The volume of data that businesses create and have to process is growing all the time. While in 2010, there were only two zettabytes of data created across the world, the volume is anticipated to reach 149 zettabytes by 2024.
To handle this massive influx of data, businesses need to come up with an effective document archiving strategy.
A high quality archive retains essential information and makes it easy to access upon necessity. At the same time, it keeps workers from becoming overwhelmed and making mistakes when it comes to using and versioning available information.
If your organization doesn’t have a document archiving strategy already, the following suggestions will help you put one in place.
A Document Archiving Strategy Will Successfully Identify Roles and Long-Term Goals
A good document archiving strategy isn’t just about the way in which data gets handled and archived.
What are your primary goals when archiving documents? This may seem like a weird question right now but just think about it. Would you like to have remote access to older records for reference purposes? Does the customer support team need to go back to such documentation often to do a good job?
Knowing the primary goal and the roles that will be assigned to different entities accessing the archive will simplify all other steps. Based on such considerations, you can select the right solution and the additional technology required to support it. You can also come up with workflows and automated processes that are in line with the vision.
Finally, think about the organizational roles. Who will be responsible for setting up and organizing the initial archive? Who’ll make sure that new entries are submitted and indexed in an optimal way? A corporate archive doesn’t occur suddenly on its own. Having a very clear idea about who’ll be responsible for what will result in proper order and structure right from the start.
Take Big Data into Consideration
An Accenture study carried out among enterprise executives shows that 79 percent of them agree that companies failing to embrace big data will lose their competitive position (and potentially perish). Hence, a good document archiving strategy should take into account the challenges that could stem from having to handle large volumes of unstructured data.
Having the right document management system in place is obviously one of the key factors for seeing good results.
A document management solution should be scalable, allowing personalization to meet a company’s individual needs. The power to create specific workflows and automation shortcuts will obviously make the handling and archiving of large data volumes much easier.
Big data archiving should also be based on the right structure, a chance to integrate information from numerous sources (and available in an array of formats), a product that’s actually capable of moving data to an archive instead of just copying it and a capability for information lifecycle management that sets the right retention and legal hold periods.
Backed Up by Essential Hardware
While the paperless office cannot be achieved fully yet, many businesses are working hard to digitize as many processes as possible.
A document archiving strategy should be based on the right kind of software but also on the right kind of hardware.
Apart from choosing a document management system, you will also need to decide where and how the archive is going to be hosted. Will you have a local server? While this choice gives you a lot of flexibility and security, it can be expensive. Not only will you need high-quality hardware, but you’ll also have to hire a team responsible for the management and servicing of your machines.
Online document storage is another viable choice that will significantly reduce the need for hardware purchases. To make the most of such a possibility, however, you will have to make sure that you’ve picked the right solution.
Focus on Minimizing Paperwork
A document archiving strategy is about a lot more than just storing and managing your old records.
It can also be used to boost innovation and introduce better workplace practices.
When coming up with your strategy, consider ways in which your archiving practices could help the reduction of paper-based documentation.
Digitizing currently active files is a good strategy to reduce paper-based clutter once you need to archive. Active files will be retired sooner or later. If these are maintained in the original format, you’ll have to handle a large, clunky, and ineffective paper archive.
The proper digitization of documents starts with a professional document scanning service.
Apply it to as many active documents as possible. It’s also a good idea to start switching up the way in which documents are created so that you’re more reliant on digital copies and less reliant on printed information.
Needless to say, the specifics of a document archiving strategy will vary from one organization to another. What matters is understanding your needs and processes. Getting some key employees involved in the conceptualization can really help in the creation of a practical and effective approach towards archiving that everybody will benefit from.