When archives were still mostly paper, it could be attractive to store them outdoors. After all, the archive could take up quite a bit of space, and square footage was and is expensive. Now that an archive can fit on a few hard drives, the question seems less relevant.

Why external?

Still, even today, it is wise to store an archive externally. In fact, data stored outside the in-house infrastructure is safe from any calamities in the in-house environment. Very many smaller companies and organizations additionally struggle to properly manage their digital archive. They don’t want a large and expensive storage environment that requires maintenance. They prefer to outsource that to a reliable external party, where the data is stored securely and in compliance with legal regulations.

Digitizing

Archive services thus still have a right to exist. In fact, at many of these organizations you can drop off your “old” paper archive, and the records department will digitize it. Once digitized, you can store such an archive externally – which is certainly advisable – and just keep a copy of the archive internally. This way, you can still always quickly call on your own archive. So the archive in two locations.

Advantages

In addition, the digital archive through the records department offers a number of interesting opportunities. Search for example. Compare searching a digital archive to searching large piles of paper archives. This does require a proper method of storage, with clear shielding of one’s own data from data of other clients of the records department. You don’t want data to get mixed up. A records department can add metadata when digitizing, making searching even easier.

Conclusion

So the records department clearly has a right to exist even in this digital age. Digitizing an archive or retaining a digital archive if one has already been created offers many advantages over the old paper archives. And it is imperative that proper hardware and software be used for digital archiving. Then it becomes affordable and meaningful even for smaller businesses and institutions.

Comex can, of course, advise on choosing the right system. Want to know more? Please contact us without any obligation. We are happy to tell you more about our services and products.