Dematerialization is based on the principle of converting documents stored on paper into digital computer files. This phenomenon is now a staple in our 2.0 society and is a fundamental pillar of innovation.
Dematerialisation: Kesaco?
Dematerialization proves to be essential for companies looking to reduce their costs while modernizing. Dematerialization is used to manage data or documents completely electronically in the context of exchanges with companies and/or customers, suppliers, etc. It involves various steps from the digitization of the paper document to the restoration, which allows a digital file. Being discoverable and shareable. After dematerialization of various documents, it is necessary to set up a specific organization to allow all these documents to be managed. This is called the EDM (Electronic Document Management) process. GED makes it possible to preserve and possibly complete the information in a document.
in search of modernity
The advantages of dematerialization are obvious. This phenomenon first of all allows for a significant saving of space, which can tip the scales edge. It should be noted that in an archive room, for example, only 20,000 to 25,000 pages of paper documents may be stored per square meter on four levels, while two or three CDs are enough to store the same amount of data. It is a real space saver and hence a great asset that start-ups or VSEs who sometimes start on small premises can take advantage of it.
With the emergence of telework or nomadism, dematerialization is not negligible as it allows for better control and ease of document flow. Traceability is improved and circulation through digital technology is fast, almost instantaneous and without limitations.
EDM (Electronic Document Management) makes it possible to deal with accidental destruction of documents. Real security appears because digital data is not subject to the risks posed by paper documents such as fire, flood, mold, or natural disasters, thus avoiding any loss of time and money.
Dematerialized documents save money. French companies devote 5 to 15% of their business to the management of paper documents. And the printing of pages represents about 3% of the company’s business. Furthermore, in a contemporary perspective that must meet the challenges of sustainable development, dematerialization allows for less pollution with a saving of over 15 tonnes of paper.
It is also a time saver as it is believed that a person spends about 15% of his working day reading information and up to 50% searching for it among mountains of files. With dematerialization, all documents are grouped into folders, easily recoverable and sorted alphabetically at the request of the company.
a tradition in which good
Dematerialization is not appropriate for all companies. The so-called classic working methods are sometimes good. For example, what happens to personal data, banking data or pay slips in this entire digital system?
After their dematerialisation, it is necessary to ensure that the documents do not fall into the wrong hands. This is where SAE (Electronic Archiving System) comes into play. It is a content management system that provides secure access to archives. Unlike GED, SAE prohibits modification of documents as well as their destruction. But at the time of digitization, documents are easily tampered with and can be falsified.
Just as there can be elements that cause paper documents to disappear, so too can risks of computerized data loss surface. Digitization also adds to the cost of these losses, which are estimated at more than €1.9 million per year for French companies. The main reasons for the embezzlement of digital data are malicious and criminal attacks. The negligence of employees who can’t always stop leaks is also to blame, as well as computer system failures and viruses.
Storage of dematerialized documents also appears to be a disadvantage as the amount of information stored in the company is increasing every day, so the support must be more and more substantial and they must be priced. We are no longer talking only about USB keys, SD cards, but about high-performance computer devices with a possible hard disk, including maximum and high-performance memory… As a result, Electricity consumption is increasing. , Who says more storage says more servers, more computers and screens are on. And the impact on the environment is also increasing.
Finally, for the implementation of this system and a good understanding of EDM, users must be trained and supported.
Like paper storage or archives, dematerialization has a fixed cost, it’s up to you what you prefer.