One of the first things that impressed people about the information revolution was the fact that thousands of pages of documents could be searched in seconds for particular keywords, names or anything else that needed to be retrieved. There is another side to this convenience, however, that is particularly concerning to those who handle sensitive information. Clinics, hospitals, some government agencies and some small businesses have personal information on their clients, patients or customers that needs to be secured. Document management software does provide solutions to this, but only when you're dealing with a content management solution that is designed for professional users.

Document Encryption

The word encryption has become a very common one, largely owing to the fact that Internet users are beginning to employ it as a way to protect their surfing habits and their personal information online. Encrypting information simply means making it unreadable via an algorithm. Today's digital encryption algorithms are exponentially more complex than what was available even less than 50 years ago, and they are, for all intents and purposes, unbreakable.

Proper document management software makes it possible to encrypt files so that, even if somebody does get access to the storage media on which those files are located, that person cannot look at the information in those files unless they have the proper credentials. This prevents tampering, exploitation of personal information and other issues that have become genuine concerns for businesses of all types.

Document Compliance

Where financial information and medical information is concerned, there are regulations that strictly govern the security that must be provided for this type of documentation. Document management solutions that are designed by professional developers will be compliant with regulations such as HIPPA and Sarbanes-Oxley, enabling businesses to stay in line with the regulatory agencies that govern their practices and, of course, enabling those businesses to ensure their clients and patients that any information shared with the business is secured.

Document management solutions come in all shapes and sizes and, because of that, some of them are entirely inappropriate for business users. The best solutions out there allow businesses to keep up with regulations that apply to their industry and to proceed with the certainty that all of the information they are storing on their servers or on other digital storage devices is secured. It will ensure it is not vulnerable to being exploited by unauthorized persons or agencies or being altered in a way that would put the business outside of compliance with regulations.