Interested in having a paperless office? Have you ever thought document scanning is the answer? Probably not. When you look at your bulging file cabinets of documents, how can you not? That is not even taking into account the new paper files that are created daily. After the mail arrives, or the fax rings, you realize you have a long way to go.
There are many issues involved with keeping your documents in paper format, which is why most modern offices have a document management systems in place. DMS software platforms reduce paper, eliminate redundancy, and manage access to information. Modern document management usually involves scanning the paper into an electronic format that is easily managed. Combining scanning with optical character recognition allows even greater access to your information.
Why A Document Management System Starts With Document Scanning
Why is scanning paper a better solution than warehousing it? All the reasons involve security. Paper stored in the cabinets can rip and deteriorate to the point where it is no longer readable, whereas electronic documents have an endless shelf life. Paper documents can also become useless in the case of a fire or flood. Properly stored electronic documents have backups and are stored in the cloud or on media in a distance location. Your important corporate, financial, and employee records are much safer in the digitized form in the upper were in paper.
In the era of increasing regulations about privacy, you have another problem: Paper documents are not secure. Even if you keep file cabinets containing sensitive information locked, all it takes is for an employee to forget to lock a cabinet for personal health or payroll information to be accessible to the wrong person. Even authorized people can make copies of information in confidential files and leave the copy on their desk or in their own unsecure files. This redundancy can contribute to office clutter, but can also breach security.
How Secure Are Your Documents?
Many business documents are required by law to be confidential. While you may be aware of the privacy surrounding medical records, per regulations of HIPAA and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, there are many other regulations that require the utmost degree of confidentiality for various other industries. Legislation such as the USA PATRIOT Act, Gramm Leach Bliley (GLBA), Freedom of Information Act, the SEC, Model Audit Rule, and more defines who is entitled to see what and when. Businesses that are not compliant with the maze of regulations surrounding these issues face fines and other penalties. Not all information is “for your eyes only,” but much is sensitive and must be protected.
In this modern era, much important information comes through email, text messages, and even older technologies such as fax and voice mail. Proper document management accounts for these new storehouses of business information by centralizing everything relevant to a topic in one place and making them tamper-proof.
Outsourcing For Security, Efficiency, And Accuracy
Once you have made the commitment to scan and centralize documents and other media, the question becomes who will manage the transition? Who will assure that documents are properly labeled and categorized in order to make all forms of media accessible to authorized users? Who will do the scanning? Can you trust them?
These concerns lead many companies to consider outsourcing the transition, even if they have a competent IT staff in-house. Professional document management companies can help create an appropriate system for your organization that meets legal compliance standards, is easy to use, and is user-friendly to people with access and secure from those without it. In addition, the pros have staff to do the scanning that are not only trained to capture documents at the best resolution for readability and image quality, but who have no stake in the materials being copied.
When internal people manage the scanning, they may inadvertently or purposefully find records of friends or employees they dislike, confidential salary information, and sensitive financial materials. They could circulate this information within the company and cause security breaches, embarrassment, and dissension.
Outsource To The Document Group
Outsourcing your document management to The Document Group of Houston, Texas, ensures that your records are not compromised in the scanning process. Proper procedures for access are put in place. Even if you have little confidential material to worry about, using this handy service will prevent interruption in your business, as workers are taken away from other tasks to scan documents. The project can be competently done in a shorter time frame, often with better accuracy and precision.
Isn’t it about time your company considered a document management system that includes document scanning and document imaging? Request a free quote online or call us today at 888-316-4670. The Document Group, Houston’s one-stop shop for your printing, electronic discovery, copying, and scanning needs is waiting for your call.