Like many businesses, you may be looking to digitise and electronically file your company documentation and set up a reliable online resource. Here we briefly examine the high-level considerations for a successful scan-to-archive project.
Scanning paper documents provides many benefits, such as improved access to information and reduced storage requirements (if the original hard copies are discarded). Before carrying out any scanning, however, it is advisable to assess the cost-effectiveness. For instance, it may be inappropriate to scan documents with very short retention periods (e.g. 6 months or less) or documents that are very rarely consulted. In many cases it will be important to be able to prove the authenticity of the images in compliance with BS BIP 0008 – Code of Practice for Legal Admissibility and Evidential Weight of information stored electronically.
The procedures covered in this guide are not necessarily exhaustive, but form a view of the main practical concerns of implementing a successful scan-to-archive project.
