As paper filing systems and their cumbersome cabinets become as nostalgic to many Americans as the wardrobe choices in “Mad Men,” electronic document storage is commanding the scene in dramatic and sweeping ways. The advantages to nearly every kind of industry, and every size organization, are obvious: greater efficiency, enhanced security, and cost-saving effectiveness.
On a global basis, in a 2007 report titled: “The State of the Paper Industry: Monitoring the Indicators of Environmental Performance,” The Environmental Paper Network stated that “If each American office reduced its paper use by roughly 10 percent, the environmental impact would be equivalent to taking 280,000 cars off the road.”
Earlier this year, a three-minute film produced by the European Environmental Paper Network was launched in advance of Paper World, the major paper industry gathering in Frankfurt, Germany. The Future of Paper is a collaboration of over 140 organizations advocating for “new consumption patterns that eliminate overuse."
But on a micro level, what can electronic document storage do for small businesses?
Protection
Digitally stored documents are safely stored documents. The threat of unrecoverable damage posed by fire, flood, and theft is eradicated. Data can be encrypted with passwords requiring various levels of customized authentication so that access is granted only to those deemed appropriate. All electronic data is backed up and categorized.
Efficiency
The days of searching for hours for one misplaced file are long gone. Digitally stored documents are neatly organized in computer files quickly retrieved by company personnel from centralized electronic repository networks, regardless of staff’s physical location. Thousands of documents can be searched in seconds, queried by subject, keywords, phrase, or date, from anywhere in the world.
Documents that were previously unalterable can be edited, formatted, labeled, and filed in minutes, preserved for decades. Errors are corrected instantly; information is updated seamlessly. Image files can be converted to HTML and uploaded directly to websites.
Savings on labor as well as the square footage costs associated with physical document storage are significant, especially if an outside firm is hired to host and manage the system. Digitization services also reduce expenses associated with print and copy functions.
Where to Start?
· Create templates for the most commonly used documents for uploading.
· Decide if it makes sense to host the archives in-house or to outsource the job.
· Review existing document backlogs and determine those that require digitizing and storing.
· Call a reliable document scanning company that offers full customer service, including document pick-up, to assist you on your new path to streamlined efficiency and organizational security!
