Did you know:
- 90% of corporate memory exists on paper.
- Of pages that get handled in the office, 90% are merely shuffled.
- The average document gets copied 19 times.
- Companies spend $20.00 in labor to file a document, $120.00 in labor to find a misfiled document, and $220.00 in labor to produce a lost document.
- 7.5% of all documents get lost, 3% of the remainder get misfiled.
- Professionals spend 5-15% of their time reading information but 50% looking for it.
- Four Trillion paper documents are in the US alone and grow at a rate of 22% per year.
Electronic Document Imaging
One of the best forms of document protection against fire, earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, and any other form of disaster is through the use of document imaging. Do you have a disaster recovery plan?
Thousands of organizations around the world use document-imaging everyday instead of paper filing systems for safe archiving purposes, and at the same time are able to offer a faster document response time to their customers. The benefits of document imaging over paper or microfilm systems, aside from lower costs and increased customer service, include allowing a single computer to store millions of pages onto a desktop, accessible at the click of a button, with very little storage space required. For example, a single CD can hold up to 15,000 pages which is equivalent to four drawers in a standard filing cabinet.
Until recently, document imaging was a complex technology involving expensive specialized databases, optical storage devices, and various document scanners. Today businesses can now utilize this technology through the use of imaging conversion specialists, such as Offsite Data Depot.
Document imaging is the conversion of paper documents into electronic images on your computer. All the documents that a company has stored and filed are run through a high-speed scanner that photographs the material and then indexes it into a file. The files are electronically converted and a high-resolution photocopy is stored on the hard drive or optical disk. Once recorded onto the desired media (CD-ROM, DVD ROM, secured server), these documents can be retrieved effortlessly in seconds. Files can still be stored, shared, viewed, and even emailed.
When paper documents are received in an office, they must be organized in order to be useful. They are usually labeled, sorted, stapled, placed in folders, and filed in a cabinet. Without these steps nothing could be found in a busy workplace. Despite the many efforts to move away from paper-based transactions, document imaging remains the technology of choice for tackling mission-critical transactional challenges such as expediting account or loan applications, fulfilling orders, processing claims, reconciling accounts payables, and supporting customer service.
Electronic documents are no different. A document imaging system should provide several different methods of organizing
information for future use. This is why we use industry specific software which is indeed the "state of the art" in
electronic document management. Each file can be accessed within seconds by typing in any key word or phrase that a company
would already use to manually look up a file, thus making your workforce more time efficient and productive.
Document imaging will:
• Enable you to manage millions of paper files and retrieve the one you need in a matter of seconds.
• Be a pleasure to use, whether you are the individual that uses the files, the records manager, or the IT
manager.
• Let you share documents with other employees while protecting confidential information.
• Allow you to email, fax, or look online with the click of a mouse.
• Provide an easier way to share documents with other offices or take them on the road when necessary.
• Conform to the manner in which you work rather than force you to change your current tasks.
New feature: secure online retrieval
Offsite's web repository allows organizations to better manage their paper documents by enabling them to
store and access them electronically. This approach has significant advantages over filing in a traditional
metal file cabinet, such as: maximized office space, cost savings as a result of a reduction in paper
copies made, and disaster recovery benefits since files are backed up electronically and hosted on Offsite
Data Depot's secure server.
How does it work?
Paper documents are scanned using very sophisticated imaging software and then they are converted into
".tiff" files, an industry recognized file format. The newly created digital images are then uploaded to
Offsite's secure online repository. Once the documents are put into a cabinet, an individual can log in and
start viewing the information online. This process takes no more than a few minutes to complete which makes it
very useful for businesses that need information in a hurry.
Benefits of Web Based Repositories:
• Data is accesible at any time and by anyone globally with browser capability and log in information.
• Huge benefits for geographically dispersed clientele.
• Access over 128-bit encrypted SSL connection.
• Digital certificate guarantees trusted source.
• Secure online backup means virtually no chance of data loss in the event of hardware failure.
• Ability to create notes for a particular document to share with coworkers or clients.
• Online search capabilities allow you to find text embedded in documents with OCR.
• Email, print, or download the documents with ease.
