Like everything else, documents have a lifecycle. From creation to eventual deletion, your documents exist in a variety of stages throughout the span of time they’re useful in your organization. Xerox technology is a fantastic way to manage your documents throughout every stage of their “lifespan.”
In today’s Preferred Document Solutions blog post, we’re going to examine the document lifecycle and discuss how Xerox can help you (and your documents!) every step of the way.
What Is the Document Lifecycle?
The document lifecycle is typically expressed in either four or seven stages. The simpler four-step timeline includes document creation, editing, archival, and deletion. This, for most organizations, is pretty accurate representation of how their documents are typically handled.
However, if you want to be a little more granular, the seven step process is generally expressed thusly:
- Creation – the initial creation or receipt of the document.
- Storage – how the document is saved. Sometimes this might simply be your local machine (the MFP, a laptop, etc.) or a cloud storage service like DocuShare Go.
- Access control and distribution – deciding who gets the document (i.e, is it for a client? Internal use only?) and securing the document thusly.
- Editing and collaboration – the stage of a document’s lifecycle where it gets updated or receives additions, often by multiple people.
- Finalization and/or approval – once the document is “done,” it may need to be signed or otherwise approved.
- Archival – how the document is saved on a long term basis. Hard copies may take their place in a filing cabinet, while digital copies are likely to be stored in a cloud-based solution, or other secure off-site system.
- Deletion or destruction – when you’re sure you no longer need the document, it will be securely deleted (or, in the case of hard copy, destroyed). Critical documents may never reach this stage.
There are variations on these stages depending on who you ask, but this is a reasonable overview of the lifecycle. Now, let’s see how Xerox helps:
Ways That Xerox Multifunction Printers and Associated Technology Help Manage Documents During Each Stage of Their Lifecycle
Xerox technology and services can help with just about every single step of the document lifecycle. For example, in our blog post The Practical Benefits of Document Imaging for a More Efficient Home Office, we discussed great ways to scan, organize, and store scanned documents in a home office setting—this would cover the “storage” and “archival” steps of the lifecycle. We’ve also discussed how Xerox can help with very large document collections, either by digitally archiving them in-house or outsourcing the task.
How about the editing and collaboration stage? Xerox DocuShare Go, which we discussed in our post How To Automate Both Digital and Hard Copy Document Organization With Xerox DocuShare Go, is a great option for both storage, archival, editing, and collaboration (among other awesome features like version control).
The approval and finalization stage? Yes, you’re covered there too, with one of the e-signature tools available for Xerox MFPs. Distribution? Your Xerox MFP can integrate with your Microsoft Exchange Online account for easy scan-and-send functionality.
Want To Learn More About Xerox Technology or See It for Yourself? Come and Visit Us in Colorado Springs!
Honestly, we could go on and on here about all the ways Xerox technology helps manage the document lifecycle, but it would be best if you could see these things for yourself. If you’re in need of an office upgrade, we’d love to help you find the best solutions for your unique goals. Please feel free to contact us or request a free online quote.
