Traditional Document Storage – What Are the Drawbacks of Traditional Document Storage?

Traditional document storage consists of physically storing documents https://psiphon.win/are-traditional-document-storage-methods-still-viable-for-due-diligence/ on paper. It is the norm for businesses that need to keep a trail of paper documents of documents that are not mission-critical.

While this is an economical option however, it has significant negatives. One of the main issues is the high-risk of deterioration in the paper files. Over time, fungi as well as rodents can damage the files and destroy them entirely. If the storage area is humid or dry, it may cause the fibers of the paper to break. This is why it’s important to adhere to an arrangement plan and follow an uncompromising “hygiene” routine in order to keep these risks at low.

Another issue with physical storage is that employees need to manually interact with the papers and files. This could lead to 7.5 percent of files not being filed correctly and one fifth of them being lost. When you consider that each search and retrieval of a paper file can take as long as 25 hours, this could be extremely costly for a business.

The final point is to store paper archives in a secure space to prevent floods and fires. This can be costly and occupies space in the office that could otherwise be used for other functions. Paper records are not usually backups, and therefore could be lost if there is a disaster or a theft. However, electronic document management systems are stored in secure archives that can’t be accessed by a criminal or destroyed by natural disaster.