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Document Imaging
Overview • Case Studies • Scanning • Indexing • Security • Storage • Retrieval • Requirements • Questionaire
What Is It?
Document Imaging is the process of converting the image on a piece of paper into an image that can be stored electronically. A document imaging system in its simplest form is no more than an electronic filing cabinet for paper documents. This provides the end-user with more functionality and the ability to store more diverse types of information.
Who Is It For?
Any organization that needs to store and retrieve information from complete documents such as deeds, contracts, correspondence, applications, etc. Typically, these users are found in industries such as local and state government, insurance, banking and finance.
Why Do I Need It?
Estimates show that an office that supports 10,000 documents per month can realize savings in excess of $27,000 per year by implementing an integrated document imaging and management system.
The "Imaging" process works by taking paper documents, such as contracts, loan applications, correspondence, etc., and creating electronic images through high-speed scanning. Documents are scanned (individually or in large batches), indexed and archived. Client/server architecture allows users to scan at one workstation and archive the documents from multiple workstations.
How Can IAS Help?
IAS provides a complete range of products and services that can make document imaging a reality in your organization. IAS will install and test the system at your site and provide training classes
• We develop applications to save costs and enhance productivity.
• We test the completed system in our labs.
• We work with your IT department to ensure a smooth roll-out.
• We train your users at your site or at our training facilities.
What Are The Key Benefits of a Document Imaging System? Document Imaging systems provide key benefits for your business and employees:
Eliminate lost files- Documents are archived permanently on optical disks and users can use the index information to retrieve documents in seconds.
Enhance productivity- Users have a single integrated interface to quickly retrieve and annotate documents.
Improve customer service- While the customer is on the phone, important customer files, such as invoices and service records can now be retrieved and displayed on screen for your employees.
Improve workflow- A document can be used simultaneously by different people in many departments. Workflow software can enable forwarding and complex document routing, to fit your business processes.
Ease storage concerns- Tens of thousands of standard business documents can be stored on optical disks, which have usable lives measured in decades.
Provide greater security- Access to documents and annotations can be restricted.
Cost/Benefit Analysis
Remember that estimate of savings in excess of $27,000 per year by implementing an integrated document imaging and management system? Here is how those estimates were developed:
Cost Basis of Managing Paper-Based Documents:
An office worker maintains an average of one file cabinet or the equivalent of 15,000 - 20,000 pieces of paper and spends 30 minutes to 2 hours searching for documents per day (400 hours per year per employee).
3% - 5% of all documents are misfiled or lost. Cost to research and recreate a lost document is $200.
The average 4-drawer file cabinet maintenance cost is between $1,500 and $4,000 (includes employee time of filing documents, preparing annual files, cycling out old files to archive, retrieving documents from files, searching for misfiled documents, etc.)
Cost of a file cabinet runs between $350 - $500.
Each file cabinet uses 10 square feet of office space.
An average executive spends up to three hours per week searching for files. The clerical staff spends another 5 hours searching for the same information.
Examples of Typical Costs (Paper-Based)
10,000 documents per month = 120,000 documents per year. This translates into 7 file cabinets. At a maintenance cost of $1,500 - $4,000 per cabinet, the total maintenance cost for the current year information will be $10,500 to $28,000. Please keep in mind that most government agencies require a minimum of three years of records be retained. Since most records will be infrequently accessed after year one, the maintenance cost will fall by 50% in year two and again by 50% for year three. Therefore, using an average of $15,000 for first year storage, $7,500 for second year storage and $3,750 for third year storage, a single years worth of documents will experience a cost of $26,250.
The amount of office space needed to store 7 file cabinets is 70 square feet. At $1.00 per square foot, this equates to a cost of $840 per year. The archived records are not included in this calculation. This brings the total cost of paper-based documents to over $27,000 for the mandated retention period.
Example Costs of Document Imaging and Management System:
There is no cost to archive and maintain imaged documents for as long as desired.
Imaging delivers instantaneous access and retrieval, along with a built in disaster recovery (you can provide a backup CD for every CD that we produce).
*Cost may vary due to condition of documents and type of indexing required. ***Above information compiled from various research firms including the Association for Image and Information Management.
Examine some case studies on the use of imaging >>
