Characteristics of Enterprise Document Environments

Abstract

We now review how business and government enterprises that have yet to embark upon IDCM may be managing processing of different document types. We provide a generic description of each type on the assumption that most organizations can apply relevant elements to their specific environments. Because of the complexities in describing the typical document environments, we structure the review into the following sections: • Digital office documents for such documents in general; • Electronic mail (email); • Technical and engineering drawings; • Document imaging; • Web content; and • Physical documents. Our objectives are to provide a description of the functionality that applies in each of these environments and to provide an indication of the limitations that apply for each of the document types. Therefore, at the end of each section, we have included a brief generic checklist. The checklists avoid expressing limitations with respect to specified types of business. We do not endeavor to be exhaustive or prescriptive. The checklists are provided to provoke readers to undertake further research and identify limitations with their own enterprise document environments and to build their own lists of limitations. We begin by describing typical methods used for managing electronic or digital office documents in general.1