Reference

Essence

Appfire Comala apps

Confluence

Processes and activities

4.2.4 (a)

Review and approve documents for adequacy prior to issue;

Comala Document Management provides a method of enforcing review and approval processes for documents. Built-in electronic signatures and an audit log support this approval process. The flexibility provided by the Comala Document Management macro language enables configuring an approval process that reflects your defined documented approval processes and the different organizational roles you have.

Each Confluence page has a unique Space/Title combination.

Page versions are captured automatically, and comparisons between versions are provided.

Unique page identifiers may be allocated manually (i.e., using page properties or page metadata).

Define the review and approval process that works best for you.

4.2.4 (b)

Review, update as necessary, and re-approve documents;

The approval process, as provided by Comala Document Management, supports the processing of updates according to the defined approval process.

4.2.4 (c)

Ensure that the current revision status and changes to documents are identified;

Comala Document Management provides the means to clearly distinguish between current and draft versions of documents. Some organizations go further and use Comala Publishing to help separate between approved pages and pages that are still in the authoring and approval process. It creates a structure of an authoring space, where approved documents are automatically published into an official space.

Confluence provides a complete history of changes to each document. If you set up a dedicated official space, this feature will show the difference between official versions of the page.

4.2.4 (d)

Ensure that relevant versions of applicable documents are available at points of use;

Users can access Confluence throughout the internet (as per your network and security configuration) using any device.

4.2.4 (e)

Ensure that documents remain legible and readily identifiable;

Each Confluence page has a unique space/title combination.

Keeping your documents electronically ensures they are always legible.

4.2.4 (f)

External documents are clearly identified, and their distribution is controlled;

Confluence provides a way to attach external files to pages, providing the structure to align external documents with your internal structures (approvals, identification, access management)

4.2.4 (g)

Prevent deterioration or loss of documents;

Implement a backup mechanism.

4.2.4 overall

Changes to documents are reviewed and approved by appropriate functions in the organization;

The definition of the approval process in Comala Document Management supports a role-based approval and review process.

4.2.4 overall

Documents are retained for a defined retention period;

Confluence provides the mechanism to retain all pages, including their historical versions.

Implement a backup mechanism.

4.2.5

1. Records are a specific type of document;

2. Segregation and limited access to sensitive information;

3. Changes to records are identifiable;

Confluence provides facilities to limit access to documents in a granular manner.

Confluence also keeps historical versions of pages and provides comparisons between page versions.

Component

Role

Confluence

The platform for creating, storing, and using the documented information.

Comala Document Management

An Appfire Comala app for Confluence that provides a way to enforce an approval process for documents. Built-in electronic signatures and an audit log support this approval process. The flexibility provided by the Comala Document Management macro language enables configuring an approval process that reflects your defined documented approval processes and the different organizational roles you have.

Comala Publishing
(optional)

An Appfire Comala app for Confluence that helps separate between approved pages and pages that are still in the authoring and approval process. It creates a structure of an authoring space, where approved documents are automatically published into an official space. This helps ensure that document users always have access to the current approved release.

It complements the functionality of Comala Document Management but is optional. Some customers find it easier to work with a set of two spaces, or it can be used in cases where there are more strict auditing requirements.

Secure Infrastructure

Provide a secure platform where only authorized users can access and modify the data.

Backup facilities.