Managing documents is no longer the driving reason to have a document management system (DMS). The DMS is steadily taking the role of a primary hub in web strategies, especially as firms are emphasising better use of existing technology over new tools. The leading legal DMS systems bring significant capabilities to the table, but also leave some areas ready for future improvement.
The most basic stage of using DMS for a web system is a rather static intranet. Even at this stage, DMS offers a dramatic shift in publishing. Drag-and-drop sharing of (virtual) files, complemented by processes that can be activated upon the dropping, makes users more comfortable with knowledge sharing and client collaboration. Add folders whose content is dynamically generated based on search criteria and gone should be static or empty intranet and extranet pages common in firms today. Likewise, access to the DMS via e-mail, web and rich client changes the need to have a separate website that few visit frequently.
