The benefits of scanning paper documents into digital images are obvious. But what do companies do with the paper after it is scanned. According to an AIIM survey, over 25% of respondents still keep a paper copy. Keeping a paper copy isn't required and actually eliminates some of the benefits of scanning.

Many people worry about the security of their documents if they send them off to India for document imaging. And there is reason to be concerned. In an undercover operation, British officials have purchased hundreds of medical records from two Indian men. The records were sent to India for processing.

When you pick a document scanning service make sure they follow HIPAA guidelines and maintain a chain of custody for every record. If the records are going oversees then it makes it impossible to visit their operation and verify the security they claim.

In a recent AIIM survey PDF was found to be the overwhelming favorite for the storage of documents. The study found 90% of organizations were using the format for long term storage. Although paper was still the king with 100% of respondents using it; in five years they expect to be only 77%.

89% of companies in the study say they are in the process of scanning documents into PDFs. If you are one of these organizations a scanning service can save a great deal over in house solutions.

The number one question we get asked is, "can we scan our documents and the shred the paper to save on storage costs?" And unfortunately the answer is, "it depends?" A new ruling from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware seems to support the idea of shredding the paper copies.

In a ruling about bankrupt American Home Mortgage Investment Company the court approved the company shredding an estimated 1.1 million hard-copy loan files when a image of the document existed. The company says this will save $45,000 monthly in storage fees.

This is obviously a very specific ruling but is a sign that images are becoming more widely expected in the legal world.

As companies continue to move from hard copy record storage to digital document storage, the demand for outsourced document scanning continues to grow. One company answering the demand is AmeriScan Imaging Service. With offices in Shelby Township, MI, Grand Rapids, MI, and Elk Grove, IL they can help companies across the Midwest turn rooms of documents that are hard to search and expensive to maintain to files that are available on a server for easy to access.

If you are ready to clear the clutter out of your storage room visit Record Nations and get free quotes on document scanning service from AmeriScan Imaging and other pre-screened services.

We never considered document scanning to be a hot political topic but here it is in the Passaic County election.