Money-saving, integrated DM plan

The Santa Margarita Water District in California expects to save up to $250,000 over five years through use of the EZContentManager integrated document management system from ACOM Solutions.

"In selecting a new solution, our criteria were that it be easy to install, learn and use; easy on our [IBM] iSeries resources; and that it provide automated migration of documents from the iSeries environment to the content management system," says Gloria Geisert, network administrator for the water district. "Further, we wanted all storage and processing on a dedicated Windows server with high level security."

EZContentManager allows companies to centralize corporate files of various types into a single, password-secured SQL data repository. The solution, which replaces an earlier system that had fallen into disuse at the water district, will be used to provide information storage and access capabilities for the district's four departments. Santa Margarita Water District provides water and wastewater treatment services to 150,000 customers in South Orange County.

EZContentManager interfaces with the district's ACOM productivity solutions, the EZeDocs document output management system and the EZPayManager payment solution. As the solutions generate documents, they are automatically indexed with metadata and relayed to the document repository. Other documents are scanned into the repository and indexed automatically as part of the process. Documents can be retrieved as needed by authorized people, using metadata or full-text search.

Geisert says, "We have four departments--administration, engineering, finance and operations--and each has its own requirements for document storage, maintenance and distribution. Engineering is currently examining the feasibility of linking stored drawings to contract documents and creating a Web-based retrieval system. Finance is exploring an end-to-end application that would link purchase orders, invoices, accounts payable checks and backup documentation to eliminate paper handling. Human resources would like to image employment documents to enhance security and confidentiality. The possibilities are endless."