Conundrum

 

Making It Easy For IT To Support Your Document Management Initiatives

It could be that the amount of paper you're dealing with is getting out of hand. You need to either hire more staff or move up to what you really want, an electronic document imaging and management system. You can get rid of the paper and deal with your files from your desktop.

Or, it could be that you already have document imaging but wish that it could be extended to every other department. That way, you'd be leveraging the technology to get more done for the citizenry with less effort.

In either case, you're going to need the support of the people responsible for the computers, networks and software programming in your organization. In most local governments, that means going through the Information Technology Department, or IT as it is usually called.

Often, getting support and approval from IT for a new program can be a daunting task. It can feel like trying to explain to your father that buying a red hot rod will help you get better grades in high school. It doesn't have to be that way, however, if you have a clear picture of their concerns as they hear your request.

Conventional Solution

The Basics Of Dealing With IT Departments

"IT essentially has the same four concerns about every new proposal," explains Michael Dane of Eugene, OR-based VP Consulting, a busy Laserfiche Value Added Reseller, who was formerly an IT manager in state government and the coordinator of the document imaging search committee for a county government.

"Their first question is how much staff time is needed to support the system," he says. "If the software is simple to understand and operate and requires little training, that's a big plus. It will also help if you get solid references that tell IT that the system requires very little maintenance.

"Remember too that IT managers are generally pretty adamant about working with products that can be integrated with other programs being used in the organization. They like concepts such as open architecture, conformance with industry standards and accessible file storage formats. They generally do not want to hear the word "proprietary." It conjures up images of searching unsuccessfully in the middle of the night for a one-of-a-kind part or a complicated file conversion program.

"IT's third concern is whether the document imaging system is going to slow down the network," he says. "If the one you are looking at utilizes multiple page TIFF images of the pages you have scanned, for example, you don't want it.

"Having multiple page TIFFs means that you will be clogging the network with multiple images just to see the one you want. It's an IT manager's nightmare.

"The best system for the network is one offering single TIFF images and a true client/server architecture, meaning that the server sends only the requested pages across the network to individual client desktops.

"IT's final big concern is the hardware requirements. If the new system calls for major new purchases, it's going to be a problem. And, again, IT does not want to hear about proprietary or custom made products. Those words spell potential disaster to them.

"If you go to IT with worthwhile proposals that anticipate and respect these concerns, the chances that you will succeed are excellent. In fact, it is very likely that IT will want to walk down the hall with you to help you ask for funding for your proposal."

21st Century Solution

Going for a Home Run...with the Support of the IT Department

Sometimes, the best course of action when working with Information Technology Departments is to take the high road by proposing a comprehensive, enterprise-wide document management solution.

The cost/benefit ratios of the think big approach, especially over the long term can be all but irresistible. You and IT could literally end up working more productively with less effort and with clearly defined paths toward having things get even better in the future.

The comprehensive approach typically integrates document imaging, full-text retrieval, Web-based document distribution and workflow with the other major computer applications available to endusers in the organization.

Within their four basic concerns about any proposal, hot buttons for IT managers looking at comprehensive document management systems are; fast implementation, minimal training for new operators, simplified integration and scalability. Regarding integration, they want to know whether it will be easy to intertwine this program with others to get more value from your data. Regarding scalability, they want to know if it is going to be easy and cost-effective to add to this solution.

An especially important aspect of the comprehensive approach for IT managers is the use of the Internet as a way to make files available to the entire enterprise without having to purchase, install or maintain a new software program for each desktop.