October 23, 2009
The Paperless Office & Document Retention Policies
Visions of the paperless office have largely been rendered absurd by historical events, as evidenced by the billions enterprises spend every year on printers, copiers, and supplies. In fact, technology has arguably made it easier than ever to generate paper. However, the days of paper as a primary records storage medium are numbered; hard copy records take up too much space and take too long to search and retrieve. The confluence of multiterabyte storage systems, sophisticated document management software, and digitized workflows means that enterprises are building key business processes around online forms and digital records.
Yet, when transitioning to digital paperless systems, the archival and retention of records are critical policies that are often overlooked. According to Info-Tech Research analyst Rahul Parmar, “The development of a document retention strategy is the first phase of transferring a paper-based system to a digital one.” He notes that given the implications for every facet of a business, the impetus and leadership for document retention policies generally comes from upper management, not IT. “This is a business problem, not a technical one,” says Parmar, adding that IT is responsible for the tools and back-end infrastructure but not the entire project.
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Tags: green it, Green Options, info-tech research group, Paperless solutions, Recycle Paper
