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Legal compliance: how DMS solutions serve up financial services success

Categories: Financial Services

Just as a tennis player masters the court with quick reflexes and strategic play, legal professionals can dominate their document workflows with a state-of-the-art Document Management System (DMS). Imagine trying to play tennis with an unpredictable, bouncing ball. Similarly, disorganised documents can throw off your legal game. DMS provides a centralised, structured digital court where every document is right where you need it—no surprises, just smooth play.

Whether you’re volleying through back-to-back cases or serving up major contracts, DMS is your partner in delivering precision and agility every step of the way.

Document management systems (DMS) are the baseline for compliance

Legal counsel in financial services must navigate complex regulatory frameworks that demand meticulous documentation and stringent compliance measures. They are under constant pressure to ensure their organisations meet stringent regulatory standards while managing an immense volume of sensitive documents. Traditional content platforms often fall short in providing the necessary security, governance, and functionality required to manage highly regulated content. This inadequacy can lead to operational inefficiencies and increased risks.

A fundamental aspect of achieving compliance and auditability is the consolidation of business content into a single repository. iManage and other DMS solutions play a pivotal role in establishing this foundation by collating business content, such as legal based matters, including emails and documents, into a unified repository. This consolidation provides a robust platform for effective auditability, thereby empowering compliance teams..

Six DMS aces to support compliance

A comprehensive DMS solution offers several key benefits that are particularly relevant to compliance teams and legal counsel in the financial services sector.

Ace 1: Centralised compliance management for regulatory assurance

Ensuring all documents meet current regulatory requirements and can be easily updated to comply with new regulations is a fundamental aspect of any DMS solution.

By centralising document management, iManage Records Manager simplifies compliance with document retention policies and audit requirements, providing a single source of truth for all documents. Additionally, iManage's commitment to providing a secure source of truth for sensitive content empowers compliance teams to focus on regulatory obligations and risk mitigation.

According to the Forrester Study: The Total Economic Impact™ Of iManage, organisations using iManage avoided costs associated with legacy document management solutions amounting to $477,500 over a three-year period.

Ace 2: Audit readiness with $4.7 million in cost avoidance

Maintaining thorough audit trails and ensuring documents are readily available for inspections or audits is another critical feature. While document retrieval is a core iManage feature, iManage Records Manager specifically enables organisations to adapt to a quickly changing regulatory landscape by offering a central interface to manage both physical and electronic records. This unified, secure repository ensures that all versions of a document are tracked and easily retrievable.

By applying retention policies across multiple physical and digital repositories, Records Manager helps enforce good governance practices, including automated, defensible disposition of content. An organisation can use automated policy-based content retention, archiving, and disposition to set governance policies, retention periods, and disposition rules that apply consistently to both physical and electronic content. A detailed log of all events is available in the audit history.

Additionally, while users follow their normal workflow, Records Manager ensures that their filed documents are automatically declared as records in iManage Work and that retention policies are applied to all new content with no additional effort.

This level of detailed logging and tracking is crucial for demonstrating compliance during regulatory audits, which helped organisations avoid $4.7 million in potential costs related to security incidents over the investment period in the 2023 Forrester Study .

Ace 3: Boosting efficiency and productivity: $3.8 Million Saved

Automation of routine document management tasks reduces manual workloads and improves accuracy, enhancing overall productivity. Features such as document categorisation, metadata tagging, and workflow management streamline document handling processes, which resulted in improved productivity in legal and compliance operations from faster search and upload processes, saving $3.8 million over three years, according to Forrester.

iManage helps compliance teams save content quickly and intuitively, with need-to-know access and security protections defined at the document level. By organising content clearly by project, client, or case, with powerful search tools, iManage allows quick retrieval of information when needed.

Ace 4: Data security and privacy: mitigating $4.7 million in risks

Implementing advanced security features to protect sensitive information and ensure compliance with data privacy laws is essential. Traditional platforms often lack the security measures needed to protect highly confidential information.

This level of security and governance not only protects against data breaches but also supports compliance with stringent regulatory standards. iManage's comprehensive, industry-leading security and governance protects information assets and reduces risk.

Forrester Research quantified the enhanced security and risk mitigation benefits at $4.7 million in the 2023 Total Economic Impact™ Of iManage report.

Ace 5: Operational cost reduction: achieving 370% ROI

Operational costs are significantly reduced through improved efficiency and less reliance on physical storage. By centralising document management and automating many manual tasks, iManage helps organisations streamline their operations and reduce costs associated with physical document storage and management.

The Forrester report highlights that organisations experienced a 370% return on investment (ROI) and a net present value (NPV) of $8.1 million over three years by adopting iManage.

Ace 6: Improving customer experience and responsiveness

Ensuring faster response times and better service by having all necessary documents readily available and well-managed enhances the customer experience. A well-implemented DMS solution ensures quick access to accurate and up-to-date documents, allowing legal counsel to respond to customer inquiries more efficiently.

This improved responsiveness builds trust and satisfaction, ultimately contributing to better client relationships and a competitive edge in the market.

Game, set and match...

Returning compliance and operational excellence with a DMS volley

For legal counsel and compliance officers in the financial services sector, a robust DMS solution like iManage is indispensable. By centralising document management, enhancing security and governance, facilitating efficient collaboration, and improving operational efficiency, a DMS solution addresses the unique challenges faced by legal professionals.

The adoption of a DMS solution within financial services not only streamlines operations but also creates an environment for compliance teams to be empowered with the tools to adapt more quickly to evolving regulatory standards.

In an industry where compliance is paramount, the role of DMS solutions in enhancing compliance and streamlining operations cannot be overstated.
By investing in a DMS like iManage, legal counsel can ensure they are well-equipped to meet current and future compliance challenges, ultimately supporting the broader organisational goal of maintaining regulatory compliance and operational excellence while also reducing costs and enhancing customer experience.

Book a DMS discovery call today

Discover how iManage can support legal compliance efforts and streamline your regulatory processes. Ascertus offers tailored DMS solutions specifically designed for financial services, ensuring seamless integration with your existing systems. Benefit from our comprehensive support and training to enhance your compliance capabilities and protect your most sensitive information.

View the full range of Financial Services solutions.

What are DMS solutions?

Document Management Solutions (DMS) are software systems designed to manage, store, and track electronic documents. Key features include centralised storage, quick retrieval, version control, security, collaboration tools, workflow automation, integration with other systems, scanning, and compliance support. iManage, a leading DMS, offers robust document and email management tailored for legal, accounting, and financial services. It enhances productivity through AI-driven search, secure access, and seamless collaboration. iManage, when integrated with automation tools, also provides the foundation for advanced workflow automation, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and improving overall efficiency by integrating with existing business applications. This makes iManage a top choice for organisations seeking comprehensive document management.

What is DMS used for?

Document Management Systems (DMS) in financial services improve document storage, retrieval, and security. They provide centralised repositories, advanced search, and version control, ensuring secure access and compliance with regulations. DMS facilitates collaboration through simultaneous editing and communication tools and integrates with existing financial systems like CRM and ERP. Additionally, they offer scanning, OCR for searchable text, and robust access controls to protect sensitive information. iManage, a top DMS for financial services, enhances productivity with AI-driven search, secure document management, workflow automation, and compliance support, making it essential for efficient and secure document handling in the sector.