Formpipe is using Microsoft Dynamics to transform document management

Ben Saxton shares how the firm’s new DM for Dynamics solution streamlines processes, improves visibility and leverages the security of the Microsoft ecosystem

By Elly Yates-Roberts on 26 October 2022

Formpipe is using Microsoft Dynamics to transform document management

Documents are the bread and butter of business. In an increasingly digital world, it is easy for companies to get lost in the huge volumes of invoices, PDFs or other types of documents.

To help businesses address this challenge, document management expert Formpipe has created DM for Dynamics, a specialised new interface that connects a user’s Formpipe Autoform DM digital repository with Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Autoform DM is an electronic document management system which provides users with secure storage, configurability and easy access to all their documents. “With DM, you can store any file type, including data, documents, video files and audio files,” says Ben Saxton, head of customer success at Formpipe. “Everything is safe and secure. It’s stored following International Organization for Standardization (ISO) best practices and the object’s metadata is stored alongside it. It’s also very easy for employees to view or access the content if they need to do so.”

According to Saxton, the new interface will pull the DM product into Dynamics, bringing it closer to the core platforms already familiar to Dynamics customers. He cites the example of a finance operative that relies heavily on Dynamics in its day-to-day operations. “Users will now be able to easily store, search for and retrieve documents generated by both Dynamics and all other systems within their standard finance and operations (F&O) interface, without switching systems or screens,” he says. “This saves them time and removes the hassle of using multiple platforms.

“It is all about usability. We will provide those using the Dynamics platform – whether they be in customer experience or F&O – with a complete 360-degree view of that one particular query without having to change displays or adapt to a new system.”

The new solution will also provide customers with multiple other benefits, including an overview of all data in one place, a reduction of the technical debt often associated with ungoverned repositories, and the ability for administrators to control governance requirements around document management.

“Essentially, DM for Dynamics will offer users three key things,” says Saxton. “These are: ease of access to all files and documents, lifetime configurability with the tools needed to continually construct new uses for the product, and secure storage providing users with peace of mind.”

In addition to these capabilities, Saxton highlights the ability to build new applications that provide document search and retrieval based on a business’s metadata. “That’s absolutely paramount and that’s what we focus on,” he says.

Another key feature allows users to quickly and easily import documents from their local machine into a controlled repository. “This will automatically sort that document to a particular content type and then wrap all of the functions that we require around that content type,” Saxton explains.

With compliance an important factor in document management, DM for Dynamics adheres to ISO 27001 retention policies, which informs what happens at the end of a retention period and how that content is treated.

The concept behind the new interface was driven by market requirements and builds on the success of Formpipe’s Lasernet output within the Dynamics market. According to Saxton, the project has been significantly requested by partners and end users, and, as such, has been in the works for some time.

“We've been in the Dynamics market right since the days of AX2009,” he says. “So, we’ve been talking about this for a long time, but we’ve really accelerated our efforts over the last couple of years to pull our products closer to those core platforms, whether that be core banking, enterprise resource planning or customer relationship management. As document management specialists, we knew that we needed to bring that functionality into Dynamics to make it easier for the end user. That’s why we’re so excited about what we’ve been able to produce.”

This article was originally published in the Autumn 2022 issue of Technology Record. To get future issues delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription.