Document storage is a computer filing system which provides electronic document tracking, storage, and sometimes processing. Although, truth be said, there are no defined requirements to such systems at the present time. Therefore, there are widely diverging interpretations of what document storage is. It is used to refer to anything and everything ranging from full-scale DMS (Document Management Systems) to fairly primitive products.
Different document storage products implement different file storage philosophies. Some save documents directly to the file system normally using special folders for the purpose. The primary drawback of this solution is reduced file protection from unauthorized access. Other programs store files in databases set up as specialized repositories.
Normally, document storage is part of Electronic Document (Workflow) Management. It is used both for short-term storage of documents in work as well as to archive documents no longer in circulation. However, stand-alone document storage solutions do exist.
Frequently, there is need to standardize electronic documents as part of document storage. Otherwise, files created using different versions of different software may turn out to be inaccessible. Unfortunately, developers frequently fail to make newer versions of software backward compatible. All files are converted to a single format to address this problem. PDF/A is recommended as just such a format. This format is an international ISO standard for the archival storage of electronic documents. The best way to convert files in different formats to PDF/A is to use conversion software in the form of virtual printers.
See also: PDF Server, Fax Printer, Virtual Scan.