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Companies and organisations throughout the UK and Europe are currently undergoing a series of evolutions in how they handle, process, secure, and produce digital data and information. Phil Abbott, digitisation specialist at Wakefield-based Microform Imaging Ltd, talks to us about how we can all benefit from going digital.
Cost efficiency – Going digital mitigates the traditional pitfalls of non-digital businesses. For example, money spent on things such as paper, printing, scanning, laminating, postage, and so on, can be invested elsewhere.
Time efficiency – Time is perhaps more valuable to businesses than anything else. So, time spent sifting through files and documentation can instead be channelled into areas you may usually have to rush through.
Preservation of quality – A business’ image is, in many ways, equally as important as its services. Unlike physical documentation, digital copies are consistent in the way they appear and do not require the same amount of preservation.
Accessibility – The assembly of business data onto an online cloud is beneficial for several reasons. The first, and probably the most important, is the accessibility it brings.
Recovery of lost files – Human error means that we often misplace or lose important files. Data archiving lessens this risk by storing files at a remote location, which can be easily accessed through an internet connection.
Security – You can ensure that your files are accessible by entering a password, which you may distribute to selected people, ensuring that rogue visitors cannot breach your data unless equipped with that password.
Scanning Proliferation - Pretty much anything can be scanned! Financial documents, legal documents and contracts, film negatives, x-rays, medical documents, large format documents, business diaries, books, newspapers, magazines and the list goes on.
Being GDPR compliant - By identifying potential data risks, especially around printed data, you can ensure your organisation is on the way to becoming GDPR compliant and reducing the risk of potential fines from the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).
You can prove how many copies of your documents exist - We very rarely have just the one document in one location and may want to share duplicate copies of that document, meaning we have very little control over what another individual might do with that document and how and where it might be stored or even how it is disposed of. Lack of control over paper-based documentation can expose your organisation to a variety of data breaches – something which can be very costly.
Are your documents private? - The primary reason GDPR came into effect is to protect an individual’s privacy. There are many times, as individuals, we wonder how an organisation has managed to obtain our information or how we might have potentially become victims of fraud or identity theft. Now really is the time to adopt an effective paperless strategy and ensure it is enforced throughout the organisation.
Phil Abbott is a digitisation specialist at Wakefield-based Microform Imaging Ltd. The company has over 50 years’ experience, provides comprehensive, multi-document scanning and microfilming services in the UK.