Document archiving is something all companies need to get right. And if you do, you remain organised, compliant, and ready for anything. Mess it up, and you’re rummaging through sheets of paper or aimlessly scrolling through files. Archiving is keeping on file documents you no longer refer to on a day-to-day basis but might need someday, such as contracts, invoices, reports, employee records, and the like. These accounts are generally retained for business, regulatory, or legal purposes, and how you maintain them matters.
If executed well, document archiving is an orderly and secure process that maintains vital records and makes them easily accessible. If performed poorly, it creates chaos, risk of non-compliance, and wasted effort. Restore Information Management offers an intelligent, secure way to manage your documents, combining physical storage with electronic facilities to make the entire digital document archiving process easy.
Physical vs. digital methods
Physical archiving is storing hard copies of documents in drawers or boxes, often off-site with a document storage provider. This can be done for original legal documents or historical documents.
In comparison, digital archiving (archiving documents electronically) is the digital transformation of files (e.g., PDFs) and securely storing them on a cloud system or server. It’s gaining traction due to the convenience and space-saving benefits.
Find out more about our phygital approachWhile you may believe that you have to choose one of two options, at Restore Information Management, we offer a ‘phygital’ approach – digitising crucial records while adhering to legal requirements for storing physical documents. If this is something that piques your interest, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Steps within the document archiving process
If you’re unsure where to start, Restore Information Management offers expert guidance at every step, from document audits and scanning to secure storage and compliance support. So, how do you transition from messy filing to clean, compliant archives? Let’s review the general document archiving process:
- Identify which documents are no longer actively used but need to be preserved.
- Sort and label them with metadata (e.g. document type, date, department).
- Consider which documents should be digitised, either by scanning documents for archiving or a scan-on-demand service.
- Securely store in boxes off-site, in an electronic system or a combination of both methods.
- Index files so they’re readily accessible later.
- Check archives from time to time to purge items beyond their retention period.
This creates an organised, legally defensible archive that’s simple to manage over time.
Key archiving documents best practices
Set out a retention policy: Set the period for which various documents are to be kept and ensure that this is conveyed to staff. This avoids hoarding as well as accidental erasures.
Train your team: Everyone should understand the archiving of documents procedure relevant to their role. This includes knowing what to keep, where to store it, and how to retrieve it.
Index thoroughly: Whether you’re archiving paper documents or going digital, metadata is your best friend. Properly tagged files are far easier to search and retrieve.
Lock it all away: Security is important. Locked cabinets or encrypted cloud storage – or even better, consider offsite storage or secure document management systems to keep your archives safe from theft, damage, or unauthorised access.
Plan reviews: Put a calendar reminder to regularly review your archives. This ensures you are on top of retention schedules and prevents unnecessary accumulation. Do not mix active and archived papers: Though it would be handy to keep all documents in one place, life will be simpler for everyone if day-to-day documents and archives are separated.
Disaster recovery planning: If your archives were lost in an emergency, would you be able to recover them? Backups and redundancy planning are a must, especially in electronic archiving of documents.
Making sure it’s compliant and ready for the law
Compliance is perhaps the most overlooked factor. Different regulations depend on your industry, document type, and country. For example:
- Personal data should not be stored for longer than is needed under the GDPR.
- The Companies Act 2006 sets out requirements for company record retention.
- Tax records need to be kept for at least six years by the HMRC.
Not complying with these regulations can result in penalties, audits, or legal action. It’s also necessary to document your procedure for archiving old documents. This provides a solid audit trail and shows diligence.
At Restore Information Management, compliance is built into everything we do. Our solutions are designed to help you meet legal and regulatory requirements with confidence, whether it’s GDPR, HMRC, or sector-specific standards.
Common errors to avoid
Despite good intentions, it’s simple to get caught out. Here are some traps to avoid:
- Keeping everything indefinitely: This jams your system, increases storage costs, and potentially leads to non-compliance.
- Storing files without indexing: If no one can find a file, it might as well not exist.
- Not backing up digital archives: Cloud providers can fail, too. Always keep a backup.
- Not securing physical documents: Sensitive files in an open drawer are asking for trouble.
- Relying on outdated formats: Does anyone recall floppy disks? File formats and storage media become obsolete. Make sure that your digital archives get updated now and then.
Choosing the right document archiving partner
Sometimes, the simplest solution is to team up with a trusted organisation that specialises in document storage and archiving. In choosing your partner, look for:
- Proven security procedures (for physical and electronic storage)
- Previous experience handling your type of documents
- Accreditation (e.g., ISO 27001 or Cyber Essentials)
- Scanning and electronic access facilities
- Retention and retrieval policies that are open
- Supportive customer services that work with you to resolve your issues
Let us help simplify your archives
Regardless of whether you’re working with employee files, patient records, contracts, or something in between, getting your archive organised isn’t box-ticking. It protects your business, saves space, and helps your staff to work more effectively.
Restore Information Management is here to help. From document scanning and secure off-site storage solutions to digital archiving, we have smart processes in place that make information management easy.
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