Document management, especially in a highly bureaucratized country such as Italy, is one of the main needs of companies in any industry, especially those with a strong regulatory presence, in which numerous fulfillments are required.

Digital has undoubtedly provided a great deal of help in streamlining filing and research processes, but how do you manage companies where there is still a considerable amount of paper documents? The answer lies in document digitization, a process of transforming paper documents into electronic formats.

The invoice is probably the most important type of document for businesses. In our country, legislation has required its digital management for quite some time, and in Europe the requirement is beginning to make its way into this new year that has just begun.

The pace of this digitization process is dictated by the timing of the public administration, which has recently begun to adopt a “digital first ” approach as its first option¹, according to guidelines published by AGID, facilitating the agility of the entire ecosystem.

Document management: the main advantages

Embarking on a document digitization project may seem counterintuitive: devoting resources to converting documents, in most cases dated, may seem unnecessary. However, it is important to consider that the data thus acquired become part of a corporate asset that is always available, easily accessible and analyzable.

It must also be remembered that not all processes can be completely digital, especially when working with the public or under specific regulatory conditions. Document digitization also allows the result of these operations to be integrated into advanced, automated processes. Let us now examine the main benefits of document management.

Speed

A digital document can be moved, accessed and handled much more nimbly than its physical counterparts. This streamlines procedures, including those for approval and registration, allowing, for example, the document to be circulated simultaneously to each department for processing.

Saving

Digital documents do not take up physical space. This reduces the cost of storing them, while also saving time in handling, searching and general archive management.

Efficiency and access to information

As we have mentioned, digital documents can circulate with greater freedom, even simultaneously in multiple departments or with multiple decision makers. Moreover, for the same reason, they can be accessed, accessed and analyzed very easily, even automatically.

Compliance: what the Italian regulations say

Digitization of documents introduces new dynamics in their management, particularly now that the process, in many cases, involves storage through third parties in the Cloud. In this context, all digital-related regulations come into play, from general ones such as GDPR to specific ones. In some areas, such as medical or legal, issues such as evidentiary value, resolved by advanced digital processes and the use of electronic signatures to ensure document authenticity throughout the entire supply chain, emerge.

Security is another key aspect, which must be ensured in ways that vary by sector. Examples include NIS2 for strategic sectors and critical infrastructure and DORA for financial sectors. To guide companies, a good starting point are the Guidelines published by AGID², which, although designed for public administration, provide a solid reference base.

Digitizing Documents

As we mentioned at the outset, a large proportion of documents today are already born digital and remain in that form. Tools such as those for managing electronic invoicing in SAP take care of these aspects by also connecting to the Internal Revenue Service’s interchange system and meeting national and international standards.

In other cases, advanced document management tools such as SAP Extended Enterprise Content Management by OpenText can be used, which take care of the entire supply chain, including digitizing documents and ingesting them.

Improving efficiency through document management

The transition to digital document management in Italy is not only a response to the need for efficiency and speeding up internal business processes, butis also a way to adapt to the changing regulatory environment and the expectations of an increasingly interconnected economy. Digitization technologies facilitate this transition and open the way to new possibilities for data analysis and management, contributing to greater transparency and regulatory compliance.

This change, although it requires an initial commitment, is a long-term investment for Italian companies. Through digitization, it is possible not only to respond more effectively to current demands, but also to better prepare for future challenges.

Note ¹: SGPA Insight – Administrative Procedures Management System on AGID website

Note 2: Insight Training, management and storage of electronic documents on AGID website

The entry into force of mandatory Electronic Invoicing in European countries is approaching: contact us and prepare for the change with our experts.