Blog

In a world where data breaches are common, it has never been more important to ensure the safety of sensitive and confidential data.

The legal industry is one of the most at risk sectors in the world to data breaches due to the incredible amounts of paperwork required – and of course the important information these documents contain.

Although there is no way to guarantee the safety and security of information, there are steps you can take to safeguard documents going forward. And one of the best ways to do this is to make the switch to paperless processes.

Moving the legal sector towards a more technology-focussed way of working can help to protect this information from being lost, stolen or damaged. Turning physical documents into digital ones can also help to keep it away from prying eyes – something which is always a concern in the sector – by ensuring they are protected with passwords.

Working with digital legal files

For those firms looking to move towards a digital way of working, the whole process starts by essentially scanning in all of the paper documentation into a specialist system to ensure they are all kept in order. Once this has been done, these documents are then available to view, edit and delete – just as they are in physical format – but with the added peace of mind that they cannot be misplaced, lost or stolen. It is then up to each individual whether they want the paper documents returned – or whether they would prefer us to dispose of them, securely.

Aside from the security benefits, scanning legal documents can also help improve productivity.

As mentioned above, the legal sector is one of the most paper-heavy in the world. Case files, interviews, documents and transcripts are all often recorded on physical paper documents, meaning that those working in the sector often have to sift through reams and reams of paper to find something they can use. Essentially, it is often like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Pearl Scan Legal was developed in 2011 in order to meet the needs of the legal industry going forwards. This dedicated arm of the Pearl Scan Group is aimed at providing a comprehensive and safe document scanning and management solution to enable it to move forward and be more efficient.

Our legal scanning service and legal document management solutions have become extremely popular with law firms as a way to streamline their workload, improve their efficiency both inside and outside of the office, save considerable amounts of time and money, and of course make sure these documents are kept secure forever.

To find out more about our legal document scanning solutions, click here.

HR, Accounting and Legal Departments Still Printing Too Much

A new study conducted by Wakefield Research and Infotrends has revealed the extent of the printing crisis in small to medium-sized businesses. Printing and other paper-based activities are still flourishing in the corporate office, despite new eco technologies, and the main offenders are those in HR departments, legal offices and accounting firms.

The studies show just how dependent businesses are on paper for daily routines – with 73% of owners and decision makers at companies with less than 500 employees print at least four times a day. Paper is still a major part of the workflow in many sectors, including legal and HR.

The Research Vice President of Gartner, Ken Weilerstein, says that companies have tried to go paperless but failed to eliminate it altogether. Today, he says employees print an average of 400 pages per month – that’s A LOT of paper. He says many companies have figured out the easiest ways to “go paperless” by scanning and storing documents online, but it wasn’t possible to eradicate all in-house printing and scanning completely.

The Key to the Paperless Office

The trouble with implementing a paperless office isn’t the in-house documents. Once all records are scanned and in an electronic management system, employees can convert to the paperless process quite easily. Being completely paperless becomes an issue when dealing with other businesses and sometimes clients, who still have a reliance on paper.

They may ask you to post a hard copy of a contract to sign, rather than use a digital signature. Some companies may want to fax or post you a shared document instead of email it across. Others may not accept a digital invoice...the list goes on. The secret of successfully implementing a paper office is cooperation. One company has to be brave and take the first step, start the tidal wave in the corporate world. Everything is being transferred to digital, it’s just a matter of time before those businesses which resist the movement have to conform.

So why not be ahead of the times and be the first company in your area to make the move to a paperless office? It’s something you could brag about in the future as a cutting edge forward thinking business.

Pearl Scan specialises in HR document scanning and legal scanning services. Join a number of businesses who have ignited the digital revolution and benefited from exceptional document management.