Electronic document management systems (EDMS) are used to:

• store and index documents for easy search and retrieval
• integrate with office software packages and messaging systems
• enable collaborative work
• provide access and version control over documents

Electronic records management systems (ERMS) differ from document management systems as they are designed specifically to manage the creation, use, maintenance and disposal of electronic records for the purpose of providing evidence of business activities. To do this they:

• capture and maintain contextual information (metadata) about the record to support records management processes (eg classification, registration, search, retrieval, preservation and disposal)
• provide links between records that manage the same business activity
• apply controls to records, such as access and security controls, to preserve their content and secure their integrity

ERMS may also incorporate document management functionality. Such systems are generally referred to as electronic document and records management systems (EDRMS).