Paper or Digital?

Companies often ask one question: Should we stay with out paper records or should we go digital?

The answer is: It depends.

For every company, there are ups and downs to every sort of document management. If your company is debating going digital, you should ask yourself why you want to digitize your records. Here are some of the common reasons to go digital and the common reasons to stay with your paper records.

It's a greener alternative.

That is true. On average, a document is photocopied 19 times. 80% of documents were actually created in digital form and then printed. In your quest to go green, start with the present and the future. GRM Document Management can show you how to have all your current and future records in a web based, password protected Online Records Center. With GRM Document Management, you can nearly avoid paper altogether. It is possible. I store all of my records in the Online Records Center and I've almost completely eliminated the need to print.

Past records aren't quite as clear cut. If your records are sitting dormant in one of our records centers, there is no environmental benefit to digitizing them. The paper already exists and the amount of resources involved in storing an individual box is very small. However, if you are accessing those files on a regular basis, you are adding to the file's carbon footprint, simply because of transportation. A better alternative would be to use our Scan On Demand services. When you need a file that is being scored, have us scan it then and upload it into the Online Records Center.

This video from AIIM has a little more info on going green.



Isn't going digital expensive?

It depends on your usage. If your files are fairly active, the service costs can easily bypass the costs of digitization. Again, if the files are relatively dormant, paper is probably your best option.

Most customers are shocked to realize how inexpensive digital records actually are.

Is digital more secure?

Digital records are extremely secure. Access is password protected and will be granted only to the people designated by the system administrator.

Paper records are also extremely secure. Each GRM Document Management facility has state of the art security. Each employee goes through rigorous background checks and random drug testing. Our barcode tracking ensures that you are able to follow a record throughout the chain of custody.

GRM Document Management secures its facilities against natural and man made disasters, but digital records are stored in not just one, but in two servers, both in areas where natural disasters are extremely rare. For that reason, digital records are more secure, simply because there is always a backup.

Regardless of your choice, the safest place to have your records is offsite. They will be safe from disaster and from employee error.

What about compliance?

To remain compliant, many industries choose to go digital, and some, like the medical industry, must go digital. Digital records offer nearly immediate search, retrieval and recovery. Digital records can be searched by keywords. Paper records cannot.

Many companies are choosing a compromise. They are digitizing newer records and letting older records that are nearing their destruction date remain paper.