How going paperless could be a New Year’s resolution worth keeping

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The turn of the year is a time when many of us decided to turn over a new leaf in terms of the way we approach certain aspects of our lives.

Whether it's getting healthy or vowing not to spend as much money, we all have ways in which we believe we can better ourselves.

The world of business is no different, with many firms drawing their own conclusions as to the best way in which to overcome the various challenges that lie ahead.

The financial situation means that the purse strings of many companies have never been tighter, meaning that firms are constantly on the lookout for ways in which to streamline operations in order to both save money and increase efficiency.

Why go paperless?

The advantages that come by making your office go paperless are greatly significant, especially for companies having to deal with vast amounts of records in order to adequately provide their services.

Not only can paper documents take up an immense level of space, but it can also be prohibitively difficult to find exactly what you are looking for among the vast mountains of paperwork.

One popular way of getting round this problem is the use of document scanning, as it allows documents to be digitised using a computer scanner, enabling it it to either be stored on a DVD, computer hard drive or even on a cloud storage system.

To the cloud

There are a whole range of examples available to companies that are looking for a cloud-based data management solution.

One option is the Fujitsu ScanSnap, which can send documents to SugarSync, Evernote, Google Drive, and other online locations.

Epson has an offering of its own, with its “Scan to Cloud”-capable scanners can save directly to Box, Dropbox, Evernote, and Google Drive.

Whatever system you decide to opt for, a cloud-based application can allow you to cut out the middleman of sorting and backing-up files for back-up.

Other options

Although cloud-based storage systems are proving popular with many firms, there are still a number of slightly more traditional options available.

For instance, it is estimated that a single DVD is capable of holding the contents of almost 30 filing cabinets, which represents a huge saving in physical storage space, saving money that can then be applied to other areas of the business.

This allows for a smaller, cheaper and crucially, more efficient office.

Productivity is further increased by the fact that retrieving data is made much easier and swifter.

It means that if a multinational company is trying to find a relevant record form five or ten years ago. All it takes with a digitised system is a quick search, rather than the long and arduous process of physically rustling around trying to find it among the mountains of paperwork that has built up over the years.

Don't worry, it's backed up!

There is also the added concern of something happening to your records, such as water damage, or something even more dramatic like a fire. Such events can have a devastating effect on businesses, so ensuring that you have copies of your most vital documents is vital.

Scanned copies that are safely stored away on a computer hard drive or cloud storage system are arguably a great way to keep a back-up that is well away from any dangers.

That means that a document management system is also a good way of gaining greater control over more sensitive documents.

Many of these systems allow documents to be controlled at the folder and/or document level for different groups and individuals. This is in stark contrast to paper documents, where if you have access to a particular filing cabinet, you also have access to everything in it, whether you are authorised or not.

Paper copies of confidential documents can also left lying around the office for all to see, a situation that can also harm the security of your company.

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”. How going paperless could be a New Year’s resolution worth keeping. December 31, 2013. Storetec.