| Documents galore, paper everywhere, files in | | | | The document retrieval system should be |
| every corner of the office and an inability to | | | | efficient, user friendly and above all secure. Online |
| locate exactly what we need - this used to be | | | | security is a major problem worldwide, and once |
| the scenario in most offices many years ago. | | | | all your document s have been scanned and |
| Storage facilities seemed to take up so much | | | | archived, it is doubly important that the highest |
| more space than the employees themselves. | | | | standards of privacy and computer security |
| A little later we saw the advent of computers. | | | | should be maintained. |
| Paperwork decreased, and data began to be | | | | While you are getting your papers scanned you |
| stored in the computers and servers everywhere. | | | | can also avail of some other services provided by |
| But the proverbial files were still there. The | | | | the scanning company. Once they have stored all |
| numbers had definitely decreased, but we never | | | | your data securely, they can shred all the |
| seemed to get rid of them. Certain sectors such | | | | paperwork, as a final safety measure. However, if |
| as lawyers and registrars and accountants still | | | | you would rather keep your documents in |
| have rooms full of records and paper which just | | | | storage in the physical form, that option is also |
| have to be there and cannot be replaced. | | | | available. But then the whole point of the exercise |
| However, things are beginning to look much more | | | | will be lost, would it not? |
| upbeat now. The new catchword in corporations | | | | They also provide data capture services to their |
| and even in smaller businesses is document | | | | clients. This service is very useful in cases such as |
| scanning. From the term itself you will be able to | | | | survey forms, feedback forms, application and |
| understand what the process entails. Certain | | | | registration forms. Here the data is processed into |
| companies have begun to specialise in the process | | | | a spreadsheet so that a complete analysis of the |
| of scanning all the documents of any organization, | | | | data can be done. By converting print data in to |
| big or small, by scanning and saving them, either | | | | electronic data, data capture will help save you a |
| on a CD or in a sophisticated data management | | | | lot of time and effort. |
| solution. | | | | By far the greatest service which any scanning |
| This sounds simpler than it really is. | | | | company provides is the resultant efficiency. Just |
| It is not just scanning them which are required, | | | | think of the amount of time that your employees |
| they need to be archived, they need to be | | | | and colleagues will save when they do not have |
| indexed and they need to be accessible to all | | | | to walk to storeroom to look for long forgotten |
| authorized personnel. The machines should be | | | | files. The information is easily available, it has been |
| sophisticated enough to be able to clearly scan | | | | indexed correctly and it has been collated into |
| any, no matter how old it is. | | | | sections which are clear and understandable. No |
| The indexation should cover all fields such as | | | | matter how old the file is, or how convoluted the |
| reference numbers, subjects, criteria, date and | | | | document is - once you are able to access it on |
| name, for example. | | | | the computer, it will seem far less complex! |