• According to IDC research, U.S. companies and consumers printed 929 billion document pages in 1998. This rose to 1.49 trillion in 2002, and IDC projects that it will reach 1.84 trillion pages in 2006.

• Printer volumes are increasing at an average of 10-15% per year.

• Enterprise software and accounting systems continue to generate more and more paper.

• The volume of information in the world is now doubling once every 2.5 years—your business will likely be the same

In addition to the growing problem of paper, there are several compelling reasons that businesses want to scan in their documents:

1. It is highly time consuming to search for information in paper based systems. Could I scan my paper documents and merge it with my computer information? Yes!

2. Paper based information is risky. One natural disaster (fire, flood, tornado, terrorism…) or disgruntled employee could severely damage your companies most important asset—your information. Could I scan in my paper documents and have the peace of mind and security of knowing they are backed up off site? Yes!

3. Customers demand accurate and instant information. A recent book by Charles Rodin said that customer demands are simple: they want it free, they want it perfect and they want it now. When it comes to information, how valuable would it be to be able to type in a word and find every document related to that word in less than a second? Plus, studies show that at least 7% of the documents in a paper filing system are misfiled and will never be found again. What if you could provide access to documents over a secure internet connection? Can you do this? Yes!

4. Real estate is expensive! As paper files grow, they will continue to take up more and more office space. Filing cabinets take up about 12 square feet of space each. Multiply that times your rental cost, and you know how much each cabinet costs you per year. Add to that the cost of the filing cabinet and all of the folders and supplies and you quickly realize that paper is not free. Can you lower your costs by scanning your documents? Yes!

When you think about it, your information is critical to both the survival and success of your business. Providing instant access to your paper information can help you:

Lower Your Overhead Expenses

• Reduce filing cabinet space
• Eliminate off-site storage space
• Reduce time to find files
• Share files electronically between locations

Improve Your Competitive Advantage

• Offer the same or better service than larger competitors
• Gain instant access to information
• Merge your digital and paper files
• Provide access to information over the internet

Lower Your Risk

• Back up paper your data offsite
• Password protect and control access to your documents
• Electronically shred documents after their statute of limitations has expired
• Ensure HIPPA compliance and reduce the risk of fines.

A Scanning and Electronic Document Management System can do all of this and more this for you. That’s why virtually every Fortune 1000 company and every large government institution has implemented this technology over the past twenty years.

Current advances in technology and disk storage have made technology available to small and mid-sized businesses that were once only attainable by large institutions. Plus, virtually every office has invested in computers that can run the software. That’s why most offices have either implemented or are considering implementing and Scanning and Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).

Considering the incredible benefits and the lower cost, it makes sense to seriously consider this as a critical business initiative.

SBS can help you create a Scanning and Electronic Document Management System. Give us a call to find out how.

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