Document Archiving



Strictly speaking, archiving means transferring historical documents to an document repository. Such an archive can then help a company record its history and use the history for various purposes, including marketing its heritage.

In practice, document archiving can include active documents as well as historical documents. The archive is accessed not only to study history but for daily business-support information.

Computerized Document Archiving

Using computers and archiving software provides several benefits. These include:

• Easy Retrieval: Any document can be retrieved in a few seconds if it can be uniquely identified in some way. Current search engines can index vast quantities of data and then retrieve any indexed document extremely quickly. Thus, all documents containing a particular word can be retrieved and listed for selection.



• Retrieval from One's Workstation: Users can retrieve documents without leaving their workstation or sending a request to the filing department and waiting. Documents are stored in a central server computer of a network and workstations connected to the network can then access these documents.



• Greater Security: Access to the documents can be restricted to authorized persons through the use of a system of permissions and passwords. Paper documents typically involve a lot of handling and movements, and can get into unauthorized hands during the frequent shuffling.



• Greater Safety: Digital documents can be backed up easily, and the backups can be stored at a location away from the main office. If anything happens to the original documents, the backups can then be used to restore them.



• Reduced Storage Costs: Large volumes of documents can be stored in little space on compact media. This results in huge savings in document-storage costs compared to the storage of a similar volume of paper documents, requiring filing cabinets and expensive floor space.

Considerations for Selecting Document Archiving Software

There are many archiving software offerings in the market and you might be confused by the claims and promises of the numerous vendors. Evaluate the offerings by checking the following:

• Functions: Does the software offer functions for transferring paper documents to the computer through scanning and OCR (optical character recognition)? Does it come with powerful classification features that can index vast volumes of documents? Can it prevent unauthorized access to documents by restricting access? Can authorized persons access it from their workstations? Are there reliable backup facilities?



• Ease of Use: Is the software easy to use? If it comes with routines that simulate existing routines for accomplishing tasks, staff will find it easy to master. Otherwise the software might not be used at all.



• Robustness: Can the software tolerate some amount of mishandling and recover from mistakes? Or does it crash frequently and lose valuable data?



• Scalability: Can it grow with your business? For example, can it allow access to centralized documents from anywhere in the world?



• Customizability: Does the software allow for the automation of certain routine tasks, such as transferring documents to the archive during non-peak hours? Can it be customized to mimic the workflow in your business?

Do evaluate the software offerings deliberately. Otherwise, you may be stuck with a useless investment.