Virtual Cabinetry

"For the most part, [Cabinet NG] is for the small business but it can be used for larger businesses," said Jodi Delapaz, project specialist at Cabinet NG partner Advantech, Annapolis, Md. "It's a comprehensive filing system [and the customer] can become completely paperless. It's structured just like a filing cabinet so what you're used to can be done electronically."

"We've done a large number of installations ... a number of products across the field," said Todd Knapp, president of Providence, R.I.-based Envision Technology Advisors, another partner. "We're not vertical to any particular market."

Once a document's information is input via scanning or manual entry, Cabinet NG ensures immediate compatibility to create a cohesive, virtual filing system.

"[There are] different ways to input information in the system: drag and drop, e-mail, scan it in, or create a [Microsoft] Word, Excel, or any type of document," said Advantage Data Systems' Veach.

Cabinet NG "almost becomes your desktop, especially with project management," he added. "You can start the application right within Cabinet NG."

"I'll tell you something. From every point of view, this kind of technology makes sense," said Envision Technology Advisors' Knapp.

For regulatory compliance requirements, Cabinet NG has the inherent knowledge to hold onto data, yet can effectively destroy it at the proper time. According to Knapp, who said 65 percent to 75 percent of his business comes from SMBs, many companies do not realize that there is a statute of limitations on data retention.

"Compliance is a double-edged sword. You can retain documents for seven years [there is] a liability component for retaining longer than that and government is only allowed to audit back seven years," Knapp said.

"From a liability point of view, it's a mistake to maintain longer and most of these documentation retention components not only keep the length of time you're supposed to, but [they] eliminate liability off you," Knapp said, adding that "as a small business, it makes so much sense."

However, it seems that storage for regulatory policy adherence isn't the driving force behind this technology, as was once thought.

"All the feedback I'm getting is [that the customer] isn't that concerned with regulatory compliance," said Integrated Filing Systems' Moomaw. "They are with security, of course, [but] unless they're specifically associated with medical or human resources, they're not that concerned."

Cabinet NG's document management program is priced at $995 per user or $1,395 for concurrent users.