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The Document Repository Dilemma: Why Go Digital?

June 1, 2023

The Pros and Cons of Making the Switch  

If you’re a business leader, you will probably ask yourself this question at least once: should we digitize our document repository? It’s a valid question and one that doesn’t have a simple yes or no answer. There are pros and cons to both digital and paper-based repositories, and the best solution for your business will depend on a variety of factors. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the key considerations you should keep in mind as you make your decision.  

 Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of digitizing your documents. 

 The Pros of Digitizing Your Document Repository
There are many benefits to digitizing your document repository. Perhaps the most obvious is that it can save your business money. Printing and storing paper documents is expensive, and it’s only going to get more expensive as time goes on. 

As real estate prices continue to soar, space of any kind only becomes that much more valuable. We know paper documents take up physical space, which means you’ll need to lease or purchase more office space as your business grows. By digitizing your documents, you can free up valuable office space for other purposes. 

Another advantage of digitizing is that it can help your team be more organized and efficient. With paper documents, it’s easy for things to get lost or misplaced. It can also be difficult to track who has access to which documents. With a digital repository, all your documents are stored in one central location where they can be easily accessed by authorized users. This makes it easier to keep track of changes and ensures that everyone is always working with the most up-to-date version of each document. 

Finally, digitizing can help protect your documents from fire or flood damage. Paper documents are vulnerable to both hazards, but digital files can be backed up and stored in a secure location off-site or on the cloud. This means that even if disaster strikes, your critical business documents will be safe and sound. 

The Cons of Digitizing Your Document Repository
Of course, there are also some potential drawbacks to digitizing your document repository. You’ll need to first do the work and figure out which system is right for your business needs. The second is that it requires a significant upfront investment. You’ll need to purchase software and cloud storage for storing and accessing your digital files; you may need to hire staff to manage the system. In addition, migrating all your existing paper documents into the digital world can be time-consuming if you are doing it in-house and a costly process if you choose the wrong system. However, keep in mind that these upfront costs are often offset by long-term savings on things like paper, storage space, printing costs and time. 

Another potential downside of digitizing your document repository is that it requires reliable internet access. If your internet connection goes down, you won’t be able to access your digital files, unless you have the document already opened you will need to wait for your internet access to come back on. This could cause significant disruptions for businesses that rely heavily on their document repositories. However, there are ways to mitigate this risk by storing critical files locally on computers, although I warn against this in most cases or servers as well as in the cloud. Most businesses today store files on the cloud as it is the most cost effective and easily accessible. 

As you can see, there are both pros and cons to digitizing your document repository. The best solution for your business will depend on a variety of factors including the budget, needs, risks, and preferences. Weigh all of these considerations carefully before making a decision about whether or not to go digital with your document repository. 

There’s no easy answer when it comes to deciding whether or not to digitize your documents — it depends on a variety of factors specific to your business needs and preferences. If saving money is important to you, and you want greater efficiency and organization, or if you’re concerned about protecting your documents from fire or flood damage. Then digitizing your document repository might be the right choice for you! 

We take a thorough and flexible approach to streamlining your operations and choosing the right technology for your business. If you’d like to find out more, contact us to schedule a consultation.