How to archive digital documents? Methods and media

As an entrepreneur or HR manager, are you looking for a simple way to understand how to archive digital documents in an orderly and intuitive way, so that they are not lost and can be easily found when needed? Then this article is for you!

Let's look together at some practical tips for digitising your company in a simple and effective way, so that nothing is lost and everything is always at hand!

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Document archiving

Document archiving is one of the steps involved in document management, i.e. the set of procedures put in place to organise, share and archive documents.

In concrete terms, document archiving consists of the physical or digital storage and preservation of documents.

Digital document archiving vs. paper archiving

Document preservation and archiving is a fundamental process in order to leave a trace of one's own management processes, as well as agreements that have been made by the company with third parties.

Document archiving consists of the creation of a document management system, i.e. the preservation and storage of company files . There are two methods of document archiving, depending on the type of documents being stored:

• The archiving of paper documents, which concerns the archiving of documents that are available precisely on physical paper support. A folder or binder can be used to store this type of document.
• Digital document storage, on the other hand, concerns the storage of documents saved on the PC.

For the storage and backup of this type of documentation, there are different approaches that differ according to the type of data to be stored and the amount of data, as we will see in a moment.

Digital document archiving > advantages

Lean and efficient document management can be a major plus for companies, as it speeds up business processes and reduces overall costs .

In fact, poor document management, whether performed using paper or digital documents, can cause significant problems and unnecessary delays.

Thanks to a good digital document archiving process, it is possible to guarantee constant and total availability of business documents . The main advantages are related to the ease of access and updating of archived documents.

In fact, through digital document archiving, it is possible to have:

• Quick access to documents;
• Facilitated document updates ;
• A reduction in archiving costs;
• A decrease in document printing costs;
• An increase in document security (access can only take place by authorised persons).

How to archive digital documents

Existing business documents in digital format must be systematically organised and stored in order to ensure proper business management.

Good practice to archive digital documents properly is to create a digital archive. Here are some tips on how to create one correctly.

How to create a digital archive > practical tips

1.Choose files

The first step in creating an archive of your documents is, very trivially, to choose the files to store.

It is a good idea to choose the files with care, in order to be able to carry out 'reasoned' storage. That is to say, it is convenient to choose documents according to specific parameters, enabling you to create thematic and, therefore, relevant archives.

2.Organise the chosen files

In order to archive digital documents correctly, it is therefore fundamental to proceed with a good organisation of the document base that is to be archived.

In fact, organising the documents before embarking on the archiving process will speed up the entire IT process .

Prior document organisation varies according to the type of categorisation of the documents to be performed.

In fact, documents can be categorised according to:

• The time reference of the document, i.e. according to the year and month of reference of the document;
• The type of document (identity document, employment contract, pay slip, etc.);
• The numbering given to the documents, which can be in numbers or letters.

3.Rename files

Renaming documents appropriately is important for good filing practice. In fact, the name will be the bridge that gives you access to the document, so it must be:

• Concise;
• Relevant, i.e. it must pertinently identify the content of the document;
• Belong to a specific nomenclature system.

To store documents online properly, it is therefore necessary to save them with a functional name.

👀 Some documents require special care when saving them. Indeed, for some documents, there are specific legal provisions governing the procedure. In these cases, special care must therefore be taken to ensure that all necessary legal requirements are met.

☝ Along with the name, it is advisable to also enter the date on which the document was created.

Assigning files to a category

It is important that documents are saved in semantically relevant categories. They must be homogeneous and clearly distinct from each other.

Rely on appropriate archiving solutions

In order to ensure good archiving of documents, it is necessary to rely on appropriate storage media.

In fact, it is important to avoid relying on do-it-yourself! Remember that no matter how zealously you plan your personal archive, the margin of error for personally developed solutions is still high.

Keep in mind, however, that your company's files are sensitive and the risk of their being lost if an uncertain medium is used is high. Therefore, you should pay special attention to your choice of storage media: it will be worth it.

Storage media for digital documents

There are different media and methodologies for storing digital documents. These vary according to the type of documents being stored. For example, it is possible to:

• Store documents in a zip file.

→ This method of archiving documents is used for important files that are, however, rarely used.

• Save documents to external media such as USB sticks.
• Copy documents to CDs or DVDs.
• Save documents on external storage media.

→ This method of saving documents is particularly useful in the event of computer damage. In this case, the data saved on the hard disk can be recovered without difficulty.

Particular attention must be paid to the fact that documents saved on digital media are still subject to damage. Indeed, there is always the risk of unintentional loss of information. That is why it is advisable to back up data constantly.

• Store documents using special software.

→ One of the most frequently used methods of preserving a document is to convert it into PDF format, e.g. with the service offered by Adobe (known as Adobe Acrobat).

💢 The technology enabling the archiving of documents, however, is constantly evolving. Therefore, it is good to keep abreast of the new opportunities that are constantly being provided to operate the storage and preservation of documents.

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Methods of archiving digital documents

There are various methods of storing digital documents. These can basically be divided into two macro-categories:

• On-site digital document archiving, i.e. at one's own premises in physical electronic archives, which are managed using document management software;
• Cloud-based digital document storage, i.e. files are stored on external platforms or outsourced platforms.

The main storage and backup systems currently available are:

HDD and SDD

HDDs, or hard-disk drives, are computer storage drives. They have been the most widely used digital storage systems for many years because they are capable of recording large amounts of data. Usually already incorporated inside the computer, they are also available as external hardware.

SDDs ( solid-disk drives), or solid-state drives, on the other hand, have become more widespread more recently and are a special type of mass storage that is very fast in reading data and quiet in operation. They are usually less prone to breakage, but the superior advantages over the traditional hard disk also mean a higher cost.

USB sticks and memory cards

USB sticks are very popular as they allow files to be transferred quickly and efficiently. However, their storage capacity is usually relatively small. They are also easily prone to breakage. In fact, USB sticks are usually used to transport documents from one location to another, rather than for storing them.

Memory cards have a very similar operating principle to USB sticks as far as saving documents is concerned. The main difference is that memory cards need a slot into which they can be inserted in order to function properly.

Cloud-storage services

These are online platforms that allow documents to be saved. They allow the storage of a large amount of data, which will be available from any device, no matter where you are.

Thus, cloud services allow efficient storage, but are quite expensive. The cost varies according to the amount of documents stored or the degree of confidentiality conferred on them.

It has to be said that cloud storage services are generally greeted by companies with scepticism precisely because of the confidentiality of documents. Many companies frown upon entrusting the document management of confidential files to third parties and, therefore, prefer to opt for in-house document storage solutions.

Network-attached storage (NAS)

Network-attached storage (NAS) is a remote file serving service that stores and shares files in one or more dedicated servers with several clients connected to the same network.

NAS is particularly popular with businesses because it allows documents to be stored indoors, but shared access to them by several devices at the same time.

Storage Area Network (SAN)

Storage-area-network(SAN) is gaining popularity in businesses as an innovative method of storing documents. It is a network of block storage devices to which multiple users can connect.

Being newer, SAN allows a higher operating speed than NAS. Otherwise, the two file storage systems work in the same way. In fact, both allow large amounts of business documents to be stored, allowing them to be accessed from multiple locations at the same time.