https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Digital Service Providers
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • CHANNEL PARTNERS ONLINE
 Channel Futures

Business Models


Going Paperless: Document Management Opportunity for MSPs

  • Written by Dan Berthiaume
  • March 30, 2012

The phrase “managed services” often brings to mind providing businesses with leading edge technologies that dramatically transform their entire IT infrastructure, such as cloud or mobile. But especially when dealing with SMBs, for whom small problems can quickly grow quite large, sometimes managed services can deliver significant benefits by offering simple technology that streamlines basic processes.

Take management of paper documents as an example. In a white paper, document management software provider Cabinet NG details the numerous benefits document management and a paperless office can provide to SMBs. Let’s take a quick look at some of the most important ways document management can reduce costs and save time for SMBs.

Easier Communication

True document management does not just turn paper-based data into digital data, but also manages the entire workflow of that data. So if a paper document needs to circulate among several people, possibly including people in remote locations requiring some kind of physical delivery, document management performs that same circulation electronically, removing significant cost and time from the process. Document management also circulates documents in an appropriate manner, so that they are viewed in the proper order by the proper people, necessary sign-offs are completed, etc.

Streamlined Storage

Of course, document management does also turn paper-based data into digital data, which in and of itself offers many benefits. Documents can be easily stored, backed up and copied. Document search also becomes much easier and less time-intensive, with instant retrieval available via keyword search. Furthermore, by eliminating the need for storage cabinets (which Cabinet NG estimates take up 12 square feet of office space apiece on average), closet space and/or rented storage space, document management can substantially reduce the amount of physical space an SMB needs to lease or buy.

Data Integration

Digitized data from paper documents can be easily integrated with other corporate data and fed into systems for data mining and analysis, resulting in superior decision support and business intelligence. Considering the significant cost and time involved in manually transferring data from paper documents into a corporate system, this data integration capability can provide huge direct ROI, as well as the indirect ROI resulting from improved analytics.

MSPs Bring Document Management to SMBs

In theory, SMBs could implement, integrate and manage their own document management solutions. But in reality, few SMBs have the resources or knowledge base to purchase and operate a document management system in-house. When developing managed services for their SMB clients, MSPs should remember that sexier technologies such as cloud computing get most of the attention, but more basic technologies such as document management (which can also be cloud-enabled) provide substantial value from the shadows.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Business Models Technologies

Related


  • Two cloud-shaped hands shaking among other clouds in the sky.
    IBM Buys Cloud MSP Taos for Expertise in AWS, Azure, Google
    Channel partners will be able to take advantage of the combined companies’ hybrid cloud capabilities.
  • ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga
    Lenovo to Ship Its Thinnest ThinkPad Yet with X1 Titanium Yoga
    Lenovo's expanded commercial line includes revamped ThinkBooks and AR glasses.
  • Ransomware and malware
    Help Your Customers Mitigate Malware: Viruses, Worms, and Trojans…Oh My!
    With the right antivirus protection, your customers can better detect and prevent the spread of malware.
  • Pax8 Kicks Off European Expansion with Launch of Pax8 UK
    Cloud distributor Pax8 leverages its recent Wirehive acquisition to launch Pax8 UK.

4 comments

  1. Avatar Tech Support Vancouver March 31, 2012 @ 8:47 pm
    Reply

    Paperless is very tough to implement in SMB. This is an area that we entertained with a few business but came across many challenges.

  2. Avatar Debayan Das April 2, 2012 @ 1:33 pm
    Reply

    good news for the dms sector and i believe with time this system will play more important roles in formatting various types of business ventures…..

  3. Avatar Joe Panettieri April 2, 2012 @ 6:37 pm
    Reply

    The MSPmentor team values Dan’s blogs. But I have a personal bias… I never really believed in the paperless office. But I do believe in Document Management.
    -jp

  4. Avatar statham June 23, 2012 @ 8:43 am
    Reply

    Nice post! Seattle, WA is regarded as one of the country’s greenest cities. Eco Papyrus’s document scanning and paper management services allow businesses’ to contribute to this effort and realize the advantages of “going green” and be a part with http://www.ecopapyrus.com/. Thanks.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • How Secure is Your Cloud Data?
  • McAfee Employees Getting Pink-Slipped in Likely 'Belt-Tightening'
  • Microsoft Launches Surface Pro 7+ for Business, Sold Only via Channel
  • SMBs’ Cybersecurity Risk Awareness Is Rising

Galleries

View all

New, Changing Partner Programs: AWS, Tech Data, Avaya, Verizon

January 11, 2021

Industry Perspectives

View all

Cyberattacks: Threat Hunters Conquer Unpredictability with 3 Measures

January 21, 2021

The Right Data Migration Tool Helps Schools Move to Cloud During COVID Crisis

January 19, 2021

Cloud-Based CRM: What SMBs Need to Know about Backup and Recovery

January 19, 2021

Webinars

View all

Who’s Behind the Mask? Hacker Personas Explained

January 26, 2021

Your Network Perimeter Has Changed

February 18, 2021

How Managed Hosting Providers Thrive with the Alternative Cloud

February 24, 2021

White Papers

View all

Why Subscription Business Model

January 15, 2021

The Ultimate MSP Guide to Sales Efficiency

January 14, 2021

Eight Reasons Why MSPs Need IT Industry-Specific Sales Tools

January 14, 2021

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Virtual

March 2, 2021 - March 4, 2021

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

November 1, 2021 - November 4, 2021

Videos and Fastchats

View all

FASTCHAT: How SOAR Eliminates Security Challenges and Elevates Service Provider Revenues

January 6, 2021

Happy Holidays from Channel Partners & Channel Futures!

December 21, 2020

FASTCHAT: How Old, Unpatched Technologies Are Creating New Security Threats for MSPs and Their Customers

December 3, 2020

Twitter

ChannelFutures

#MSPs can inject predictability into #threathunting @Sophos #cybersecurity #ransomware dlvr.it/Rr4ffV https://t.co/Bztc2Yxwvc

January 22, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@RiskBased report shows decrease in #databreaches, jump in exposed records in 2020. dlvr.it/Rr4fcW https://t.co/PYiDMiJFbt

January 22, 2021
ChannelFutures

Legal experts say @VMware's #lawsuit against @nutanix's new CEO holds little weight. dlvr.it/Rr48FJ https://t.co/oLxPhgvgAt

January 21, 2021
ChannelFutures

bit.ly/2Y0kFZh twitter.com/Craig_Galbrait…

January 21, 2021
ChannelFutures

Our latest #Cybersecurity Roundup features @BitSight and @kovrrIns, @Vectra_AI and @AppOmniSecurity,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 20, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@solarwinds hackers target @Malwarebytes, impacting internal emails. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/RqzkZp https://t.co/aWqLjCCW9y

January 20, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@citrix $2.25 deal to acquire @wrike expands @CitrixPartners network into collaborative work management.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 20, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@Carbonite Migrate uses real-time replication to move workloads to #cloud with minimal risk and near-zero downtime… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 20, 2021

MSSP Insider

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Channel Partners Online

Want more? Find more channel news and analysis on our sister site, Channel Partners.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Online
  • Channel Partners Events
  • MSP 501
  • MSSP Insider
  • IoT World Today
  • Webhostingtalk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X