What is Electronic Document Management?

EDM is the system of storing digital images of important documents for retrieval on a computer. Most government departments have now invested in the technology to harness the tremendous benefits that EDM can bring. There is also a sea change across industry as a whole to benefit from the greatly increased efficiency that it can bring.

What benefits will it bring?

Instant access to images using simple software, space saving and simple distribution of information throughout your organisation. It also enhances corporate image.

Is it more expensive than simply paying storage costs?

When the management cost, fire risk and information security are taken into account, the cost of paper storage can be frightening. Then consider the time cost of actually accessing the information when it's held on paper.

Will, I need additional hardware and software?

Modern computers are very powerful and easily able to cope with the processing requirements of a typical EDM system. In many cases a simple PDF file produced from each paper file will suffice, so no software is required. Software will only be required if you wish to facilitate keyword searching. In this case software costs are usually a few hundred pounds and familiarity will only take a few minutes, requiring no training or ongoing support.

How does the process work?

Documents are collected by our vans and transported to our premises in designated boxes. These are logged and the documents prepared for imaging. Documents can be scanned into a simple Windows folder structure or they can be indexed if required, allowing instant retrieval using key word searches which generally relate to the current manual process. Additional index fields can be added if required, for example, if you currently store paper records alphabetically by surname, this information will be used but you may also decide to index by date of birth as well.

Will my documents be admissible as evidence?

The rules of evidence as defined by the Civil Evidence Act have been updated quite recently to include the admission of document copies derived from an electronic archive, on the basis that they are the "best available" copies where the originals have been destroyed subsequent to scanning. The British Standard Guidelines for Legal Admissibility of data stored electronically set out the requirements and procedures for compliance with the Act, which ndata follows in their image production. HM Revenue and Customs will accept electronic records as long as you have advised them that you intend storing records this way.

For more information regarding the legal admissibility of documents click here.

Do we need to prepare the files in any special way before scanning or microfilming?

Not if you don't have the time! ndata will collect files ‘off the shelf', list the contents, prepare the documentation for scanning by removing staples and clips, and prepare the necessary headers if not already supplied by the client

Many clients take the view that ‘weeding out' duplicated and unwanted documentation is not cost effective, since the labour cost of the sorting process is usually greater than the additional scanning or filming cost. ndata will generally not undertake any weeding out, unless the rules are very clear.

Can archival quality be guaranteed?

ndata has a QA department which checks every image for quality. Clients are encouraged to provide any available information to assist with indexing such as databases of all valid entries for a given field. This helps to reduce the indexing costs of manual keying.

Can I import the images and indexes into my current document management system?

Whilst some clients require a stand alone solution to an individual paper archive, others already have an EDM system installed but wish to incorporate historical documents into it. In this event we will liaise with your technical department to ensure that your document archive fits seamlessly into your existing system.

Can you do it on-site?

We can process documents on your premises if you desire. This is sometimes preferable if the documents are very valuable or of have great sensitivity.

How long will it take?

This depends upon several factors such as quantity and preparation time but we have the capacity to image over 100,000 forms per day.

What happens if I require some documents whilst they are away being imaged?

At all times we are able to provide your documents very quickly either by email, fax, or even the original if required.

Can I have colour?

Yes! Generally colour is the best solution if the original forms are coloured, for example supplier invoices. In most cases however, images are produced in black and white since this will require less storage space and reduces cost slightly.

How do I receive the images and indexing information?

Usually these are supplied on DVD or simply uploaded to our secure ftp for download at your convenience. When images are supplied on DVD, multiple copies are provided enabling you to store them at different locations to enable simple and effective disaster prevention that could not have been provided by the original paper documents. A CD may contain up to 20,000 images and a DVD many times more than this. Ndata will provide easy to follow instructions or, if you prefer, we will happily install the data and images for you.

What happens to the paper documents once they have been processed?

Usually they are confidentially disposed of but often we are requested to store them for an agreed period of time.

How much does it cost?

Again, this will be dependant upon the amount or preparation required and the required results. Larger forms or a mixture of different sizes makes the process slower and so does the process of indexing. If all of your forms are straight forward A4 and perfectly presented then this is reflected in the cost.