1. Cut Costs by Cutting out Paper: How
Going Paperless Can Save Your Company’s
Capital
The costs associated with using paper are extortionate.
Each year, companies spend billions of dollars on purchasing, printing, storing, posting,
destructing, and recycling their paper records. According to market research in the U.S., the
cost associated with managing paper-based data is over 31 times the purchasing price of
the paper it’s printed on!
Luckily, Compu-Stor is here to help your company break this cycle of spending with our
digital imaging services.
The Problem with Paper
Paper-based databases are rapidly being replaced by digital databases in the modern
workplace for a variety of reasons.
The storage of paper records is costly and largely devoid of any revenue generating
potential. Paper records are difficult to search and their effective retrieval and tracking
requires meticulous recordkeeping. These problems are often exacerbated in larger
companies which may have to store their paper records in multiple locations because of
sheer volume.
To add insult to injury, the paper records management process remains highly susceptible to
human error and security breaches. Additionally, paper-based records are also extremely
vulnerable to environmental threats. Fluctuations in light and temperature may degrade the
quality of paper documents, and fire or extreme weather hazards can make the
preservation of documents altogether impossible!
As a result, optimal security mechanisms must be in place to ensure the integrity of paper
records. This may mean anything from purchasing fire- and flood-proof storage facilities or
earthquake-proof sturdy racking to requiring secure card-key access to storage units.
Needless to say, these security measures can really start to add up.
Still, it is the costs associated with managing paper records that can really hurt your
business.
There are labour and administrative costs intrinsic to effectively accessing and maintaining
paper-based data. Managing the movement of paper records in real-time is extremely

2. difficult and paper-based databases easily become out-of-synch when documents are
accessed, retrieved, updated, or destroyed. This presents a real problem to businesses
overseeing the movement of high volumes of data. Additional employees may be required
to carry out this process, particularly if data storage takes place off-site. Effective access to
such storage facilities requires multiple staff members to ensure the safety and security of
both the individuals and the documents being retrieved. In turn, companies must consider
the costs associated with taking time away from business operations to manage their paper
records.
Consequently, paper-based records management is being phased out in favour of digital
records management in many businesses.
Digital Records Management: The Economical Answer
Digital records management can relieve many of the logistical and financial stresses
associated with managing paper records, all while improving the efficiency and security of
business operations.
Digital databases are housed in computers and servers, making expensive filing cabinets and
racking systems obsolete. What’s more, digital records can be retrieved without ever leaving
your desk! Secure file-sharing, database management, and data back-up are all possible
with just a few keystrokes. And contemporary technologies, such as eReaders, tablets, and
smartphones, can help businesses capitalise on storing their data in digital formats by
passing this ease-of-access onto their customers.
Although there are start-up costs associated with transitioning from paper-based to digital
records management, the financial savings are tremendous and long-lasting. As soon as
digitised records begin being accessed, the company starts saving!
For example, Australia’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
(DEEWR) saved nearly $150,000 by going digital in 2010. This is because DEEWR no longer
had to pay for continuous document storage, nor the excessive amount they were spending
on accessing their records, which neared $8 per file movement! Instead, they spent a one-
off fee to digitise all of their records, and then recouped these costs within their first year by
no longer paying to store or access their files.
Going Paperless: How Compu-Stor’s Imaging Services Can Help
It is easy to see why businesses would want to go digital, so Compu-Stor has developed a
variety of document imaging services to support our customers’ desires.
We can tailor our scanning and imaging services to meet the individual needs of our
customers. We have the capacity to scan hard-copy documents in a variety of sizes (up to
A0) and with an image quality ranging from 100 dpi to over 600 dpi, and in your choice of
black and white, greyscale, or high-quality colour. Compu-Stor can tackle high-volume

3. paper-to-digital document conversion projects and return your digitised files on DVD, USB,
or HDD media.
We have also developed user-friendly online storage solutions for the management of our
customers’ digital records. Once your documents have been scanned into your selected
digital format, we can link them directly to our Complete Information Management System
(CIMS) for secure online storage, and real-time records management and access.
CIMS gives our customers the capacity to search, order, and run live reports on their
records. Additionally, customers can lodge, retrieve, and amend their records through this
extensive online information management system. CIMS also provides customers with
maximum online security by incorporating password protected document access, content
encryption and audit trails, and by tracking the access and use of each digital file. Together,
these storage security mechanisms enable us to ensure the integrity of our customers’
digital records. Years of technical development have truly made CIMS a secure, one-stop
shop for remote information management.
To learn more about how going paperless can benefit your pocketbook and your
productivity, contact a Compu-Stor representative from one of our three locations: Sydney,
Perth, and Melbourne.