The Risks of Not Converting Paper Documents To Digital

Paper or digital? It's a struggle many businesses face: Is it better to embrace the process of digital document conversion or keep paper records separate from newly created digital files? While digital offers a number of advantages over physical copies, some companies rely on the “not broken, don't fix it” adage, often assuming that paper documents will eventually “age out.” The problem? There are real risks in sidelining digital conversion efforts: Here's why it's worth making the switch.

A Brief History of Digital

While it's tempting to think of digital document management as a relatively new concept, companies and individuals have been working for over 200 years to transmit, store and copy documents without the need to generate more paper. Consider the pantelegraph, an early form of the fax machine developed in the 1860s, which used electromagnets to scan and transmit images over long distances. Drum scanners, meanwhile — which use a rotating drum and photodetector to transmit images over standard telephone lines — were first used in 1920 and remained a mainstay of news agencies until the mid-1990s.

More recent document conversion technology focused on improving the resolution of images in addition to text recognition, making it possible to save digital documents as editable files rather than static images. The rise of hand-held scanning technology has also spurred corporate uptake — when users can simply scan and email a document, why bother with physical mail and the possibility of loss or destruction?

Real Risks

Companies face significant risk if they pass on the digital transition. The biggest worry? Damage or theft. Paper documents, microfiche and even magnetic tape can all be damaged if stored improperly, or in the event of a fire or flood. What's more, it's possible for criminals to steal these forms of document storage — and if you haven't been making regular backups, the results could be disastrous.

Lack of speed is also a risk: Consumers expect near-instantaneous feedback and compliance agencies want proof that you're properly storing and protecting files. If you can't find what you need quickly and securely, the results could be costly.

Digital Solutions

How does choosing an enterprise level document scanning solution solve these problems? Centrality is the first key benefit: All of your documents are stored in the same database using the same file type, making them accessible with a simple search query. Additionally, you can save multiple versions of the same file to create digital backups, meaning you won't need to worry about a power outage or natural disaster destroying all your hard work. Security is also easier in a digital environment; when documents are encrypted both at rest and in transit, they become useless to malicious actors.

The Digital Documents Advantage

At Digital Documents, LLC, we've developed a document conversion process that not only produces the highest quality digital images possible, but does so quickly and with expert oversight. At each stage of the process your documents are checked for quality and consistency, while our Level 5 nested facility with cypher-locks keeps your data safe during conversion. Our cloud hosted solutions for documents, meanwhile, give you total access, scalable storage and cutting edge security without breaking your IT budget.

Considering a move to digital? There's no better time — the legacy appeal of paper doesn't overcome inherent risks and can't match the advantage of high-quality, searchable and secure digital documents.