Sacramento Document Management, Frequently Asked Questions about Scanning and Electronic Document Manamagement.
Document Management FAQs Answers:
A1:Why is document management important?
Today, 80% of all mission-critical data is unstructured, 7.5% of all documents get lost, and 3% of the remainder are misfiled. Organizations are quickly realizing that document management is becoming necessary in order to be more successful. Organizing documents and information through the use of technology ultimately leads to higher productivity, greater efficiency, and improved performance. With an electronic document management system in place, your organization will be able to spend its efforts on the more important and core aspects of your business.
A2:What types of records are being imaged?
SyTech Solutions images a large variety of documents, including student records, personnel records, board minutes, payroll summaries, financial reports, engineering records, planning maps, medical files, and many more. Many of these records have retention requirements. We offer assessment services for your different documents and then recommend appropriate retention plans and electronic document management solutions.
A3:What are some of the advantages of scanning records, as opposed to just storing them in boxes or filing cabinets?
There are numerous advantages to scanning records. Imaging critical documents results in significant savings in both time and money because information is organized. Once imaged, you can instantly access any record from your computer's desktop with the click of a mouse. This eliminates the loss of misplacement of records, and can reduce storage space by as much as 80% or more. Document search time is also greatly expedited. Requests for documents can be streamlined, completely processed, and printed, faxed, or emailed to the requestor in a matter of seconds. In addition, organizing imaged documents in a database makes your information very secure. Only authorized users are permitted to access records, and special passwords may be used to protect the confidentiality of the records. As a result of these great benefits, the use of expensive storage facilities on or off-site will become an inefficient solution of the past. Successful electronic document management will improve your organization's productivity, efficiency, and performance. It will also not only organize your electronic documents, but provide the capability to mine them for mission-critical data.
A4:What will the images look like?
We utilize top-of-the-line high-end imaging production software and hardware to ensure the highest image quality of your records. After documents are scanned, they go through an image enhancing process where the images are deskewed, despeckled, and black borders are removed. The end result is an exact scan of the original document. Over time, the quality of the electronic documents will remain the same, unlike paper, microfilm, and microfiche, which deteriorate over time. So the electronic images viewed today will have the same clarity if viewed in ten years.
A5:Can I have a sample of our documents imaged?
If you provide us with a sample of the documents that you are thinking about imaging, we will be more than happy to provide you with a free sample. We are confident that you will like the results. We will also provide references upon request. Call (916) 381.3010 and ask to speak with a service representative, or email your request to reply@sytechsolutions.com
A6:How do I access information after it has been scanned?
We customize the way records are accessed according to your particular needs. For example, personnel files may be accessed by employee name and social security number, while financial records may be accessed by fiscal year. We can make your records accessible by any field(s) desired. In addition, optical character recognition (OCR) makes electronic documents searchable by every word so that they can be mined for specific information. Legal departments often benefit from OCR, allowing users to search records, such as board minutes. We also have the ability to route and disperse your information across your network. Your information can also be made portable on CD, as well as expansible on the web.
A7:How many individuals can have access to documents once they are scanned?
There is really no limit to how many people can access and view electronic files. You can limit access to your electronic records to only authorized individuals, and use special passwords to protect confidential records. You can also expand access across your enterprise or even on the web for public access. In addition, your electronic documents can be easily shared through print, fax, and email. For basic needs, we can provide you with a free viewer license. This license allows you to avoid spending money on unnecessary software, while maximizing the benefits of having your critical documents imaged.
A8:Can I also convert microfilm, microfiche, and large format drawings, such as maps?
Paper is often the leading choice for organizations to keep their records on. However, microfilm, microfiche, and other non-paper documents are sometimes used. In addition, electronic information, such as emails, word processing documents, and spreadsheets are increasingly becoming a crucial part of businesses. These media, including the unorganized electronic documents, can be digitized and managed to provide better flexibility in storage and retrieval. We can scan your microfilm and microfiche for easy access. We can image your large format drawings. We can organize your electronic information. Once imaged and organized, you can access the information in a variety of ways -- via CD, workstation, server, etc.
A9:How much does document conversion cost?
Price varies depending on size and volume of the documents. On average, scanning typically costs the same as a photocopy. (A standard storage box (10"x12"x16") of documents holds approximately 2,500 pages.) We recognize the need to maintain budget costs, so we make every effort to deliver the greatest comprehensive value within customers' budget constraints. Our pricing is based on our competitively awarded State CMAS and MSA contracts to ensure low prices. The initial cost of scanning records should result in substantial savings to your organization due to decreased storage and labor costs, as well as a marked increase in the satisfaction and quality of life for workers whose job function is to look up and retrieve old files.
A10:What are the limits of the size of paper that can be scanned?
There are no limits. We can scan documents as small as a postage stamp to documents as large as 50 inches wide and unlimited in length. However, the most common documents that are imaged are usually letter-sized, legal-sized, and large format drawings.
A11:Is it possible to scan double-sided documents?
Yes. Our scanners have the ability to automatically recognize double-sided documents and then scan both sides without interrupting the conversion process. They will remove blank-sided pages if there are any.
A12:What is the estimated turn-around time to complete an imaging project?
Turn-around time depends on the size of a project, as well as other variables such as the number of ways you want to access your information (i.e. by name, social security number, date, etc.). We frequently have large-volume projects (hundreds of storage boxes) that are processed in a matter of weeks. However, most of our customers process their records on a consistent ongoing basis. This spreads out costs and improves the end-user assimilation of technology.
A13:Can I request files at any time during the conversion process?
Absolutely. We realize that during the conversion process, there may be times that you will need to have access to your files. Whenever you request a file, we will promptly get it to you via fax, email, or overnight delivery.
A14:Do I need to buy new hardware to accommodate any new software applications?
Our goal is to make your life easier -- we incorporate document management applications into your existing office environment. Most of our customers do not need to change their computers. At most, depending on the volume of files and whether your want all of the information loaded directly onto your computer, you would only need additional storage, which is relatively inexpensive. The document management systems that we implement operate seamlessly with Novell and Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7.
A15:How much disk space does an imaging system normally require?
With the rapid drop in prices for hard drives and optical media, it now costs must less to store documents on an imaging system than on paper. A single page stored as a TIFF Group IV image typically occupies about 50KB of disk space. Each gigabyte (GB) of storage space (which costs only a few dollars) will hold approximately 20,000 pages. In addition to providing your electronic records on CD, we can also provide and install your images directly onto a 120GB hard drive, which is capable of holding up to 960 storage boxes of imaged documents.
A16:Will implementing a document management system cause major changes to our office procedures?
No. Any changes that your organization experiences will be positive ones. Instead of spending wasted minutes and hours searching for your documents in file cabinets, storage rooms, or boxes, you will be able to instantly retrieve your information from your computer's desktop with the simple click of your mouse. This process change will eliminate delays, frustration, and stress. As a result, you will have smoother and more efficient office procedures.
A17:What format is used for scanning files?
The standard format in the industry for scanned files is TIFF. However, you can also scan into other formats, such as JPG, GIF, PDF, etc. We will not lock you into a proprietary system. We use only industry-leading file formats, allowing you to export your images into different software applications.
A18:Once the scanned information has been burned onto CD, can it be lost?
No. You cannot change or alter a WORM (Write Once Read Many) CD. It satisfies all legal requirements for maintaining your permanent records under the California law. The quality of the electronic documents will also remain the same over time. Electronic images viewed today will have the same clarity if viewed in ten years. No information will be lost. However, if a CD is physically lost or damaged, then you may request another copy from us. We keep a copy of all databases and can easily create additional copies if necessary.
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