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Smead Announces New Strategy to Help Government Agencies Integrate Paper and Electronic Records Management

Legally Bound to Retain Physical Records, Governments Need an Alternative to the "Paperless Office"

Smead Manufacturing Company (http://www.smead.com), a world leader in integrated records management, today announced a new strategy dedicated to solving the unique records management needs of state and local government agencies.

Government agencies are legally bound to maintain paper and physical records, so the "paperless office" promoted by many enterprise content management (ECM) vendors leaves such agencies vulnerable to compliance issues. Smead offers a comprehensive suite of software and office products designed to integrate both paper and electronic records management for government agencies.

Smead's flagship software product is a records management system (RMS) developed by its software division -- SmeadSoft. SmeadSoft RMS Server streamlines the management of all types of records -- paper, electronic, digital photos, video and sound clips -- within a single system. The software ensures records-integrity and mitigates compliance risks with secure workflow, audit trail, chain of custody, and reporting features.

SmeadSoft RMS Server is designed for records-intensive government agencies -- such as municipal clerks' offices, HR departments, recorders' offices, prosecutors' offices, health and human services departments, court clerks' offices, police departments, and property and evidence departments. In addition, SmeadSoft offers departmental applications designed to meet the unique needs of specific government departments while seamlessly integrating with the RMS Server.

Several government agencies have already purchased SmeadSoft RMS, including the Oregon State Procurement Office (SPO), which is using the system to manage its solicitations and resulting contracts. The SPO had been using a completely manual system, which made files difficult, if not impossible, to find. With SmeadSoft RMS, files can be immediately located using a centralized database. This saves time, space and money in the form of man-hours.

"After evaluating five vendors, we concluded that SmeadSoft was the best fit for our environment as well as our budget," stated Margaret Rockwell, state procurement analyst for the Department of Administrative Services, State Procurement Office. "SmeadSoft's barcode tracking capabilities have been immensely helpful in enabling us to track our files. The system is easy to use and flexible, and our implementation went very smoothly."

SmeadSoft's departmental applications are designed to work together, allowing state and local government agencies to share relevant records with each other, as well as with their constituents, while adhering to security rules and maintaining the integrity of the information. Departmental applications available today include:

Property & Evidence Tracking -- barcode-based system for property and evidence managers automatically tracks paper-based and digital evidence to create a complete chain of custody -- from acceptance to disposal, return or auction.

Case File Management -- designed for clerks of courts, district attorneys, prosecutors, and social workers, it combines barcode-based paper tracking and digital file and records management technology. Records-retention features ensure that all records -- paper and electronic -- are kept according to legal requirements and city and county mandates.

"Our government customers have told us how critical it is for them to manage all types of records within one system," stated Bob Karrick, chief operating officer of Smead. "SmeadSoft offers these agencies a unified records management system, encompassing all matter of records." He added, "The SmeadSoft strategy is a logical step in Smead's century-old commitment to helping government agencies with records management."

About SmeadSoft

Smead Manufacturing Company is the most recognized and respected name in office filing products and records management worldwide. SmeadSoft for Government is a software division that develops records management systems and applications for state and local government agencies. SmeadSoft is the only unified records management system that was developed from the ground up to integrate and simultaneously manage both paper and electronic records for jurisdictional government agencies. SmeadSoft is backed by Smead's 100 years of experience managing records and serving the government sector. Headquartered in Hastings, Minn., Smead is a privately held, woman-owned business. For more information, go to http://www.smeadsoft.com.

® Smead, SmeadSoft, three bars, checkerboard pattern and Keeping You Organized are all registered trademarks of The Smead Manufacturing Company.

© The Smead Manufacturing Company 2007, Hastings, MN

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