What is document archiving and why is it important?

Document archiving is the secure storage of information (both electronic and paper) that is no longer used on a regular basis. By archiving, the legal norms are respected both from the point of view of supporting and justifying the activity, as well as of personnel files.

Archiving carried out in accordance with legal specifications, streamlines the workflow and saves time in administrative activities related to the fulfillment of fiscal or personnel obligations.

The archiving process is important because:

• keep documents organized and easy to access
• offers fast and secure access to data and documents
• saves storage space
• avoid the risk of losing documents
• help streamline workflow

Electronic archiving or physical archiving?

Keeping documents safe is both a necessity and an obligation. Thus, archiving is regulated by Order of the Ministry of Public Finance no. 2634/2015, entered into force on January 1, 2016. It gives companies the right to choose between the two possible archiving options - on paper or electronic, both of which come with a series of advantages and disadvantages, but also with specific obligations.

Physical archiving consists in the processing of documents and the preparation of record-keeping tools to manage and use the archive effectively. The stages of the physical archiving process include: document sorting, ordering, creating files, selecting and inventorying documents.

By means of an electronic archiving solution, any type of document, structured or unstructured, printed, handwritten or in image format, can be scanned and archived.

Advantages of physical archiving:

1. It does not require additional technological training, just a close study of the laws and obligations
2. Documents are easy to access when properly organized

Disadvantages of archiving in classic format:

1. The need for a space dedicated to archiving, which can bring additional costs.
2. Documents can collect dust and micro-organisms, which can harm people with allergies or increased sensitivity
3. For companies with a large volume of documents, archiving can be demanding and difficult, and may require the hiring of dedicated staff.
4. The possibility of degradation or destruction due to natural or accidental causes of the documents and the impossibility of recovering them.

Because a company's archive must be done correctly and efficiently, an increasingly popular and used solution lately is to call a company specialized in document archiving services. It has the necessary resources, space and knowledge to organize and keep the documents in complete safety and in accordance with the legislation in force.

A repository authorized by the archive complies with all standards for the safekeeping of information.