Doc.It Corp. — Doc.It

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From the June/July Review of Document Management Systems

I think the most important theme I picked up on during my review of the Doc.It solution and in the discussions with their management team is that they really emphasize a focus on “process” and the role the DMS should play in working with and protecting the integrity of your electronic documents and files. Based on my experience in helping firms go paperless,
I think the importance of process cannot be overemphasized. The challenge is that most buyers of DMS are more focused on individual features and functions rather than on how they will need to integrate the solution into their business processes.

The Doc.It strategy is based on a three-part approach to DMS: work in process, publishing and archiving. The work in process functionality focuses on how you work with electronic documents and files during an engagement or project while they are dynamic in nature. The publishing component is focused on facilitating the conversion of dynamic files into a static PDF file for archiving. The archival component is designed to manage the security and integrity of a document by storing everything as a searchable PDF file. The dynamic files can continue to be accessed through the WIP binder for whatever period of time you designate as part of your document retention policy.

Usability -- 5 Stars
Doc.It has revamped its user interface since last year’s review, and it looks more professional. They are adding a task panel on the left side of the screen to quickly navigate to all of the system’s functions. The core of the interface is the WIP binder, which is client centric. Once you select the client with whom you are working, you navigate to a pre-defined folder template designed specifically for that client (or type of client). The folders and subfolders can be structured in any manner you prefer. For example, you might set up a personal tax folder with subfolders for correspondence, tax return, workpapers, organizer, etc. This is a comprehensive and logical approach to searching and navigating files. Additional features include maintenance of all versions of dynamic files until they are archived. Doc.It provides proprietary Adobe Acrobat compliant tick marks and bookmarks.

Scanning -- 5 Stars
Doc.It comes with its own scanning engine that includes document cleanup tools such as de-speckle, de-skew and more. Integration with MFP (multi function printer) devices is supported. The most impressive aspect of Doc.It’s scanning tools is the forms recognition module. This feature will attempt to automatically recognize specific form types during the scanning process, and that will determine what type of binder the document goes into. The system comes with a set of standard forms already established (i.e. K-1 form); however, you can also add your own forms to the system to create a more complete library. Documents are scanned into the Doc.It inbox, which allows you to scan in batches of documents to be filed at a later time. The system provides OCR support, and the recommended configuration is to have a dedicated PC to serve as the OCR server. This can offload the processing from your main server and allow you to rely on a single OCR license that is included in the system price.

Integration -- 5 Stars
Doc.It offers an accountant-centric approach to integration. Specifically, integration with both the Caseware and CCH ProSystem fx Engagement products is included, as well as the ability to develop integration with most practice management systems. Additional integrations can be set up by storing files directly to the Doc.It Inbox directory and then filing them into Doc.It using the automatic forms recognition feature. Integration with fax software is supported so that all incoming faxes are converted to searchable PDFs. Outlook e-mail can also be converted to searchable PDFs and moved into Doc.It with a drag-and-drop approach. A Doc.It button is added to the MS Office toolbars to allow for storing and retrieving files directly into Doc.It.