What is an electronic document?

The level of computerization today requires a shift to "paperless" records management. It is based on an electronic document, which, unlike the traditional, is characterized by a number of new properties and features. Until now, there is no single definition of this phenomenon either in the legislation or in the scientific world of Russia.

The concept of "electronic document" appeared already in the 1970s. So they began to call "machine-readable documents". Their peculiarity is that they must be created with the help of computer technology and be suitable for processing on a computer. In this case, mandatory details are processed strictly in the order established for all documents.

An electronic document is an information object consisting of two obligatory parts: 1) requisites (name, author's data, time, place of creation, etc.) and an electronic digital signature; 2) the main content part, including textual, graphic and numerical information processed as a single whole.

An electronic document must be signed by a qualified electronic signature, which makes it equivalent to a paper signed personally. Information is presented in it in digital (electronic) form. Data can be perceived using a computer, transmitted via information and telecommunications networks, and processed in information systems. If necessary, such a document can acquire a form of visual display on the screen and on paper.

Electronic document management is a cycle of life of electronic documents at an enterprise (in an organization, a firm) from receiving them, changing the state (agreed, communicated, signed, closed, etc.) before being written off to the archive. Such a workflow is sometimes referred to as "workflow", which characterizes the movement of documents as a single stream of individual works within a particular business process. The entire electronic document management system includes software that is necessary for organizing and supporting the life cycle of such documents.

Electronic document and document flow on its basis have a number of advantages in comparison with traditional ones. They enable the employees of the organization to control not only their own work site, but the whole process. Using an electronic archive is much more convenient than paper. You can find the document in a few minutes, the time for passing its coordination and execution is reduced. In general, it is more economical than paper. There are quite a few electronic document management programs ("Motive", "E1 Euphrates", "DocsVision", "1C: Document Management", etc.).

To date, there is foreign experience in regulating relations in the field of electronic document in legal terms. In Russia, the problem of regulating these relations has not been legally resolved, although attempts have been made to adopt the relevant law (2005). The adoption of a legislative act on this kind of document is one of the most urgent areas of legislative regulation.