Is your office overflowing with paper documents, relying on physical copies for records, correspondence, and more? Using only paper to manage your information is not only costly but also inefficient in numerous ways. As you plan your year-end budget, consider allocating funds to begin transitioning your documents to digital formats. This shift doesn’t have to happen overnight; a gradual change is more manageable and more likely to succeed.
Benefits of Transforming Your Documents to Digital Versions
Ensures Your Data is Backed Up and Protected
Backing up data is essential for effective data management. Digital backups safeguard against human errors, hardware failures, virus attacks, power outages, and natural disasters. Should any of these issues arise, having backups can save both time and money. Utilizing the 3-2-1 strategy (three copies of your data, two on different media, and one off-site) is a reliable method. Having at least one digital copy of your information offers excellent protection and peace of mind.
Frees Up Valuable Office Space
Storing paper documents consumes valuable office space, which can be costly and contribute to a cluttered working environment. Digitizing your documents frees up this space, allowing it to be used more effectively, whether for generating revenue or other necessary purposes. Instead of relocating or expanding your current office, consider converting your paper files to digital formats.
Ensures Easy Access and Quick Retrieval
Searching through paper files is time-consuming compared to accessing digital files. Over time, the minutes spent on this task add up, making operations more costly when relying solely on paper. Digitized documents enable your staff to perform their primary duties more efficiently and effectively, boosting overall productivity.
Provides File Longevity
Historical documents or important records can deteriorate with age and frequent handling. Converting these documents to digital formats helps preserve them, ensuring their longevity. Digital copies can be used for reference, reducing wear and tear on the original documents.
Reduces Paper Use and Supports Environmental Protection
Paper is not only expensive to purchase, but also wasteful if used for every piece of information, including those discarded the same day. Reducing paper usage saves money and benefits the environment significantly. Consider these statistics:
- US offices use 12.1 trillion sheets of paper annually.
- The average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper each year.
- One document can be photocopied 19 times in its lifespan.
- Widely adopting digital document management could save about 1.4 trillion pounds of paper.
- Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are discarded annually in the US.
Forests play a crucial role in purifying air, combating climate change, providing habitats for countless species, preventing soil erosion, and protecting against flooding. They also offer shade and cooler temperatures during summer. Reducing paper use helps preserve these essential natural resources.
Steps to Converting to Digital
- Focus on Going Digital, Not Going Paperless: While reducing paper usage is beneficial, the primary goal should be to make information management more efficient and effective through digitization. This approach offers broader benefits beyond just cutting down on paper.
- Train Your Staff: Ensure that your staff is well-trained in the processes of implementing and maintaining a digital workplace. Familiarizing them with new systems and practices is crucial for a smooth transition.
- Use Professional Scanning Services: Hiring a professional scanning company to convert your existing documents can save time and ensure high-quality results. These services are experienced in handling various file sizes, DPI settings, and specific requirements. They have the necessary equipment to scan large quantities of documents quickly and efficiently. Outsourcing this task is often more affordable than maintaining your own equipment for scanning and shredding.
Secure Records Solutions can take the tedious job of scanning off your hands, providing professional and quick conversion of your paper documents to digital files. We also offer a cost-effective scan-on-demand service. For more information on going digital, give us a call at 800-614-0856 or complete the form on this page.
