Document Scanning Blog

Developing Internal Security Guidelines for Digital Document Storage With the paperless office quickly becoming the standard in most industries, it is interesting to see how individual businesses go about the administration of an electronic document management (EDM) system. The most popular systems allow business to configure the security guidelines and accessibility of files in an intuitive and logical way. However, it is crucial that a company first establishes a corporate policy that is clearly communicated to employees. * Configurable administrative rights within EDM systems allow corporations complete control of who can access files, but the rules must be simple or they could be ignored. When launching a new system, remember to restate the company policies regularly. * Once your company has made the conversion to electronic document storage, remember to audit the system regularly to ensure compliance and make any adjustments to the system as necessary. EDM Integration and Long-Term Planning Document scanning doesn’t always mean that digital files are stored appropriately. Too often, data is stored in too many different systems, which can further complicate efficiency and compliance. Instead of using a separate EDM system for each division of the company, integrate them all so that up-to-date documents can be gathered from various sources, where they can be easily searched and retrieved. One way to prevent system overlap is by making sure your EDM solution can point to diverse document types and all of your information can be searched securely through one centralized system. This may include document scanning, images, correspondence, forms, emails and faxes, among other things. Finally, establish consistent and clear guidelines for the long-term storage of documents that are no longer a part of your business lifecycle but still must be retained to comply with regulations. Many document scanning companies can archive old documents for you, but privacy regulations may dictate that they are either purged or destroyed when no longer in use. Be sure your company has a clear policy about how this is handled.