Document and records management specialist Metrofile has pioneered instantaneous image capture and archival data storage with the acquisition of the first Kodak digital archive writer (DAW) in Africa.
The system has enabled Metrofile to boost throughput of archived digital documents and image capture by 90%, reduce information storage costs and accelerate document retrieval turnaround time for customers.
Designed to convert data and images onto reference archive media, the Kodak DAW can be networked to capture live documents instantaneously and to process large volumes of daily information for storage, retrieval and archiving purposes.
The system was acquired by Metrofile following an identified need for enhanced data capture as well as for a solution which would cater for immediate digital access, and long-term analogue storage. The filming of individual documents to create microfilm is labour- and cost-intensive as well as time-consuming. Being analogue technology, microfilm is also slow and restrictive.
"DAW converts physical documents into digital images instantaneously. The solution enables the creation of an image captured onto archive media at a rate of five frames per second as opposed to a rate of one frame every 10 seconds when using microfilm photography," says Brett Harris, operations manager at Metrofile Cape Town.
The introduction of the DAW has reduced staffing requirements by 90%. Due to the compact nature of the technology there is a considerable reduction in both work and floor space. In addition, it also drastically reduces storage requirements and provides rapid turnaround times, giving prompt access to vital documents used in the resolution of queries.
Storing data on reference archive media provides improved image quality to that of microfilm, and requires no further physical handling of documents. Documents can also be created digitally, directed from PC to the DAW via a network and instantaneously sent to an offsite archive. Likewise documents can be re-created from the archive media back into a digital format, and if needed printed to create a paper document.
"Previously documents would have to be manually prepared to a certain order and size before being passed individually onto a camera surface and photographed. The paper would then be removed and replaced with the next document, and so on. Now the process is simple. A bulk scanner can process as many as 60 documents per minute, allowing these digital images to be networked to the DAW where they are instantly transferred onto the archive media, processed and then stored for later retrieval," says Harris.
The full system allows rapid access to vital documents, accurate and immediate retrieval of archived material from a stable and reliable structure, and ease of compliance with statutory requirements for historical document storage.
"Implementing DAW technology has brought us up to speed with international standards and practices in the document management and storage industry," says Harris.
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Metrofile, a broad-based empowerment company, is the South African market leader in the management of business documents, and is committed to help customers reduce costs and improve productivity in processes that are centred on documents and corporate records.
All companies have a combination of paper and electronic documents, and are forced by law and customer requirements to secure the availability of the documents for the duration of their lifecycle. For most organisations, the volume of documents is growing at an exponential rate, and is becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
Metrofile is uniquely positioned to provide consulting and implementation of full lifecycle paper and electronic records management solutions from storage and conversion through to destruction.
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