Posted by Stephanie Jones on Thu, Sep 02, 2010 @ 03:34 PM
More than half of businesses do not have a formal data retention plan, creating massive recovery problems due to the over-retention of information, according to a new report by Symantec.
The study, entitled 2010 Information Management Health Check Survey, reveals some shocking figures. Only 46 percent of the 1,680 global businesses asked had a data retention plan in place, meaning that most businesses lack formal procedures for addressing the storage of data and when, if ever, it gets deleted.
87 percent believed such a plan should allow them to delete unnecessary information, but 13 percent would rather not delete anything, even useless material, at all.
The research also found that 75 percent of backups have infinite retention or are on “legal hold”, meaning that they can potentially never be deleted, creating a nightmare situation for those trying to sort through backups to restore a system to a usable state or to regain specific lost information.
The study found that one in six companies archive information indefinitely. It also found that 25 percent of data that is backed up is not needed and should not be retained, since it hogs space and makes accessing essential information more difficult.
The report discovered that there was widespread improper legal hold practices, with 70 percent of companies performing legal holds using backups, 25 percent preserving an entire backup set for legal holds on files and documents, and 45 percent of backup storage being used for these legal holdings.
If that were not enough, it also found improper backup, recovery and archive practices were rampant. 51 percent prohibit end-user archives, but 65 percent report that end-users archive material anyway when not permitted. 49 percent use backup software for archiving, even when it's not designed for that purpose.
The consequences of these improper practices are manifold, including high storage costs, long backup windows, excessive recovery times, increased litigation risk and inefficient electronic discovery, none of which a business can dismiss lightly.
Reposted from Techeye.net on August 5, 2010
Posted by Stephanie Jones on Mon, Jul 19, 2010 @ 03:21 PM
If you are like most bail bondsmen, paper is an important part of your day. Keeping track of bail applications, indemnity agreements, receipts and more is key to getting paid and staying in compliance with state and Federal regulations.
Document management, or document imaging, is the practice of digitizing, indexing and archiving both paper and electronic documents for easy storage and retrieval. Bail bondsmen across the nation are turning to this technology to keep track of documents they are used to storing in paper files and folders. Is this something that would work in your agency? Let’s look at five reasons why you should consider document management.
1. You can save money. With a document management system, you can reduce the amount of paper you buy and virtually eliminate postage, photocopies, fax machines, couriers and off-site storage. You can also decrease your paper consumption costs because you can directly e-mail or fax documents to other agencies instead of printing and mailing cumbersome paper files. Using this tool, you and your employees will quickly become more efficient and productive – giving them more time to focus on other tasks – which will save, if not make you, money.
2. You can save time. With document management, you can have instant access to files. Scan documents once and never print them again. No filing or searching for folders. View documents without leaving your desk. While you are out in the field, you can easily access original files through any web-based document management system. One bail bond company tracks clients in their document management system using indexes like:
- Client Name
- Power Number
- Bond Number
- Bond Execution Date
- Bond Discharge Date
Being able to search documents using any combination of those index values plus keyword searching makes it virtually impossible to lose a file.
And, if you have multiple offices, you won’t need multiple copies of documents. Storing them in a central location will let employees retrieve them from anywhere – even simultaneously.
3. You can free up space in your office (or off-site) by eliminating old files and filing cabinets. Electronic files are legally accepted as the original. Shred cumbersome paper files, save space and turn filing cabinet areas into productive work areas.
4. You can create a disaster-recovery plan. Meaning natural disaster and man-made disaster – like a lawsuit. Floods, fire, hurricanes, earthquakes, vandalism and theft place paper files in jeopardy each day. With a document management system, you can rest assured that your company is still in business when disaster strikes. The more you scan, the less you have to lose!
5. You can increase compliance. In Florida, for example, each licensed agent must maintain records of bail bonds in his or her office that were executed or countersigned by him or her. The agent must keep this information for three years after the liability of the surety has been terminated. “Though we are only required to keep our documents for three years by law, we want to be able to store them indefinitely in case we need to refer to them in the future,” explained Jeremy Swan of Moncrief Bail Bonds in Orlando, Florida.
A bail bond company’s records are open to examination, inspection, and photographic reproduction by the regulating authority and at any time, the department may require the agent to furnish to it, in such manner or form as it requires, any information concerning the bail bond business of that agent. Web-based document management systems allow the bail bondsman to grant temporary access to auditors or authorities to review records stored online – making everyone’s job easier in the long run.
A document management system is also the perfect place to store employee information, including licenses, certificates and fingerprint cards.
Bail bond companies everywhere will be surprised at how affordable and easy document management systems can be. “Not only are document management systems a great way for businesses to organize their paper and electronic files, but they are also great at eliminating unnecessary expenses – like postage, couriers and off-site storage,” explained Leslie Haywood, CEO of eBridge Solutions in Tampa. “We are seeing businesses of every size in every industry making the switch.”
Should your business be next?
Want to learn more about eBridge Solutions' document management?
Sign up for one of our weekly online demonstrations by visiting our webinars page.
Posted by Stephanie Jones on Wed, May 05, 2010 @ 07:41 AM
The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee was one of the businesses hardest hit during the recent flooding.
"What I understand is that as of yesterday one of my friends floated through the Opry House in a canoe and there was 4 feet of water on the stage at that time," one employee said. "The dressing rooms are a total loss."
It has yet to be determined if the Grand Ole Opry Museum, the Acuff instrument collection and the archives were lost. If those things were destroyed, it would be "a profound American loss."
"I would say you lost photographs," another employee said. "I would say you lost film. I would say you lost audio and the costumes, instruments, manuscripts, boots. You know, just everything that goes along with the Opry and Opry stars."
While the dressing rooms and instruments couldn't have been protected with eBridge Solutions' web-based document management, the photos, old sheet music and archived programs could have been. Anything paper could have been scanned and archived -- even just as a back-up. Now, there is fear that nothing is left at the Opry House except water-soaked paper and damaged hardwood.
I've been at the Opry House and the Gaylord Palms Hotel steps away. If the first floors of those two large buildings were mostly underwater, the majority of the businesses' corporate and HR documents are likely gone as well. Imagine your business? How many days, weeks, months, years would it take for you to be back up and running if you lost all of your file cabinets? Or even your computer if your hard drive was under your desk?
Today is the day to start protecting your documents. Scan the most important ones first, if that makes things easier. And say a little prayer for the people of Nashville...
Posted by Stephanie Jones on Fri, Oct 02, 2009 @ 03:36 PM
A recent survey by The Association for Work Process Improvement (TAWPI)found that businesses add a document management system primarily for one of two reasons:
- Improved customer service
- Reduced operating expenses
We've been talking about time and money savings at eBridge Solutions forever, but it is nice to see that these truly are the biggest benefits of document management. At least among the 888 people who took this survey.
And, in the last two interviews we've done for case studies, both companies cited that giving their customer service representatives the ability to pull up client or patient files INSTANTLY while on the phone was their favorite feature of eBridge Solutions. If you can answer a question while the customer is on the phone, you're saving time (no walking to the file cabinet, pulling their file and calling them back) money (two minute call instead of two hour adventure in the file room) AND you're making your customer extremely satisfied -- depending on why they are calling, of course.
TAWPI is a professional membership association dedicated to providing education, advocacy and networking opportunities for practitioners, technology and service providers in payments automation, distributed capture, and imaging & forms processing.
Posted by Stephanie Jones on Fri, Sep 18, 2009 @ 03:34 PM
The article below is yet another example of why document management systems can be so beneficial in a school setting.
With eBridge Solutions web-based document management system, student records can be scanned and then immediately shred, because the images remain online indefinitely. Document management increases record security and improves school compliance with record retention mandates and other regulations, like HIPAA.
Officials at a Manhattan school are coming under fire for leaving student records dumped on the street for anyone to pick up.
Boxes of student records were piled in front of the old home of the School for the Physical City.
Some records contained the Social Security numbers, grades, signatures and even psychological reports of former students ofthe public intermediate/high school.
The boxes were sitting next to a trash bin filled with old desks and other discarded school supplies.
The School for the Physical City moved to a new location over the summer and apparently the records were thrown out with the trash during the relocation.
An Education Department official said an investigation has been launched to determine how the records ended up on the street. Officials apparently picked up the boxes of records last night.
"This is not acceptable," school officials said in a statement last night. "If true, we will take appropriate action."
Posted by Stephanie Jones on Fri, Jul 31, 2009 @ 03:21 PM
Curious about the cleanliness of the kitchen at your favorite restaurant? Your father's nursing home? The concession stands at the ballpark?
Cleveland's health officials say that by year's end, the public will be able to go online and check the food inspection reports for all 3,000 Cleveland establishments that serve prepared food -- using eBridge Solutions' document management software.
The project was made possible after the Cleveland Department of Public Safety donated the laptops that health inspectors now use on their rounds. The Department of Public Health purchased the necessary software for $3,000 (it's about $1,800 annually for our services + laptop maintenance).
The move online is designed to bring more attention to local food safety issues, said Matt Carroll, the director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health.
Hard copies of the reports have always been available to the public, but processing requests was time-consuming. Earlier this year, the city's 25 health inspectors shifted from storing reports in file cabinets to scanning them into their computers. Maintaining the software technology will cost roughly $3,000 annually, said Willie Bess, the department's public health commissioner.
Carroll said that he hopes online access will encourage consumers to check out the health official's evaluation of their favorite restaurant, grocery stores, nursing home or assisted living center.
The reports include details of any recent food violations, which range from inadequate temperature control to improper labeling to cross-contamination of foods. Customers also will be able to read health inspectors' comments about sanitation in the kitchens or stock rooms and follow-up data on whether a business addressed previously incurred violations. Inspectors will also make note of facilities that meet all food safety standards.
User-friendly tips on how to read inspection reports, which contain technical information, will also be available online, Carroll said.
"They will probably need some explanation," Carroll said. "It takes some getting familiar with the document, but once somebody gets used to it, they'll get it."
Carroll added that he hopes online access to the reports will also boost the overall level of food safety across the city, as businesses feel pressure to step up food handling practices under public scrutiny.
"It's a good way to get people the right information, so they can take advantage of it and make the best choices," Carroll said.
Read the entire story here.
Posted by Stephanie Jones on Mon, Mar 23, 2009 @ 11:59 AM
In the past few weeks, I've found several stories about businesses who have thrown paper files into garbage cans instead of destroying them correctly. The first one is out of Indianapolis...
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/region_1/Hotel_mishandling_delicate_docs_20090306The second one is out of Shreveport, Louisiana...
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090317/NEWS03/903170314/1062Both of these stories show how easily paper documents can get into the wrong hands. eBridge Solutions' customers scan and store their paper files online and then shred them OR find a reputable document destruction company to shred the documents for them. It is critical to remaining compliant with HIPAA and Red Flag rules.
Posted by Stephanie Jones on Wed, Mar 11, 2009 @ 01:17 PM
Do you know how long the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires your company to keep relevant records?
How about ADA? ADEA? FMLA? FLSA? Do you know what these acronyms even stand for? Let alone how long the documents need to be retained for?
If you're not sure, you're not alone. These are just the Federal anti-discrimination laws. There are still State laws out there as well. But, let's look at these to start:
Under CRA of 1964 and ADA, records must be kept for one year from when the record was made or the action taken, whichever is later.
Under ADEA (age discrimination), certain records (e.g., employee age, rate of compensation) must be kept for three years, and other records for one year (e.g., resumes).
Under FLSA, certain records must be kept for three years (e.g., rates of pay) and other records must be kept for two years (e.g., work and time schedules).
Under FMLA,the basic record retention period is three years.
So, if you have 100 employees (or even 10), the amount of paperwork you are required to keep is tremendous. Do you have enough file cabinets in your office to properly maintain those records?
What if there was an easier way? Well, there is. It's called document management. Specifically, web-based document management. With this tool (from eBridge Solutions, of course), you can scan and store copies of these paper files online. No more filling up filing cabinets. No more hoping that you've kept all of the paperwork you are required to keep.
As applicants move through the hiring process, simply scan in each piece of paper they submit. Or, even better, print electronic copies of e-mail correspondence, resumes and more right into your document management system without printing and scanning.
Don't get caught without the appropriate paperwork! Save everything! eBridge Solutions makes it easier than ever...