, and protected correctly 

and consistently by any team working 

on the platform. 

3. Increased agility 

Leading BPM platforms incorporate 

low/no-code to help teams rapidly 

configure and automate processes. This 

allows organisations to quickly respond 

to digital demands and pilot new 

workflows and processes for digital 

transformation initiatives. 

4. Process innovation 

AI and Automation capabilities in BPM 

platforms help discover opportunities 

to continuously improve, redesign 

processes, and implement cutting-edge 

transformations grounded in real data. 

5. Scalability 

A BPM platform provides scalability to 

benefit digital transformation by 

improving process design, enforcing 

enterprise-wide standards, centralising 

visibility and governance, automating 

tasks and workflows, and facilitating 

rapid prototyping of innovations using 

cloud-based, low-code tools - 

streamlining execution as 

transformation initiatives scale across 

the organisation. 

It's never too early, or too late, to start 

assessing how your organisation can 

BPM to bolster your organisation's 

digital transformation efforts. 

More info: www.generiscorp.com 


Dm STRATEGY: GENAI 

Three steps to GenAI heaven 

Stewart Hunwick, Field CTO, Primary Storage, Dell Technologies UK, argues that the right 

data storage approach is critical to achieve GenAI success 

There is no doubt that Generative 

AI (GenAI) was one of the hottest 

topics of 2023, and the 

conversation continues today. But it is 

not just talk; people are already seeing 

tangible benefits from the technology. 

McKinsey estimates that GenAI could 

add between $2.6-$4.4 trillion to the 

global economy annually. In fact, 

according to Dell's latest Generative AI 

Pulse survey amongst IT decisionmakers 

(https://www.dell.com/enus/dt/solutions/artificialintelligence/index.htm), 

75% of UK 

respondents think the impact of GenAI 

will be significant or transformative for 

their organisations. So, it is no surprise 

that UK businesses are eager to 

uncover and leverage its benefits. 

Yet, developing and training GenAI 

models is not a straightforward 

process. Organisations need vast 

amounts of data to feed models, and in 

turn, these same models generate a 

plethora of data back into the 

business. Therefore, business leaders 

must ask themselves a simple but 

essential question before embracing AI 

and GenAI - are our storage solutions 

up to the task? 

In 2024 and beyond, it is a scalable, 

secure, and economically sound data 

architecture that will set apart the 

organisations leading the AI race from 

those playing catch up. 

THE GENAI AGE NEEDS THE RIGHT 

STORAGE SOLUTIONS 

Organisations must rethink, rearchitect, 

and optimise their storage to effectively 

handle GenAI's hefty data management 

requirements and ultimately deploy 

GenAI successfully. By doing so, 

organisations will avoid a potential 

process slowdown due to inadequate 

or improperly designed storage. 

Unfortunately, traditional storage 

systems are already struggling to keep 

up with the ever-growing data load. 

The requirements will only increase 

with GenAI systems processing and 

managing new and more sophisticated 

tasks. Therefore, an organisation must 

align their storage platforms with the 

more complex realities of unstructured 

data, also known as qualitative data 

and the emerging needs of GenAI. 

Unstructured data accounts for more 

than 90% of the data created each 

year, so businesses require innovative 

ways to store data of this scale and 

complexity cost-effectively while 

offering easy and quick access to it. 

Above all, companies should ensure 

they safeguard this precious data 

against cyber criminals - unstructured 

data attracts hackers because of its 

high value and sheer volume. 

The truth is that organisations want 

and expect better data movement, 

access, scalability, and protection. As a 

16 




STRATEGY: GENAI Dm 

"ORGANISATIONS MUST RETHINK, REARCHITECT, AND OPTIMISE THEIR STORAGE TO EFFECTIVELY HANDLE 

GENAI'S HEFTY DATA MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS AND ULTIMATELY DEPLOY GENAI SUCCESSFULLY. BY 

DOING SO, ORGANISATIONS WILL AVOID A POTENTIAL PROCESS SLOWDOWN DUE TO INADEQUATE OR 

IMPROPERLY DESIGNED STORAGE. UNFORTUNATELY, TRADITIONAL STORAGE SYSTEMS ARE ALREADY 

STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH THE EVER-GROWING DATA LOAD. THE REQUIREMENTS WILL ONLY INCREASE 

WITH GENAI SYSTEMS PROCESSING AND MANAGING NEW AND MORE SOPHISTICATED TASKS." 

response, many have turned to cloudfirst 

strategies, storing data across 

multiple public cloud environments. 

Despite providing a potential shortterm 

solution, organisations will likely 

face rising ingress and egress costs, 

security concerns and data 

optimisation challenges in the long 

run. For GenAI to truly take effect, it 

needs simple, easy access to data - 

something a cloud-first strategy will 

struggle to provide. 

Instead, organisations should adopt a 

multi-cloud by-design approach to 

ensure management consistency in 

storing, protecting and securing data 

in multi-cloud environments. Adopting 

a multi-cloud by design approach will 

help organisations unlock the full 

potential of GenAI in the short and 

long term without being constrained 

by siloed ecosystems of proprietary 

tools and services. 

INVESTING IN NEW STORAGE 

TECHNOLOGIES 

Businesses need novel approaches such 

as distributed storage, data 

compression and indexing, to cater to 

GenAI's requirements and vast, diverse 

data sets. 

Distributed storage improves the 

scalability and reliability of GenAI 

systems by housing data across 

multiple locations. Organisations can 

then rapidly scale their storage needs 

across several nodes should demand 

increase. They can also replicate their 

most critical data, allowing it to be 

vaulted in a separate location and 

easily retrieved in the event of a cyberattack. 

As cost is another challenge many 

organisations face, data compression 

can partly remedy the issue. When 

organisations remove unwanted data 

through data compression methods, 

they can reduce their storage needs by 

more effectively analysing data and 

eliminating unnecessary information. 

This results in a more condensed 

version, thereby decreasing the amount 

of storage required by the organisation 

and, ultimately, reducing costs. 

Data indexing improves retrieval 

capabilities and contributes to faster, 

more efficient search capabilities and 

training by more effectively 

organising the data into specific 

locations. Together, these three 

technologies enhance performance, 

efficiency, and cost savings, three key 

priorities for business leaders looking 

for a painless transition to GenAI 

technologies. 

STORAGE SOLUTIONS ARE A 

PREREQUISITE TO CAPITALISING 

ON GENAI 

AI and GenAI are significant enablers 

of competitive advantage and 

a way to disrupt 

markets, and it 

may be 

tempting to 

skip ahead to 

training and 

modelling. 

However, 

GenAI 

requires a 

solid storage foundation as a first step 

to be successful. It might not be the 

most exciting topic for business 

leaders, but how organisations store 

and manage data will drive greater 

business value in the future. 

More info: www.dell.com 




17

Dm EVENT: AIIM FORUM EUROPE 2024 

The full package 

AIIM Forum Europe 2024 

offers a unique 

opportunity to dive into 

the cutting-edge world of 

information management 

AIIM Forum Europe is back for 

another year; and this year it 

promises to be more interactive 

and rewarding than ever before. 

Expanding to a new 2-day, residential 

event across June 24-25 2024, AIIM 

Forum Europe will be offering an 

immersive, comprehensive, and 

personalised experience that combines 

top-notch content with enhanced 

networking opportunities - all within 

the comfortable and exclusive setting of 

The Midland Hotel, Manchester. 

This long-running event is aimed at 

information stakeholders who are 

looking for tools and insights to 

digitally transforming their 

organisation. And for those new to the 

information management industry, the 

event provides an ideal opportunity to 

learn in a neutral and nurturing 

environment. 

As part of the new 2-day format, 

Monday's pre-con will involve two 

afternoon workshop sessions, delivered 

by Information Management and 

Governance experts - Leadership 

Through Data. 

These will be hands-on sessions 

providing an environment where 

individuals can acquire new skills, share 

experiences, and collaborate on 

innovative solutions, with a focus on 

Microsoft 365 information management 

features including Copilot. 

Benefit from the curated conference 

programme on Tuesday 25th with a 

jam-packed day of interactive 

collaborative workshops and 

independent case-studies. You can also 

explore a diverse range of cutting-edge 

solutions and services from leading 

vendors in the information management 

space. Discover innovative tools that can 

streamline your operations and boost 

your organisation's efficiency. 

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNTS 

Early bird discounted rates are available 

until Friday 26th April. A FULL 

conference package is £625 +VAT for 

AIIM Members, and £675 + VAT for 

non-members. 

What's included in your registration? 

FULL access to the event 

Monday pre-conference workshop 

access 

Monday night accommodation at 

the Midland Hotel 

Access to the Monday night drinks 

reception and dinner 

Tuesday Conference access, 

breakfast, lunch and refreshments. 

Access to all sessions, workshops 

and one-to-one appointments 

This year's AIIM Forum Europe 

promises to be an exceptional 

opportunity for professionals like you to 

gain insights, network with industry 

leaders, and unlock new possibilities for 

your organisation. Visit the URL below 

now to view the full event programme 

and to register. 

More info: aiimforumeurope.com 


Dm STRATEGY: ECM 

Practice makes perfect 

Brian DeWyer, CTO and co-founder of Reveille Software, analyses the key 

components of a successful ECM system and shares his check-list of best practices 

for content management 

With many organisations working 

remotely, managing and dealing 

with large amounts of data 

becomes difficult. According to one 

survey, almost 63% of organisations 

manage more than one petabyte of data. 

In such a scenario, even if you have 

adopted an enterprise content 

management (ECM) system, you still need 

to set workflows and processes to achieve 

a hassle-free content management 

solution across the organisation. 

As the CTO of a leading provider of ECM 

monitoring tools, I work closely with 

organisations that have adopted stellar 

enterprise content management best 

practices. I'll share these secrets with you 

in this article and help you enhance the 

effectiveness of your content 

management initiatives. 

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) 

refers to enterprises' strategies, tools, and 

systems to capture, store, manage, and 

preserve content systematically and 

efficiently. Take the example of a 

healthcare provider organisation. They 

handle massive amounts of data, from 

patient forms to insurance tie-ups. ECM 

helps streamline all of this content to 

make it readily accessible to the right 

people at the right time across a variety 

of locations. 

ECM tools also play a pivotal role in ECM 

strategy by helping organisations adhere 

to various compliance standards and, 

with seamless integration into existing 

tools, make content access and 

management easy. 

ECM is critical for efficient information 

management in organisations of all sizes. 

Here are five reasons why. 

1. Create a central repository of data: 

Instead of having data in silos, your 

company can centralise all files in one 

place. A central repository helps better 

manage and access information, even 

when people are working remotely or in 

different locations. 

2. Better control of access and versioning: 

Employees can easily find the correct file 

version when needed. You can even set in 

place controls to restrict access to 

confidential information. 

3. Manage compliance and risks: ECM 

systems help organisations comply with 

regulatory requirements and industry 

standards by ensuring proper document 

retention, version control, and security 

measures. 

4. Increase customer satisfaction: ECM 

enables faster response times to 

customer inquiries by providing instant 

access to relevant information. This 

increased speed enhances customer 

satisfaction and loyalty. 

5. Reduce costs: By eliminating paperbased 

processes and optimising document 

management workflows, ECM can 

significantly reduce costs associated with 

printing, storage, and document retrieval. 

COMPONENTS OF ECM 

Enterprise Content Management systems 

are made up of 5 main components, 

along with being connected to an overarching 

IT environment. Each component 

adds value to the overall system. Let's take 

a look at them in more detail. 

1. Capture 

The capture component is the pivotal 

starting point in the ECM process. It 

involves capturing, digitising, and 

importing content from various sources, 

such as paper documents, emails, 

multimedia, and electronic files. 

This process typically includes document 

scanning, optical character recognition 

(OCR), and data extraction to convert 

physical documents into electronic format. 

The capture process transforms 

unstructured data into organised and 

manageable assets. 

2. Manage 

When content is captured, the 

management component takes centre 

stage. It focuses on organisation, 

categorisation, and metadata assignment. 

From defining access controls and creating 

automated workflows to personalised 

content delivery mechanisms and 

establishing versioning protocols, this 

component ensures that the content 

within the ECM system is well-organised, 

easily retrievable, and adheres to 

compliance standards. 

3. Repository 

The emphasis shifts to secure and 

scalable storage solutions within the 

ECM repository. A robust repository is 

fundamental to accommodate the 

growing content volume and ensure it 

remains accessible without 

compromising performance. 

This component stores digital assets, 

including documents, images, videos, and 

other multimedia files. The addition of 

access controls ensures data security and 

compliance with regulations. 

4. Search 

The search component is essential to 

locate specific content within the ECM 

system quickly. Users can perform keyword 

searches, advanced queries, and filtering 

to pinpoint relevant information. 

This ability to access data at speed is 

essential for organisations that handle large 

amounts of data and need quick access to 


STRATEGY: ECM Dm 

files and documents on a daily basis. 

5. Archive 

The ultimate goal of this component is to 

store inactive or historical content for 

long-term preservation and compliance 

purposes. This content is typically 

categorised, indexed, and encrypted for 

security. By offloading older content from 

active systems, the archive component 

optimises performance, reduces storage 

costs, and facilitates regulatory 

compliance within organisations. 

8 ECM BEST PRACTICES FOR 2024 

The following enterprise content 

management best practices will help your 

business successfully implement and 

utilise ECM systems. Remember to modify 

them according to your business's unique 

needs and challenges. 

1. AI-Driven Automation Integration 

ECM solutions can automate many 

business tasks. You can elevate this 

further by introducing AI into the mix. 

Different AI technologies, like machine 

learning and natural language processing 

(NLP), can automate repetitive tasks, 

extract insights from data at speed, and 

optimise content processing. 

As an example, AI can automate 

content creation. You can set AI to go 

through all your internal documents and 

direct it to get answers for FAQs or 

learning guides. With NLP, natural 

language search can be enabled, making 

content search more straightforward. 

AI-driven integration also reduces 

manual errors and frees up your team's 

time to work on high-value activities to 

keep your business ahead of the 

competition. 

2. Cloud-Based Solutions Implementation 

Moving to cloud-based solutions instead 

of sticking to traditional working methods 

can ease content search and 

management processes. These solutions 

can be easier to implement and manage 

than on-premise systems. 

Cloud-based solutions will decrease costs 

related to on-site storage, hardware, 

maintenance, constant security patch 

follow-ups, on-site updates and 

upgrades, and license management. 

Moreover, this enables your team (remote 

or in different geographical locations) to 

access the content whenever needed. 

Cloud solutions are easily scalable, 

allowing for seamless expansion 

whenever the content volume grows or 

business requirements change. 

3. Cybersecurity Measures for ECM 

Your ECM software will provide basic 

security measures like access controls, 

user authentication and data encryption. 

But what if a critical document gets out 

of the system that is not supposed to? 

What if an error causes a downtime? 

As security threats become more 

sophisticated, robust security measures 

are non-negotiable for your enterprise 

content management strategy. This is 

where ECM monitoring and management 

tools come into the picture. They can 

continually monitor user ECM activity, 




21

Dm STRATEGY: ECM 

"YOUR ECM SOFTWARE WILL PROVIDE BASIC SECURITY MEASURES LIKE ACCESS CONTROLS, USER 

AUTHENTICATION AND DATA ENCRYPTION. BUT WHAT IF A CRITICAL DOCUMENT GETS OUT OF THE SYSTEM 

THAT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO? WHAT IF AN ERROR CAUSES A DOWNTIME? AS SECURITY THREATS BECOME MORE 

SOPHISTICATED, ROBUST SECURITY MEASURES ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE FOR YOUR ENTERPRISE CONTENT 

MANAGEMENT STRATEGY. THIS IS WHERE ECM MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT TOOLS COME INTO THE 

PICTURE." 

data access, and system activities on your 

ECM to identify suspicious behaviour, 

anomalies, and potential security threats 

across the enterprise. It also offers 

advanced analytics and reporting 

capabilities to promptly detect and 

mitigate these security incidents. 

4. Seamless Management for Multiple 

ECM Platforms 

With many organisations handling more 

than one ECM platform, you need to 

deal with a lot of challenges like 

fragmented data, operational 

inefficiencies, and lack of oversight. ECM 

monitoring and management tools can 

solve this problem by: 

Providing a single dashboard where 

information is consolidated from 

disparate ECMs. 

Offering centralised auditing to 

adhere to industry standards and 

regulations. 

Eliminating the need for your IT team 

to manually look at errors in different 

ECMs. This process is automated, and 

potential ECM issues are proactively 

detected and resolved. 

Proving user analytics of each ECM 

software that can be seen on one 

tool, helping you understand user 

behaviour and optimise usage. 

5. Data Governance Excellence 

Depending on your industry, you must 

follow different rules and regulations, 

such as ISO-9001, GDPR, HIPAA, or the 

Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Failing to adhere to 

these laws may result in expensive legal 

suits and a possible loss of reputation. 

That's why establishing clear guidelines 

for content creation, storage, access, 

usage, and retention is necessary. 

It promotes data quality, consistency, 

integrity, and security within the ECM 

system and helps mitigate compliance 

violations and information 

mismanagement risks. Before you deploy 

your ECM, you must confer with your 

legal team to learn and implement the 

compliance requirements the system 

should meet. 

6. Keep in Mind the Content Lifecycle 

A content lifecycle denotes a process that 

business documents undergo, from 

creation to archival. By understanding 

this process, you can optimise your ECM 

system to consider different areas, like 

how the content will go through 

approval workflows, whether certain 

documents require digital signatures, etc. 

Understanding your processes will help 

you find the right ECM system for your 

business or modify one to suit your 

requirements. It will also shed light on 

the kind of integrations your ECM 

software must have to suit the current 

workflows and processes. 

7. Capacity Planning Tactics 

Capacity planning tactics ensure your 

organisation has the resources and 

infrastructure to support your content 

management needs effectively. 

By conducting thorough assessments of 

current and projected content volumes, 

usage patterns, and system performance, 

organisations can accurately forecast 

their ECM requirements and plan for 

scalability and performance optimisation. 

Instead of spending weeks and months 

manually gathering information from each 

ECM department, you can use tools like 

Reveille. It monitors metrics for accurate 

capacity planning, such as user levels, 

session counts, memory levels, disk 

capacity, CPU levels, etc. These metrics 

answer critical questions about current 

capacity and how you can plan for change. 

8. User Training for ECM Optimisation 

You must invest in user training programs 

to empower ECM administrators, 

developers, and end-users. Training 

ensures that stakeholders are proficient in 

leveraging ECM features, enhancing 

adoption rates, minimising errors, and 

maximising the return on ECM 

investments. You can even have a 

channel dedicated to this in your 

communication tool. Your teams can 

discuss new updates, features, and best 

practices that increase adoption and 

encourage better ways of working with 

your ECM tool. 

The future of ECM holds promise as 

organisations increasingly recognise the 

critical role of content management in 

driving digital transformation and 

achieving competitive advantage. 

Advancements in AI, machine learning, 

and automation will continue to 

revolutionise ECM, enabling intelligent 

content analysis, automation of repetitive 

tasks, and personalised user experiences. 

More info: www.reveillesoftware.com 


SAY GOODBYE 

TO REPEATED SCANNING. 

DISCOVER ONE-TIME, 

HIGH-SPEED SCANNING. 

CONVERT WITH THE PROS 

One-Time Scanning: Scan your documents just ONCE! 

High-Speed Scanning: Say farewell to slow, time-consuming scans. 

Crystal Clear Quality: Get superior, high-resolution results. 

Save Time & Resources: No more repetitive scanning – focus on what truly matters. 

Streamline Your Workflow: Boost productivity and reduce frustration. 

Advanced Technology: Our cutting-edge scanners are equipped for the future. 

Customer Support: We’re here whenever you need us. 

Join the future 

of scanning technology. 

Call us at 001 262 673 3476 

to schedule your demo! 

www.e-imagedata.com

Dm MANAGEMENT: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION 

What is slowing down digitisation? 

Jason Field, Integration 

Director at Document 

Logistix, argues that an 

'attachment to the 

familiar' is hindering 

digital transformation 

In my last article for Document 

Manager magazine I reflected on the 

fact that 50% of businesses still cling to 

paper-based business processes, despite 

the measurable workflow, productivity 

and compliance benefits of digital 

document management. 

The COVID pandemic prompted many 

organisations to kick-start digitisation 

projects that had been under discussion for 

years beforehand. According to a Forrester 

survey and report commissioned by Adobe, 

72% of respondents looked to digital 

document processes to support business 

continuity amid unforeseen circumstances. 

However, recent statistics show that 

business digitalisation is slow. 

WHAT IS SLOWING DIGITAL 

TRANSFORMATION? 

According to the Forrester/Adobe report 

the majority of organisations have minimal 

digital document processes. 

Without comprehensive, streamlined 

digital document processes, companies 

lose critical time when team members 

apply changes to outdated document 

versions. Organisations cannot maintain 

high productivity levels when using paper 

document versions. 

A clue to slow adoption lies in the 

revelation that 52% of small businesses 

and 51% of enterprises say understanding 

available digital solutions is a challenge, 

according to Flexera's 2024 State of the 

Cloud Report. 

There is still confusion about how onpremise 

and cloud document 

management solutions operate, what 

they can and cannot do, and how to 

integrate them with current systems and 

into daily operations. 

When there is a lack of clarity about 

implementation and how digital 

document management functions, 

business leaders are likely to stick with 

familiar paper and hybrid systems, and 

are less likely to commit fully to digital 

management systems. 

THE COST OF PAPER-BASED BUSINESS 

The 2024 Gitnux Market Data Report 


@DMMagAndAwards

MANAGEMENT: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Dm 

"THERE IS STILL CONFUSION ABOUT HOW ON-PREMISE AND CLOUD DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS 

OPERATE, WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT DO, AND HOW TO INTEGRATE THEM WITH CURRENT SYSTEMS AND 

INTO DAILY OPERATIONS. WHEN THERE IS A LACK OF CLARITY ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION AND HOW DIGITAL 

DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS, BUSINESS LEADERS ARE LIKELY TO STICK WITH FAMILIAR PAPER AND 

HYBRID SYSTEMS, AND ARE LESS LIKELY TO COMMIT FULLY TO DIGITAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS." 

includes some noteworthy document 

management statistics: 

7.5% of documents get lost and 3% 

get misfiled 

On average, employees spend 1.5 hours 

each day searching for documents 

Approximately 80% of businesses have 

a paper problem 

Physical searching and verification of 

documents take up to 50% of an 

employee's time. 

Digitisation specialists know that these 

statistics can be corrected in favour of both 

businesses and employees. 

EMPLOYEES BACK DIGITAL 

PROCESSES 

Employees value digital document 

processes for the efficiency they generate 

and the collaboration they afford. 

Centralised digital documents mean that 

employees do not have to hunt for 

information and that an up-to-date 

document is always available. Otherwise, 

employees waste time searching in 

multiple storage locations, have to wade 

through emails, and are forced to create 

their own document versions. 

Document sharing, document workflow 

automation, real-time document 

collaboration, and document approvals are 

valued by employees, according to 

research from the Forrester Employee 

Experience Index (EXi). 

An environment where employees can be 

productive and get their work done is a key 

predictor for employee engagement. 

HOW TOPICAL IS REMOTE WORKING 

CAPABILITY TODAY? 

In 2022, a cabinet minister made headlines 

by leaving messages on desks that urged 

civil servants to return to their offices. 

General Motors, Disney, Dell, Amazon, 

Meta and IBM are among the companies 

that have scrapped fully remote working 

and recalled staff to the office. 

Employees value workplace flexibility. A 

2024 Morgan Mckinley-commissioned 

McKinsey report found that half of UK 

workers would forego a pay rise if they 

could work in a hybrid manner. 

However, for a digitisation specialist, 

remote working is distinguishable from 

working from home. While talent 

attraction and retention are important, it 

is field workers and the businesses they 

work for who reap the biggest rewards 

from upload capabilities and access to 

digital documents. 

Our customers' field workers in HR, 

Logistics, Housing, Healthcare, Finance and 

NFP organisations, attest to the hours 

saved by having secure remote access to 

centralised files. Digitisation ends mindnumbing 

paper-based admin tasks and the 

back-break of case work folders and 

bulging briefcases. 

An example are housing association 

field workers who can, with 

digitisation, visit and onboard ten 

residents a day as opposed to only two 

using historical methods. 

WHY SHY AWAY FROM BUSINESS 

CLARITY? 

Innovative organisations strive to achieve 

efficient access to data in order to work as 

productively and compliantly as possible, 

and to maintain a competitive edge. 

However, indexing and managing diverse 

data channels and formats, including 

paper and electronic documents, 

spreadsheets, emails, PDF files, scanned 

images and videos, can be complex and 

hamper performance. 

Even if it is not as yet understood, digital 

document management is the answer for 

business leaders who want to automate 

and streamline business processes and 

information flow. 

From accurate document data ingestion, 

through automated workflows and 

approval alerts, to compliant data 

retention and purge, digitisation delivers 

assured process efficiency. Time-stamped 

audit trails and proof of compliance alone, 

generate significant ROI in a short space of 

time even for SMEs. 

The take-up of built-in business 

intelligence and advanced reporting is 

relatively low. This low adoption is 

surprising given the benefits of real-time 

line of sight across critical business activity. 

DON'T LET IMAGINED OBSTACLES 

OBSTRUCT PROGRESS 

An IDC survey revealed that businesses 

using digital collaboration tools 

experience a 30% improvement in project 

completion times. IDC concludes that 

knowledge management drives better 

business outcomes. 

The COVID pandemic spurred some 

organisations into transformation; it also 

prompted solution providers to 

accelerate implementation. 

Digitisation today can be achieved in 

months rather than years. Integration 

with legacy business systems and crossdepartmental 

collaboration are today's 

reality. Plus, one of the biggest board-level 

concerns has been eliminated: data can 

be migrated from legacy systems quickly 

and reliably. 

If you would like to discuss your business 

process challenges or to learn more about 

today's document management 

capabilities, we would be pleased to 

arrange a demonstration. 

More info: www.document-logistix.com 




25

Dm STRATEGY: CONTENT SECURITY 

Time for a reset on protecting sensitive content? 

Tim Freestone, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Kiteworks, looks at managing 

content exposure risk in 2024 and beyond 

Ithink it is fair to say that managing data 

privacy and compliance risks has 

become increasingly difficult year on 

year. Cybercriminals continue to evolve 

their strategies and approaches, making it 

ever more difficult to identify, stop, and 

mitigate the damage of a malicious attack. 

Managing the privacy and compliance of 

sensitive content communications is a 

difficult undertaking for many businesses. 

This is because many of the most popular 

tools were developed a decade or more 

ago. This led to several serious data 

breaches last year. So, what are the key 

issues to look out for to ensure that 

doesn't happen again in 2024? 

RISE OF THE ARTIFICIAL MACHINES 

Despite reticence by some business 

leaders, the number of employees and 

third parties using generative artificial 

intelligence (GenAI) large language 

models (LLMs) will likely double this year 

as the competitive advantages become 

too significant to ignore. This will expand 

the threat surface and potential for IP, PII, 

PHI, financial documents, merger and 

acquisition (M&A) communications, and 

other sensitive content, to be inadvertently 

or intentionally exposed, thereby 

ratcheting up risks of sensitive data 

leakage and the corresponding 

implications around brand damage, 

regulatory fines and penalties, 

and legal costs. 

Even with advances in 

security controls, data 

breaches stemming from 

GenAI LLM misuse will 

rise in 2024. To mitigate 

the risk, organisations 

will need to implement 

content-defined zerotrust 

models to control 

access and 

collaboration based on 

data sensitivity, adding 

granular access controls 

and least-privilege access, 

by default, and 

eliminating nonauthenticated 

access. 

DANGERS OF A ZERO- 

DAY ATTACK 

Managed file transfer (MFT) 

tools are frequently used for the 

digital transfer of data in an 

automated, reliable, and 

secure manner internally 

and with third parties 

using governance 

tracking and 

controls for regulatory compliance. 

However, many MFT solutions are based 

on decades-old technology that have 

inherent security deficiencies. 

This led to two major MFT tools to 

experience a zero-day exploit in 2023. In 

both instances, multiple zero-day 

vulnerabilities were targeted-a remote 

code execution (RCE) in the case of Fortra 

GoAnywhere that impacted over 130 

organisations and a SQL injection in the 

case of MOVEit that affected over 2,000 

organisations and 62 million individuals. 

If these two attacks are any indication, 

rogue nation-states and cybercriminals 

will continue to exploit zero-day 

vulnerabilities in legacy MFT solutions. 

Organisations must, therefore, seek a 

modern virtual appliance approach that 

enables a one-click application of a 

unified update provided by the MFT 

provider, and one that integrates 

advanced security capabilities. 

TIME TO EMBRACE EMAIL 

PROTECTION 

Email remains the number one attack 

vector. In fact, more than eight in ten 

data breaches now target humans as 

their first line of access using social 

engineering strategies. 

Like legacy MFT solutions, many legacy 

email systems lack modern security 

capabilities. The good news is that we 

have seen a significant improvement in 

email encryption. A survey of IT executives 

found that 90% prioritise the protection 

of documents and information they 

communicate in email with other 

organisations. When these are shared 

internally, the numbers are not as good: 

79% of businesses indicate they share 

sensitive business data over email without 

encryption. Further, while organisations 

employ encryption on their emails, a 

recent study revealed that only 35% of 

businesses said they have extensive 

encryption deployed. 

26 




STRATEGY: CONTENT SECURITY Dm 

"A SURVEY OF IT EXECUTIVES FOUND THAT 90% PRIORITISE THE PROTECTION OF DOCUMENTS AND 

INFORMATION THEY COMMUNICATE IN EMAIL WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS. WHEN THESE ARE SHARED 

INTERNALLY, THE NUMBERS ARE NOT AS GOOD: 79% OF BUSINESSES INDICATE THEY SHARE SENSITIVE BUSINESS 

DATA OVER EMAIL WITHOUT ENCRYPTION. FURTHER, WHILE ORGANISATIONS EMPLOY ENCRYPTION ON THEIR 

EMAILS, A RECENT STUDY REVEALED THAT ONLY 35% OF BUSINESSES SAID THEY HAVE EXTENSIVE ENCRYPTION 

DEPLOYED. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ORGANISATIONS EMBRACE AN EMAIL PROTECTION GATEWAY WHERE EMAIL 

IS SENT, RECEIVED, AND STORED USING ZERO-TRUST POLICY MANAGEMENT WITH SINGLE-TENANT HOSTING." 

It is important that organisations 

embrace an email protection gateway 

where email is sent, received, and stored 

using zero-trust policy management with 

single-tenant hosting. Otherwise, email 

security will remain a serious risk factor in 

2024 and beyond. 

DATA PRIVACY IS NOW A GLOBAL 

CONCERN 

Gartner predicts that personal data for 

three-quarters of the world's population 

will be covered by data privacy regulations 

by the end of 2024, and the average 

annual budget for privacy in a company 

will exceed $2.5 million. 

Data privacy is now a global concern 

and 2024 is certain to reflect further 

emphasis on data privacy regulations. For 

example, with GDPR, multiple EU 

legislations are in the pipeline, including 

the Digital Markets Act, Digital Services 

Act, and AI Regulation. 

RISING IMPORTANCE OF DATA 

SOVEREIGNTY 

Data localisation is a growing trend that 

makes data sovereignty a challenge for 

organisations. Many emerging privacy 

laws require organisations to control the 

country where data resides, which can be 

a significant challenge for multinational 

businesses. Yet, at the same time, data 

democratisation, the practice of making 

data accessible and consumable for 

everyone in an enterprise regardless of 

technical skill, is a trend that will impact 

data sovereignty. It is important to strike 

a balance. 

This is an issue that is not going to go 

away. Organisations across all sectors of 

the economy, including government, 

technology, healthcare, and financial 

services, are increasingly prioritising data 

sovereignty initiatives due to the myriad 

benefits that come with it. 

Data sovereignty empowers 

organisations to maintain compliance 

with local and international data 

regulations, which minimises legal risks, 

establishes a reputation for responsible 

data handling, and helps companies 

avoid hefty fines. By prioritising data 

sovereignty, organisations can build trust 

with customers and stakeholders, 

enhance brand reputation, and avoid 

costly legal issues. 

THE RIGHT DRM 

Challenges surrounding the handling of 

large files containing sensitive content 

will become increasingly pressing as 

growing file sizes necessitate robust 

solutions for secure handling and 

storage. Digital rights management 

(DRM) adoption will become increasingly 

popular as organisations aim to protect 

sensitive content and comply with 

expanding regulations. 

Key drivers for the technology include 

rising cyber threats, data privacy laws, 

and demand for controlling internal and 

external content sharing. Next-generation 

DRM will be crucial for data privacy and 

providing persistent protection of 

sensitive data when it leaves the 

perimeter of the organisation. 

To succeed with DRM, organisations 

need unified tracking, control, and 

visibility across their digital ecosystems. 

This requires following best practices 

around governance, workflows, and 

access controls. 

Data classification and DRM policy 

management will drive organisations to 

institute data protection using leastprivilege 

access and watermarks for lowrisk 

data, view-only DRM for moderate-risk 

data, to safe video-streamed editing that 

blocks downloads and copy and paste for 

high-risk data. 

Highly regulated industry sectors such as 

healthcare will be the biggest adopters of 

next-generation DRM, as it must protect 

immense amounts of PII and PHI data that 

is shared, sent, received, and stored within 

their organisations and with countless 

third parties. Financial services institutions, 

manufacturers, law firms, government 

agencies, and educational institutions also 

fall into the list of industries with high-risk, 

high-consequence file and email data 

exchanges. 

TIME TO HIT RESET 

It is fair to say that the landscape of 

sensitive content communication is rapidly 

transforming due to technological 

innovations and increasing regulatory 

measures. Businesses are under 

heightened strain to protect confidential 

data amidst escalating cyber threats and 

the need to ensure adherence to 

burgeoning international regulatory 

standards. Because of this, it is time for 

organisations to look at alternatives. 

By adopting zero-trust architectures, 

detailed security models based on 

content, strong access management, 

integrated DRM, DLP, and other leadingedge 

security measures, organisations can 

mitigate risks and uphold compliance. For 

me, it is now time for organisations to hit 

reset on their sensitive content 

communication strategies and work to 

ensure they have the right technologies in 

place to protect all their file and email 

data communications. 

More info: www.kiteworks.com 




27

Dm RESEARCH: AI 

Back to basics for AI 

Success with AI means going back to the basics of good IT management, says new 

research from the Cloud Industry Forum 

Currently, there is no shortage of 

stories discussing the seemingly 

inexorable rise of AI. While most 

tend to talk about what AI can do now 

and what it could do in the future, there 

is less focus on how organisations using 

it can actually maximise its potential. To 

achieve this, companies must take 

things back to basics, and ensure all the 

technology underpinning their AI 

strategy is as effective and as efficient as 

it possibly can be, says the Cloud 

Industry Forum (CIF). 

The appetite to take on AI is clear. 

Research conducted by CIF this year 

found that 86% of respondents 

consider AI either very important or 

critical to their business, while 14% 

have completed the process of 

migrating applications to the cloud 

and are now 

using cloud to develop their AI 

strategy. The research was carried out 

a few months after the launch of 

ChatGPT, with interest in AI growing 

even further since then. It is 

imperative, however, that 

organisations do not lose sight of the 

challenges ahead. 

David Terrar, CEO of the Cloud 

Industry Forum, commented: "We're 

very much at the start of a new wave 

of technological advancement, 

encompassing AI and other emerging 

tech, such as the metaverse, mixed 

reality, robotics and IoT. It's vital for 

organisations to ride this wave rather 

than be swamped by it. Technologies 

like AI might promise to revolutionise 

businesses, but getting the best out of 

them takes time and effort, so 

businesses must think hard about the 

journey as well as the destination." 

"This means taking the time now to 

put in the groundwork and ensure 

your AI strategy is built on solid 

foundations and accurate, 

trusted training data," 

Terrar went on. "This 

covers not just your 

ability to develop 

and deliver the 

technology itself, 

but making sure 

your house is in order 

in every other aspect. 

Having comprehensive 

cybersecurity adapted to the 

age of AI, for example, is 

crucial." 

According to Terrar, cloud - 

alongside many other technologies - 

has an important role to play in 

helping organisations make the best 

of AI. This is borne out by the 

research: 90% of respondents in the 

CIF report say that cloud has helped 

their company improve in its digital 

transformation efforts and become 

more effective as a business, while 

96% assert that their cloud strategy 

has delivered against their expectations 

for their IT estate. 

"Once the above has been achieved, 

organisations must, as an absolute 

priority, ensure that the training data 

they use to build their AI algorithms is 

of the highest quality. 'Garbage in, 

garbage out' is an oft-used phrase 

when it comes to data-related 

pursuits, and it's more relevant than 

ever in AI," says Terrar. 

"The allure of AI lies in its 

autonomous power, but it can't reach 

its potential if the less glamorous 

work isn't done in the background to 

help it succeed." 

He concludes: "There are lots of 

challenges to address in becoming an 

AI frontrunner in any given industry, 

and cloud remains a powerful enabler 

in this respect. As an established 

technology that continues to grow in 

sophistication, it offers an accessible 

and hugely effective way of 

streamlining IT and building a more 

resilient organisation. With stability in 

IT, ambitious AI projects become much 

easier to realise." 

CIF's 2023 research report, 'Breaking 

new ground with cloud', can be 

downloaded here: 

https://cloudindustryforum.org/knowle 

dge_hub/breaking-new-ground-withcloud-research-report/ 

More info: 

www.cloudindustryforum.org 


IM Tech Summit 

Europe 2024 

Brought to you by 

15th May 2024 

DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole (UK) 

#IMTECH24 

Explore the potential of Microsoft 365 through an Information 

Governance lens at our brand-new global event. 

Bringing together Information Governance professionals with leading technology experts 

from across the globe - hear from Microsoft specialists, enrich your knowledge and 

strengthen connections. 

Keynote speakers include 

Andrew Warland 

Senior Consultant, 

Andrew Warland 

Consulting 

Atle Skjekkeland CEO 

Infotechtion 

Erica Toelle 

Microsoft Purview Data 

Lifecycle Management & 

Records Management 

specialist, Microsoft 

Joanne C Klein 

Microsoft 365 Advanced 

Security and Compliance 

Specialist 

Key themes include 

Managing the 

Content Lifecycle 

AI in M365 

Data Security 

For more information, to register or enquire 

about sponsorship opportunities, please visit: 

imtech365summit.com

Dm CASE STUDY: THE VATICAN 

Connecting with the whole world 

The Vatican's Dicastery of 

Communication has 

digitised the historical 

documents in its media 

archive as part of a major 

reform of the 

communications efforts of 

the Catholic Church 

PFU (EMEA) Limited has been 

appointed by the Vatican's Dicastery 

of Communication to assist with the 

digitisation of historical documents, dating 

back over 100 years. 

Established in 2015, the Dicastery for 

Communication was created by Pope 

Francis with the purpose of restructuring 

communications to respond more 

efficiently to the mission of the Catholic 

Church. The Dicastery meets the needs of 

the Church's evangelising mission through 

the use of production models, 

technological innovations and forms of 

communication currently available and 

those that may yet emerge. 

"Little by little we are moving forward, one 

step forward each day," explained the 

Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, 

Paolo Ruffini, in an interview in 2015. 

"There have been many misunderstandings 

regarding the reform. It was not about 

erasing history, but of giving it life. It was 

not about amalgamating the output, but 

of differentiating it according to platform. 

Digital communication allows us to be 

connected with the whole world which was 

unheard of before." 

As part of the move, a single digital 

archive was formed to preserve all the 

documents held by these departments 

and provide a research resource. This 

included a wide variety of document 

types, from information bulletins bound 

in volumes, to books, brochures, and 

news reports from events in the Vatican 

dating back over 100 years. 

With long and detailed documents in 

circulation, failure to digitise a single page 

had the potential of damaging the 

comprehension of entire documents and 

important information. A solution capable 

of precisely digitising several documents, 

whilst ensuring delicate paper is preserved 

was required. 

A fi-7900 scanner, aided by Paperstream 

Capture software package was selected, 

automating the validation of information, 

and enabling data extraction from a wide 

variety of documents printed on varying 

types of paper, with different formats, 

thicknesses, materials, and sizes. 

"The reliability demonstrated by this device 

in the capture process has allowed us to 

make scans without errors and 

inaccuracies, safeguarding our documents, 

from a single passage of text to substantial 

volumes," explains the Dicastery for 

Communication. 

The digitisation of such a vast and 

historically significant archive is a delicate 

operation that needs careful preparation. 

Curated by six people, the document 

acquisition process involved the 

digitisation of millions of additional pages 

between 2021 and 2022. 

The fi-7900 device has enabled the team 

to minimise the time taken for manual 

based tasks whilst ensuring 100% 

accuracy, without risks of harmful losses of 

content that would have compromised the 

entire initiative. 

"Historical documents such as those held 

by the Vatican's Dicastery for 

Communication provide a comprehensive 

record of the history of the Catholic 

Church," comments Hiroaki Kashiwagi, 

President and CEO of PFU (EMEA). "I am 

pleased that the fi-7900 was selected to 

help the curators carefully, accurately and 

efficiently record these important 

documents, which will provide a valuable 

research archive for years to come." 

More info: www.pfu-emea.ricoh.com/ 


Your entire 

scanning and 

software solution 

for just £50pm 

WE’re offering you an unbelievable deal this Summer! 

For you, or to resell to your customers. 

get the Ricoh fi-8040 document scanner, partnered with our fully-featured 

document management solution; File Stream 5 for just £50 per month. 

Ricoh fi-8040 

The RICOH fi-8040 is designed for organisations looking for a 

scanner that combines market-leading image quality, versatile 

connectivity and an intuitive user experience. Delivering 

industry-leading OCR accuracy rates, the scanner has multiple 

options for connecting via a network, or to an individual PC 

using USB. And its 10.9cm colour touchscreen and DirectScan 

application, enable PC-less scanning directly to workflows or 

email addresses, saving both time and effort. 

This scanner incorporates the unique Clear Image Capture, 

producing image quality that exceeds other available 

technologies. And you can batch scan with greater peace-ofmind 

thanks to the ultra-sonic sensor that immediately pauses 

and alerts whenever the fi-8040 detects a multi-feed. 

File Stream 5 document management solution 

To get the most out of this scanner, it’s important to partner it 

with a professional document management system to boost 

efficiency, automate processes and enhance security of 

scanned information. File Stream 5 is a fully featured 

enterprise-level document management solution. 

It helps businesses save time and money by streamlining their 

document management, making files easier to find and 

impossible to lose. Full encryption means your documents are 

entirely secure and GDPR compliant, and a range of workflow 

modules help make your business even more efficient. File 

Stream 5 enables users to automate workflows and improve 

business processes by routing documents to users with 

defined time limited tasks for action. 

Please visit filestreamscanners.co.uk/8040-file-stream-offer 

for further information or call us on +44 (0) 118 989 3771

Dm ANALYSIS: HEALTHCARE RECORDS MANAGEMENT 

What does physical records management 

cost the NHS? 

Harry Pettet, Managing Director of EDM Healthcare Consulting Ltd., examines the 

cost of records management and storage across the NHS and looks at potential 

productivity and cost improvements for the future 

of £16m but a welcomed reduction of 

on-site costs by £10m. 

WHAT ABOUT EDMS? 

Of the 200 NHS Trusts, 65 are still 

reporting no Electronic Document 

Management system (EDMS) has been 

implemented to facilitate the 

digitisation of health records. These 

organisations represent over £259m 

of the £1.163b, around 22% of the 

total spend. 

Working in the NHS, we often 

hear comments from patients 

and the public about their 

surprise that NHS Trusts are still heavily 

reliant on paper. In contrast, many who 

work in the NHS remain hesitant to 

state with any form of confidence that 

the NHS will ever be fully paperless. 

Some will even mock and scorn at the 

idea of a truly 'paperless' NHS. 

Regardless of viewpoint though, most 

will be taken aback at the idea that 

most NHS Trusts will operate or 

outsource the management of 

warehouses full of paper records. But 

how about the idea that over the last 5 

years, NHS Trusts in England alone 

have spent over £1.1 billion on 

physical records management. 

At EDM Healthcare Consulting, we'll be 

using April as the Records and 

Information Management Month to 

launch our 6 month campaign to increase 

awareness around the impact physical 

records are having on NHS organisations 

digital transformation strategies and 

revenue expenditure profiles. 

The NHS England ERIC Report 

(https://digital.nhs.uk/data-andinformation/publications/statistical/esta 

tes-returns-information-collection) 

provides information on 200 NHS 

Trusts Estates Returns Information for 

organisations geographically located in 

England. This excludes Ambulance 

Trusts, ICBs and GP practices. 

The total expenditure on health 

records estate over 5 years between 

FY2018/19 - FY2022/23 was reported 

at £1.163b, with £884m spent on onsite 

health records storage and £278m 

spent on off-site health records 

storage. 24% of the total cost incurred 

relates to off-site storage and 76% of 

the total cost incurred relates to onsite 

storage. 

SO; COSTS ARE GOING DOWN? 

Not quite. Over the last 5 years, 

despite an increase in many NHS 

organisations' digital maturity, the 

spend on health records estate has had 

a net increase of just over £6m, 0.5% 

driven by an increase in off-site storage 

TRUSTS SPENDING THE MOST 

40 of the 200 NHS Trusts have 

reported a spend of £10m or more, 

per Trust, over the same 5 year period, 

with costs for just these Trusts totalling 

just over £600m. Whilst this only 

represents 20% of NHS Trusts in 

England, their expenditure represents 

52% of total spend. 

Furthermore, 5 NHS Trusts (2.5% of 

NHS Trusts in England) have each 

reported a spend of £20m or more 

over the 5 years reported, with costs 

totalling in excess of £143m, 

representing 12% of total expenditure. 

COMPARING REGIONS 

When we look regionally, the spend of 

the 33 NHS Trusts located within the 

London Commissioning Region 

equated to £235m over the last 5 

years representing 20% of the total 5 

year spend across England. Of the 33 

Trusts in the region, 11 do not have an 

EDMS (33%). 

In contrast, 55 NHS Trusts located in 

Midlands and East of England incurred 

costs of £300m over the last 5 years, 

26% of the total 5 year spend across 

England. Of these 55 Trusts, 21 do not 


@DMMagAndAwards

ANALYSIS: HEALTHCARE RECORDS MANAGEMENT Dm 

"HEALTH RECORDS PLAY A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN NOT ONLY DELIVERING SAFE, EFFECTIVE CARE BUT ALSO IN 

ENABLING AND INFORMING HEALTH RESEARCH, DATA SCIENCE AND ANALYTICS. FOR SOME NHS TRUSTS, 

PHYSICAL RECORDS PRESENT A FRAGMENTATION OF THE 'COMPLETE, PATIENT CENTRIC RECORD' DUE TO THE 

INCREASED PREVALENCE OF DIGITAL SYSTEMS AND RECORDS." 

have an EDMS (38%). 

Of the 63 NHS Trusts in the North of 

England their combined spend over 

the last 5 years was £337m, forming 

29% of the total 5 year spend. Of 

these, 17 Trusts reported they are yet 

to implement an EDMS (26%). 

The remaining 46 NHS Trusts located 

in the South of England spent £289m, 

representing 25% of the national 

spend over the last 5 years. 14 of 

these are without an EDMS currently 

(30%). 

WHAT EDMS SOLUTIONS 

CURRENTLY MAKE-UP THE 

MARKET? 

Whilst not reported within the ERIC 

report, responses to Freedom of 

Information requests have highlighted 

that of the 200 NHS Trusts in England, 

135 have reported an EDMS is in place. 

Of these 135 Trusts, 30 reported they 

are using Civica Cito or WinDip 

representing 22% of the market, 23 

reported they are using Kainos Evolve 

representing 17% of the market, 18 

reported they are using Mizaic 

MediViewer representing 13% of the 

market, 14 have reported they are 

using CCube Solutions representing 

10% of the market, 13 reported they 

are using Hyland On-Base representing 

10% of the market, 9 reported they 

are using Fortrus Unity solutions 

representing 7% of the marketand 3 

reported using Ideagen Knowledge 

Worker representing 2% of the 

market. The remaining 25, 

representing 19% of the market used 

a variety of MS Office, in-house 

developed applications, VNAs and 

'other' EDMS solutions. 

HOW DO WE ADDRESS THIS? 

At EDM Healthcare Consulting we're 

committed to working with the NHS 

to reduce this spend. We believe that 

outsourced storage, scanning and 

digitisation all play their role when 

used correctly. No two NHS Trusts are 

the same and as a result, careful 

analysis of the specific business 

drivers for each Trust should be 

undertaken to inform the investment 

objectives for any health records 

management project. 

IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY 

Health records play a fundamental 

role in not only delivering safe, 

effective care but also in enabling and 

informing health research, data 

science and analytics. For some NHS 

Trusts, physical records present a 

fragmentation of the 'complete, 

patient centric record' due to the 

increased prevalence of digital 

systems and records. 

However, a recent audit undertaken 

by EDM Healthcare Consulting team 

for a London based NHS Trust found 

that of the records audited, 72% of 

the active records contents consisted 

of content printed from 3rd party 

systems. 87% of these documents 

however included a physical signature 

and/or annotation. 31% included 

more than one individual's 

annotation. 

WHAT NEXT? 

Following the article by The Times 

Health Commission in October 2023 

(https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nh 

s-spent-1bn-on-storing-medicalrecords-times-health-commission- 

bpzn0g6c9) and the analysis 

undertaken by Lord Richard Allan of 

Hallam, a light has been shed on the 

extent of NHS expenditure for health 

records storage. 

At EDM Healthcare Consulting, we 

want to continue to drive focused 

interest on this subject, working with 

NHS Trusts and the Records 

Management vendor industry as a 

whole to deliver tangible benefits. 

With the chancellor announcing in his 

budget that the NHS in England will 

receive £2.5 billion to provide a "dayto-day 

funding boost" and a further 

£3.4 billion in capital investment, 

we're keen to help NHS Trusts explore 

how Records Management 

optimisation could help work towards 

unlocking some of the targeted £35 

billion productivity savings over the 

next parliament. 

WANT TO KNOW MORE? 

On the 23rd May 2024, EDM 

Healthcare Consulting are sponsoring 

the Healthcare Conferences UK event 

'Effective Records Management; 

Health & Care Documentation and 

Record Keeping'. 

Join us as Harry Pettet, our Lead 

Consultant, discusses our findings 

from the ERIC Report in detail and 

imparts lessons learnt from our 

experiences deploying Records 

Management solutions within the 

NHS. Tickets are available via the 

following URL: 

https://www.healthcareconferencesuk. 

co.uk/virtual-online-courses/recordsmanagement-health-care 

More info: 

www.edmhealthcareconsulting.co.uk 




33

Dm EVENT: IM TECH 365 SUMMIT 

Head to the summit 

The IM Tech 365 Summit takes place in May in Brighton - here is everything you 

need to know 

The Microsoft IM Tech 365 Summit is 

just around the corner, enabling 

attendees to improve their 

understanding of Microsoft 365 

information management features and 

best practices. The conference 

programme will empower you to fully 

leverage all M365 solutions and explore 

the capabilities offered by Microsoft. 

Brought to you by IRMS and Microsoft, 

the event on 15th May in Brighton will 

allow you to explore the potential of 

Microsoft 365 through an Information 

Governance and Data lifecycle 

Management lens! The IM Tech Summit 

will cater for all levels of understanding, 

helping people new to Microsoft 365 

understand the breadth of governance 

tools at their disposal, through to deep 

dive sessions on specific aspects of the 

platform for more seasoned workers. 

WHO IS IM TECH FOR? 

The IM Tech 365 Summit serves as a 

crucial assembly for Information 

Management, Privacy, Legal and Risk 

Management professionals seeking to 

deepen their understanding of Microsoft 

365. The summit is meticulously curated 

to offer comprehensive coverage of the 

latest innovations and industry trends. 

Join practitioners from the fields of 

records management, data protection, risk 

management and information security, 

and related fields across the IT and DDaT 

industries in the UK and globally - within 

the commercial and public sectors. 

WHO WILL YOU MEET? 

Head of Enterprise professionals 

Information Governance practitioners 

Chief Data Officers 

Risk Management Officers 

Security & Compliance professionals 

WHY ATTEND? 

The field of information governance is 

constantly evolving - with technological 

advancements, including artificial 

intelligence, changes in law and 

regulations, and the growing importance 

of data scrutiny and ethics. This unique 

global event will enable you stay 

updated with the latest technical 

developments and best practices to 

ensure robust information governance, 

risk management and compliance 

controls within your organisation. 

Under 3 streams of AI, Records 

Management and Security & Compliance, 

the event's keynotes and seminar tracks 

will help you to: 

Catch up M365 capabilities for 

automated governance and compliance 

Understand the place for AI and how 

is this best approached 

Learn how to keep the rising tide of 

information chaos is check 

Keep up with the rapid pace of 

change in Microsoft 365 

Network and learn how others have 

coped 

Meet suppliers who are actively 

addressing challenges you face 

The IM Tech 365 Summit team is excited 

to be joined by some of the best speakers 

in the M365 IG arena, including: 

Bernd Vellguth - Specialist for Risk 

Management and Compliance, 

Microsoft EMEA 

Atle Skjekkeland - CEO, Infotechtion 

Joanne C Klein - Microsoft 365 

Advanced Security and Compliance 

Specialist 

Dr David Reeve - Director, Data 

Potentials Ltd 

Rakhi Sachdeva - Microsoft 365 

Senior Specialist, Microsoft UK 

Carol Stainbrook - Executive Director, 

Cohasset Associates 

Michael Haley - Principal Consultant, 

Cohasset Associates 

Susan Lamb - Global Information 

Lifecycle Management Compliance 

Programme Lead, Shell 

Alex Smith - Head of Data Security, 

Central Digital & Data Office (CDDO) 

of the Cabinet Office 

Ryan John Murphy - Senior 

Compliance Specialist, Microsoft 

Andrew Warland - Senior Consultant, 

Andrew Warland Consulting 

Rob Bath - Microsoft 365 Solution 

Architect - Intelogy 

James Lappin - Senior Policy Advisor 

in Knowledge, Information and 

Records Management, Central Digital 

and Data Office (CDDO) of the 

Cabinet Office 

Kunal Kankariya - Principal Consultant 

- Microsoft 365 Security & 

Compliance, Infotechtion 

The Microsoft IM Tech Summit Europe 

2024 takes place on the 15th May 2024 

at the DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton 

Metropole. For full details and 

registration information visit the 

website below. 

More info: www.imtech365summit.com 


RICOH 

Scanning 

Solutions 

S1100i 

iX100 – Ideal for 


community workers 


S1100i 

* iX1300 – Premium 

personal desktop 

scanner 

S1300i 

* iX1400 iX1500/iX1600 – Beautifully – Intuitive 

simple, effortlessly 

scanning at your 

efficient fingertips 

fi-65F 

fi-800R– Great for 

customer facing ID capture 

fi Series 

fi-8040 – Market-leading image 

quality, versatile connectivity 

and an intuitive user experience 

Network Scanner 

fi-65F – Great for 

customer facing 

ID capture 

N7100E – Information 

sharing made easy 

fi-7030 – Ideal 

for GP surgeries 

fi-800R 

fi-7160 – Best selling 

scanner in the NHS 

fi-8150 – Redefines 

Business Scanning 

fi-7300NX – Web based 

document capture and 

network scanning 

fi Series 

N7100 – Information 

sharing made easy 

N7100 – Information SP-1120N / SP-1125N/ 

SP-1120N/SP-1125N/ 

fi-7260 / fi-7280 

fi-7140 – Document 

SV600 – Perfect sharing made easy 

* iX1600 – Intuitive SP-1130N 

management at it’s best fi-7460 / fi-7480scanning fi-7600 at your – A local 

SP-1130N 

fi-65F – Great for for the classroom 

government 

customer facing 

fingertips workhorse 

ID capture 

fi-7300NX – Web based document 

capture and network scanning 

SP Series 

fi-8170/fi-8190 – 

Reduced power consumption 

fi-7030 – Ideal 

for NEW GP surgeries 

fi-800R 

SP-1120N / SP-1125N/ 

SP-1130N 

S1100i 

fi-7800/ fi-7900 – Ideal 

for heavy duty scanning 

environments 



SP Series 

Day to day budget 

conscious scanning 

fi-8270/fi-8290 – 

Industry leading OCR 

accuracy rates 

fi-7160 – Best selling 

scanner in the NHS 

Fujitsu’s best-in-class scanner driver and document capturing software 

fi-8820/fi-8930/fi-8950 – 

Impressive performance, 

reliability and usability 

fi Series 

fi-7260 / fi-7280 

fi-7300NX – Web based document 

capture and network scanning 

fi-7800/fi-7900 – Ideal for 

heavy duty scanning 

environments 

SV600 – Perfect 

for the classroom 

fi-7700 fi-7140 – Document 

management at it’s best 

fi-7460/fi-7480 

fi-7800/ fi-7900 – Ideal 

for heavy duty scanning 

environments 

fi-7700 

For more information please email us at 

scannersales@uk.fujitsu.com or visit emea.fujitsu.com/scanners 

Fujitsu’s best-in-class scanner driver and document captur 

* End users can claim a free Leitz ® shredder with every purchase 

Streamlining processes, delivering Organisational Intelligence 

• Automate capture routines; scan, extract and release all at the touch of a button 

• Streamline operations by integrating captured data into business workflows 

S1300i 

SP Ser 

Day to day b 

conscious sca 

fi-7460 

For more information please email us at 

scannersales@uk.fujitsu.com or visit emea.fujitsu.com 

• Easily create searchable PDF‘s, or editable Word, Excel and PowerPoint files 

• Optimise scanning architecture - use any scanner from any PC 

www.pfu-emea.ricoh.com 

PaperStream IP 

A scanner driver that cleans and 

optimises image files for faster, 

lower-cost access and storage. 

PaperStream Capture 

Streamlines and automates capture 

into workflows. 

PaperStream ClickScan 

Ad-hoc scanning with a single touch 

PaperStream NX Manager 

For centralised, server-based capture.

DMLATEST

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?