Digital financial accounting

Working without paper

The idea of the paperless office has been around for many years. Although it still remains elusive, many areas are implementing it more thoroughly today. Municipal financial departments are advancing the topic of digitization as well – even though their role has recently changed. Increasingly, such departments are asked to handle a variety of new tasks, while observing numerous laws and regulations. Consistent digital support can help.

Gains in efficiency offered to administrations through automating processes are substantial. One good example is invoice processing. Today, the integrated Infoma newsystem invoice workflow can already handle the entire process fully automatically – from receipt of the Xinvoice to booking. Frequently, the invoice workflow is the starting point for the goal of complete, consistent digitization of financial administration, as proven by the projects carried out by our winners of the 2018 Innovation Prize.
Axians Infoma’s goal – formulated in our Digital Agenda – is to facilitate the paperless handling of all internal administrative processes. One of the next steps is implementing the digital approval process within Infoma newsystem with electronic filing in the e-file. This means that approvals, including digital signatures if necessary, are completed without media disruptions; associated information and receipts can be filed in an archiving system in a revision-proof manner via the e-file, and are available for subsequent access at any time.
This results in the “late scanning” process also being fully digitized. Although the current process is essentially a hybrid one in which documents like daily, weekly or monthly financial statements are printed out, signed by managers, scanned in and then filed in the e-file, in the future the approval process will be fully paperless. The arrangement to be logged is included in a digital list. Information on when each receipt was approved is therefore saved in the system and traceable at all times. Log files are then saved together in the E-file. The process is completely digital, from its starting point in financial accounting to filing.

The E-file plays an important role in ensuring the efficiency of digital financial accounting. It facilitates the integrated and automated filing of documents associated with the core process within the modules Financial Accounting, Taxes and fees, Enforcement, Fixed-asset accounting, Facility management and Contract management. Processing (filing, searching for and processing documents) is handled conveniently in the user’s normal environment, without the need to access a DMS system. This allows the file to be used with any DMS system or hardware/software archiving solution.
Next year, the Infoma Shipping Manager is planned as another digital option associated with the electronic tax file – however, assessments are not only filed in the e-file, but must also be issued to citizens. The generic Infoma Shipping Manager Adapter will facilitate a communication process free from media disruptions in digital (e.g. ePost) and dual delivery (electronic document delivery or physical letter delivery / postal delivery).
Digital financial accounting and its innovative digitization components are much more than just an electronic version of paper-based processes: They are the starting point for a consistent smart government strategy for local governments who want to take steps towards becoming a Smart City.