Archives for the 'Archiving' Category
Document Scanning Triggers: Office Relocation
While there are many circumstances which can push an organisation to undertake the scanning of their documents and paper files, one of the most common is when it comes to relocating to new offices. This tends to be a time when both office processes and office layout are examined or planned - two elements which highlight perfectly the benefits of having scanned documents made available centrally and on-line rather than dotted around the building in filing cabinets.
It’s also a time when the use of space in the office comes under close scrutiny and the amount of room that those 10 / 20 / 50* filing cabinets (*delete as applicable) and other storage units take up becomes all too apparent. Getting files and documents scanned will free up a huge amount of space which can then be usefully employed for other purposes.
Of course, it’s entirely normal for a company to accumulate paperwork, files and filing systems at an alarming rate – particularly one which is successful and growing. This in turn tends to be stored in filing cabinets in the same way as it has for years and it takes a real effort or trigger to change this. Moving offices can be such a moment, when the realisation hits home of the amount of space that will be required in the new offices to house them - space that a document scanning programme would quickly be able to free up.
Fortunately this also offers an opportunity and an incentive to change. Many companies take the approach that rather than transport paper from one place to another - only to be in the same situation in their new offices - it is the perfect time to ring the changes. By scanning all of their key documents and putting in place processes for ongoing document scanning, they can reduce their space requirements and improve their document filing and storage – optimum use of space and an accessible and indexed set of filed information. Now that can’t be bad.
So what are our recommendations:
- Plan ahead so that it’s not a last minute rush alongside all of your over relocation planning
- Decide on the indexing and structure of your new online information system, and get the new processes in place ready to implement
- Have the documents collected well ahead of the move date so that they can be scanned and the online system made ready for your first day in the new office
- Set up the systems ready for new users and training on the system if necessary
Then you can sit back in your new offices and marvel at all the space you never knew you had!
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Who contributes most to your document mountain?
Sometimes, within organisations, there is a lack of appreciation of the amount of paperwork and documentation which is generated on a day to day basis from every department. Although there is still much talk about the “paperless office” and there are many organisations which have taken steps towards achieving it, there are still very few which have totally managed it.
Often there are departments which have managed to reduce the paperwork that they create by routinely scanning documents and using online copies to not only cut down on the storage they need but also speed up the often laborious job of finding that elusive file that you need to lay your hands on quickly. However, there are of course others which continue to amass filing cabinets around the office at an alarming rate.
So which departments are the biggest offenders in terms of paperwork creation or, perhaps more diplomatically, are the most paper-intensive? I guess that the answers won’t come as too much of a surprise but, according to a survey last year, they are:
- Accounts Department
- Human Resources
- Sales and Marketing Communications
- Operations
- Legal
- Customer Service
Luckily in all of these cases, a systematic approach to document scanning can really keep the volumes at reasonable levels and make sure that the filing cabinets don’t continue to multiply around the office.
If you have already implemented a document scanning process then no doubt you will have seen the benefits of having the information at your finger tips without piles of paper mounting up around you. But if you have colleagues who can hardly see across the office because their view is obstructed by fast multiplying filing cabinets, then why not send them a quick email to them and let them know your secret!
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Document Scanning moves mountains for Carillion
With major construction projects comes a paperwork mountain to match and the efficient storage of all the drawings and information can provide an “Everest” size headache.
It was just this type of situation that Carillion, one of the UK’s leading support services and construction companies, found themselves in. A number of recently completed projects had generated so much documentation that it was being housed in several rooms on site and two additional lock ups, not to mention a number of corridor shelves which had been brought in to ease the pressure!
Something had to be done and a programme of document scanning seemed to be the ideal solution, providing better document management, instant access and, of course, freeing up the precious space. The scanning would need to be of both the reams of documents and large scale drawings that were involved.
Carillion had worked with Preview previously on other projects and chose them again as being the best able to deliver on all the key elements required from an operational and organisational perspective. Above all, time was of the essence as Carillion were imminently moving into new offices, so there were critical milestones that needed to be achieved giving little margin for error.
No need to worry - the scanning was completed successfully and the move went ahead without the mountain of paperwork in tow. Now, with the document scanning safely under control, office space is no longer a barrier to having the right information safely stored and available, allowing Carillion to concentrate on moving their own mountains in their projects.
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Virtualisation at top of the agenda at the IT Directors’ Forum
Virtualisation – well, that’s a Web 2.0 word if ever I heard one. But what exactly does it mean? Well, in pure IT terms, you will often hear it used in connection with servers where it effectively allows you to run a number of operating systems and their applications on a single server.
However, when it comes to document scanning, virtualisation is used in a whole different context. Virtualisation refers to the idea of storing documents in a virtual environment, creating a secure storage area akin to a vault or a safe where we can keep our information and documents safe … just like in a physical one, only this time virtually. Essentially, a highly secured area which contains your company’s information and yet makes it instantly accessible to you all day every day, whatever your location.
To achieve this, our own solution for this uses eView+ which is exactly this type of Virtual Vault. It’s also an ideal solution for companies who want all the benefits that document scanning offers, but are unsure if they want to hold the information themselves or indeed whether they have sufficient space on their own servers to do so.
Effectively outsourcing this storage and secure access has proven to be the perfect solution for many organisations and judging by the reaction at the IT Directors’ Forum, it is becoming increasingly popular. Although the size of company looking for this varies enormously, the solution works equally well if you only need a small number of documents stored or are looking to index hundreds of thousands of records. With half a billion documents already stored, size is not an issue.
Added to this, should the worse happen and records you hold at your own offices, in whatever format, are damaged or lost, then you are ideally covered from a disaster recovery perspective and can be back up and running almost immediately – saving you time, inconvenience and expense.
So next time you hear virtualisation, don’t think servers … think of a secure Virtual Vault, safely looking after your most important documents.
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Innovation online - document scanning uses and ideas!
The Preview management team consider the Company to be pretty innovative. But what has struck me recently is that our clients leave us in the shade when it comes to finding ways in which scanning can help them!
We’ve always known that digitising an archive of paper can save space and make images more available. We’ve also known that digitising can be a key part of a disaster recovery plan. We’ve even understood that converting paper into electronic material can improve workflow at the point of receipt.
But some of the fastest growth areas have come with the help of the on line image repository.
The on line image repository has created a wealth of reasons to scan. From Virtual Data Rooms used in the M&A world to vehicle mileage recording to the on line display of PODs for customer services departments and clients alike. Once digitised material can be made available online in a few hours.
One of the most innovative ideas we have seen is a means of generating revenue from mountains of archive material. They say ‘knowledge is power’ and clients charging the public to view and download historic material – which otherwise would not see the light of day, is now possible using a charging module on services such as Preview’s eView+ image repository. Simply by converting records of all types - from burial records to industry libraries our clients are both preserving material in perpetuity and benefiting financially from the process at the same time.
Sometimes I wish I’d saved all my old copies of Wycombe Wanderers fan club magazine!
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