FAQ

Q: How does FortressWeb help manage my documents?
A: FortressWeb gives you direct access to and total control over all of your physical, imaged and electronic documents, whether they are stored in-house or off-site. It works by sharing the information between your office and record center databases, allowing you to electronically track, manage, identify, retrieve, and establish retention schedules, simply, efficiently and without errors. A wealth of tracking data is now available for each document, and FortressWeb lets you administer and enforce a standardized corporate document management policy with complete supervision.

Q: Can I create and manage my own on-site record facility?
A: Yes. In fact, the primary purpose of FortressWeb is to create an on-site record facility to track, manage and control all your on-site documents – physical, imaged and electronic. The system allows you to establish an electronic tracking mechanism for each document from the moment it’s created, which then records and tracks every movement of the document, following it throughout its life and beyond. FortressWeb allows managers to create their own document storage policies and helps with its enforcement and control, offering a variety of administrative safeguards that assure document integrity, security and protection.

Q: Can I create and manage imaged documents?
A: Yes. Scanning any document and managing its image is easy with FortressWeb. You can store the image at an off-site electronic vault or on-site on your servers or PCs. You can track them down to the individual page, send them worldwide via email or fax, or retain them on a secure website. In addition, you can create a hierarchy of security levels to protect them. Once scanned, imaged documents can be retrieved with full text searches, parameterized Boolean searches, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Zone OCR searches.

Q: Can I track and manage all my electronic documents such as Word, Email and Imaged documents?
A: Yes. The optional Electronic Data Management (EDM) feature in FortressWeb allows you to manage, track, identify, and retrieve all your electronic documents, including Emails, images, Word, Excel and PDF files. You can use a “check in and check out” system to work on or view documents. Check out a document, modify it, then check it back in. With EDM, all revisions are tracked and previous versions are available for viewing. An unlimited number of new versions can be created from each original document, thus ensuring the integrity of the original. You can even “finalize” a document so no changes can be made.

Q: How can I accurately track the history of my documents?
A: FortressWeb creates a complete audit trail for each document, from creation to destruction, with no gaps. In fact, every time a document, file or box is moved, modified, transferred or changed in any way whether on or off site, FortressWeb details who, what, when, where and how each document was “touched”. This complete, detailed history gives you tighter control and greater accuracy in tracking down documents. For example, when a document’s description is modified, the electronic history is automatically updated, identifying the person who made the modification and showing all previous descriptions.

Q: Can we manage our documents in multiple languages simultaneously?
A: Si! FortressWeb allows you to jump between two languages on the fly, whenever you need to and without losing prior information. You can create and define your own terminology when labeling items. You can even customize terminology on different field descriptions, pop-up messages, drop-down menus, and titles to meet your own needs or criteria. Ask us about the available language choices.

Q: How can I get the proper reports to manage my documents?
A: FortressWeb includes “canned” reports, ready for easy viewing and printing. New reports are continually being published and made available automatically via the Internet. FortressWeb also features an integrated SQL report writer, with advanced features that let you customize your reports utilizing any combination of information in the database. Reports can be exported to PDF, Excel, HTML, CSV and more.

Q: Can the software expand as I grow?
A: Yes. FortressWeb is scalable, allowing you to move up through progressively higher versions of the software, each offering more features and functions. No reinstallation is required for an upgrade. Upgrading FortressWeb is very affordable, because you can keep adding versions and pay only the upgrade costs. There’s no need to repurchase new software, retrain staff, uninstall old software or move your data from one software system to another.

Q: Can I create my own identification fields?
A: Yes, while the software provides 16 primary identification fields for files and boxes, there are an additional 20 customizable fields for each file, each allowing between 20 and 80 characters. You define these primary fields (subject, department, name, category, or file number, for example) and choose to make them required fields or not. The system allows you to do global editing on groups of documents at one time. You can attach a free-flow note field to each document, writing up to 250,000 characters in each note field. In addition, administrators can limit the choices in each field by creating drop-down menus that restrict users to very specific selections, thus gaining greater control and eliminating errors.

Q: Can I use my own classification plan to track documents?
A: Yes. FortressWeb’s file classification plan allows you to create your own classifications of documents by sections with an unlimited number of subsections. Selecting a specific document type will automatically establish the proper retention period for that document. By allowing more detailed classification and organization of documents, this feature makes searches a lot faster and easier.

Q: Can you make it easy for me to search and find my documents?
A: FortressWeb provides 66 pages of indexed note fields that can be attached to each file or box. The software allows for automatic key word indexing. Searches are integrated in SQL search and query. In the search module, you can combine fields in order to broaden searches; perform full text or parameter-limiting Boolean searches on documents and images; and include Optical Character Recognition (OCR) of images. You can also perform zone OCR searches to focus on an area of the document that contains vital information, thereby speeding up the search process.

Q: Is there an easier and faster way to enter data about a document?
A: Yes. FortressWeb allows the import and export functions for electronic data on files and boxes to be done either automatically or manually. You can copy, add and batch additional electronic information onto each document or group of documents. Function keys are available to accelerate data entry and assure consistent accuracy. This helps in avoiding errors when doing repetitive data entry by the same individual.

Q: How can I gain complete and accurate access to all my documents?
A: FortressWeb will create an optional real-time Internet link between your databases. The benefits include enhanced speed and convenience through advanced secured Internet replication of data. You’ll never need to enter information twice, because it will be shared between you and your record center. Updates, moves, transfers or changes made to any document, whether at your office or the record center, will be replicated immediately in real time. Working together, FortressWeb Software maximize efficiency and accuracy, creating a seamless connection that gives you complete access and total control.

Q: How can my employees gain access to our company’s documents?
A: FortressWeb offers a web interface, which allows multiple users to access your document database via your internal network or internet. By deploying our software on your internal servers, we can provide employee access to the database for quick searches of documents, viewing imaged documents and ordering via a web browser, without having to install the FortressWeb on all of your computers. The web component saves you money, since web products are easier to deploy, manage, and require a lot less maintenance.

Q: What is the fastest, most accurate way to order a document?
A: Order it with FortressWeb or on line via intranet or Internet. Because it’s electronic, there’s no room for human error. This will significantly reduce the number of people handling the order, thereby increasing efficiency and saving on labor costs. The software will generate an instant confirmation of the order, which will create a confirmation number and at the same time advise the client of the date and time he or she will receive the document. It will also immediately advise you of the status or availability of the document. Who has it? Is it on site, off site or en route? Has it been destroyed? Has someone else ordered it? You’ll know instantly with FortressWeb.

Q: Can I customize my labels?
A: Yes. FortressWeb allows you to print your own predefined smart barcode labels on standard Avery sheets using a laser printer. Smart barcodes allow a scanner (PDT/Portable Data Terminal) to immediately confirm if the label was read properly and identifies the object as a file or box. This allows for a self-verification of the barcode label. The system generates its own barcode numbers and is prevented from duplicating the numbers on different labels, thus ensuring greater accuracy. FortressWeb also allows you to custom design a multitude of different file and box labels. You decide what information you want on each label, and where and in what font size you want it to appear.

Q: How can I ensure tracking accuracy?
A: FortressWeb does it for you. It manages your internal on site location transfers and move lists for each file. When storing boxes, FortressWeb keeps track of how full your location is and how many spaces are available. It tracks all documents that have been checked out of both your on site and off site storage facility and tells you who is holding any given document and for how long. The software even creates an overdue memo list to notify employees about what they “should” have in their possession. This list specifies how long a document has been out, starting with the oldest first. The software allows administrators to make a manual “change of hands” when one employee has passed a document on to another. All tracking is electronically recorded in the history of each document.

Q: How can I manage and enforce my retention policy?
A: With FortressWeb, you can categorize new and existing documents into several different classifications, depending on a variety of criteria such as its contents or importance. Each category can have its own pre-established corporate-defined retention policy, created by management. A dual retention calendar can also be created, with one calendar for active, on site documents and another for inactive (or semi-active) off site documents stored at a record center facility. Management establishes the criteria for retention of on site files, and with FortressWeb you can easily prepare a report to advise administrators when the destruction date has been reached. Meanwhile, management can set up the second retention policy with a different set of criteria for off site inactive or semi-active documents. The similar report can be prepared to advise you when the destruction date has been reached.

Q: How can I ensure the accuracy and validity of my disposal lists?
A: FortressWeb can automatically create different types of disposal lists for all active, semi-active and inactive documents, based on the retention schedules established by management. In other words, the software allows for a company defined classification plan, which creates a retention schedule for each item classified. The administrator can have the final destruction approval of all documents on a detailed destruction list. This prevents the accidental destruction of important documents.

Q: How can I guarantee sensitive documents will not pass into the wrong hands?
A: FortressWeb guarantees restricted access to all documents, files, images and boxes. Management can create a hierarchy of access levels among a variety of different user groups. With up to 10 different security levels, access to documents can be restricted by department or within a department. User groups with the same security level clearance can be created. As an added security measure, FortressWeb allows managers to restrict what employees can do with a particular document, allowing some to view it, others to order it, a few to modify it and, finally, a very select group can be authorized to destroy it.