In the past, document management involved having a good filing system in your cabinets. However, these days it has changed dramatically, and there are many digital solutions that can ensure documents are protected and easy to find.
However, these changes did not take place overnight and document storage has undergone a number of changes over the years. Here we take a look at the evolution of document storage to see exactly how it has adapted to modern working conditions.
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Traditional methods of document storage
Document management once involved huge stacks of papers that needed to be organised into different systems. Every office was surrounded by filing cabinets, each with their own files within them to break down different subjects, departments, patients or customers. This paper-based approach relied on physical documents and handwritten records and became painstaking to manage.
Finding the correct files could take an age, especially if something had been misplaced. In addition to this, the boxes and cabinets that were required to hold all of this paperwork would take up huge amounts of office space.
This meant that any time a document needed to be found, it could take substantial amounts of time out of the working day. In addition to this, many documents were at risk of damage, theft or loss, which meant that confidentiality was often an issue.
Digital beginnings
The limitations of a paper-based document management system became clear as soon as the digital age began. We now had electronic documents being created which were much easier to handle than their paper equivalent, so many businesses looked at ways in which they could transfer from one system to another.
One of the first solutions involved scanning any paper documentation that was on site and then destroying it through secure document shredding. This meant there was an exact copy of the original document on file, but it was kept electronically, making it easier to protect and find.
Digital filing
One great advantage of digital document storage is how quickly the filing process can be streamlined. Instead of wading through filing cabinets, it is as simple as a couple of clicks to locate the right folder.
In fact, it is possible to search by a document name or the name of a company or customer defined exactly what you are looking for in just a matter of seconds.
This has helped to make many workplaces much more productive as far less time is wasted hunting through files and folders.
Enhanced security
One of the biggest advantages that digital document management offers is the enhanced security that it can provide. With the addition of cloud storage, there is now very little risk that documents can be lost or damaged, even in the event of a disaster such as a fire or flood.
A big concern about storing documents digitally was that there was a risk these could be hacked and stolen by cybercriminals.
However, there are significant security measures that could be put in place to help prevent this. Documents and files can be password protected, which will not only limit who has access to them but can also track exactly when they were accessed.
Each individual document could also be encrypted to make it even harder for criminals to get their hands on it.
When compared to physical documents, there’s technically more risk of a document being left somewhere unattended, falling into the wrong hands or even something as simple as someone spilling a cup of tea on it! On the flip-side, retaining documents physically in file storage systems removes the worry of documents being accessed online should there be a security risk.
Document storage has undergone a lot of changes in a short space of time, but these have all helped to make it a much smoother system that is far better protected.
Contact us today
Here at Rads, we are specialists in secure document storage services and use modern methods to securely store your documents. To discover more, or to discuss our document storage services, please contact us online today and we’ll be happy to help you.