Filing Cabinets: Are They Putting Your Business at Risk?

File cabinets, as appealing as they may be, are putting your business at risk. We all know file cabinets are bulky, but they are essential, right? Not necessarily. Just as it is important for your marketing team to have the right kind of strategies to market, it is important for your business to have the right kind of filing.

Even the New York Times nearly had to learn their lesson, when a pipe burst in the sub-basement housing of its photo archives. Fortunately the leak was caught and the priceless, decades old never digitized, photo catalog was saved.

Though not every company has a knight in shining armor, as this heroic story does. The story tells a tale of the dangers as well as the importance of proper file keeping. All companies have some fort of vital records that they need kept safe, and many of those companies only keep this information in paper format. Even companies that have fully digitized their documents are likely to have paper copies saved somewhere in a storage cabinet in a dark room only few know about.

So, moral of the story - digitize documents. Why? Paper is costing you money, slowing you down, and putting your vital information at risk. If that is not enough reason for you, below is some more information.

Fragile pieces of paper

Theft, fire, misfiling, flooding; you name it, the world has it coming for your documents. On any given day any of the aforementioned things, or more, could happen to your documents. You may say “Well, that could happen to data servers which would store our information as well”. You have a point, though, many data servers have multiple backups of your information, a characteristic that is unlikely for the documents stored in those filing cabinets.

Your counter may be, “Fire and floods are not typical, besides those are old documents anyways, hardly necessary”. Surprisingly, this is only partially true. While we hope natural disaster is not a regular thing for you, and recognize that is probably isn’t a normal occurrence, even old documents have value. The value may not be direct, but many older documents need to be available in order to stay in compliance with standards or laws.

Finally, “My industry doesn’t have strict compliance laws”. Even if compliance is not on your radar, you are still at risk. Keeping old records, even if it seems unnecessary, could be the difference to winning a lawsuit or even just a need to look at old tax records. Old is not synonymous with unnecessary when it comes to documentation. Your business does not want to get caught saying “Everything is lost, what do we do now?” if and when the time arises.

Going digital, from the past and into the future

Going digital has never been easier than it is now. The mostly pain free process to convert these important documents over to digital format can even be done for you if you don’t have the time or resources to do it yourself.

Going digital with old records protects your business from anything that can be thrown at your physical copies. Though, there are other advantages as well, such as ease of access for all employees or employees that work remotely or across offices, trends can be uncovered from older data if you use data analytic technology, and it can speed up the pace of work overall.

As for the future, the future is now. Digitizing documents as they come in can help protect from all the risks associated with the paper documents mentioned before. Creating a culture of making documents digital as they come in begins a new type of workflow all while improving record integrity and saving time for anyone who uses it. One such use is through HR with new hire paperwork, or perhaps billing with keeping record of invoices. There are many different scanning options to choose from, even those that can upload directly to cloud storage.

Less paper mess

The bottom line when it comes to digitizing, is that it can decrease the bottom line while freeing up storage, eliminating expenses for storage, creating new space in the office, and reducing waste. Increasing the efficiency of your office all while creating new opportunities to save money is a win-win.

When you’re ready to clean up the paper mess, we’re ready to help you do more with less - paper, both green and white, that is. Stratix Systems has many solutions to get you started by helping you assess where your business could use this technology most, digitize your old documents, and keep up with digitizing the incoming flow of paperwork to come.

The bottom line: If growing your business, while controlling costs, is on your mind, it’s time to talk with Stratix Systems.

About Stratix Systems

With offices in Reading, Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and Central and Northern New Jersey, Stratix Systems is one of the region’s leading technology solutions partners —with the people, resources and experience to deliver the IT, content/document management and imaging support you need: where, when and how you need it. In fact, very few providers in the region can match the vast array of total business solutions and responsive service available from Stratix Systems. It’s no wonder why we are the partner-of-choice for over 4,500 organizations throughout Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Have a question? Get an answer. Our experienced systems experts would be happy to answer your questions, help you explore your options and develop a customized plan for you. Learn more at www.stratixsystems.com or call us toll-free 1-800-444-2943.