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.

Off-site Data Protection

Many document storage facilities now offer what is referred to as "E-Vaulting." This storage feature offers full-automated backup and recovery for all of your digital data. No employee is perfect, which means that mistakes sometimes happen, and files that shouldn't be deleted dissappear. In the event of one or many of your files being mistakenly deleted or a virus reaking havoc on your digital files, having off-site data protection in place is a life saver.

Digital Delivery

As I mentioned in my earlier post about document management services (see below), one of the most important aspects of a good document storage provider is digital delivery. Digital delivery service provides two important benefits over traditional document pick-up and delivery service.

Benefit number one is the simple speed that your required document makes it into your hands. Literally moments after making the call to your storage center, digital retrieval and delivery systems can locate the document in question and email it to your desk.

Digital delivery also benefits smaller offices by cutting back on unnecesary paperwork. Cutting back on clutter is a great way to create a professional and relaxed work environment.

What is Document Management?

The idea of how an off-site document storage facility used to work was simple. Before the advent of digital storage, filing & retrieval systems the process was as simple as pick up, package and file away. Now, document storage facilities have become larger and more complex, segueing into businesses that offer a wide-range of document related services. This shift in the business has lead to a change in title as well.

When searching for a document storage facility, nine times out of ten you will find "document management centers." But what does this mean? Essentially, a document management center offers safe and secure storage of your files and documents, as well as new services unheard of before the advent of sophisticated industry technology. For example, many facilities now scan and barcode all documents entering their storage centers. Once that is completed, documents you need back at the office can not only be recalled quickly, but they can also be delivered to you digitally. Document Management Centers also typically offer services like certified shredding and hard-drive destruction, which will be discussed later on in the blog.

Welcome to the GRM Document Storage Blog

There are few things more important to a business than keeping paperwork organized and easily accessible. Whether you’re running a doctors office, an accounting firm or a small retail outlet - every business runs on paper and ink. Today, the traditional office space and the online business world are becoming inseparable. As your file cabinets are replaced by Word docs, .pdf files and jpegs, finding a way to store your hard copies and your digital files safely becomes more important every day. I know that finding a safe and efficient system or off-site location to store your back-log of paper files and their digital counterparts can be a daunting task. As an employee of GRM Document Management Systems, I've created this blog as a resource for businesses of all sizes looking for document storage solutions. I'll be posting tips, important document storage terminology and links to other helpful websites every day.