4 Things You Need to Know About Digital Document Management Today

When combining the responsibilities of managing records with a fast-paced work setting, keeping up can be difficult for business owners or office managers.

Hybrid document management plans, where certain records are being stored either physically or electronically, are becoming part of the norm as the role of technology grows in office environments. With more businesses relying on digital document management, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the best ways to maintain electronic records. 

Whether your business is considering going paperless, or has already started the transition, it’s necessary to know what steps to take. Although your records may be digital, they still require proper retention and destruction schedules.

Here are 4 things you need to know about digital document management today:

Do you know your goals?

Each business has to start somewhere. No matter what phase your business may be in with digital document management, having a goal is key. Start by acknowledging your pain points, and make a tangible goal. The challenge may be that you have an overwhelming amount of paper, or you’ve converted files and the documents are misplaced in their electronic folders. Having a goal, such as converting a set amount of paper records to digital files by the end of the quarter, will be beneficial in the long term as your business continues to take in digital and physical documents.

Do you know your current work environment?

Is your business primarily paperless? Or is it a hybrid office in pursuit of cutting down on paper records? Maybe you’re just now researching more about digital document management. Wherever you may be on the spectrum, it's important to understand your office environment. Knowing where records are located, whether they are electronic or physical documents, how they are accessed, and how they are protected is imperative.

Do you know your records are safe?

The cyber world can be a dangerous place. Relying on computers and cloud servers to contain your company’s information can be a gold mine for hackers. Corrupted files, identity theft, and legal allegations are just a few issues to combat from a data breach. Team up with an off site document storage company to find out their insurance policies regarding cyber protection. 

Do you know your retention and destruction schedule?

It’s not uncommon for your business to produce both paper and digital files. Regardless of the format, physical and digital documents must have properly planned retention schedules and destruction schedules. Set up a convenient weekly, monthly, or quarterly routine with an offsite document storage facility to maintain necessary hard copies. Trusting a qualified partner with the responsibility of storing information can remove time-consuming document management tasks.

Technological advances are only growing, and our records management team at Gilmore Services is here to keep you informed. Regardless where you are in your records management journey, big or small, we are here to help. Contact us to learn more about how we can help with your business records management plan today.