Archiving documents in Ontario can take many forms. Paper documents can be digitized to PDF formats. Digital data can be stored on CDs, DVD, flash drives and magnetic tape. And, all forms of documents can be transferred to microfilm.
But, why should you microfilm documents you’ve already converted to a digital format? No doubt digital is the option of choice when you’re working with and backup up your document data. Using digital data during everyday operations is a practical choice. However, the option to use microfilm is still viable, even after you transition your company’s paper documents into digital format.
The answer involves how long you may want to information to be readily available in a quality format. Taking the additional step from digital to microfilm is a smart choice for archiving documents in Ontario. Microfilming provides an excellent disaster recovery strategy that more and more companies are using.
Microfilm Compared to Digital Formats for Archiving Documents in Ontario
When stored properly, microfilm can last over 500 years!. Think about how easily you can read documents from the turn of the century at local libraries. Without using this format, many historical documents might not have been preserved.
In addition to libraries, several government agencies want documents that aren’t dependent on technology to read them. Using just your eyes to read any type of document is a big bonus for numerous government and business entities.
In part two of this series we will compare microfilm to digital methods for archiving documents. For additional information on archiving documents, contact MES Hybrid today.