Using a Digital Archiving System
By: Jesse Smolin

As we approach the end of the school year, preparation for the next year also begins. Families will transfer in and out of schools, while existing students will advance to the next grade or school. Simultaneously, teachers, faculty, and staff will also be reallocated to accommodate new levels of enrollment.

Although the senior class will soon graduate, their records will stay behind. A combination of medical, education, and personal files must be retained, by law, for years to come.

Those files are commonly held in overstuffed folders in growing numbers of file cabinets, consuming valuable real estate. In addition, the files are commonly held much longer than required by law, due to the immense effort and costs affiliated with retrieving and properly disposing of outdated files.

While the graduating class leaves, another group of students is set to take their place, each with their own set of grades, disciplinary and immunization records, emergency contact information, insurance forms, and payment records to be created and filed.

School administrators will again be faced with the challenge of fitting another grade’s records into an already overloaded storage area. It is not uncommon for hard copies of files to be stored in areas that would be better used for teaching and learning.

While some schools may be able to afford off-site storage services, what they gain in space they lose in efficiency and cost. When transcript or transfer requests are received, they will take days to retrieve and process. Each time a record is shipped is another opportunity for a file to be lost.

Onsite retrieval can be just as time consuming if the files are not properly stored or returned to their proper place when they are re-filed.

In today’s technologically advanced workplace, there is no reason to be dependent on paper files. New devices and software applications now offer administrators a better solution.

Multifunctional printers (i.e., a copier that can scan, fax, and print) can easily be networked and configured to scan hard copies to be stored digitally. Easy-to-use software allows digital files to be properly indexed and archived for easy and quick retrieval. More advanced archiving software allows administrators to set rules and levels of security by document type or group for access and disposal.  

According to a recent InfoTrends survey entitled “Solutions and Services in the Education, Financial, Healthcare, and Legal Markets,” more than 40 percent of respondents from the education market said they were most interested in automating their records with software. This is a clear indication that records management is a labor-intensive activity that schools would like to improve.

Here are three ways that digital filing works in today’s schools:

1. Easily convert hard copies to digital files
With a stand-alone scanner or multifunctional printer and software, customers can easily convert their hard copies to digital files. The files can then be made searchable by specific keywords or identification numbers.

After files are scanned in, administrators can use software to preview the digital files, set appropriate security levels for access, and adjust the quality prior to digitally archiving them. The scanned files can then be annotated, marked up, watermarked, or redacted by authorized users.

2. Access your documents when you need them
After the scan is approved, documents can be searched for on a local network or remotely through an Internet browser. By combining software with a multifunctional printer, the storing, archiving, and retrieving of documents can be automated, so documents are scanned directly into the archive and searchable immediately after the scan.

3. Protect sensitive data
After the hard copy has been transformed to digital, users can share documents and information while protecting sensitive data via varying levels of access rights.

To further ensure confidentiality, software applications allow you to password-protect files, restricting access to the file itself or the capability to download, copy, or print sensitive information. Watermarks or redactions can also be added to any file prior to it being provided to another party to ensure that they only receive exactly what they need.

In addition, records can be monitored and tracked so administrators know who has accessed an archived record and when.

Many schools and districts across the country have already gone digital and realized the benefits mentioned in this article. The aforementioned InfoTrends survey reported that more than 28 percent said they had already invested in document management software and more than 30 percent were considering an investment.

Jess Smolin is a communications specialist for Océ North America, a leading international provider of digital document management technology and services, www.oceusa.com.