Trend

DMS: the Indian angle

Document management adoption is being driven by the need to comply with regulations, control document-related costs, and streamline business processes and workflow. By Chirasrota Jena

Document Management Services (DMS) have seen substantial changes during the past decade. The evolution and capacities of DMS have kept in line with the huge gains in the processing speed and capabilities of computers. Rapid globalisation and the advent of private-sector enterprises also render the need for DMS pressing. The advantages offered by DMS are multiple and all-encompassing as it enables companies to survive and thrive in today’s competitive scenario. Compliance and workflow are currently driving worldwide demand. Worldwide, large organisations have implemented DMS for efficient working or reducing paper-based processing.

"Pull printing technology is a concept that will help our roaming customers who are travelling not only within the country but also abroad" - Ravi Venkatraman Director Xerox Global Services Xerox india

According to Gartner, up to 3 percent of the revenues of typical corporates could be spent on office output (print, copy and fax). The total cost of document management and office output could vary from 5 to 15 percent. IDC says companies spend up to 10 percent of their revenue on document production, management and distribution. According to IDC, the document solution market in the APAC region is $ 94.3 billion. Says Ravi Venkatraman, Director, Xerox Global Services (XGS), Xerox India, “The document management industry is poised for unprecedented growth, and is currently undergoing a transformation. Increased visibility in the way they are produced and used for effective communication is gathering high importance and becoming a strategic measure for enterprises to manage them.”

Under the DMS umbrella

Hardware players in the DMS market include the likes of Canon, Xerox, HP and Samsung, all of which are coming up with innovative solutions. There are also software companies such as NewGen Software Technologies, a product-focussed solutions company in the DMS segment. NewGen is an implementer of enterprise business process management and content management solutions, offering services such as implementation, integration and maintenance, outsourced product development, and outsourced full-application lifecycle support.

"There are three categories of DMS: a holistic service, print management, and document management contracts" - Som Gangopadhyay Assistant Director Marketing, BIS Group Canon India

According to Som Gangopadhyay, Assistant Director, Marketing, BIS Group, Canon India, “There are three categories of DMS. The first is a holistic service that takes care of hardware, software, manpower, training, consumables, services and paper. The second is print management, where hardware, service and paper are taken care of. The last category is that of document management contracts, where hardware, software and services are handled. The third category is the most popular in India.”

Government departments and PSUs with surplus manpower have availed of document management contracts. Most BPO units, on the other hand, have opted for a holistic service. Canon India provides print and document management contract services. It is also geared up to provide holistic services.

XGS provides consulting and technology services that help enterprises reduce costs, become more responsive, and accelerate business decision-making. This division has three service lines—business process services, office services, and document outsourcing and communications services (DOCS). Xerox recently launched DOCS in India. Informs Venkatraman, “DOCS offers a comprehensive range of services from design to managing costs, and will increase ROI by an average of 20 percent. The office services solution will help organisations to control their cost over five years through optimal consolidation.”

Meanwhile, Samsung offers document monitoring, archiving and digitising tools and systems for small workgroups on a customised basis. Says S Sharma, VP, IT, Samsung India, “On request we outsource work to third-party agencies based on client requirements, and work closely with these vendors in developing tools which help Samsung customers to manage their documents efficiently and ensure optimal use of the Samsung document production equipment deployed in the organisation.”

Content Management

Nowadays, content management is a part of the IT infrastructure at most enterprises. In the global economy, Indian enterprises are successfully competing with global majors, be they private sector or public sector companies. With a continuous focus on increasing efficiency, productivity, transparency and profitability, while continuing to expand their reach and reduce risk, enterprises across verticals are demanding comprehensive services from solution providers. Notes Samir Shah, Country Manager, Commercial and Enterprise Printing, Imaging and Printing Group, HP Indian Sales, “Most enterprises, whether large or small, are looking at DMS principally to manage their data. While opting for a particular DMS solution, organisations are keeping points like TCO, business growth, productivity, network integrity, security features and remotely manageability in mind.”

HP’s WebJet Admin software helps tackle the typical problems that enterprises face when it comes to DMS. It also helps with remote management. Device optimisation and per employee productivity are important factors while talking about the outsourcing of DMS. The trend is catching on in India. While deciding to go in for a DMS solution, companies are looking at turnaround time, vendor expertise and additional services. XGS is providing added services such as a job roaming facility, creative services, and job forward services to its customers across the globe. Venkatraman opines, “The pull printing technology is a unique concept that will help our roaming customers who are travelling not only within the country but also abroad. We are always trying to provide solutions which will ultimately help them streamline and simplify everyday processes. We diagnose business challenges, explore future options, and then recommend a solution. Our proven methodologies and client engagement processes ensure that we meet expectations.” To tap the global market, enterprises are demanding solutions in the form of Web-enabled services. In response, vendors are providing such solutions to enterprises, enabling them to access and use these solutions globally.

Emerging trends

New-found enthusiasm among government organisations to leverage IT as an enabler for their growth is propelling DMS adoption. Vendors foresee an opportunity in providing state-of-the-art products and solutions to Indian enterprises that are setting up offices abroad, as well as to MNCs coming to India. The rapid growth in telecom, manufacturing and retail has added fuel to this fire. The telecom sector expects to tap 500 million consumers by 2010. Forecasts Diwakar Nigam, MD, NewGen, “Greater storage capabilities and tools for automated management of data, increased demands of mobile users, integration of other enterprise applications with the DMS, superior workflow capabilities providing quick access to voluminous information such as high-quality video and pictorial data (in addition to the traditional documents flow), and last but not the least, compliance, will drive the market in India.”

Outsourcing to facility management experts with the right kind of software and DMS to monitor workflow, reduce costs and wastage, and make efficient utilisation of equipment and space is another trend. Adds Sharma, “Organisations are more concerned about monitoring the equipment deployed and making efficient use of the said equipment for producing relevant documents. DMS, which enables the seamless flow of work from paper to digitised form and vice versa, digitisation of document production to save printing and paper cost, and storage of data in a way which is easier to access and retrieve, are some of the trends seen in the Indian market.”

Drivers for DMS include customer record management in the telecom sector, centralisation of paper-intensive business in the banking and insurance sector, file tracking initiatives in the e-governance segment, and the image-enabling of ERP in other segments.