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November 10, 2022

An Intro to Information Management

In order to meet their information management needs, many organizations develop formalized Information Management Systems (IMS). The complexity of a particular Information Management System lies in the complexity of the information involved, and the complexity of the organization and its operation. The field of information management is the study of these IM solutions, what makes some better than others, and how to improve them.

In this blog post, we’ll briefly introduce the primary domains of information management, and the goals that organizations should have for each when developing their own Information Management System.

The Four Domains of IM

Acquisition 

Goals: Accessibility, Efficiency, Organization

“Acquisition” is how you generate, collect, or receive information. For example, an invoice from a service provider you’ve hired would be received via physical or electronic delivery (i.e. paper mail vs email), whereas an SOP manual written by your employee is “acquired” in the sense that it has been generated internally. 

For most organizations, excellent information acquisition is as simple as making it easy for people to send you information in a variety of commonly used formats. It should be as easy as possible for partners, customers, or clients to send you information or documents when they need to. 

However, if your organization’s business model is centered on information, excellent acquisition may actually be enormously important and complex. A social media company, for example, wants to collect as much information about their platforms’ users as possible, in order to maximize the effectiveness of their targeted advertising. A research and development firm, on the other hand, would want to be able to quickly and systematically interpret and incorporate complex information. 

The end of the acquisition stage blends into the custodianship stage, as files which are “acquired” need to be stored somewhere. Good acquisition is not just about the volume or quality of the information collected, or the ease with which it is received, but also about where that information ends up in your storage.

Custodianship 

Goals: Organization, Security

This is a broad term covering how the information is stored, including how it’s organized and how it’s protected. Generally, good custodianship involves effective, intuitive organization and strong, comprehensive security. So a loose pile of all your paper invoices jammed into a safe is not good custodianship, but neither is a well organized but totally unsecured online folder. 

An important part of custodianship for any organization with a large number of files is using an effective and logical indexing schema; in other words: how are your files and folders organized, and why? One way to think of an indexing schema is a list of types of information about a file (i.e. metadata) arranged from most broad to most specific, and/or from most important to least important.

An example of an indexing schema might be “Department> Year> Project> Purpose> Type> Format> Date Created.” With this schema files are sorted by department, then within department by the year they were created, then within that year by the project they’re relevant to, and so on.

Creating the best indexing schema for your organization will mean considering the operational context, the extent of your storage needs, and the organization tools at your disposal, among other factors. Whatever your schema ends up being, though, it needs to be applied consistently to all of your storage. That way, it can be learned once, and used to effectively navigate to any file in any collection.

Distribution 

Goals: Accessibility, Efficiency, Security

Distribution overlaps with custodianship quite a lot, as it involves how information, and access to information, are distributed throughout your organization. A well organized collection is easier to distribute and access. Part of secure and effective custodianship of information is ensuring that sensitive information is properly distributed only to those with permission to access it. So, for example, good distribution of your invoices would involve making them easily available to your accountants, and not to employees that don’t need access to them. 

There’s two ways to think about distribution: passive and active. Passive distribution of information is the distribution of access to information, such as who in your organization has access to which file storage locations. Active distribution involves sending information to members of your organization, rather than just making it accessible to them.

So after you’ve received an invoice, for example, and you’ve stored it somewhere organized and secure, you could either leave it stored in a specific folder for your accountants to access at their leisure, or send it directly to their accounts. Whether to choose active or passive distribution for any particular piece of information will depend on the operational context and your team members’ preferences; one is not inherently better than the other absent those considerations.

Disposal 

Goal: Compliance, Security, Diligence

Disposal is exactly what it sounds like: what you do with your information when it’s no longer of use to you. Excellent information disposal involves good information security, compliance with legislation, and diligence.

Compliance. 

Every step in good information management involves understanding and complying with the relevant legislations about records management, and this is probably most true of the disposal stage. Most jurisdictions require organizations to hold onto important records for a number of years after they’re created, even if they’re no longer relevant. These rules exist to keep organizations accountable, as even records which are a few years old can be used to assess the compliance or non-compliance of an organization’s practices. 

Understanding how records retention and disposal legislation apply to your operation is crucially important, as disposing of a record before it’s legally allowable could be seen as an attempt to hide evidence of illegal activity, regardless of whether it was intentional. (Check out our blog on retention periods in Canada to learn more about how to remain compliant.) 

Security. 

But good information disposal doesn’t end once its retention period has ended. Even if you have permission to dispose of a file, doing so in an insecure way could come back to hurt you. 

For example, keeping financial records in secure storage will be pointless in the long-run if you just throw them out as whole, readable documents when you’re finished with them. Nothing that contains banking info, social security numbers, personal addresses, or any other sensitive information should be readable when you get rid of it. (Learn more about compliant and secure disposal in our blog on disposal legislation in Canada.)

Diligence. 

Finally, good disposal means frequent and intelligent disposal. Just because a record has passed its retention period does not always mean it should be disposed of right away; some records hold operational and archival value for many years after their immediate relevance has passed. 

But not every record does. Holding onto important records because you know they still have value is responsible custodianship. Holding onto unimportant records you’re legally allowed to dispose of because you forgot about them or because you worry that they might have value is just wasting storage space. In small amounts, this is a small problem, but it’s best to stay ahead of it before it grows into a large one after years of neglect.

Disposition doesn’t just mean destroying records when you’re done with them, it can also mean moving them to long-term archival storage. Rather than simply holding onto everything in the same place for as long as possible, good custodianship means deliberate, prompt disposition decisions for each record at the end of its lifecycle. Consciously deciding what happens to your records and keeping track of these decisions is an extension of good custodianship. It will also save you storage space and make it easier to track down old archival records should you ever need them in the future.

Practicing Good Information Management

One simple way to assess and improve on your organization’s management of information is to think about how it handles each of these four stages, and how well it achieves each stages’ goals. Below is a set of questions we recommend asking yourself about each stage of your information management. Try writing out specific, concrete answers to each for best effect. We will be creating a downloadable version of this checklist and sending it out with one of our bi-weekly newsletters, so subscribe to make sure you don’t miss it. 

Acquisition

  1. What options for sending physical or digital documents to your organization are available to people? To your partners? Your clients or customers? To strangers?
  2. Which existing avenues for contacting or sending information to your organization are used most frequently? Which ones are under-utilized? Which are the simplest or most direct?
  3. Are there any potential avenues for contacting your organization or sending information to it that have not yet been adopted? Which options seem most valuable/efficient?
  4. How easy would it be for a stranger to get in touch with your organization? What about getting in touch with specific members (i.e. sales staff, managers, etc.)?
  5. What comes up when you search for your business on Google? What information would be valuable to include that’s not there already?
  6. How much information does your organization collect per month on average?
  7. How many documents/files are generated within your organization per year?
  8. Where does each type of file go when it’s received or generated? Where is it first stored?

Custodianship

  1. How fast would you be able to retrieve any given file within your organization’s collection?
  2. How quickly or easily would a brand new member of your organization be able to find a specific file only using the indexing schema, without assistance?
  3. What would a bad actor from outside your organization have to do to get access to your sensitive files? What obstacles would they have to overcome?
  4. How many information security breaches has your organization had in the past?
  5. How likely is your information to be targeted by bad actors trying to steal or leak it?
  6. Do you have any old archives of records? When was the last time they were thoroughly re-evaluated or reorganized? How long would it take to do it again?
  7. How often is your indexing schema re-evaluated and updated? How well is your current indexing schema serving your larger operational goals and organizational strategy?

Distribution

  1. Would it be safe for every member of your organization to have access to every file in its possession?
  2. Which files (if any) should not be accessible to your entire organization? Who should they be accessible to? What precautions are in place to ensure that access to them is restricted?
  3. How satisfied are your organization’s staff with their ability to access information? Have there been any complaints from staff about access?
  4. Are there any operational delays which are attributable to information delivery? If so, how might these be remedied?

Disposal

  1. Does someone in your organization know the required retention periods for all of its records? Which records need to be kept indefinitely?
  2. If you have any old archives of records, how many have passed their retention periods? How many could you delete, destroy, or move to the archive to save space?
  3. How does your organization typically get rid of old paper records? How secure is your destruction solution?
  4. How does your organization get rid of old digital records? How secure and how total is that destruction solution?
  5. What does your organization do with records once they pass their retention period? Is there a formal policy in place?
October 28, 2022

Document Scanning FAQs

So you’re interested in document scanning, but you don’t know where to start. Here are our answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about document scanning services, including everything from why they’re important, to what concrete options are available for getting your documents scanned.

Contents

What is Document Scanning?

Before we talk about Document Scanning, we of course have to define what we’re talking about. Document Scanning is the process of turning paper documents into digital files using specialized equipment. Because it turns physical information into digital information, it is a type of digitization.

While this technically includes things like photocopying one or two pages at a time, “document scanning” is typically used to refer to bulk scanning operations involving thousands or even hundreds of thousands of pages, scanned rapidly by specialized equipment in very specific procedures.

Why Should You Scan Your Documents?

There are many ways in which scanning your documents can beneficial (see our blog on the top 5 reasons for more details), but the primary benefits stem from the advantages that digital technology has over physical formats.

By scanning your documents, you’re bringing your information into a new world of functionality and utility, including instant sharing and remote access to files, high-speed analysis and visualization tools, and massively increased storage capacity. Some other reasons include better preservation, better security, and even better legal reliability.

What Document Scanning Options are Available?

Though the basic process is simple in concept, the actual practice of scanning your paper files can vary widely.

For a very small batch of non-sensitive files, walk-in scanning at your local Staples or UPS Store will do the trick.

Outsourced Scanning

For larger batches or files which require strict confidentiality, you’re almost certainly better off outsourcing the scanning process to the experts.

You and your team are probably more than capable of learning all of the necessary procedures and legislation and finding the right equipment for the job, all on your own. But it’s often cheaper, more efficient, and more reliable to let a firm that specializes in scanning handle the job for you.

Why take time and energy away from your core business to focus on scanning, when you could outsource the task to a firm whose core business is scanning?

Skip to “Where Can I Go to Scan My Documents?” or “Where Can I Store My Documents?”

In-House Scanning

Sometimes, however, unique circumstances like extremely delicate documents or great distances make in-house scanning your best option. If you find yourself in this position, it’s best to hire a scanning professional with experience administering similar projects or to consult with one when running your own project.

As we mentioned earlier, the basic concept of document scanning is simple; but it can get a lot more complicated in practice. The various legislations about the legitimate digitization of legal records make some amount of research a necessary part of any scanning operation. The larger a project is and the more steps are involved, the more opportunities there are for inefficient practices and policies to slip in, costing you time and money.

A scanning project expert will understand the relevant legislation and how it affects your project, as well as how best to optimize the scanning process for speed and efficiency.

Skip to “What Can I Use to Scan my Own Documents?” or “Which Document Scanner is the Best?”

Though there is a common misconception that paper files or other similar physical formats are more legally reliable than digital documents, in fact, digital files can be far more legally reliable than paper.

Most digital formats automatically collect information about who interacted with a file, what they did to it, and when. Add to that password protections and restricted access, as well as protected formats like PDF-A, and you’re looking at multiple layers of accountability and security that paper files simply can’t compete with.

If you ever have to defend the legitimacy of your records, do you want the court to have to trust your word that those paper files are what you say they are, or would you prefer to have extensive metadata to back you up?

Of course, not every digital file is automatically more legally valid than a physical document, merely because it is digital. The suite of metadata and security options only available with digital formats is what gives files more legal reliability. There are also certain requirements that must be met in order to make your digital files legal copies, but we’ll discuss those in the next question.

What are the Requirements for Legally Valid Digital Files?

Files which were originally created digitally and have been tracked and kept in protected formats already have the capacity to serve as legally legitimate records. But scanning an existing, legally valid, physical document does not automatically produce a legally legitimate digital copy.

According to the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB), a digitization process must meet the following requirements for the products to be considered legitimate (source: CAN/CGSB-72.34-2017 6.4.2.2):

  1. Excellent Image Quality: the images of your files you produce must be “sufficiently high-quality…so that the digital substitute will serve ongoing business needs as well as unanticipated future requirements.”
  2. Don’t Re-digitize: If you’ve got a file in a physical format that used to be digital, you need to try getting ahold of the original digital copy instead, before you re-digitize it.
  3. Triple Quality Assurance: The CGSB guidelines state that “[a]t minimum, quality controls shall be set at the document preparation stage, at scanning and indexing, and at the bulk upload stage,” (6.4.2.2; emphasis added). That’s three separate double-checks to make sure that the digital file is a complete and accurate copy. If you find a digital file that’s too low-quality to replace the physical original, it needs to be rescanned.
  4. Everything Accounted For: every physical file and digital copy involved needs to be accounted for throughout the process in accurate and comprehensive lists or inventories. It’s best to create these inventories at the start of the scanning process and update them as the process is completed. That way, problems or rescans can be accounted for as they happen, and the entire inventory can be presented to auditors as soon as the project is finished. You also need to have accurate records of the specific procedure used, so that auditors can make sure you took all the appropriate steps.

Note: the way that the legislation is written, every organization is obligated to understand what the legislation requires of it, even if they outsource. In fact, you’re required to take whatever rules are imposed on you by the legislation, and impose those on your service provider by including them as conditions in the service contract.

How Safe is Document Scanning?

In any scanning project, there is a very small amount of risk that your documents, either the physical originals or the digital copies, will be damaged or lost. Some scanning machines pull pages through narrow spaces with rotors, which can sometimes jam, possibly resulting in tearing or creasing. Sometimes technical problems can corrupt digital files, or human error can result in skipped documents.

In general, however, document scanning is very safe. If you choose a reputable service provider, outsourced document scanning means trusting your files to the care of document-handling experts with a financial incentive to keep your files as safe as possible. To be extra safe, ask your service provider to walk you through their process and security measures, and, if possible, get in touch with some of their past clients to ask if they ran into any problems.

Doing it yourself will mean learning or developing all of those safety policies and procedures before you begin, which can be a hassle, but a manageable hassle. Most of these policies are common sense anyway, like not allowing unsealed drink containers near the stacks of physical files, and keeping comprehensive accounting of each file.

What can I Use to Scan My Own Documents?

There are hundreds of specific scanning machines available on the market, but they all fit into a few general categories based on their purpose and function:

Sheetfed Document Scanner
  • Sheetfed Scanners: Ideal for processing large batches of paper quickly, sheetfed scanners pull pages through one at a time from a hopper that can hold large stacks. This efficiency comes at a price, however, as sheetfed scanners are typically more expensive than simpler, slower flatbed scanners; prices range from $400-$2,400. If you’ve got a large number of documents to scan (e.g. >10,000 pages), or need to digitize an ongoing stream of new documents as they’re created, then it may be worth it to invest in this kind of high-efficiency equipment.
Flatbed Document Scanner
  • Flatbed Scanners: Though they are slower and less efficient than sheetfed scanners, flatbed scanners are simpler to use and set up. While sheetfed scanners typically come with complicated software and procedures to operate, most flatbed scanners function more or less the same as a photocopier on your standard office printer. With prices ranging from $80-$700 at most, they’re a good option for smaller projects, and teams with little scanning experience.
Oversize Document Scanner
  • Oversize Scanners: As large, specialized pieces of equipment, it probably won’t be surprising to learn that oversize scanners are the most expensive variety, with prices starting at $4,000 and only going up from there. You only need an oversize scanner if your documents are large format (>20″) diagrams, blueprints, or maps; certain sheetfed or flatbed scanner models can accommodate non-standard page sizes like legal (8.5″ x 14″) or tabloid (11″ x 17″). The size of the documents also means that oversize scanning is the most accident-prone, as larger documents have more opportunity and leverage to jam, fold, or tear as they go through the scanner. If you need large format documents scanned and there’s nothing preventing you from transporting them to an external service provider, we strongly recommend you trust them to experts before trying it yourself.

Which Document Scanner is the Best?

There are many different models of scanning machines available. Here’s a comparison by PC Magazine of a dozen excellent choices, updated in early October 2022.

Whatever you choose, make sure that the format, functionality, price, and reliability match your needs and your budget. A small project without an urgent deadline does not require the same top-of-the-line equipment that a larger project might. An expensive, high-quality machine will be a waste of money if your employees aren’t trained to use it properly. On the other hand, trying to scan hundreds of thousands of pages with the cheapest scanner you could find online probably won’t go very well either.

Where can I go to Scan My Documents?

There are many document service providers here in Alberta, so you’ll need to weigh the pros and cons of each. Factors like reputation, security measures, and flexibility all need to be taken into account when making your choice.

The provider’s distance from you is also critically important, as longer travel times mean a greater risk of damage or loss during transit. Watch out for franchised companies that set up small offices in every major city, as some will pick up your files at their local office and then ship them across the country just to scan them. When discussing with a potential service provider, make sure you know where the files will actually be scanned.

Consentia has been providing scalable scanning solutions to organizations in Alberta for decades, and our experienced team has worked on every type size of project. Clients’ files are always scanned in our Edmonton service bureau, under multiple layers of physical and digital security, and only ever handled by our trusted and vetted employees. We undergo third-party security audits annually to verify that we meet or exceed all safety and security standards.

Get in touch with us today to request a quote or ask any questions you may have. Our experts would be happy to work with you to develop a custom solution that meets your specific needs and budget constraints.

What is “OCR”, and How is it Involved in Document Scanning?

OCR stands for “Optical Character Recognition” and refers to a wide variety of text-recognition technologies. Modern OCR systems range from ubiquitous to cutting-edge, with greater complexity and higher prices correlating with a greater capacity to recognize diverse inputs, including hand-written text and unstandardized forms. 

OCR is used in document scanning to automatically recognize and note letters in images, giving you the ability to search for specific words, highlight, and copy and paste the text. Without OCR, scanning would basically leave you with images of your physical files, not equivalent digital text files.

Consentia offers OCR as an option in all of our scanning projects, giving you either the ability to search through your files with ease, or the choice to save your money instead. We’re also able to arrange for automated data entry and AP processing through our sister company, Contexture. This gives you the option to turn unorganized invoices and other non-standardized forms into neatly organized spreadsheets automatically, saving your accounting department a huge amount of time.

Where can I Store My Documents?

There are a number of storage options in Alberta, most of which are predictably located in Edmonton and Calgary. There are a few key factors to consider when choosing a storage provider, like their reputation, their reviews, their capacity, their responsiveness when corresponding with you, etc.

One of the most important factors to consider is the distance of the facility from you. The further you are from your storage location the greater the delays will be when you need to retrieve physical documents, and longer travel times mean more opportunity for a tragic accident.

If you’re looking to store your information, and not necessarily the documents it’s currently in, then you really should consider the advantages of digital storage. Not only does digital storage give you access to a whole suite of security and utility features that aren’t possible with paper, but the storage efficiency of digital is exponentially better than paper’s.

Expanding your storage is also far cheaper with digital, both in terms of space and money, so if you’re expecting your organization to grow, digital storage is a more sustainable option.

Why waste money on long-term physical storage when you could invest in instantly and remotely accessible secure digital storage with practically limitless storage capacity?

If digital storage sounds like a good long-term solution, but you have a large number of physical files that need to be stored somewhere urgently, then storing them with Consentia is probably your best option. We can store all of your files in our highly secure facility, and gradually scan them while they’re under our care. That way you can solve both the short-term problem of storage capacity and the long-term problem of an outdated storage medium, with just one solution.

October 21, 2022

How to Choose the Right Electronic Records Management System

Your organization generates a lot of information and needs to retain a lot of records. Storing, organizing, and sorting through all those documents can be a massive headache if they’re still in paper or physical formats. Frequently accessed records will need constant organizational maintenance to avoid becoming a messy pile, and even archival documents need to be organized and maintained properly so that you can provide them to a court or the CRA quickly if they’re ever requested. 

You know that you and your organization can rise to this challenge and keep everything in good working order. But should you have to? Maintaining organized records and documents is a necessary part of any efficient business model. But keeping paper documents organized takes time and energy away from your members which could be going toward more productive tasks. 

Fortunately, there are digital solutions that can save you and your members time, money, and stress. These systems can vary widely, but collectively they are generally referred to as Electronic Record Management Systems (ERM/ERMS), Electronic Document and Record Management Systems (EDRMS), Document Management Systems (DMS), or Enterprise Content Management systems (ECM). 

Though there are some differences between these terms, the diversity of options available within each makes them broadly interchangeable. Of these terms, however, “ECM” is probably the least interchangeable, as this is typically reserved for large, high-budget, comprehensive systems. If your organization has enough money and enough digital content to warrant looking at the higher end of the spectrum, then this is probably the term to watch out for. 

Technically, your home computer’s file managing program (e.g. File Explorer for Windows, Finder for Macs) counts as a Document Management System, as it stores digital files in an organized manner. However, the range of complexity and scale can extend well beyond this. At the upper end, some large organizations and corporations have their content management systems custom-built, with tailored automation and processing to suit the specific needs of their operation within their jurisdiction(s). 

So then, where do you even start? What makes one electronic records management system better than another? How much should they cost? What specific options are available? We’ll answer all these questions and more in this blog post, but first, we have to understand a record’s lifecycle.

Record Lifecycles

The “lifecycle” of a record simply refers to its start and end within your organization and everything in between. In general, this process has three steps: creation/collection, storage and use, and disposition. An invoice from a service provider, for example, is created outside of your organization by the provider, and collected by you. After you pay it, you need to hold onto it as documentary evidence for a legally mandated retention period. Once that retention period is up, you’ll need to dispose of it, which could mean destroying it, putting it in some form of long-term storage, or handing it off to someone else for safekeeping.

The more of your records’ lifecycle your ERM can handle, the more valuable it is to you. The standard suite of file-organizing programs built into your computer can handle the collection and storage of digital files, but you’ll need to bring the file into an editing program like Microsoft Word or Photoshop if you want to edit them after the fact. Once the retention period is up, you’ll probably need specialized software to fully delete them from your hard drive or transfer them to another location, unless you plan to keep them indefinitely.

Mainstream cloud-storage services like Google Drive and Microsoft’s OneDrive cover essentially the same set of functions, with the addition of various built-in programs that offer more functions when it comes to creation, editing, and use. These generic ERMs will suffice for most organizations, but some with specialized business models or unique needs will require more specialized systems to match. 

Laying out a complete list of every ERM on the market, pointing out specializations, and weighing their pros and cons would be well beyond the scope of this blog post. Other websites have already compiled such lists (here’s our favourite), so it would be a waste of time to tread that ground again. Instead, we’ll go through some important questions we think would be helpful for guiding your decision-making.

Questions to Guide your Search

How complex is my organization’s record lifecycle?

Organizations with smaller, conventional business models, or whose business models don’t center around information will have fairly simple content lifecycles. Mainstream business suites like Google Business Suite and Microsoft’s OneDrive or Sharepoint should offer more than enough functionality to effectively digitalize your operation. Other organizations with more operational complexity than simply intake, storage, and disposal, should consider more specialized ERMs with other functions like secure file transfer or business process automation. In general, it may be a good idea to write down every step that a record will go through in your organization, from creation to eventual disposal, and check off every step that the ERM you’re considering is able to handle. 

What kind of security options does it offer?

Information security is obviously very important for any organization, but it’s more important for some than for others. Additionally, certain organizations are more likely to be targeted by cybercriminals or corporate espionage and thus have justifiable reasons to be more careful. When considering possible ERMs, look at their history with cybersecurity, and seek out some positive and negative reviews. 

Another aspect to consider is whether your organization requires tiered layers of security. Unless every member of your organization can be trusted with access to any file in your collection, you’ll need to have options for restricted access and multiple layers of security clearance. The inclusion and quality of encryption options, password protections, and version control are also features to consider.

How easy would it be to show an audit trail with this system?

As discussed in our other blog posts about document management, every organization needs to be able to present reliable, transparent, and comprehensive audit trails to prove the legitimacy and authenticity of their records. One of the primary benefits of electronic records management systems over paper is that digital audit trails are both easier to generate, and far more reliable. Automated metadata means that records about who imported, created, edited, or deleted a file, and when it happened are generated instantly as these actions take place, and are stored by both the records system and the file itself. 

Every ERM will generate metadata, but only some systems automatically compile complete audit trails for individual records and/or users. Producing a defensible audit trail without this automation will require you or your members to go through the metadata yourself. Depending on the number of files you have to defend, this could cost you a significant amount of time and energy. This makes automated audit trails an important option for organizations that are more likely to have to defend the legitimacy of their records on a regular basis, or who generate a significant amount of content.

Conclusion

Whatever ERM you end up choosing for your organization, the benefits of digital information management systems can only be achieved with digital files. If you’ve still got paper files on your hands, then the information they contain won’t be included in the benefits an ERM can offer you. Digitization services like document scanning and data entry allow you to get the most utility out of every file. Quantitative information goes from stale numbers on a page to dynamic datasets that can be visualized and analyzed instantly. Pages and pages of dense text documents become instantly searchable and shareable and can be safeguarded with password protections, metadata systems, and protected file formats.

Consentia has been providing digitization services to organizations in Alberta for decades, including document scanning, film conversions, and data entry. We’ve worked with organizations of every shape and size, on every type of project. Our transformation solutions are fully scalable and can be customized to suit your specific needs and circumstances.

Get in touch with one of our experts today to learn more about how we can help you revolutionize your information management.

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October 14, 2022

Benefits of Records Management Services

Your organization needs to manage information, even if it’s not your core business model. There are numerous internal, financial, and legal documents that you need to create, store, access, and one day dispose of that keep your organization running. You need to manage hiring, payroll, and performance review records for every employee. You need to manage contracts, transaction records, and correspondence for every client or partner.

Effective record and information management takes time, energy, and knowledge. Tedious clerical work like filling out and filing forms drains your focus while costing you valuable time that you could be spending on your core business instead. Even more tedious, staying compliant with legislation means research. You are required to know and understand the implications of any relevant legislation and adjust your business processes accordingly. 

Why not outsource these tasks to a dedicated record management service provider? High-quality records management service providers will know how to manage and organize information efficiently and understand the relevant regulations inside and out. You’d free up time to focus on your core business while ensuring that your records are managed by experts. You know your core business better than anyone else; information management is their core business. 

There are some essential questions to consider if you’re interested in the benefits of records management services:

Records management services benefit any organization that isn’t based on information management. If your organization is already specialized in information technology, or record and information management, storage, or destruction, then you can probably manage your own records just as well as anyone you’d outsource to. 

If that description doesn’t sound like your operation, you can probably benefit from outsourced services. You can especially benefit if you often find yourself running into the limits of your physical and digital storage space or if you don’t have the staffing budget for legal or other specialists. In other words, outsourcing is especially beneficial if your operation is a small business. 

What Does Good Records Management Mean?

“Good management” is somewhat vague; what counts as “good” records management? In general, there are three main principles: organization, security, and compliance with legislation. 

Keeping your records well organized is essential for maintaining accessibility. The first step is to develop a classification and indexing system that makes intuitive sense. With a classification system that organizes records based on notable, memorable characteristics (e.g. contents, author, purpose, date created), you can find what you’re looking for without having to sift through hundreds of irrelevant documents. Even more important is that you actually use that system every time you add a new record to your storage. 

The entire purpose of keeping records, whether for your own sake or because it’s required by legislation, is to maintain access to that file for when you (or the CRA) may need it. Getting rid of or losing a record too soon isn’t just bad records management; it’s illegal. But merely having a record in your possession counts for nothing if it’s buried under so many other disorganized documents that you can’t access it quickly when you need it. 

If the CRA comes looking for your tax records from a particular year, for example, they won’t care whether you say the documents are somewhere in your storage, only that you can produce them when asked. 

You must retain records for various lengths of time and keep them accessible to the right people throughout the retention period. Another part of good records management is ensuring the wrong people don’t have access to them. There are many reasons why you would want to secure a record, but in general, if a document is worth collecting and retaining in the first place, then it’s probably worth putting in the effort and the funding to make sure they’re secure. 

If you collect any of your clients’ or users’ personal information as part of your business model, for example, then you are legally required to keep that information safe. It has to stay secure when it’s collected, while you’re holding on to it, and all the way up to the disposal. 

Finally, good records management is compliant with legislation. The potential penalties for being found non-compliant include lengthy delays in any interaction with the government while you’re being audited, costly fines, and, if your violations are particularly severe, criminal prosecution is not unlikely. Ensuring that your practices are compliant gives you the peace of mind that only comes from knowing that you have nothing to hide. 

Compliance is easier said than done, however. Developing a system of records management that meets all of your operational needs while staying organized and secure is already a difficult challenge. For better or for worse, regulations add even more conditions and contingencies to that puzzle. 

Even if you contract your records management to a provider specializing in it, Canadian federal legislation holds you accountable to know what policies and procedures your organization would need to operate by. 

The complexity of any organization’s operation means that there’s an enormous variety of policies and procedures that might be necessary in some cases while irrelevant in others. Rather than try to establish regulations that somehow cover every possibility, the government requires you to develop your own set of rules specific to your situation and enforce them within your organizational structure. (To learn more, check out our blog on records retention legislation.)

Even if you outsource as much of your records management as possible, you need to have policies and procedures covering every step of the records’ lifecycle. When outsourcing to service providers, you need to enforce the policies and procedures that work for your operation onto the service provider as part of the terms of your contract with them.

What Does Good Records Management Look Like in Practice?

Having identified the three core features of competent records management, the short answer is that good records management is organized, secure, and compliant. But this doesn’t give you much to think about when considering which records management service to work with. 

The lifecycle of a record goes from collection or creation to classification and organization, to use and modification, to retention or archiving, and eventually to disposal. When weighing up your options for service providers, it’s a good idea to take a close look at how the provider deals with each of the steps they’ll be contracted to handle and evaluate how efficient, organized, and secure their practices and policies are at each stage.

As mentioned previously, outsourcing doesn’t mean you don’t have to learn the regulations. It saves you the work of operating the records management system. However, you still have to build that system in collaboration with the service provider, based on the relevant legislative requirements. If the government audits your operation or the operation of your service provider, and their practices are found non-compliant, you’ll be on the hook as well. Your records are your responsibility, and that includes the way that others handle your records. 

Conclusion

No outsourced service can cover 100% of your records management. You’ll still need to create and collect your records before sending them to your service provider. 

However, letting an organization specializing in records management handle your records storage, archiving, digitization, and/or disposition can save you time and energy, all while ensuring that the job is done by experienced and well-equipped professionals. 

Even if you want to keep your records management in-house, third-party providers can help you set up an efficient, organized, secure, and compliant program. This will usually involve helping you choose an electronic records management system or helping you build one from the ground up. In the digital age, having an effective digital information system is a must, as it has enormous benefits for organization, security and flexibility. To learn more about the benefits of digital systems, check out our blog on the security advantages, or our blog on the operational advantages.

Of course, the benefits of digital information systems only extend to digital files. Efficient digitization solutions allow you to bring your entire library of paper files into the digital world, letting you share instantly, access from anywhere, and store more efficiently. Consent has been offering reliable and secure digitization services for decades, including data entry, day-forward or backfile paper scanning, and even old film scanning. 

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October 6, 2022

Understanding Document Disposition

As the last post in our series on records management, this post will cover the regulations around the proper disposition of records. In other words, the dos and don’ts of getting rid of the records you don’t need to retain any more.

As a reminder: this series is not intended to serve as official legal counsel, but to complement it by providing more accessible explications of official regulations. Ultimately, your organization and its leadership are responsible for understanding and adhering to relevant legislation. We hope that you find this series of posts helpful as a preview or complement to the Government of Canada’s official regulation guides, and/or legal counsel. 

What does “Disposition” mean?

According to the Canadian General Standards Board: “[d]isposition refers to the actions taken on records after the expiration of the records retention period: destruction, transfer, or preservation,” (6.4.6.1) The last post covered the guidelines and specific regulations around records retention, as well as how to integrate them into your comprehensive records management program. Disposition is just whatever you decide to do with the records once the retention period is over, even if you decide to keep them. 

Why is disposition important? (6.4.6.1)

Disposition is a critical part of maintaining the security of your records. Even if your security measures were perfect throughout the entire retention period, it would all be for naught if they become insecure the moment the period ends. 

  • If you decide to destroy an expired record, you have to ensure that the destruction is total and irreversible. 
  • If you decide to preserve the record, you have to ensure that the level of security the record had during the retention period remains. 
  • If you decide to transfer it, you have to make sure that the organization you choose to transfer it to meets all of the security and other standards that are required of you.

What does a compliant disposition process look like? (6.4.6.2-5) 

Like with so many other things discussed in this series, the details of a compliant disposition process that meets the needs of your particular organization will depend on its operational, legal, and managerial idiosyncrasies. It will also depend on what you choose to do with your records: destroy them, transfer them, or preserve them. 

Two aspects that won’t depend on anything specific to your circumstance, however, are comprehensive documentation, and functional authority. No matter what you plan to do with your records at the end of their retention periods, every policy you establish, every decision made, who made those decisions, and every procedure laid out, all of it needs to be documented in your RM manual. In addition to the policies, you must document, for every record, how it was disposed of, who authorized its disposition, and when it occurred. 

In addition to documentation, the process and the RM program must have authority; and the RO, who oversees the program, must also have authority within your organization. How much authority? However much they need to put the disposition policies into effect in your organization’s regular course of business. 

Finally, before any decisions are made about disposition, the RO must review the records at the end of their retention periods, and determine whether legal hold or any other factor which may extend the retention period applies.

Compliant Destruction. (6.4.6.3)

If you decide to destroy your records at the end of the decided retention period, you will need to do so in a way that does not compromise the security and confidentiality of the records and is completely irreversible. 

This is not too difficult with physical records: you just need to find a secure way to physically damage the documents to the point where the information they contain can never be retrieved. An in-house paper shredder is the simplest option for paper records, and other shredders or disposal devices are also available for other forms of physical documentation. Note, however, that if you plan to destroy documents in bulk by giving them to a third-party destruction services vendor, this will also involve the regulations around transfer disposition (see “Compliant Transfer” in the next section).

Destruction of digital records is a little trickier, due to the deceptive ease of deleting files in digital systems. When you delete a file on your computer, the arrangement of magnetic charges that composes it usually isn’t totally scrambled or removed, it is merely set aside by the system as code that is no longer deemed important or presentable, and ready to be overwritten. Until that space is overwritten with new information, the ghost of the “deleted” information remains. This may sound like a rare problem, and relative to the total number of digital objects deleted every day it is rare, but it does happen and should be prepared for. 

One way to ensure your digital files are irreversibly destroyed is to just physically destroy the drive or storage location they’re stored on. It’s the most certain way to make sure that no specialists, malware, or cybercriminals will ever be capable of recovering the information. This option can be quite expensive, however, not only because of the increased administrative costs of ensuring that the destruction is done securely and completely, but also because it requires you to discard hardware that, despite being common and accessible, is fairly expensive, and will need to be replaced. 

More cost-effective options that don’t cost you your entire hard drive are also available. Some software can be used to make a deletion permanent by immediately overwriting the deleted storage space with useless code. 

If one of your information systems or hard drives contains code that is frequently overwritten automatically, then the window of opportunity for cybercriminals to steal ghost data may be very short, making a successful theft highly unlikely. In this case, the normal digital deletion process should suffice. 

Compliant Transfer. (6.4.6.4)

In previous posts, we discussed how regulations require you to enforce your own records management policies and standards on any third-party service providers through contractual obligations. When you transfer control of a record to another organization for destruction or preservation, you must ensure that all of your own RM program policies are enforced throughout the transfer process. You must also ensure that the organization receiving your records is secure and can be trusted to maintain the confidentiality of the records the whole time they are in their possession. 

Furthermore, the new custodian needs to be designated in your own metadata, and the fact that they received your record(s) needs to be documented in theirs. Depending on the importance of the records or technical complications with them, you may also need to record the hardware and software that generated the records, as well as the format, file codes, file layout, and other technical details about the records system that the records were in prior to transfer. 

Compliant Preservation. (6.4.6.5)

Preservation means continual accessibility and confidentiality. If you download a file onto a hard drive and it becomes corrupted or otherwise inaccessible, then it is no longer preserved. The importance of a record is the information it contains, and the ability to access that information when it is needed. On the other hand, if anyone can access a record, then its security has not been preserved. Preservation of records means doing whatever it takes to maintain accessibility to the right people and deny access to the wrong people. Simple concept, but the execution can be complex.

Though the pace of digital innovation has slowed down somewhat over the last few years as users and businesses congregate around a few platforms, software, and formats, changes in information technology are still difficult to predict, and some of those that have already occurred are not likely to reverse. What this means for the preservation of your records is that you need to be ready for technological updates to avoid loss of information to obsolete systems. 

Our previous blogs on microfilm go into detail about its decline into obsolescence with the dawning of the digital age. Organizations that invested in microfilm technology before the age of the computers then had to go through the additional expense of converting their microfilm records to digital in order to keep up. While it is unlikely that any similar seismic shifts in the information technology industry will occur any time soon, industry standards do still change, and you need to ensure that you can maintain your records through them. 

Specifically, policy requires that your RM program manual emphasize the importance of controlled creation and maintenance of preservable records formats. It also needs to require identity metadata to document the creation, reception, or storage of a record, its authenticity, and its proper maintenance. 

When conversion to a new file format and/or migration to a new system is required to preserve the records from obsolescence, the organization has some special responsibilities. First, regarding conversion, in order to prepare for the potential risk of information loss, the utilities of the original file format (e.g. navigation and excerpting tools, compatibility with software and hardware systems) need to be documented, as well as the utilities of the new format. 

In general, information loss is to be avoided as much as possible, by any means available. Any and all decisions about migration and conversion need to be documented, as well as who made them. Finally, if migration and conversion needs are common or expected, appropriate policies and procedures need to be integrated into the organization’s RM program as a normal course of business.

September 30, 2022

Top 5 Reasons Why Document Imaging is Important for Your Business

In today’s digital age, physical documents are often a drag on the pace of business. Though there are a few places where paper is still the best option, most information is stored and processed digitally. Whether you’ve got a backlog of old paper files, or an ongoing stream of new papers to manage, document imaging is how you can bring your information into the digital world. In this article, we’ll break down the importance of document imaging by looking at the top 5 ways it can benefit your business.

5 – Incredible Storage Efficiency

Most of us already know that digital documents are far easier to store than paper, but rarely do we recognize just how great the difference is. One way to think about it that we’ve explored in a previous blog is to imagine all of the pages of documents that a single, one-terabyte hard drive could store as printed papers all in one place. Using Microsoft Word for this hypothetical, you could store over 80,000,000 pages in a single terabyte. That’s a big number, but what would that look like in reality? If they were all printed on 0.05mm thick paper, double-sided, the stack would stand over a full two kilometres tall, roughly the height of three Burj Kalifa’s (the tallest building in the world, at 830m). When you think about a terabyte of data, remember just how much paper it’s worth. 

Add to that the ability to organize and search through these files instantly, without having to flip through dozens of pages to find what you’re looking for, and it’s clear that digital files make for more useful information systems.

But space is not the only concern; what about cost? Many people think of paper as negligibly cheap, but as even a small organization knows, buying paper in bulk can be expensive. Printers and cartridges are also expensive, meaning that any business processes that include the creation of new paper documents will have to account for ongoing costs. Finally, if you ever want to archive your old files in a secure facility, paper files will take up a lot of space, and require rigorous physical security measures. By contrast, cloud storage solutions are both cheap, and easily scalable, should you ever wish to expand the archive.

4 – Greater Utility

Paper documents can be used for a lot of things, but they still can’t compete with the flexibility and broad applicability of digital files. You can print or write whatever you want onto a paper document, or type or draw it into a digital file. But you can’t search a sheet of paper for specific words, instantly duplicate it or its contents, or compute and analyze its data, unless you digitize it. There’s a whole world of powerful digital tools that you can use to enhance your operation or streamline your processes. With document imaging, these tools can be used to leverage the full potential of your information by freeing it from the confines of paper pages.

3 – Preservation and Redundancy

We often think of paper as being secure and permanent because it’s tangible, and it ages slowly. But even well-maintained pages will eventually tear and become brittle. It’s true that hard drives don’t last forever either, but unlike paper, digital files can be copied onto other, newer hard drives almost instantly. 

Redundancy is an important part of preservation; with redundant copies, if anything happens to the original copy, you’ll have a backup. Every time you create an additional paper copy of a document it costs you money to produce, takes up more space, and takes, at the very least, a few seconds per page to duplicate. Digital files are already duplicated every single time you move, edit, share, or copy them, and it happens nearly instantly per page.

Another factor to consider is the centralization of information in cloud storage. When you upload files to whatever cloud service you already use (or should be using), they’re saved to a massive database in a secure location far away. These sites store incredible amounts of information, and the companies that own them rely on their clients’ happy satisfaction to turn a profit. Any delays or interruptions to their clients’ access will damage their reputation and hurt their bottom line, so they go to great lengths to prevent that from happening.

With the power of the internet, the location of a cloud server doesn’t matter very much, aside from local information laws. That means that there are only a handful of these sites around the world, storing information for thousands of businesses and hundreds of millions of users. The point is: these companies rake in a ton of revenue. Reinvesting this revenue back into their business means enhancing their network connections and strengthening multiple layers of physical and digital security so that your files are as safe as possible from security or cybersecurity breaches, natural disasters, and other forms of loss or damage.

2 – Security and Legality

As already mentioned, for many people, the tangibility of paper makes it feel more reliable and secure. By contrast, the average person’s understanding of digital technology and cybersecurity might lead some to believe that information connected to the internet is uniquely vulnerable to hackers or malware. From this perspective, it seems like document imaging would worsen your information security. These concerns are not necessarily unfounded, as completely unprotected access to the internet can be very risky. 

However, in the current digital age, most digital tools and online systems have rigorous protections built right in. If you’re an average consumer or small to medium business, you probably use one of the mainstream suites of software tools, like Microsoft Office, Google Suite, or the various Mac OS products. All of these have built-in security measures to protect you from standard security concerns like malware and phishing attacks. If you store your digital files in encrypted cloud storage and use reputable tools, imaging your documents actually improves their security.

Metadata is the reason why protected digital documents are  Nearly every software system available does some amount of metadata tracking. This means that the program records details about its use, such as the user or IP address using it, when and for how long it was used, and what was done with it (among many other things). If someone accesses or changes a file, a comprehensive, automated metadata system will record it. This means that you’ll always know what has or has not happened to your information. 

Paper documents, of course, do not have automatic metadata. If someone who’s not supposed to can view sensitive documents, they’ll have that information, and you’ll have no way of knowing that they do. If a sensitive piece of information gets leaked (e.g. trade secrets, confidential client information), you’ll be able to use metadata to narrow down the list of people who may be responsible to just those that had access. With paper documents, you’re left guessing. With proper metadata systems in place, imaging your documents brings them into a far more secure space, where they’re always under the watchful eye of automated overseers.

1 – Organizational Flexibility

Without a doubt, the number one way in which document imaging will benefit your business is by making your organization more flexible. This may sound insignificant, but flexibility is crucial for responding to changes and crises; crises like the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020. Organizations that were able to switch to an entirely or partially remote work model were able to maintain business and keep their members safer. That kind of remote work is only possible with digital information; organizations that relied on paper files either had to forgo those files for a time or drastically cut down the number of people allowed into their office. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is just one example, and an extreme one at that. The flexibility that digital information systems offer can benefit you in more ways than the option to work from home. With the ability to transmit information across continents in seconds, the physical distance between your organization and its partners becomes less of a factor, opening up new business opportunities. The storage efficiency mentioned previously gives you more options for storing mass amounts of data, and the ability to move it quickly or access it over great distances means it can be relocated or shared nearly instantly.

Whether the next crisis your organization faces is a natural disaster, a recession, or something else entirely, document imaging makes your information flexible enough to accommodate whatever adaptation is necessary. But you should not wait for the crisis to come to you before imaging. Though the outcome of document imaging is flexible digital information, the process of imaging your files must be done in person, with your files in one place. It also takes time to discuss, arrange, prepare, and execute, so the onset of a new crisis is already too late. 

In order to protect your organization and its success through whatever new crises may be coming, you should image your documents beforehand. Imaging your documents early also brings you all the benefits discussed in the earlier points, so there are no downsides. Contact us today to learn more and to see how we can help protect you from disaster.

September 23, 2022

The Cost of Document Scanning – Consentia

Document scanning is an excellent option for any organization looking to free itself from the chaos and liabilities of paper documents. Converting your files to digital protects you from the risk of loss or theft, as digital files can be better secured and organized. It also allows you to save on storage space and gives you the ability to remotely access your files, making your organization more flexible and resilient. 

But where do you start? How do you know what kind of scanning would be best for the files you want to digitize? How much does it cost to scan a document? How much should it cost to scan a document? Is it better to do in-house scanning or outsourced? 

In this brief guide, we’ll summarize the options available to you and weigh the pros and cons of each. But first, we must make a distinction.

“Backfile” vs “Day-forward” scanning

If you find yourself needing document imaging, then you’re probably in one of two situations (or both). If you have an extensive archive of old paper files sitting around, it’s either taking up space in your own facility or costing you money to take up space in someone else’s storage facility. Turning that whole collection into digital files would save you money and space and make it easier to locate specific files when you need them in the future. Scanning large batches all at once like this is “backfile” scanning.

Alternatively, you may need to create and use new paper documents as part of your normal business processes. The sooner you can digitize those documents, the less likely you are to lose them in the day-to-day business chaos, and the smaller your collection of physical documents will have to be. “Day-forward” document imaging solutions become integrated into your ordinary course of business so that new forms or receipts become part of your digital collection soon after they’re created. 

Option 1: In-House Document Scanning

To scan your documents in-house, you’ll need to find a scanning machine that’s up to the job and train a few of your staff on how to use it efficiently. Depending on the type and number of machines you choose and the number of staff you dedicate to the task of scanning, this option is widely scalable. It also gives you the most control over the scanning process, as every step is done by your staff in your facility. Once you’ve set up your machines and the process, you can move them from location to location as needed. This allows you to scan delicate or especially sensitive documents without transporting them, so you don’t have to risk damage or loss due to a possible accident during transit.

However, there are some notable downsides. Firstly, the downside of being in complete control of the process is that you or another member of your organization are responsible for administrating the process. This can be a headache that chews up valuable time and energy from you or your managers, especially if you’ve never done it before. Additionally, federal legislation around records management requires you to take specific steps and adhere to particular standards during this process. Learning all these regulations and ensuring that you follow them in your scanning process only adds to the headache. Consulting with an expert about how to scan your files in-house most efficiently can relieve some of this headache by providing solid advice and helping to explain what the regulations require of your process. 

This can be an excellent option for establishing a day-forward scanning process for the indefinite future. You’ll only need the consultant’s advice to get started; eventually, your organization will have its own experts! However, this option is less ideal for backfile scanning, as once you’ve finished scanning your archive, you’ll be left with unnecessary scanning machines you may have a hard time selling. Additionally, the training you put your staff through to develop an efficient and compliant scanning process will go unused unless you have more scanning to do in the future. 

In general, in-house scanning would be best for adding a day-forward scanning process to your existing business processes or for scanning delicate files that should not be handled or transported more than is absolutely necessary; or that you’ll need to retain after the scanning process. For a temporary scanning job, or if you’re on a budget, a basic scanning machine will only set you back a few hundred dollars (example). For a long-term solution, however, it’s probably best to invest in a higher-end machine with more functionality, which will probably cost between $1,000 – $2,000 (example). You’ll also need to include the cost of the software to run the machine, to pay the consultant and the regular cost of the staff who execute the scanning process. Altogether, it will likely be at least a few thousand to get started, plus a similar ongoing cost for staff and training, which could vary widely depending on the scale of your process. 

In-House Document Scanning

Pros:Full control over the scanning process; documents don’t need to travel.
Cons:New equipment and training costs, taking on all of the risks, likely less efficient than outsourced, 
Perfect for:Day-forward scanning; highly sensitive or delicate documents
Recommended Service:Consultation with Consentia’s experts

Option 2: Walk-in Document Scanning

Some office supply stores offer walk-in scanning services, such as Staples, or the UPS Store. These options are convenient for quick scanning of small batches of documents (i.e. <300 pages), but they’re not compatible with any volume of backfile scanning greater than a few hundred pages at a time or any volume of day-forward scanning.

They’re also not very secure, as you’ll be using a shared machine in public, surrounded by strangers. Depending on the confidentiality requirements of your documents, this option may be completely off the table even before considering the operational difficulties. If you need a small batch of non-confidential files scanned quickly, before you’ve got an in-house or outsourced scanning solution set up, this may be your best option. Otherwise, you’ll need a more robust, long-term solution.

Walk-in Document Scanning

Pros:Quick, easy, simple
Cons:Not recommended for any document batches larger than a few hundred pages
Perfect for:Occasional, small batches of non-sensitive files
Recommended Service:Staples scanner rental stations

Option 3: Outsourced Document Scanning with Consentia

Consentia has been providing digitization solutions for clients ranging in size and kind from large government organizations to small and medium businesses to private individuals. Our talented scanning team has experience working with urgent day-forward solutions, delicate backfile scanning, and everything in between. We offer flexible solutions that can accommodate your specific situation, and our experts can help you decide which solution will work best for you. No matter the complexity or size of the project, we’d love to help you bring your information into the digital world. 

Our staff have all passed criminal record checks, and our facility has multiple layers of physical and digital security. Our clients’ files are always stored on an air-gapped server, meaning they’re totally disconnected from the internet, thus making cybersecurity threats all but impossible. 

We take great care to meet and exceed the standards laid out in the relevant legislation so that your new digital copies are sure to be legally reliable. We also offer secure courier options to make sure your files reach our facility safe and sound. 

Your new digital copies can be returned to you on a secure removable storage device, via Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), or through encrypted cloud storage. If you already have a preferred cloud storage location, we can upload them there; if not, we can custom-build one to suit your needs. Finally, we also offer secure document destruction services through our shredding provider. Once we’ve digitized your files, you can either retain them or, if you’re satisfied with the new copies, we can have the originals destroyed for you. 

Due to the variety of options Consentia offers and our ability to take on projects of any scale, we’re unable to provide a specific cost estimate until we know more about your project. Contact us today via the chat box on our website or request a quote. We’d love to see how we can help!

Outsourced Document Scanning with Consentia

Pros:Maximum flexibility, security, and reliability; experienced and efficient scanning teams; top-of-the-line equipment; included shredding options.
Cons:Files will need to travel to our facility
Perfect for:Backfile or day-forward scanning of any volume, 
Recommended Service:Document Scanning with Consentia
September 16, 2022

What Documents Should be Shredded?

Any organization using paper files knows the importance of document shredding. Legally, here in Canada, organizations are required to securely dispose of their own and others’ documents eventually, and if the information is no longer useful to you, shredding is the simplest and most secure option. 

However, what documents should be shredded and when is crucially important. You’ll regret shredding a document too soon, as it will deprive you of important information. Worse, depending on the type of document, you may even open yourself up to suspicion and prosecution from the authorities. On the other hand, holding on to a document longer than you have to won’t cost you much per document, but can be a waste of space and money if your organization has more than a few hundred pages. 

As experts in record management, we wanted to help make it easier to figure out which of your documents to shred, so that your organization doesn’t run into any unfortunate difficulties. Before we can explain which documents to shred, though, we need to categorize the types of documents your organization (probably) interacts with on a regular basis. These are Business Documents, Transitory Records, and Personal Information. 

Business Documents

What counts as a business document?

In Canadian regulations, the term “Business Documents” or “Business Records” refers to any documents which pertain to the structure, activities, or history of your organization. So this includes any and all financial records, official memos and correspondence, meeting minutes, property deeds, contracts, and more. If one of your documents contains information about your organization or something your organization has done or will do, then you can safely assume it’s a business document. 

These documents are important to your operation, so shredding them too early is an obvious mistake to avoid. At some point, however, a document will no longer be relevant. Meeting minutes and old contracts aren’t very valuable once the topics and agreements they refer to have become old news. 

How long should you wait to shred a business document?

Even after a document is no longer relevant to your operation, you might still have to hold onto it. Federal regulation requires you to retain any and all business documents for a certain period of time (i.e. “retention periods”). The length of a retention period depends on three things: (1) the date the record was created or imported, (2) what kind of document it is, and, (3) the type of organization. 

In general, though, most retention periods are six years. When that six-year period begins, however, varies based on the factors listed previously. At most, the retention period might not begin until 364 days after the document was created. When it comes to deciding what documents should be shredded, the safest policy is to wait until after seven years have passed. 

There are some documents your organization should never shred, however. Any documents which are considered “business-historical records,” those that would have any effect on the sale, liquidation, or ending of your business, need to be retained until several years after it ends. So long as you are in business, these documents should never be shredded.

(For more details, check out our blog on records retention.)

Transitory Records

Although the category of “business documents” covers most of the files your organization will create or interact with, federal regulations do make a provision for documents in your possession which aren’t important enough to be worth keeping. These are termed “transitory records” and can be shredded or otherwise disposed of at your leisure. 

The only requirement for records to be deemed “transitory” is that they “have no value in documenting or supporting the organization’s business.” This definition is admittedly vague, so it’s better to err on the side of caution and avoid labelling any records as transitory unless you’re quite sure. If the CRA does an audit, you don’t want to find yourself disagreeing with them about whether a file should be considered transitory. Being able to get rid of a document sooner is not worth risking an audit, fines, or potentially even prosecution. 

Personal Information

Unlike business documents, personal information should be destroyed or disposed of as soon as is practical. Rather than possibly being penalized for destroying a record too early, you’re more likely to be penalized for waiting too long to destroy or dispose of personal information. 

What counts as personal information?

In the language of the regulations, “personal information” refers to any information which could be used to identify someone. The general principle for deciding when to dispose of personal information requires you to have a purpose for collecting it in the first place. Once that purpose has expired, you’re expected to get rid of the personal information, so long as there’s no other reason to keep it. 

For example, according to the principles of the legislation, a tailor shop collecting customers’ names and measurements should delete or destroy that information once the service has been provided. Unless, of course, a customer has explicitly requested that they retain it, so as to inform future services.

When should you shred personal information?

In order to maximize your chances of being found compliant with legislation, we recommend that you somehow record the purpose for each piece of personal information collected in concrete language. That way, it can serve as a guide for deciding when to dispose of the information, and as a reference for any audits. Manually recording this information for every piece of personal information may be prohibitively tedious depending on your business model, but a digitalized process allows this step to be automated. 

A notable exception to this broad policy is when personal information is used to make a decision about the subject of that information. When your organization makes such a decision, you need to retain the personal information, and the information about the decision, long enough for the person involved to access it. This gives them the ability to understand and potentially even challenge the decision. 

Personnel Records

At the intersection between personal information and business records, are personnel records. The information they contain can be used to identify individuals, and usually even includes sensitive details like their Social Insurance Number or banking information. But that information is also crucial to the operation of the business, so which category of document do these fall under? 

The answer is both. A document can be both personal information and a business record, so long as the personally identifying information it contains is important information to the organization. Your purpose for collecting your employees’ and members’ personal information involves their continued involvement in your operations. Thus, in line with the principles of privacy regulations and retention periods, once a person has left your organization, you’re expected to destroy or otherwise dispose of the personal information in your records, so long as the retention period has ended. 

Conclusion

Existing within the “Information Age,” means organizations need to process more information than ever before. Computers and high-speed internet access are now so commonplace that nearly every company, organization, and private citizen is functionally required to have them, or miss out on faster, cheaper, more efficient, and more flexible ways of doing business. Paper documents are increasingly becoming a thing of the past, given their many disadvantages, one of which is the requirement for them to be shredded at the end of their lifecycle. Shredding one or two documents a week is no big deal, but when that volume increases, secure shredding options can become costly. 

Consentia offers secure and reliable services to convert your paper documents into digital files, including scanning and data entry. Plus, you’ll never have to worry about shredding your digital documents, you can delete and overwrite them with ease. Consentia can even securely destroy your documents for you once they’ve been digitized!

Want to learn more about how digitizing your documents can improve your legal reliability, save you money, and make your information more secure? We also offer expert advice! Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you elevate your business.

September 8, 2022

What’s the best way to store your important documents?

Document storage is a key part of any organization’s business solutions, whether or not its business model is information-based. Deciding where or how to store your documents might be a simple, one-afternoon fix if you’re a small or new company, but it can be a headache for any sizeable organization unless appropriately managed. 

We decided to write a guide to the various document storage solutions available, to hopefully make it easier to choose the best way to store your important documents. However, before we can review your options, we must know what to look for.

What does good document storage require?

There are two angles to “good” document storage to consider: what is most advantageous for your operation, and what is in line with the legislation to which you must comply. Of course, this distinction, though helpful, is arbitrary, as complying with legislation is almost always better for your operation than risking costly fines or prosecution.

Operational Considerations

The operational aspects are pretty straightforward. You have and use documents (be they physical, paper documents, or digital files of some kind) because the information they contain is useful. You keep them in storage because that useful information will be helpful again in the future. Thus, good storage needs to have enough capacity to hold everything you want to hold onto, and it needs to be as accessible as possible so that you can access that information when you need it, not after. Keeping your storage organized is a big part of accessibility, as disorganized are hard to find. 

Finally, like with every element of your operation, your storage needs to be cost-effective. Keeping your documents secure and organized is essential, but unless you deal with especially sensitive information, you probably don’t need expensive top-of-the-line security measures. Standard encryption or locks will probably do the job.

How does legislation affect document storage requirements?

Things get a little more complicated, however, when we introduce legislation. As we’ve covered in previous posts, Canadian federal legislation leaves a lot of room for flexible solutions in records management. Rather than try to write rules covering every possible circumstance or situation an organization might be in, the legislation leaves it very much up to you to manage your own records. The only things required of you are that your organization abide by some minimum standards and core principles.

The most critical minimum standards to keep in mind are retention periods. These rules require you to hold onto various business documents for several years after they’re created, even if they’re no longer relevant to your operation. The amount of time you need to keep a record varies between document types, but it is usually a six-year period. However, when that six-year period begins also depends on the type of document, as well as the kind of organization. At most, the period could start as late as 364 days after it was created, so to be careful, it’s best practice to hold onto all of your business documents for at least seven years – eight if you’re extra cautious. (Read more about retention periods here.)

But what counts as a “business document?” If you only have to hold onto a small portion of your documents, retention periods won’t affect your storage needs very much. In reality, however, nearly every piece of information your organization interacts with counts as a business document. Financial documents, transaction records, personnel records, internal memos, official meeting minutes and correspondence; all of these and more need to be retained for various lengths of time. In the context of storage solutions, “good” storage includes high capacity and scalability. 

There are a few exceptions, generally anything especially unimportant (i.e. not legally, operationally, or financially relevant). These are called “transitory records” and can be disposed of whenever you wish. However, given the penalties for non-compliance, and the suspicion that an absent file can raise, it may be better for you to retain mundane documents to prove an absence of suspicious activity. (Read more about records maintenance legislation here.)

One notable exception to this general policy of “keep it all” is personal information (i.e. identifying information about individuals outside of the organization). Many organizations collect personal information in their regular course of business, either to tailor their goods and services to their customers or for targeted advertising. Canadian federal legislation has almost the opposite approach to personal information; the general policy is to get rid of it as soon as possible. According to legislation, you need to have a specific reason for collecting a piece of personal information. Once that purpose has expired, the information should be securely disposed of unless you used that information to make a decision that affects the person to whom it pertains. In that case, the information, and record of the decision made about it, need to be accessible to the individual for long enough that they have a reasonable opportunity to access it and challenge the decision if they so wish. (Read more about personal information legislation here; for more information on records management, check out our blog series: A Guide to Records Management.)

What are your options for document storage?

Option 1: Paper Filing

In general, digital storage is far more efficient, secure, and legally reliable than storing paper documents (if you do it right); plus, it comes with additional benefits like remote access and instant duplication (learn more here). We strongly encourage any organization to digitalize as much of their operation as possible due to the efficiency, security, and accessibility advantages digital systems offer. 

However, some organizations may choose to or have to retain some paper documents. Depending on the number and sensitivity of these physical documents, it may be most cost-effective to store them in filing cabinets or lock boxes at your facility. However, this consumes valuable space in your facility or office that you could better utilize for your core business. Storing all of your paper documents in the office may also be untenable if you have a huge number of files. Various companies offer secure document storage off-site, though their business model may require you to pay them every time you want to access one of your own records. 

Option 2: Digital Storage In-house

Almost every organization doing business in developed societies already uses some amount of digital storage, so this should be familiar territory. If you’re looking to scale up your digital storage capacity in-house or to improve the storage you’ve already got, you’ll need to ensure you have high-quality I.T. professionals on hand to help you set it up and maintain it. To keep your files organized and accessible, you’ll need to think about who in your organization needs access to what and how often, as well as develop an indexing schema that’s intuitive enough to be understood without thorough instruction, yet comprehensive enough to organize everything effectively. 

How secure your digital storage will need to be, depends on how sensitive the information is. An organization of any size needs to protect its financial information, so some extra security measures beyond those built into your software tools are likely warranted. Regular monitoring and maintenance by your I.T. team, strong and frequently rotated passwords, educating your employees about good digital hygiene, and some basic encryption are a few ways you can keep your information safe on internet-connected servers.

Contrary to what some people believe, digital information is far more secure than paper. The common misconception that paper is more secure or reliable than digital is probably a left-over from a time when that was in fact true or based on the intuitive feeling of certainty and solidity that physical documents provide. Either way, so long as you take some common-sense steps to protect your data, modern digital storage options offer reliability and security that intuitive feelings of security can’t compete with in practice. You can’t encrypt a paper file, keep it behind a password, or track who’s seen it with metadata. (Learn more about the security and reliability advantages of paper here).

Option 3: Cloud Storage

Mass-storing your files in a server hundreds or even thousands of miles away was once a pipe dream of computer enthusiasts or the exclusive privilege of major corporations and governments. Now, however, with lightning-fast internet speeds available in most of the developed world, and high-capacity digital storage cheaper and more efficient than ever, storing documents online is an option for anyone. 

Cloud storage comes with a number of benefits over in-house digital storage. For one, you can save space that local storage would’ve used instead. Depending on the size of your organization and its I.T. team, cloud storage is probably also more reliable than in-house storage. Every computer system has issues now and then, but using a cloud storage provider’s servers means outsourcing the monitoring and maintenance to them. 

Companies offering cloud storage services need to maintain reliability and security to sustain their profits, so you can be sure that much of their revenue is being reinvested into industry-leading digital security measures. Cloud storage is also more convenient than in-house digital storage, as you can access your files from any computer, including when you’re out of the office. In fact, this convenience is what made entirely remote business models possible, and was a key part of the resilience of economies around the world during the recent COVID-19 lockdowns. 

The only potential downsides of cloud storage are dependence on internet speeds and dependence on the service provider. Because all of your information is stored off-site, potentially a very far distance away, disruptions to your internet access mean disruptions to your access to your own files. Additionally, if the service provider experiences a technical crisis or severe disruption, you will have to wait until they are able to resume service, and trust that they backed up your files properly.  

But you should consider how likely these problems are. Internet speeds are faster and more reliable than ever before, so unless your organization is based somewhere with poor digital infrastructure, disruptions will be rare and short. Service providers, on the other hand, have huge financial incentives to maintain reliable storage, so they’re likely to take many precautions with your data. 

Additionally, due to the market centralization of the internet (i.e. Anyone from anywhere can access the biggest providers), the mainstream options for cloud storage generate huge amounts of revenue, giving them access to cutting-edge technology and personnel to ensure that they never run into problems that could disrupt services. So not only is the protection of your files their primary business incentive, but they’re also likely to be more able to protect your files than you are. 

Option 4: Air-Gapped Storage

The security options for in-house or cloud storage are typically good enough to cover most organizations’ needs. But what if your information is especially sensitive, or what if your organization is an especially likely target for cybercriminals? The most secure digital storage option is “air-gapped” storage, in which a dedicated server system is completely isolated from the internet. Secure removable storage devices, like external hard drives or thumb drives, are used to ferry files onto and off the isolated server, and only by trusted members of your organization. With no possible way to connect to the internet, there’s zero risk of online cyber threats, giving you the maximum possible peace of mind about the files you keep there.

Air-gapped storage is ideal for archiving old records that you don’t need to move often, and that you need to keep as secure as possible. It is not the best option, however, for any files that you need to share or use often (unless you’re okay with using the files on a computer which is also disconnected from the internet). 

Learn more about air-gapped servers and digital information security here.

Leverage the Advantages of Digital

Digital information systems are far superior to physical files. Digitalized systems and processes are faster, more efficient, more secure, and more flexible than any process still dependent on paper. Digital documents are the best way to store information, as the efficiency of digital storage systems can hold the equivalent of millions of pages of paper in a space no bigger than a deck of cards. 

Consentia offers flexible, custom-tailored, local paper scanning solutions for any volume of files. Accelerate your information processing with digital systems, without having to send your important files out of Alberta. We never take risks with the security of our clients’ files, which is why our secure facility utilizes an air-gapped server to store your new digital copies. Get in touch with us today to discover how we can help.

ABOUT CONSENTIA

Consentia helps organizations with digital transformation and data management. We provide document scanning, secure physical and cloud storage solutions, data entry, records management, transcription, microfilm and microfiche conversion services. We’re proud of our more than 50-year history of providing excellent data services to clients in Alberta and across western Canada. Specializing in document scanning and storage, along with precise data entry, we serve diverse sectors, including healthcare, education, financial services, public sector, and small businesses.

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