Imaging Made Simple (IMS) is a document management system that helps businesses capture, organize, search, manage, share, and protect documents and digital information. Instead of relying only on filing cabinets or computer folders, IMS associates each document with meaningful information so it can be found and worked with efficiently.

Scanning a paper document produces an image file. Putting it in a folder stores that file, but it does not describe what the document is, who it belongs to, or how to find it again later. IMS organizes documents using index fields such as customer name, invoice number, and date, so records can be located using the information people actually remember rather than a filename or folder location.

A wide range. IMS has historically served small businesses, school districts, healthcare offices, government departments, and commercial organizations. Any organization that spends meaningful time filing, searching for, or sharing documents may benefit.

Yes. IMS supports both scanned paper and electronic files. Documents that arrive by email or are created electronically can be brought into IMS through supported import and capture methods. Not every electronic document type or source is supported, so it is worth discussing your specific files during a demonstration.

No. Many organizations keep their original paper records in filing cabinets while adding electronic copies to IMS for faster searching, viewing, and sharing. IMS is designed to complement your existing document-handling practices, not force a sudden change.

Documents are organized using profiles, which act as electronic filing categories, and index fields, which are the searchable pieces of information associated with each document. A profile might represent customer accounts or vendor files, while its index fields capture the details people search by, such as customer name, invoice number, and date.

Indexing is the process of associating meaningful information with a document so it can be organized and located later. Rather than depending only on a filename, indexing attaches details such as customer name, document type, account number, or date to the document itself.

Yes. Authorized users can search using individual index fields or combine several fields to narrow the results. The exact search options depend on the edition and configuration. A well-designed profile lets people find a document using the details they actually remember rather than guessing at filenames or folders.

Yes. IMS supports multiple users. The number of desktop viewer installations and the user licensing model can be confirmed for your edition during a demonstration.

Yes. IMS can organize documents for different departments, and Enterprise supports multiple profiles that allow separate organizational structures and indexing configurations. How you divide profiles across departments depends on your needs and configuration.

IMS supports user permissions, and IMS Enterprise offers configurable security capabilities, including record-level security within a profile. Availability depends on the IMS edition, installed modules, and configuration. We can review your requirements during a demonstration.

IMS Enterprise has historically offered audit reporting capabilities. Reports can examine activity associated with particular users, documents or records, time frames, and action types, with the ability to combine criteria for more targeted investigations and to export results. Not every IMS edition includes these features, and the specific actions tracked depend on the installed version and configuration. Availability depends on the IMS edition, installed modules, and configuration.

IMS Enterprise has offered a browser-based Web Viewer intended for viewing and retrieving documents through a compatible browser. It is a viewing capability, not a complete browser-based editing, indexing, or scanning system. Deployment, network access, security arrangements, licensing, and compatibility require individual evaluation.

IMS is a customer-deployed document management product. It is not currently described as a cloud-native SaaS platform. Browser-based access is offered through supported Enterprise Web Viewer configurations.

Yes. IMS is a Windows-oriented, customer-deployed document management product. Supported Windows configurations can be confirmed for your environment during a demonstration.

Imaging Made Simple is currently designed to operate in a Windows environment. The full IMS application does not run natively on macOS. Organizations that primarily use Mac computers may still be able to use supported browser-based document-viewing capabilities available through IMS Enterprise, provided the required IMS components are installed and configured on appropriate Windows infrastructure, such as a Windows computer or server.

This can provide a practical approach for organizations using Mac workstations alongside a Windows-based document management system. Browser-based access is a viewing and retrieval capability, not a complete browser-based editing, indexing, or scanning system. Deployment, network access, security arrangements, licensing, and compatibility require individual evaluation.

Expanded Mac compatibility is part of our future development plans, with additional capabilities targeted for a future IMS version. Native Mac support is not currently available, and no release date has been announced.

IMS is not described as offering native full-text OCR as a standard built-in feature. Some OCR or text-search capabilities may be available through supported modules or third-party integrations. Availability depends on the IMS edition, installed modules, and configuration.

IMS offers certain capture and import capabilities, such as Send to IMS and Print to IMS, and may work alongside other business systems. Specific integrations depend on the edition, configuration, and the systems involved. We can review your integration needs during a demonstration rather than assuming a particular integration is supported.

A typical implementation includes an initial requirements discussion, a review of your document types and workflows, configuration planning, installation and setup as applicable, user orientation and training, and a phased adoption period. The complexity depends on your organization's size, existing records, software environment, and objectives. See our Implementation & Transition Planning guide for more.

IMS licensing is based on authorized users, not the number of desktop viewer installations. One licensed user may use viewers on multiple supported computers, subject to applicable license terms. Unlimited viewer installations do not mean unlimited licensed users, and one license should not be shared among multiple people. Specific licensing terms can be confirmed during a demonstration.

Use the Have Questions? page or the Request a Demo button in the navigation. We will gather a little information about your organization and arrange a personalized overview.