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 DID YOU KNOW?7.5% of all paper documents get lost and 3% of the remainder are misfiled. Source: Coopers & Lybrand |
May 2008: In This Issue
Dear Records Manager,The role that digital imaging plays in records management is evolving beyond the traditional benefit of ease and efficiency of information storage. Today imaging enables business to collaborate, improve service, and empower their increasingly mobile workforces, and that is changing the way records managers are looking at imaging. Our own imaging expert, Bob Duncan, takes a look at the continued evolution of imaging in a great interview he recently did with us. And we've also put together a valuable Digital Imaging Needs Assessment tool for organizations looking to start an imaging program or evaluate their current program. Finally we've got a great customer success story on how TAB helped an energy company complete a massive imaging conversion project that was interrupted by a move and a merger! Your feedback is important to us, so if you have any thoughts on this issue, please let us know! Regards, 1. Digital Imaging Needs Assessment Tool
The continued increase in the volume of paper records produced, along with storage and access issues this creates and the increasing need for collaboration in a hybrid environment, has records managers everywhere taking another look at how digital imaging can enhance their RM programs. This needs assessment is designed to help you:
This tool will help you look at imaging with respect to your organization's:
This is an invaluable resource for anyone who is thinking of enhancing their records management capabilities with an imaging program, and you can download it here! 2. TAB Expert Q & A: Bob Duncan on Imaging
Bob looks at the way imaging has evolved into a business best practice and key driver, what businesses are doing to improve their existing imaging systems, the problems posed by the proliferation of imaging from multifunction devices, and much more. OR: Electronic imaging and records management are now part of best practices in many organizations. Do you think most business leaders today consider imaging and RM as key priorities for their organizations? BD: Absolutely. Information is one of the most important drivers in business today, and progressive leaders recognize a critical need to give their workers timely access to reliable, up-to-date information. So companies that have not implemented imaging and records management are definitely realizing it's time to do so while organizations that have been doing imaging and RM as an integral part of their business are looking at ways to get better at it. OR: And what can these companies do to improve their imaging and records management systems? BD: The answer would really depend on what a company is hoping to accomplish and how they're currently storing information. Let's take a law firm, for example, that currently stores plenty of large documents. Instead of saving each document as one big file containing hundreds of pages of information, they can change their storage protocol so that each large document is broken up into smaller files. This makes it easier to search for information or make changes to a document. It sounds like a simple change but it does require analysis, planning and buy-in from all users. OR: As technology evolves, so do the way companies do business. Are there any technological advances in recent years that are presenting challenges today for imaging and records management? BD: In recent years, we've seen an incredible rise in the number of multifunction imaging devices being placed on the user's desk. This has resulted in users scanning various types of material with little or no documentation around what's being scanned, who's scanning it and why, and what's being done with the scanned file. In many cases, there are very little or no controls at all around scanning. OR: Why is this a problem? BD: The proliferation of imaging coming out of personal multifunction devices is eating up an incredible amount of electronic storage space both on personal drives, in an email environment, and also on shared drives. Imagine if an employee scanned a document that's 6 gigabytes in size and emailed it to 20 people. Well you've now taken that 6-gig file and turned it into 120 gigs stored on everyone's desk top and maybe also on the server. This could actually bring an email server to its knees. OR: So what's the solution? BD: There are various possible solutions, all of which would be tied into a process and structure for electronic document access and control. But in terms of specific applications, one option would be to install a product that would prompt users to save scanned files into a designated storage area, such as a shared drive. Then when they need to share the file, they simply email a URL that takes users directly to the file's location on the shared drive. OR: What other trends are you seeing today in imaging and records management? BD: There's a growing interest in marrying the imaging environment with the rest of an organization's electronic documents. Whether the solution is an electronic management solution or SharePoint, or just a good (Windows) Explorer folder structure with logical naming conventions, TAB is working in a consulting capacity with companies that are looking for help in how to structure this type of storage environment. OR: What advice would you give to a client who is thinking of implementing an imaging or records management solution today? BD: I think the most important piece of advice I could give to clients today is to really think about what your organization needs and try to make sensible, appropriate decisions from the very beginning. Sometimes companies get so excited about a new product or solution that they jump right into the water without realizing that there may be drawbacks to some of the decisions they make. I would recommend getting help from someone with a comprehensive knowledge of imaging and records management and all the potential solutions available out there. Know all the facts and explore all the pros and cons before you make a decision. Otherwise, you might end up with a system that doesn't really work for you. Bob Duncan is VP Business Development for TAB, and has worked in the RM industry for almost three decades. Bob has extensive experience in the area of imaging having managed production environments imaging over 10,000 pages each month, sold and implemented Document Management Solutions and directed the scanning of over 5,000,000 pages of Land and Engineering records at clients' sites. His expertise in imaging includes the industry's highest level of certification, CDIA+. He is also certified by a major provider of Document Management Solutions. 3. See you at the ARMA Canada Region Conference in Fredericton, June 1 - 4!
4. Whitepaper: Planning a Document Conversion
This whitepaper outlines some of the steps you'll need to take in order to successfully plan and execute your document conversion. Because the resources and expertise needed for conversion are generally beyond the capacity of most businesses, the information provided here is also intended to give you the knowledge you need to evaluate and select the right records management partner to help you with your conversion. We'll look in depth at:
To find out how to plan your document conversion, you can download the full whitepaper here. 5. Imaging Success Story: Document Conversion – A Merger Complication
Ask the Expert The energy company contacted TAB, and a team was sent to meet with company executives to outline its proven imaging methodologies. TAB thoroughly evaluated sample documents, analyzed the extent of document prep that would be required, and from there determined a project plan. TAB clearly demonstrated that by providing the scanners and trained staff it could scan every document involved within the same budget originally allocated to the project. More importantly, the TAB team was able to commit to completing the entire job within an 8-10 week time span at a fixed cost proposal. The search was over. The energy company had found the partner it was looking for. All Together Now TAB placed a professional services team on site to provide the talent and tools needed to complete such a massive imaging project on time. The team planned every aspect of the conversion in advance, from physically handling the files, to document prep, the scanning process itself, and all relevant security concerns. A multi-layered audit process was designed to work within the specific business processes of the organization. This audit structure not only guaranteed that each document would be converted with total accuracy, but that each document would remain accessible at all times during the conversion process. Every day, as a result of the precise focus and attention to detail of the entire TAB team, tens of thousands of documents were converted from paper to electronic images. Right on Time, with Benefits The conversion was seamless, completed on time and within budget. Imaging 1.2 million documents took less than 10 weeks instead of the 130 weeks the client had originally anticipated. This meant the energy company was able to concentrate on relocating its people, not endless boxes of paper. During the process itself, the client was able to maintain its focus on day-to-day business, letting TAB manage what would otherwise be a major issue. And because files were imaged, classified, indexed and archived at the click of a key, information in its newly-converted form became instantly available to their staff across the enterprise. Time would no longer be wasted searching for misplaced files. Audits could be done at a single location through the use of one PC. The possibility of file duplication would be eliminated and the consistency and integrity of each file could be maintained. Testify The client was extremely pleased with the results. The group lead of Systems and Records said, "the dedicated, uninterrupted execution of this large scale project by TAB provided our staff the opportunity to continue work on a daily business. Not having to find, hire and manage a team of people with specific qualifications in a short ramp-up period was the greatest benefit of all for me. TAB's team was professional at all times - a refreshing change from the army of temps we go through on a variety of projects. At all times I felt the project was a priority to TAB and we experienced hands-on assessment and feedback. Quality control was high. TAB brought tremendous experience to the design and execution of our project. We learned a lot from TAB that will help us going forward!" 6. Get Your Imaging Program Going with TAB's Imaging Services
Converting paper records to digital images lets your organization realize major efficiencies by helping to automate the process of indexing, retrieving, storing and maintaining your records. Imaging Benefits
Avoid Imaging Pitfalls Many organizations are hesitant about imaging because of perceived technical difficulties and cost issues. Our trained staff of imaging professionals can help you avoid the pitfalls of imaging by ensuring that you are scanning only what you need. They will analyze your current environment, make recommendations for changes and improvements and provide the planning, tools, staffing and management to implement the recommendations. Whether you need consulting services, outsourcing, project support or back scanning, TAB will use our tested project management process to ensure success. For more information on TAB's Imaging Services, call 7. News: Privacy Concerns for GooglePrivacy advocates have expressed concern that a wave of consolidation in online advertising would lead to a concentration of personal information in the hands of a few powerful companies. This has led the top Republican on the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee to ask Google to detail the search engine's privacy practices since it acquired rival DoubleClick. 8. News: E-discovery woes from an IT perspectiveSymantec Corp. hosted a virtual round table recently that touched on some of the e-discovery issues troubling IT managers today, including the challenge of knowing what to chuck and what to keep. This article points out that the trouble often starts when IT goes against RM best practices and doesn't classify information.
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Considering digital imaging as part of your RM program? How do you know if it is right for you? How quickly can you expect to see ROI? What things do you need to consider?
Bob Duncan, Vice President of Consulting Services at TAB Canada, sat down recently with 
TAB will be an exhibitor at this year's 
Moving to an electronic records system can provide tremendous value to any organization, but it has to be planned and executed perfectly if you are to fully realize this value. The conversion process is filled with challenges, and getting the right resources in place before, during and after is critical. If it isn't done right, your vital information and business operations can be adversely affected.
When a prominent international energy company decided to enhance its records management program by moving from paper to electronic imaging, it allowed 130 weeks to convert almost 1.2 million documents in house. But a subsequent merger and imminent head office relocation would have a dramatic impact on this bold project. From a cost and efficiency standpoint, it didn't make any sense to move massive amounts of paper files to the new headquarters and then image them there. This meant that every file would have to be imaged before the move. Completing the conversion in a very compressed timeframe was simply beyond the capabilities of their in-house resources and they needed a partner with the expertise to get the job done.
Document imaging is one of the most effective Records Management tools available, and we can help you get the full benefit of this technology.