Are Your Filing Cabinets Putting Your Business at Risk?
File cabinets, as appealing as they may be, are putting your business at risk. We all know file cabinets are bulky, but they are essential, right? Not necessarily. Just as it is important for your marketing team to have the right kind of strategies to market, it is important for your business to have the right kind of document management and storage/retrieval strategies.
Even the New York Times had to learn their lesson about document management and storage/retrieval when a pipe burst in the sub-basement of their building housing of their photo archives. Fortunately the leak was caught and the priceless, decades-old, never digitized, photo catalog was saved. While this story has a happy ending, it illustrates a tale of the dangers as well as the importance of proper document management and storage/retrieval.
All companies have some repository of vital records that they need to keep safe, and many companies only store this information in the traditional manner: in paper form in filing cabinets or records retention boxes. Even companies that have fully digitized their documents are likely to have paper copies saved somewhere in a storage cabinet in a dark room that only few know about.
So, what to do? To begin, digitize your documents. Why? Beyond the obvious, based on the story above, paper is costing you money, slowing you down, and of course, putting your vital information at risk.
Fragile pieces of paper
Theft, fire, misfiling, flooding — you name it, the world seems to have it out for your documents and critical information. On any given day, disaster (natural or otherwise) could strike your documents. You may say “Well, that could happen to data servers which would store our information as well”. Yes, that’s true; however, a prudent approach to server management and data servers includes multiple backups of your information, a characteristic that is unlikely for the documents stored traditionally in those filing cabinets.
Certainly, fires and floods are not typical events, and many managers errantly believe that old documents are just perfunctory and hardly necessary. Of course, disasters do happen, and very often, those old documents have more value than many people initially recognize—for example, many older documents need to be available and maintained in order to stay in compliance with regulatory standards or laws.
Sure, some industries do not have strict compliance laws; however, even if compliance is not on your radar, you may still be at risk. Keeping old records, even if it seems unnecessary, could be the difference to winning a lawsuit or responding to an IRS audit. Old is not synonymous with unnecessary when it comes to documentation. Your business does not want to get caught saying “Everything is lost, what do we do now?” Not ever.
Going digital, from the past and into the future
Going digital has never been easier than it is today. The mostly pain free process to convert these important documents to a digital format can even be done for you cost-effectively if you don’t have the time or resources to do it yourself.
Going digital with old records protects your business from anything that can be thrown at your physical copies; although there are other advantages, as well, such as ease of access for all employees or employees that work remotely or across offices, trends can be uncovered from older data if you use data analytic technology and convenient access to your documents can speed up the pace of work overall.
Going forward, digitizing documents as they come in or are created can help protect your information from the risks associated with paper documents while also providing the benefits noted above.
Creating a culture of digital documents and efficient storage and retrieval also creates a new, more efficient workflow, while improving record integrity and saving time for anyone who uses information in the organization. One such use is with new hire paperwork in Human Resources. A second involves Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable, easily tracking a record of invoices.
Getting Started
There are many different scanning and digitizing options from which to choose, including options that can upload directly to cloud storage. In terms of your bottom line, a digitally-based document management, storage and retrieval strategy can create savings that are not only significant but enduring. For example, a digitally-based document management, storage and retrieval strategy can free up storage space, reducing real estate costs and/or creating new space in the office for productive use. It can reduce waste and the costs for removal, recycling and even document destruction. And of course, a a digitally-based document management, storage and retrieval strategy can improve the efficiency of your entire operation, which has both top line and bottom line implications. And then, there are the security advantages, which have their own cost savings equations and benefits.
Not sure where to begin? That’s where we can help. Learn more at www.stratixsystems.com or call us toll-free 1-800-444-2943
About Stratix Systems
With offices in Reading, Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and Central and Northern New Jersey, Stratix Systems is one of the region’s leading technology solutions partners —with the people, resources and experience to deliver the IT, content/document management and imaging support you need: where, when and how you need it. In fact, very few providers in the region can match the vast array of total business solutions and responsive service available from Stratix Systems. It’s no wonder why we are the partner-of-choice for over 4,500 organizations throughout Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Have a question? Get an answer. Our experienced systems experts would be happy to answer your questions, help you explore your options and develop a customized plan for you. Learn more at www.stratixsystems.com or call us toll-free 1-800-444-2943.
This source for this document originally appeared on WorkIntelligent.ly, authored by Ricoh USA.